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.