the end of 2012

I drove thru Saint Germain this morning, the town was finally busy with lots of snow machines and holiday tourists! Figured there would be alot of happy resort/motel and eating place owners after the week. Barry has been ice fishing, and caught a 29 inch northern, which broke his jigging pole with the effort to not become part of a fish boil. I have been packing a few etsy orders and working on a quilt top with Tuffy's help on the border. Hmmm, not easy with a partner who can growl and swipe a claw faster than lightening. Today there was bread a-baking and now a chicken is cooking in the oven for tonight. We will enjoy some wine and definitely not make it up til midnight. Those days are long gone. Thank you all our family, friends and customers who we love to think of as friends for being part of 2012. I know this past year has been heavy on many of you and blessed on others. Our prayers are with you all every day. I hope the beginning of the year brings peace and courage to all of you and that this continues all year. Just think now we can start working on getting 4th quarter sales tax filed, premier resort tax, estimated income tax sent in and get all the records organized for the tax man! Gee, I think I would rather be quilting or making pottery! So now, I can say bye for now and see you Next Year!

During December until just before Christmas Barry and I have our work for sale at a Holiday Boutique in Menomonie WI. Besides our work, the Witt Art Gallery is featuring the work of Cari Raynae this Saturday along with the work of 65 artists. If you want to shop Handmade this Christmas stop by the gallery and shop the huge variety of work by local artisians. Cari Raynae has been working as an award wining interior designer for over 30 years. And she's been sewing and creating art for all of those years as well. Join the gallery's Mailing List! Visit wittartgallery.com to see a listing of our artists and get direction to the gallery... Or go to our FB page "Witt Art Gallery" !! 1232 Douglas Street on the Corner of Douglas and Elm in North Menomonie 715-231-4036

Pre Christmas business

As I frantically work at taking images of pottery to sell on my TallPinesPottery.etsy store, and listen to the tv ads promoting shopping locally I can't help but wonder at the reasoning behind those who fought their way into the big box stores for deals this week. WOW. I enjoy buying from Wisconsin Companies, big and small. We don't really do alot of Christmas since we have certain special places we would rather "gift" to. One of these is Mission Bible Training Ctr of Gaastra Michigan. It is a faith-based rehab center for drug and alcohol dependent people. It is a tough place to be at, and the 50 or so residents are fed on contributions by faithful givers. Spending Christmas day there once was such an honor and really an emotional day. Many of the folks there never had Christmas gifts. We have learned how to share what we have with those who don't have. And how to grocery shop for 50 or more people! As any of you who are reading this, consider finding a homeless shelter or half-way house in your town and ask what their needs are. Instead of shopping for a tv for yourself, take that shelter some fresh veggies. Remember, God still has angels on this earth, and how could you face God in heaven if you turned your back on a homeless person here. You never know who they really could be. God Bless you, everyone. Please shop small businesses like me, like all the artists and crafters out there.

It is impossible to believe that it is mid-July already. Sorry I have not been updating my blog. At least I now have our art/craft show schedule up on the sidebar. The last Saturday the 14th of July we set up at Torpy Park in Minocqua. After perhaps 23years (?) the Lakeland Art League group returned their Art show to Torpy Park. That was it's original location, I remember setting up there in the early 1980's during my early years as a stained glass artist. Later I switched to clay and followed the show to Arbor Vitae's Fireman's Park when the group moved it out there. The weather was perfect til after 4pm when a heavy storm blew thru. Due to the shortage of parking spots for loading and unloading we had to pack up completely then try to find a spot for our vans. So of course many of us got wet at the end of the day. Always the risk we take. Attendance was okay, hopefully after a year or so it will be better attended by buyers. Being close to the downtown has it's drawbacks since customers aren't at the show because they came to the park for that reason. My next show is up in Land o Lakes on July 28th for Art Impressions. A beautiful setting, sometimes plagued by wild weather. This summer has been a blessing for me since I was let go from a part time job at a retail shop, probably the best thing that happened to me since I would have been struggling with keeping everything going and working for someone else too. Now my weekend schedule isn't an issue! And I got to work thru the winter also. I can devote my many years of experience in retail to Tall Pines Studio without distraction. I just took out of the kiln some terra cotta Hornet/Wasp decoys. They aren't pretty, but are designed to imitate a wasp nest. Hornets/wasp's are territorial, so they tend to not build a nest close to another. You hang one or two in different parts of your yard or under an eave and not have the nasty things building there instead! So enjoy the day, don't pass out from the heat! It has been a challenge for me during the 90+ days. I am out at the wheel in the heat all day long. Thank goodness for gatorade.

My friend Nancy had a visitor to her yard, a tiny fawn! All we get are baby rabbits.

