Be Prepared

We are 100+ miles from the coast but we are still expecting hurricane Florence to have a significant impact on the Seagrove, NC area. The brunt of the storm will probably hit us overnight. The wind gusts have arrived ahead of the rain. A large tree has already fallen in my neighbors yard.

Jeff and I spent the last couple of days securing our yard and kiln shed. We are really glad that we put up additional side walls on the shed this summer. The kiln will be much more protected now.

Jeff trimmed limbs from trees. Yesterday we brought all the patio furniture and plants into the studio. We have all of our pitchers and containers filled with water. We have town water and typically don't lose it when the power goes out, but who wants to chance it?

Our preparations are complete and today we will get back to work in the studio, as long as we have power. I have some piggy banks to assemble and will be able to work on them sans-power... As long as it's not too dark!
If you are in the path of the storm, be smart and stay safe.

Be Prepared

Photo Credit: Joe Zentner

Winter storm Jonas is on his way. Here in Seagrove we are expecting a mix of snow and ice. Here at 505 E Main we are about as prepared as we can be. Groceries were bought, battery supply looks good, and there are always lots of candles around here. The plus side of this house: town water. If we lose power (and the pipes don't freeze) our toilets will still flush. Downside: we have a heat pump, no power = cold. There is a fireplace here, but we haven't had it inspected and won't use it until that happens. I would rather not burn the house down. On the plus side, we do have a kerosene heater that we can turn on in the studio to keep clay from freezing. Worse comes to worse we can go in there to warm up! It's good to be prepared, and perhaps the storm pattern will change and it won't be as bad as predicted.

The photo is from the 2008 ice storm in New Hampshire. Now that was a colossal storm and you may remember, from past posts, it also occurred the week that John died. I was so out of touch with the outside world that I wasn't prepared at all. Danielle came just before the storm to stay with us. We lost power in the early evening. There were oxygen tanks in the house, so candles were out of the question. We conserved our flashlight batteries as best we could. 24 hours later, and still without power, John left this earth. The roads were barely passable, and hospice was unable to come and be with us. It was two more days before the power was back in my apartment. Some of my neighbors weren't so lucky and still had no power two weeks later. I walked through the neighborhood on the warm Christmas eve and could still hear the constant hum of generators. 

Forecasts of impending ice storms bring the memories of that time back to the surface. But this time I am prepared and I know that we will weather the storm.

Batten Down The Hatches

We are expecting a weather event! It's been really cold here, 27 degrees at 2pm. Snow and freezing rain are in the forecast for late this afternoon and into tomorrow. We are prepared for the worse, hoping that it won't really happen. Last night I roasted a chicken, and today I am making chicken stock with the bones. If we lose power overnight, I can make a soup on the wood stove.

The studio is a little harder to heat than the house, so I have to admit that I have been a little slow with the clay work. I finished a litter of pigs and moved on to baking/serving dishes.

Along with ovals I created a few squared off dishes. Rather than make them in two sections I decided to try cutting a crescent out of the edge of two sides and squishing it together, a la the B Van Gilder technique. I am still concerned with cracking on the two seams so I also experimented with pushing the sides with a board to created the square. I did this right after throwing, and before cutting it off the bat.

The first two were a little wonky, but I think I finally got the hang of it. This method does leave a little ripple in the clay where it was pushed in, but I sort of like the effect... once I learned how to work with it. I am waiting for the squares to firm up enough to finish the undersides and then I will attach some handles and give them some flower stamps. I guess it's time to put on some layers, get out there, and go to work.
Stay warm!