Friday, October 12, 2018

Life struggles


It's been a rough few weeks for us. Since my last post was about preparations for hurricane Florence, it's only fitting that this post start with hurricane Michael. Here in Seagrove, NC we were fortunate that both storms were downgraded by the time they reached us. Florence brought a lot of flooding to nearby roads, but we were safe. The power was out for about twelve hours. We had rain for days.


Michael arrived yesterday morning. It was fast moving, with the worst of the storm hitting us around 3 pm. The power was out for just under 7 hours. The rain ended in the evening and we were able to cook dinner on the gas grill, by the light of a solar lamp. We grilled some shrimp and made a spicy red sauce on the side burner. We dined by candlelight in the living room. It was actually an enjoyable meal.

Over the years I have shared photos, and stories, of our beautiful cat Sophie. Shortly before we were headed to New Hampshire this summer, Sophie decided to become a picky eater. She was losing weight and strength. It was really hard to leave her. If not for our good friend Bonnie, who I knew would give her excellent care, I would have cancelled our plans.


When we returned home we went back to the vet again. An appetite stimulant helped a little but it was a struggle to buy, or cook food that she would eat. She was losing ground every week. On October 2nd we knew it was time to say good bye to our sweet girl. She was 17 years old and lived a good long life. I miss her so much.


Needless to say between hurricane Florence and Sophie's decline, our work schedule suffered. We had to scramble to recover and I will admit that there were some overwhelming days. Our largest order was out of the kiln in the nick of time. We were unloading and sanding pots on Saturday morning right up until the scheduled pick up.


The dinnerware set came out great. Both buyers and potters were very happy! This is Jeff's pattern so he threw all the pieces. My contribution was bisque kiln prep, a little glazing, and sanding bottoms. He actually trimmed the plates during hurricane Florence, when we had no electricity. He moved his Japanese kick wheel to the full length glass door in the studio/gallery for more light. Sometimes you have to improvise!
With the passing of this latest storm, I am hoping to be out of my funk and do a little more than just the necessities. Check back in a few days to see how that's going.

5 comments:

  1. Oh Michele, I'm so sorry you are still in pain and missing your sweet Sophie...when I lost my picky eater and suddenly had all this time and attention which I no longer had to give her, it left me feeling really guilty...as well as sad. My main thought was, I didn't do enough. But somehow I did what I could, and am spending the times I expect her to be doing her "thing" with smiles of remembrance.
    That's a great looking set of dinner ware! The storm has passed over, and now we're in another day.

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    1. Barbara, you summed up how I feel. We spent the last few days with her on our laps and carrying her to her litter box to avoid accidents. When I pass the bedroom, I think I see her sleeping on the bed... but it's just a shirt, or pajamas. Time will make things better.

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  2. glad to hear that you're both well after both storms. Have any more trees gone down?So sad to see them lying by the road here

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  3. You will be missing Sophie like losing a part of yourself. There are still scars, bumps, and bruises in me that have been accumulated over the years when ever a much loved pet has died. Yet, there are sunny patches, warmth and little joys to carry around too, and I look back and think how much better life has been because of the companionship of these little ones that have been with us through it!
    Big Hugs to you and Jeff.

    PS you really can't beat a kick wheel, they just keep on keeping on regardless of power or storm, just as long as the potter's leg muscles hold out! :-)

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  4. I have followed your posts for a long time but never commented you have beautiful product.
    I'm very sorry for the loss of your sophie. My oldest Cat was two years younger then my son and they grew up together and she passed at 16 years it took me two years to get another she turned out to be a rescue and i love her very much.
    Know that it will get better and that she will always be apart of you, I have two girls now and they both remind me so much of the one i lost that i feel like she is in them.
    All the best to you in future

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