Pottery. Photography. And All Things Handmade.
Post below dusted off, updated, and reposted. Enjoy! The more things change, the more they stay the same. ~Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr In my all 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... 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 →
Last week we took a trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina home to my side of the family. I wish I could say the trip was for pleasure but the goal was to attend to family estate business. Though my North Carolina elders have all passed, we were left to sort through contents... Continue Reading →
I had every intention of blogging and sharing photos from our recent trip to North Carolina. Instead, I'm sharing this photo: leaves in our back yard in full autumn mode during the last week of October before our trip. As luck would have it, my photo editing software updated prior to our road trip. And,... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
As summer comes to a close, so does a chapter in my life. My childhood home will be empty for the first time since we moved in forty seven years ago. Though my Mom and Dad passed away some time ago, my little brother continued to live in the house where he raised his two... Continue Reading →
Waves of memories. Waves of grief for a life taken too soon. But also waves of joy for the life we had together as sister and brother. Just as there are waves in the ocean, grief has waves too. Some waves are gentle. Some waves surprise me. And some waves knock me off my feet.... Continue Reading →
My little brother passed away last week after a short, fierce battle with cancer. I admired the passion with which he lived his life and the joy he found in music. He was a gifted self-taught musician. Guitar was his instrument of choice. When he wasn’t earning his living on a roof, he spent his time... Continue Reading →
It was May 20th when I finally sat down behind my pottery wheel for this throwing season. It takes me four to six weeks to create pottery from a ball of clay to a glazed piece. My newest addition to my standard mugs are my dragonfly mugs which came about accidentally! The first mug I... 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 →
Rain, rain, go away.Come again another day.Pauline the potter wants to play! "The Farmers' Almanac predicts a potentially rainy summer for Ohio in 2025, with the potential for above-average temperatures and rainfall, especially in the southern part of the state." My back porch pottery studio is open to the whims of mother nature so my... Continue Reading →
I am back behind my wheel throwing things! Because my back porch studio is open to all the elements and whims of Mother Nature my production is determined by the weather. We have had rain and thunderstorms just about every day for two weeks which is slowing production down quite a bit. Meanwhile, the squirrel(s)... Continue Reading →
Warm but not warm enough. Lawnmowers on the back porch for maintenance. Folding chairs are in the back of the car along with blankets, coats and umbrellas for soccer season is under way. My pottery wheel tucked away against the wall waiting patiently. Meanwhile, my brother was back in the hospital for ten days. His... Continue Reading →
The Sunshine Blogger Award: an award given by bloggers to other bloggers to recognize and appreciate their positivity within the blogging community. I was nominated by Sharon from My Slice of Life blog. Sharon is a wife, mother, dog walker and gardener. She blogs, has a podcast and a YouTube channel. Thank you for nominating my... Continue Reading →
We are finally witnessing nature awakening with vibrant buds and colorful blooms. The secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles. Frances Hodgson Burnett Meanwhile I am eager to get my hands back in clay. The temperatures for April, however, will be a little too cool for me to start throwing on... Continue Reading →
I knew it was going to happen. Why? Because it happens every year. Winter. Winter. Winter. Blah. Blah. Blah. Then WHAM spring! Everything is popping: our adorable yellow winter aconites, daffodils, tulips and forsythia. The grass is quickly coming out of dormancy. Husband predicts we could be mowing by the end of the month 😳... Continue Reading →
On the wind in February Snowflakes float still, Half inclined to turn to rain, Nipping, dripping, chill. –Christina Rossetti My view from my back porch confirms that winter is still here! I'm trying to take advantage of these snowy days working on things inside before the spring bustle of activity takes me outside but February has been a month... Continue Reading →
Snowed in. Under the weather. I picked up my camera and started shooting pictures of our resident squirrel and neighborhood song birds. These were taken through the sliding door with me sitting on the dinning room floor. LOL Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers. ~Kahlil Gibran
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 →
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 →
Back Porch Studio 