And even with April Snow Showers

Yesterday I didn't get a chance to upload my flowers which arrived Wed. from my daughter Amanda and her family. Beautiful birthday gift. I enjoyed them especially yesterday as I looked out into snow showers and wild winds during the morning. We could look at the flowers and smile. Our night time temps are back into the mid twenties for the next few days so no glaze loads for the kiln. This is too sad, I long for spring. My basement has no horizontal surfaces which don't contain boards of pottery waiting to run thru the kiln. Orders to finish, stuff to make. Blue skies this morning and 25 deg. Hope my plants are surviving out there.

Gee, what is it?

It's fun to take a road trip on your birthday, so Barry and I headed up to Washburn by way of Hurley and Ashland yesterday. Now being a potter means you look at things differently. The image from the Hurley rest stop at hwy 51 and 2 reminded me of an Orton self supporting Cone!! Actually it is part of a Sundial sculpture at the rest stop. Huh, I still think it's a big cone. The journey progressed with our drive up to Washburn and one of our favorite booksellers, Chequamegon Books. Later, we went back to Ashland for lunch at Fiddleheads Coffee (on Hwy 2) and that was fantastic by the way. A shopping trip to Chequamegon Food Coop and the Ashland Baking Co. rounded out our time there. We were surprised and amazed at the changes in Ashland since last fall when we had been up. The DOT had been doing a huge rework of the Hwy 2 thru town, that was done, and it seemed as if the area had a face lift. Motels repainted, new buildings up and the actual downtown area was busy, with very few empty storefronts. I know unemployment is high up there, but the mood was good. Perhaps because the mining threat is over, who knows. It was just nice to see compared with the often grim aspects of other towns in Wisconsin. So, before leaving another trip to Fiddleheads for coffee for the road and then to Ironwood and the Fabric Patch Quilt shop. Then home. Happy Birthday to me! Now today it's windy, cooler and light snowshowers. Oh well, my ode to spring is over. Time to unload the kiln.

One of my favorite Mystery writers!

About 3 years ago I became addicted to the writings of Louise Penny. This Quebec writer has spoiled me for so many other murder mystery writers. When you find a writer on the par of Rex Stout, it really ruins you to read other works by less skilled writers. Quality is what I am about, not the dozens of books pumped out by so many professional writers. Louise Penny has quality, and since she isn't publishing 2 or more books per year, she leaves us all longing for more.
Now this fall she is releasing her next book, called "A Beautiful Mystery", and it is hard to wait for this. I hope my hours spent working on my potter's wheel helps the time fly as I wait for this one.
http://louisepenny.blogspot.com

Stay inside, drink coffee and plan lunch I guess.

Wow, like an old time winter storm. I know the pixs don't do justice, the snow is blowing from the NW, so hard that you can't use the camera out of the shelter of the backdoor overhang. Snow falling faster than I have seen it since Nov 19th on my way home from a craft show in Rhinelander.
The door to the kiln hut is almost buried, and the winds just rock the treetops. So glad we still have power and cable tv. The birds are attacking the feeders and the suet bags. Poor things, but at least it's almost March, which is encouraging. This is the most we have had at one time all season. And more to come! Well, I guess waffles with those strawberries we froze in July for lunch.
I think an afternoon of quilting is on the schedule today! And no icefishing for Barry. We got plowed at about 4am by our plowguy, and we should see him again at least one more time today. I hate to say this, but it is pretty outside. So glad I don't have to travel today.

January 2012

Happy belated New Year from Saint Germain. It was a busy end to December with many ETSY orders to pack and get out for the mail carrier to pickup. Our mail person is a lady named Jodi and she is a real asset to the post office. No matter if it was 3 boxes or 9, she would load up and head out with a smile.

Now it's working on more inventory and working at my part time job in Minocqua at the Brown Barn Bath Co. A beautiful place filled with hand made soaps, lotions, fine face products and even solid shampoo bars (very nice to use), just to name a few of the products the ladies at the lab in Holcombe WI make. And since winter isn't winter without some fun time, I've broken out the sewing machine and am bringing out some quilting projects to do.

I need to explain the pictures. The rusty pickup is my good ole Toyota 94 that has safely carried me for over 271K miles. It has gone to the BWCA a few times, to Florida, and all over the place to art and craft shows. Now it's up for sale while it still has some life in it. Who ever buys it will enjoy many miles of use, I'm sure. It is hard to think of it not being my transport. This truck was made in Japan, the last year for that model, and I think after that the Tacoma replaced it as the little truck and was made in the US. That was the best investment I ever made.

The other shots are of snow, and it's curious ability to defy gravity and made it's own shape on things.

And the last pix is of one of the new projects I finished. Fun wall hanging that I even machine quilted on my little Brother sewing machine.

I will update our craft show schedule soon, it is mostly the same, just the dates will change. I don't think I will be going up to Art on the Rocks this July unless I can figure out how to be a both Marquette Mich and Land o Lakes WI on the same weekend. Oh, how I love having 5 weekends in July, but not this year! So sad.

Well, back to the basement to paint some blueberries on some bowls!
Stay warm.