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.

Slowly moving forward...

The last two days have been spent glazing. I have quite a few orders for "Bull" piggy banks so while I was at it I turned a couple of the larger banks into bulls as well. I think I finally have the "Bull" assembly down and the making is going a little quicker.

We are a few days behind in our firing schedule. I can blame some it on the heat. It takes longer than usual to stand outside, sand pots, and load, when the temps are in the 90's and the air is tropical. Add an elderly, sick cat to the mix and some days it felt like I was crawling along. Sophie cat is hanging on but some days she is just pitiful. I am not sure how much longer she will be with us. Last night, after a "bottom half" bath and some new meds, she seemed to have rallied a little. At 17 years of age, she has lived a good long life.
We love her dearly.

A Cautionary Tale

If you have pets, beware of this plant!

It's a dieffenbachia, also known commonly as "dumb cane." You may remember that Sophie was a sick kitty on Halloween and a trip to the vet revealed she had hyper-thyroid, but no cause could be found for her vomiting, lethargy, and refusing to eat. She was given anti-nausea drugs and within 24 hours was back to her old self.
Fast forward two weeks and we awoke again to a very sick kitty. This time the vomiting and drooling was extensive. She wouldn't stay in one place, so just imagine the mess. Never mind the fact that our house is mostly light beige carpeting. I followed her around cleaning up, bucket and carpet cleaner in hand. Eventually out came a piece of plant. Jeff identified it as the dieffenbachia! A quick google search and she had all the symptoms of plant poisoning.
Off to the vet we went. This time we came home with "pepcid" for cats along with a slurry drug to coat her mouth and throat. This plant irritates the mouth, throat, and vocal chords. It's seldom life threatening but quite painful.

Sophie is doing fine now. Her voice is still a little hoarse sounding, but other than that she is back to normal. Sophie has lived with that plant for six years and never touched it. Why she decided to start eating it now, is beyond me. Needless to say the plant now lives in the studio.

Jeff and I also bought ourselves an early Christmas gift...
A carpet cleaner.

Moving Forward... Sometimes at a Snails Pace

I think this is the longest I  have been away from the blog since my mother died two years ago. No one died this time, but it's been a rough few weeks. Our Sophie cat has been sick again, Jeff cracked a tooth and is in the process of getting a crown ($$$$$!), and my Dad was hospitalized for a couple of days because he has been having mini-strokes. 

And did I mention there was an election squeezed in between all this? But I don't even want to get into that debacle.

The cat seems to be recovering, she ate a piece of a dieffenbachia plant which is poisonous and now out of the house (more vet bills $$$), Jeff's tooth is feeling better, and as for Dad... we are starting to look at assisted living options. 

On a brighter note, it's Celebration of Seagrove Potters weekend! We have a nice big directional sign in our yard and we managed to make new pots for the show. There is a kiln cooling that will be unloaded on Friday afternoon, just in time for the gala reception in the evening. The show runs from November 18-20, 2016. I will be at the show, Jeff will keep our gallery open on the home front. 

I have my "positive attitude" hat on and it's looking to be a great weekend.

Decorating a Big Pig

The holiday orders for piggy banks are starting to roll in. I was excited to get an order for two large piggy banks. These will be about 9" long and 7 1/2" tall when they are finished.

 As soon as the piggy bank is assembled, I stamp the name on the side. I have a few sets of stamps, ranging from a snap together set made for clay, to a variety of rubber stamps in different fonts and sizes. If the pig is going to get a carved design, I cover him loosely with plastic and let the ears stiffen a little overnight.

The next morning I can apply white slip to the body and ears. I really like using these mop type of brushes with bamboo handles. They are the same brushes that we use to apply raku glazes. 

If it's not too humid, the pigs are ready to carve by afternoon. I usually clean up the name a bit with my carving tool. Especially if the any thick areas of slip filled in the impression.

Since creating the first leaf and vine design this fall, I have taken orders for three more pigs with it. It's always fun to have something new to work on.

