Pottery. Photography. And All Things Handmade.
The essay below, "Goodbye Dr. Spock", was written by Anna Quindlen November 2000 for Newsweek. She eloquently wrote how I feel about being a Mom. I have cherished this essay through the years. “If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing they ever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of... Continue Reading →
Spring has sprung! Everything is waking up, and nature is renewing. A lot of things seemingly happening at once: yard work, mowing, kiln maintenance and soccer! I am doing my annual kiln maintenance which involves calibrating the kiln sitter to ensure accurate firings. The kiln sitter is the mechanical device that automatically shuts off the... Continue Reading →
My back porch pottery studio is open to all the whims of Mother Nature. Because my production is determined by the weather, my throwing season starts in May and ends in October. During the winter, I hand-build with clay inside where it’s warm and dry. Hand-building allows me to work with clay without a wheel.... Continue Reading →
First, the good news! The car air conditioning fixed itself! We took it in to be fixed. The mechanic said the AC is working and he couldn’t find anything wrong. I'm thinking the car had a hot 🔥 flash! 😆 Now, the not so good news . . . The cost to repair the refrigerator... Continue Reading →
Woke up Sunday morning, opened the fridge for the pitcher of water and noticed the water was not cold. Huh. Odd. Maybe dear husband didn't close the fridge door completely last night before he went to bed, I thought. It has happened before. As the day progressed, we noticed the temperature in the fridge. 😳... Continue Reading →
My hands are back the mud, both kinds: dirt and clay! I've been trying to get as much yard work done in-between rain showers. I planted some left over seeds, re-edged poorly neglected beds and spread new mulch. When it was too wet or cold outside, I pulled out my clay. I'm not yet behind... Continue Reading →
Advice from a squirrel: look both ways, plan ahead, stay active, spend time in the woods, go out on a limb, and it's okay to be a little nuts.
Hot flashes. Night sweats. Irritability. Sleeplessness. Incontinence. Foggy brain. Migraines. Forgetfulness. Heart palpitations. Increasing body fat. Increasing cholesterol and blood pressure. Grab a coffee. This is an in-depth (LONG) look at my journey through menopause. I was referred to a cardiologist by my family doctor to check out the heart palpitations and high blood pressure.... Continue Reading →
March has sprung into action here in Ohio! March came in gently like a lamb. We had several days featuring plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the 60's and 70's followed by several days of rain causing the annual arrival of a small transient creek in our back yard. After we set our clocks ahead... Continue Reading →
Depending on which part of the country you are in, some groundhogs saw their shadow February Second forecasting six more weeks of winter while others, such as our local Buckeye Chuck, did not see his shadow thus forecasting an early spring. Temperatures rose into the 50's and 60's this week! The snow began to melt.... Continue Reading →
This last week of January has been brutal outside. Intense, cold-weather, mountains of snow, and now high winds dropping temperatures to below zero. At least the sun is shining now! 🌞 More birds are showing up everyday, and squirrels, as word is out that food is available on the back porch! A Blue Jay joins... Continue Reading →
Digging out from under a blanket of snow this morning. Click on any image below to enlarge it and read the caption. (Photos taken through dirty 🙄wintery window with an old zoom lens.) "Feed the birds, tuppence a bagTuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag" ~Mary Poppins
We enjoyed Christmas morning with our grown children and grand. We carry on the tradition of Citrus Eye Opener punch, Creamy Potluck Potatoes and Chex Mix. New Year's was quiet. Time spent reading, reflecting and watching collage football. Meanwhile we set out peanuts everyday for our resident squirrel and birdseed for the birds . .... Continue Reading →
Softening butter seems like a simple task except when you forget to soften the butter prior to mixing ingredients for Christmas cookies. I forgot to set a stick of butter on the counter to soften the night before. The morning of baking, I opted to place a fresh from refrigerator stick of butter on the... Continue Reading →
What better way to welcome the month of December? Snow! Squirrel was quite happy to see me set out peanuts! Just as I turned to go into the house, squirrel leapt off the tree branch and bounded toward the pile of peanuts on the back porch. The birdbath, filled with leaves and water, froze over... Continue Reading →
Believe it or not, tender sadness & sparkling joy are able to mingle. Surprisingly, bittersweet ache and hearty laughter can fit together like a hand in a glove. ~Linda Stoll Broken-Hearted Holdiays
Robin visits every morning to bathe. Downy Woodpecker after carpenter bee larva in the swing set. The result of Downy Woodpecker finding carpenter bee larva! Second generation "Brown Squirrel Junior" visits. White Squirrel visits and has made itself comfortable in our back yard. Lazy afternoons on the back porch calls for a leisurely drink from the... Continue Reading →
Winter is on the way. I can feel it. Yesterday's storm brought high winds, rain, cooler temperatures and a double rainbow. We are to have our first frost this week but the flowers don't seem to know it. Delicate pink nasturtium caught my eye. Looks as if it is a watercolor painting. I strolled through... Continue Reading →
The calendar says it is autumn but the Cosmos say otherwise! Click on each image below for a larger view. Be sure to notice the pollen dust on the busy bee! Sunflowers are finished. I harvested their seeds for next year. Left a few for our resident squirrel. 🐿️ We had two special guests this... Continue Reading →
I have been busy with my last pieces of pottery for the year. Yes. Last pieces! Can you believe it? It seems as if I just started throwing yesterday! Pictured below are before and after pictures: Greenware pieces, dry but not yet fired, to be loaded into my kiln for a bisque firing in preparation... Continue Reading →
Summer is here! Things are heating up on my back porch . . . in between rain showers, of course. I've been working on dragonfly mugs for what seems like a long time. Now they are glazed and ready to fire. As I was rolling my kiln onto my back porch from the garage, the... Continue Reading →
Finally! A slight break in the rain last week! Three days of glorious sun! 🌞 Which means I have been busy in my back porch studio and back yard. The first job I tackled in my back porch studio was cleaning my kiln shelves. As a potter, keeping kiln shelves in tip top shape is... Continue Reading →
Back Porch Studio 