Reflections

As I was attempting to summarize my thoughts on this past year and the new year, the following words from my morning readings came into focus: Teachable spirit Listening heart Speak less Fear is bigger than the fail Stories have power to teach and inspire HE is active in our story A shared story  God... Continue Reading →

Gifts of Christmas

"Truth. It should be pretty straightforward, right? But it never has been, and it seems to be even harder to clarify in the era we are living than ever before. . . :

Snapshots of Christmas Past

 Life is made up of moments and if we're lucky to have a camera near, we snap! Click on an individual picture below to start a slide show and read captions. "When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness."... Continue Reading →

Winter Solstice

The first day of the Winter Solstice ~ the shortest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. Chilly but no snow today. A sigh of relief and joy as parcels and packages have reached their destinations! I've made my lists and I'm checking them twice, three times and more! The house is quiet.... Continue Reading →

Waiting Is The Hardest Part

In my seventeen years of selling my pottery on line, difficulties with USPS have been extremely rare. I hand over each parcel to our friendly neighborhood USPS with care and track each piece to it's new home! (Really, they are so helpful and friendly! They are the best!) This month, however, several parcels are seemingly... Continue Reading →

Nesting In An Empty Nest

Change. Adult children. Changing holiday traditions. Adjust. All things new again. In the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. Kahlil Gibran

In Brief

Last week we had our first snow! The snow dusted the back porch and some late blooming flowers. We had our first snow! First snow on top of blooming flowers. Last week my brother had surgery. His is now home after a successful surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his lung. Thank you for... Continue Reading →

November Notes

A carpet of leaves are scattered across the back porch. I fired my last kiln load of the season. I made new plate settings to go with our new kitchen and I am tickled with the results! The mug on top is a prototype of soup mugs I plan to add to my shop next... Continue Reading →

Pumpkins, Halloween . . . Squirrel!

The days are shorter. The nights are longer. This summer's end we find ourselves gathering pumpkins! Grandson found the largest pumpkin. It weighed forty pounds! 😳 I picked up a teeny tiny pumpkin weighing in at one pound two ounces. Once home, the carving of the Jack-O-Lanterns began! We had enough pumpkin and pumpkin seeds... Continue Reading →

Autumn on My Back Porch

Time to pack up my tool box and put my pottery wheel away. I have a couple more firings to do of larger pieces that take up a lot of room in the kiln such as plates. I love making plates but because they take up so much room I just don't make many ~... Continue Reading →

No Tomatoes!

Because . . .Squirrel! Well, the cayenne pepper did NOT discourage the squirrel from eating every single tomato. Except THIS one. Now, the squirrel is after the zucchini 😳

August Notes

I've been behind the camera for a few weeks photographing new pottery I made over the summer and behind the computer writing item descriptions. The scene of Elaine Benes writing for the J. Peterman Catalog comes to mind. The Urban Sombrero, Seinfeld, Season 8 Episode 1 "It combines the spirit of old Mexico with a little... Continue Reading →

A View From My Back Porch

Last day of July?!? 😱 Summer seems to be zooming along! Foxes have moved on. Rabbits have moved back. So, I resorted to growing lettuce in a bucket near the house away from little bunnies. I think my bucket of home grown lettuce is coming along nicely. The squirrels finished off my sunflowers and have... Continue Reading →

No Sunflowers For Me

The Sciurus carolinensis, otherwise known as the gray squirrel, is THE reason why I cannot grow sunflowers! While I was enjoying my morning coffee on my back porch, I spotted the little varmint in the garden. And grabbed my camera, of course! The squirrel discovered that it could leap into my little fenced off sunflower... Continue Reading →

Creatures In My Back Yard

All creatures great and small. From my back porch, I see them all! Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~ John Muir

July: An Update From My Back Porch

A huge thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers! 🥰 I was reluctant to post anything about my brother's crisis but I am glad I did. We are making our way through fear, anxiety, many doctor appointments and a lot of waiting. Meanwhile . . . I continue to throw on my... Continue Reading →

In Brief

He's making progress. Not at quickly as he and I would like but it's progress. Mental illness and depression are not easy subjects to tackle, despite the fact that many of us have had contact or personal experience with it. It can be debilitating, frustrating, even deadly. It is horrific to witness such suffering. But,... Continue Reading →

June: A Prayer Request

Friends, if you are so inclined, please pray for my brother and every area of his life: healing and peace to replace pain and loss. Thank you so much❤️

This Week’s View

Survived weeding over the weekend! Flowers are thriving! However, I noticed the geraniums leaves had turned red. I have never seen that before. Thanks to the internet, I learned the red leaves can be a symptom of over watering. We certainly had a wet and soggy week last week! In-between weeding, I was able to... Continue Reading →

A View From My Back Porch

It has been a wet, soggy and humid couple of weeks. Ideal condition for the weeds to take over. Meanwhile, on my back porch I've been busy throwing. [Click on the photos below to view a larger image and read the captions.] It was so soggy and humid I thought I would never be able... Continue Reading →

A View From My Back Porch

Warm weather has returned to my back porch studio which means I am back behind my pottery wheel! 😍 This is where it all happens: starting with a ball of clay to a finished glazed piece of pottery! I'm actually behind my phone camera taking a shot of my studio surrounded by ostrich ferns. I... Continue Reading →

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