And lastly I have a Sophie cat update. She is doing much better. Practically back to her old self. I tried to take her photo and she ran away. If you look closely you can see she is camouflaging herself against the dining room table. She hates cameras. Thankfully she has been easy to pill and yesterday she was back to her normal eating schedule. Jeff and I are very relieved. A big thank you to all my readers for your kind words, helpful suggestions, and support.

Progress!!!

Our kiln move is starting to seem real!!

Jeff and his brother John built the forms this week to pour the concrete pad for our kiln. We are so grateful that the temperatures have been with us to do this outdoor work. Today our man with the tractor, Keith Cagle, came and did some grade work for us. Keith is a hard working guy with reasonable rates. We are so glad he was recommended to us. Our budget is limited (very limited) and we appreciate all he has done for us.

When our work is done here, Jeff has gone every evening to the log cabin to start breaking down the kiln. We need pallets to load the brick on and after posting on facebook, of our need, we had lots of offers from area potters, to borrow pallets. What a great community we live in!!!!

While Jeff and I work hard to fulfill holiday orders and prepare for kiln building, Sophie cat has taken advantage of us...

This is the first time I have EVER caught her sleeping on the coffee table!

A Home Filled With Light

One of the biggest challenges of living in the log cabin, was darkness. Lights needed to be on throughout the day. The only sunlight that came in the through the windows was in the bedroom, on the second floor. Upstairs was where Sophie cat and the house plants lived. Sophie descended the spiral staircase for meals and evening cuddles, but pretty much spent her days sleeping on the bed.

Our new home has BIG windows everywhere! I am loving the sunlight as much as Sophie. She spends her days following the patches of light shining in. Her mornings start at the end of the hallway, then she works her way into the living room.

Our houseplants have also been flourishing in the light as well. The other day Meredith, over at Whynot Pottery, posted on facebook that she had spider plant babies to give away. Of course I immediately said, "me, me, I will take some". Monday afternoon she delivered my new babies. I can't wait to watch them grow and have babies of their own. I haven't had a spider plant in forever... as Meredith said on fb, spider plants are so 1982. I think it was the 80's the last time I had one! I think they are coming back into fashion. I noticed that my sister has one at her house, and she is always very fashionable.

Tea Time

Sophie and her "Uncle" Phil enjoy afternoon tea.

Our "Mug for Moving" campaign continues. If you would like to  help us out AND acquire a wonderful, new, handmade mug... click here:  "MUGS FOR MOVING"

News from the shipping department

The first wholesale order for 2015 is almost packed. This is a totally different method of packing and shipping for me. Typically piggy banks go to galleries and gift shops that place them on shelves. That being said, all the pigs get bubble wrapped and placed in a box with cardboard between each layer and off they go. These pigs are being shipped to a warehouse and will be sold online or in a catalog. Which means that each one is individually boxed before shipment. Included in the box is an artist card with the company name and a little story about Jeff and me. Each box is also barcoded. 

I set up my shipping station in the kitchen because the supply room is right off of it. I can clear off the island to work on. Yesterday with all the little boxes covering the floor, Sophie cat thought it was quite an obstacle course. She finally made her way around the boxes, and to her food bowl, to remind me it was time eat.

Bring on the holidays, I think we are ready

Christmas orders have all been sent or picked up, and the little bit of holiday shopping that we do is completed. Sunday I woke up in the cooking mood. I started dough for oatmeal bread, and put the ingredients for a cream of broccoli soup, with carrots and chicken in the slow cooker. After some work in the studio I came in and baked sugar cookies. I think it had been 15 years or more since I rolled out dough and used cookie cutters to actually make cookies. When I was rolling out the dough I felt like I should be using guides to get the thickness right. I was too lazy to make a frosting for fancy decorating, so I made do with some colored sprinkles and a bag of chocolate chips that I had in the cupboard. They are a little odd looking, but they taste quite yummy.

We have a tree this year! I should probably say that Sophie has a tree. If she isn't laying down underneath it, she is attacking the skirt. At least she doesn't climb it.
I hope that your holiday preparations, be they big or small, are coming together nicely.