the year starts again

It's the end of the first day of 2015, strange to type a new number but it will become a habit soon. Barry and I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and best wishes for your life. We have been so blessed by all the interactions with friends, cherished love ones and wonderful customers. A huge Thank You to all.  Now we start the quiet time of our year when we plan on doing more hobby work (quilting for me and ice fishing for Barry), some design ideas get put to paper and perhaps more time with family and friends.

Living in northern Wisconsin year round makes you really appreciate our brief summers. Winter has it's own magic with more of a black and white visual impact. You learn to study the crisp line of fox footprints in the snow circling round the house or the diamond like glint of the snow as the sun hits it.  Many beauties to study out there from the warmth of my sunroom.  We keep the bird feeders filled and hang suet bags out to attract the woodpeckers and the bluejays.  The most difficult is during the long spells of below zero weather that challenges all living things outside.  But we are blessed and know it.

Enjoy this long night of January 1 and drink something enjoyable tonight as we start this new journey around the calendar.
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End of summer

From drying of pots in the sun to the finished products.  And of course Barry's baskets are ready to fill with fall leaves!

Yesterday was kiln fixing day

Yesterday was the dreaded day to tear the kiln down and replace some bricks and put new elements in. Never a fun activity!  Ed from Continental Clay in Minn MN gave me some great pointers on brick replacement. Thanks Ed!
Once done I was limping around like a ninety yr old but the initial cone 04 burn out firing completed as usual. PTL! I got up at midnight to check on it and it was complete. Hopefully I won't have to do this for another year!

A rainy weekend has continued into a Monday. Hard to believe that it's June, we in Northern Wisc never had an April, and spring happened suddenly in late May. But, the studio is open and flowers planted. Pottery is being made as well as Barry weaving more baskets.