Advent and Santa

Do you ever save old Advent Calendars?  I do when they are as pretty as this one from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  This is the Beaux Arts facade designed by Richard Hunt that faces Fifth Avenue.  There is always a huge tree in the lobby at Christmas time.

I made the Santa many years ago when my class of developmentally delayed students wanted to make Santa lamps.  These were fairly easy to make using a soda bottle as a form, and were a great hit!  The bulb in Santa's hat is too bright to photograph when lit.   Little bulbs can focus way too much light sometimes!

I can't seem to skip below the photo today.  Such are the vagaries of Blogspot!  I'll try moving the photo later.  We'll see, grasshopper.......we'll see.....

I spent the week end doing the long overdue chore of winterizing my studio.  It's not difficult, but does entail a lot of moving of stuff!

I understand that a large storm is headed our way.  We are supposed to get a lot of rain, which is still needed.  Pond levels are holding even since we started getting more rain but have not raised very much.

Good wishes for all to stay cozy and warm.  Is it may imagination or has it gotten cold much earlier this year?

As always, thanks for stopping by.........*s*

Snow and......

IT'S C.C.C.COLD! 

We spent yesterday afternoon and this morning hanging curtains....well, long strips of fabric to block off most of my studio thus creating a small space that I can heat and work in this winter.  I'm am so over having to move stuff upstairs for the winter.  I decided that if I could make it work today.....hasn't gone above 20 F. all day.....it would work over the rest of the winter......which hasn't officially started yet!  The space has started warming up nicely....particularly after we fixed the latch on the window....3/4 of an inch gap open to cold air does not lead to warmth!

I even found room for my tile.  Proge's father gave it to me for my birthday back when I had just come back to clay and we were still together.  It was collected by his grandparents when they went on a grand tour of Europe and other parts of the world around the Mediterranean.  I know very little about it.  I think it's Persian.  Any way I enjoy looking at it.  It tells me stories.

This is Aloysius sitting on the back of the chair watching the birdies.  Kiki was with him until I picked up the camera.  She like to sit by the glass slider and occasionally try try to penetrate the force field that is keeping her from the deck.

Four o'clock and it's getting dark.  I hope no one is getting snowed in too badly or experiencing any of the fires on the west coast.

As always, thanks for stopping by........*s*

I Gave Up!

I actually broke down and bought some daffodils, since those in my yard are showing no inclination to bloom.  The ones out in the yard near the shed are up about an inch.......some day, grasshopper, some day.

The crocuses are starting to bloom; hopefully there will be many more in the next week or two.

The sun is coming out so I will be able to work downstairs later on.  I'm putting up a new set of shelves I bought when they were on sale in January.

There are piles of clay to wedge.  I may put Proge to work on them.....he will be thrilled!

As always thanks for stopping by............*s*

Look What Happened!

I woke up this morning to snow!  And tomorrow is the first day of spring.  It's raining now and has half melted everything.  It all looks quite bleak!

This is a zeppole, or zeppoli, or zeppola.  Whatever you call it it's delicious.  There are many recipes using a ricotta based dough, deep fried with powdered sugar.  Around here they are made with a pate a choux  dough, filled with pastry cream, sprinkled with sugar and topped with a maraschino cherry.  For St. Patrick's Day Irish whisky is added to the pastry cream.  We do combine holidays here.

I've brought some clay upstairs to do a little handbuilding.  My studio is just too cold.  I guess with age I've become a real wuss.  I was so excited when the temps went up for a few days I got carried away and moved everything downstairs.  I swear by next winter I will rig something to block off the studio and make it feasible to heat it.  Anything above 60 will be fine.

 No peas being planted on St. Patrick's Day this year.  One good thing is that so much rain will keep the well and water supply in good condition for the coming summer.

As always, thanks for stopping by..............*s*

Daffodils and....Discoveries

Spring is on the way.  The daffodils started blooming yesterday.  Yeaaaaa!  

My studio is usable again.  I made a couple of mugs and started a turtle and discovered that before I go any further I have got to rethink my studio set-up.  I have plenty of shelves but I need to make areas that are cat proof.  SO...my latest plan is to switch the stuff I use for handbuilding forms and my other  equipment to the shelves that are currently used for wares and vice versa.  Sometimes I have a brain block about the most appropriate ways to use a space...old habits die hard.

It's will officially be spring in about a week and a half.  Best time to clean!  Get the dust out of all the nooks and crannies both real and metaphorical!

Thanks for stopping by......-s-