Visitors and Found Stuff

Looked out the window around 4:30 P.M. yesterday afternoon and found mother and babies having dinner.  One of the babies is behind his mother the other is out of frame eating the artemisia.  This is what happens when there is no dog at home.  It doesn't take them long to figure things out.

These guys are not in the least shy.  I took the photo at a distance of 25-35 ft. through the window.  Mom saw me, looked up could almost hear "Oh....it's you." and returned to grazing.  They wandered off a few minutes later.

Afternoon visitors

So of course, I had to find a deer I had ready to glaze and do my own riff on a ruminant.

I have been doing a lot of clean-up in the yard.  I found this old bird feeder under a pile of junk.  It must be from the early 80's when I became pretty serious about clay, but before I began working exclusively in low fire. That is a ^6 clay and glaze and it has my old style of signing my name.  I did not use my usual design style until I pots I was able to look in the eye.

I think I may try a few of these.  As I recall they were pretty simple to build.  Originally there was a clay loop for hanging; that needs changing.  It will sit quite nicely on the deck rail this winter.

BOO!

                                                           HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!


                                             

NOT What I Had Planned On!

 Rain all day yesterday, sleet at night, then snow!  It's not much compared to what has fallen up north; just enough to be a nuisance!

The light is strange.  We are getting a winter morning reflection of snow and ice with leaves on the trees.  Until the last two nights we have had nothing approaching a frost; many leaves have not changed yet.  Suppose to be down in the twenties tonight.....oh joy!

We had to break down and start the old wood stove.  I am so glad  that we decided to wait to replace it until we have finished with 'Dumpster Days'.


I had planned to start with some thoughts on flying pigs.  I know his wing/body ratio looks as though he won't achieve lift off.  My justification is The Bumblebee!

Pigasus

I've been seeing pigs everywhere lately.  Is it the promise of bacon, the silly season, or both?

Pigs and Whistles

Many years ago I made lots of piggy banks, then stopped for some reason lost in the mists of time.  I think I  grew tired of fussing with them.  These two little guys will have stoppers on the bottom.  I loved the funny little noses, but it took me a while to figure out how to get a coin opening into them.

  When I was little I had a bank that didn't have any coin opening.  I used to lie on the bed with a dinner knife and tip coins out of the slot.  It made the savings that much sweeter!

two piggy banks

Last spring when I felt like I had no new ideas left in me I came up with a year long project to get me going again.  The idea is to make a different animal whistle each week.  By the end of the year I will, hopefully, have fifty-two different animals in various sizes and shapes.

It has not always worked out as I had wanted it to, but I have kept going.  At last count I was about six weeks behind.  I'll probably keep going until I am at the magic fifty-two.  There have been a few deviations from the original plan.  I made strawberries at the height of strawberry season and little peppers when I was putting up pepper lights on the deck.  I am easily influenced after all!  

All these little guys are, or will be decorated on their bottoms.  I have good luck firing on stilts.

unfired bird whistles

unfired bunny whistles

seahorse whistles

Vinca, Violets...........and a Pig!

The seasons have gone a little crazy this fall.  Vinca and violets are early spring flowers.  It's strange to walk around the yard and see them blooming at this time of year.  The little marigold grew from seed in a dead flower head.  I'll probably take it up and winter it inside, along with some petunias....summer does not have to end with summer.

We had a young buck in the woods on the north side of the house yesterday.  His antlers are his first.  He's not terribly shy, rather cautious.  He probably grew up in the woods behind the house. I almost managed a picture of him, but he spooked when the sun reflected off my glasses.

Mamas leave their babies in our woods because they seemed to have figured out that the dog would protect them.  Breezy had an overhead run of about 200 ft. The babies knew how close they could get without being in any danger.  Imagine a fawn nibbling tree shoots and Breezy woofing and completely puzzled.

vinca

violet

sport marigold

Summer's End

 Halfway through October and we are having Indian Summer.  The garden is thriving in a late summer bloom, which is much appreciated as May and June were so wet that everything rotted as it was planted. We covered the fish pond with the leaf net because the leaves are starting to fall, sassafras in particular, a tree for which I can find little or no use.  At first we worried about the frogs getting caught on top of the net, but they seem to come out for the sun and go back under in the late afternoon.

I am getting the sun room ready for bringing plants inside.  Wintering over so-called 'summer' plants helps me get through the winter.......not my favorite time of year.

I got a new shipment of tea last week.  I love opening the new bags, touching, smelling and tasting the new varieties and old friends I've ordered.  If you drink a lot of it, I totally recommend buying loose tea from a good company.  I would become totally poverty stricken if I were to on quality tea bags from the market!

Two new teapots.

I love to alter forms.  Remember the Gilbert and Sullivan song?  "Things are seldom what they seem.  Skim milk masquerades as cream." These two started life as thrown forms which I start altering as soon as they are set up a little.  Trimming, spouts, lids, handles are all added at a soft leather stage. (Without

Memory.......and transformations

Breezy January 1998-September 2011

Our wonderful doggie died quietly at home on Friday evening.  She will be missed.

pufferfish and cat

frog and turtle                                                                   

                                                                                   

mouse, pig and penguin

duck and swan

 These are some of the whistles I make from the closed forms I throw.  N., the friend who taught me how to make whistles, always hand built hers.  I threw basic shapes as a way of informing my work without copying hers.  N. told me quite bluntly I was nuts, but I think there is something to be said for my approach.  It has given me a way of approaching my work from a different perspective.  Whistles are also a little homage to N. as she died several years ago.  She always encouraged me to keep going.

teapot survivor

Not for nothing have I labeled this 'teapot survivor'.  I managed to knock the knob off the lid, screw up the spout so it resembled a corkscrew and, to top things off Aloysius (kitty) knocked it off the shelf when I was trying to photograph it.  Fortunately it landed in a pile of plastic and it was leather hard so it was possible to pound it back into shape.  The lid is still a little off, and the other side has echoes of a dent.  After those misadventures I think the poor thing deserves to be fired.

tufted titmouse

This little guy has been hanging our by the fishpond.  I think he is enjoying the benefits of all the plants that are going to seed.

I need to start paying more attention to my photographs.  I have used them only for my own reference up until now, but that is changing.

The sun has come out after another rainy night.  I am going to walk around the garden before going into my studio.  Happy day!