JUNE!!!
It rained so much for the first part of the month that half our yard was two inches deep in water. The ground was so sodden it couldn't absorb another molecule of water. Fortunately most of my garden areas are raised enough so they didn't flood. Poor Proge who has been trying to build a short stone walk had most of his foundation bed washes out!
No I did not take any pictures of all the water!
The benefit is that we are living in a jungle!
The drawback is that we have mosquitoes the size of dive bombers!
I let my clay recycling get away from me. I generally always have some drying so I can continue working in a smooth cycle. Not so much this month. Now I have clay drying.....and drying....and drying. We're trying to figure out a way to set up a hot box that will allow allow air circulation without drying the surfaces of the clay too much. Any suggestions?
All this is because I am bound and possessed to use all the terra cotta clay I have before buying more!
This is too late to post on Mud Colony, but I did do a post on Thursday about Rose Cabat. Everyone should pop over take a look at what is going on in clay this week.
Have a great, somewhat dryer, week and, as always, thanks for stopping by..........*s*
things are so wet her as well.
ReplyDeleteWET!WET!WET! I need some sun and so does the garden.
But- the grass and weeds are happy as pig in slop.
Hi Meredith....It's beginning to feel the Mad Hatter's Tea Party....."Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, never jam today."
DeleteAnother benefit is that you don't have to water plants! : D Oh, it's terrible to have ordinary sized mosquitoes, let alone larger ones! Good luck with recycling clay! I make a rainbow bridge shape to dry wet one, but It has to be a bit drier than what you have got, I guess.
ReplyDeleteHi Midori....I just have to remember to dump the jardinieres. I make bridges and slab monoliths, once it gets beyond quick sand stage.
DeleteAs Meredith said, it's the same here. We have small mosquitoes but there is an over abundance of them.
ReplyDeleteYour clay drying system looks like ours... sort of willy nilly with clay drying all over the place. I really need to pug some but it's taking forever to get to that stage.
Hi Michele....I always think I can get the drying system organized,,,hah! A pug mill would be the ultimate luxury. I was all set to buy one a few years ago......then the roof became a huge priority......leaking roofs are no joke!
DeleteOh,that sounds like the so-called summer we had last year - WET! This year, so far, it has been really quite dry, very cloudy, occasionally sunny - which is OK I suppose. I don't go in for buckets of clay like that - just haven't got the space! I'd probably just forget about it anyway! xCathy
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy.....I still think wet is better than drought. I've been through enough droughts with threat of fire, dry wells etc......Water is Good!
DeleteGood for you, what about a simple dehumidifier near your clay area? xox
ReplyDeleteHi Corrine...I like the idea of a humidifier. I just have to figure out a small space for it.
DeleteDearest Suzi,
ReplyDeleteWow, we have had more rain in June this year than all of last year combined. Got rained out so often but my husband finally finished the tiles on our balcony. Have a lovely summer week ahead.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hi Mariette....Any finished outdoor project feels like a real victory this summer!
Deleteand the West is so hot and dry, no predicting mother nature.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda.....I just heard of nineteen fire fighters killed in a flash-over fire out west. Mother Nature can be a scary vindictive b#tch!
Deletesounds like our winter month here in Sydney! I usually dry my clay on plaster bats. I also have a plaster mold that was for a deep rounded platter that takes a big batch of wet clay and drys it nicely. Just have to turn it once and then I can wedge it up.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna....I get nervous about plaster in my studio after a big contamination in a friends studio. I do have one plaster bucket that is great!
ReplyDeleteUse bisque-ware instead of plaster. It will still draw out the moisture and you won't have to worry about contamination.
ReplyDeleteHi Lori.....Oh fer duh! Of course! Thanks for the wake up!
DeleteWill soon do a post about all the clay I hope to reclaim this week-- by hand! I even put it all in the car and brought it with me to PA. Maybe my 2 and 4 y/o niece and nephew will help. Looks like I am in good company with you....
ReplyDeleteHi Amy....It makes me so happy to know that others get wonky about recycling! I one took a lot of slop to a workshop!
Deletea jungle HERE too, wow, what floods!
ReplyDeleteHi Gary....Living on the edge of thousands of acres of state forest and after the disastrous fire in Arizona I'm trying not to complain too much. Although it would be pleasant to have enough sun to dry out the mold!
DeleteYour buckets look as in need of attention as mine! Now I don't feel so bad!
ReplyDeleteThen my husband says-and he's got the business mind around here- "How long will it take you to reclaim that clay versus how much will it cost to go buy more?" "Umm... It would cost me less time and money to just buy more, especially with summer gas prices." "Well why don't you just pitch this stuff and buy more?"
"Because???"
Just can't wrap my mind around voluntarily wasting it. Not sure why!
Hi ShellHawk....Thanks for stopping by. I have the same problem. I think it's my old hippie training to constantly recycle. One added justification I have is that this clay body is no longer available except as a special order in very large quantities! I figure i"ll dry stuff enough to wedge first and proceed from there.
Delete