Denice

I don't even like lending tools to my husband, the only way I get them back is to hunt for them in his garage. Now he has a new woodworking shop in the basement so I it will take longer to find them. He will go in my studio and get a tool without asking, what really bothers me is that he will take tools that he also has but can't find them. He doesn't want to bother looking for them so he takes mine and promptly misplaces them. I try not to complain, I am lucky to have a husband that can fix anything. Denice

I made some small ornaments several years ago, I cut small holes in the Christmas tree ornaments and then filled the holes with transparent colored glazes. I mixed up a small batch of porcelain clay to use because I wanted the ornaments to be very white. I also made some that looked like old fashion candies and filled small open areas with the low fire glaze. Most people think they are some kind of stain glass ornament on the tree until they get a closer look. Denice

I started out making pots in cardboard containers like oatmeal boxes and then I moved onto slabs. After a while I wanted to make a series so I started working with hump and slump molds, I even worked with canvas slump molds. Right now I am making tile so I guess I am back to slab. When I finish this project I am going to do some throwing, I am losing the feeling in my fingers on my left hand. This is quite common with people who have MS. Maybe some throwing will help retrain my nerve pathways! Denice

I did some slip casting also in the early 90's but on a much smaller scale. I made a mold of a triangular large lamp and used that mold for a few years, I also made molds for a medieval chess set for my son. I thought it would be a good item to sell at Renaissance fairs. After figuring the costs of materials, booth fees I would be lucky to break even when I compared to what other chess sets sold for. I still have the mold and chess set and molds. Denice

I bought a hand blender /mixer at a estate sale, I have revived and mixed a few glazes with it already. It is a heavy duty mixer, my husband uses one just like it when he cooks, the only thing I think needs blending that much is glaze not eggs. Denice

I also felt that way in college but finally figured out it that is what a college education should do. Push you kicking and screaming down new roads. Denice

I have my cut off wires hung on the wall next to the wheel and a cottage cheese container full of basic throwing tools. I have another container with hand building tools on a separate table Extra tools and misc. are in divided trays that stack inside of each other. I keep my extruder dies in a shoe box on a shelf near the extruder, I also have rolling pins on that shelf and my Skutt thermocouple. I have managed to collect way to many tools, I bought some to fill out a order that my husband was getting from China years ago. They were really cheap, I have purchased some old tools at estate sales, they are my favorite to work with. I will put together a set of tools and a bag of clay for someone who needs it for therapy or just home bound and bored, I even offer to fire whatever they make. My neighbors have three school age children, I offered to give them clay and tools during the shelter in, they turned me down. The mother is a teacher and I have run into teachers that didn't think art was necessary when my son was in school. Denice

When I was in high school did our Raku in our class room, we pulled the pieces out of the one electric kiln the school had and put them in a galvanized bucket filled with newspapers and put a lid on it. There was a big sink nearby and they were taken out of the bucket and washed while they were still hot. This is the same teacher you left the kiln on all night and melted his pots all over the shelves. He burned down the clay classroom a few years after I graduated, the board of education had a huge gas kiln brought in to replace the small electric kiln lost in the fire. He must of fired it on the weekends, I can't imagine firing a gas kiln around students during class. Denice

My husband and I are still sheltering in, we are close to seventy and have health problems that put us at a higher risk. We have gone out to a late breakfast several times because the restaurant didn't have any customers. The last one we ate at was pretty bad so we have decided to keep eating at home or carry out. Kansas had moved into stage 3 but several counties were recommended to stay in stage 2, ours was one of them. We wear masks when we are out and do all of the other safety practices. All of the big festivals around this area have been canceled. is is going to be pretty quiet around here for awhile. Denice

Like everyone else I have seen my share of kiln disasters. The worse one was the year I was graduating from college, it was the last firing for the year. A friend had begged the master students to put some of her pots in the firing. Some how she had gotten some low fire clay mixed in, her pieces on the top shelf melted and ran down the pots below. I am not sure if every piece was ruined but it sure looked like it. I didn't have any work in it I had already started working with C5/6 oxidation and usually fired at home. A few month later I came home to find a dozen 5 gal buckets of dried up clay sitting in my driveway. She had left a note saying she was giving up clay. I called her and asked what cone the clay was and she said she didn't know. Fortunately we had a area in our yard that always need fill because of a creek. Denice

Liam I tried to get them to order a test kiln for me one time but the owner wasn't interested in ordering a brand he didn't handle. It was a AIM test kiln that was highly recommended, this was 20 years ago, the store owner wanted to sell me a Paragon test kiln that looked like a enamel kiln. I called AIM kilns and had them ship me one, when I needed a new element I had to find it on-line. He wouldn't help me with it, he has always been a grouchy guy but the people that work for him are great. He is the owner that just recently retired, his son is just like him but his daughter is nice and friendly. Last year I needed some more Flint Hill Buff Clay that I bought from them, they didn't carry it anymore. They told me who still sold the clay and that I should call and order it from them. Denice

Pres I have thought about ordering bars on line but I really feel like I should buy from my local ceramic store. I feel very lucky to have a store nearby and want to support them and keep them in business. When it opened in the late 60's I was in high school and bought my supplies from the grandfather of the current owners, I was one of their first customers. He retired and his sons expanded and kept the business running for 40 years. They decided to retire and their children started to work at the store a couple of years ago. Denice

Still making 2 inch tiles, I was loading a glaze firing and noticed that I was low on C5 cones and the ones I had left were much smaller than the usual cone. I fire with a Skutt thermocouple but I like to have a cone in my kiln sitter. I picked up a box at my local supplier this morning, they reopened Monday and were pleased with the amount of business they were getting. My husband and I had dental appts. this morning so we decided to find some breakfast afterwards. We found a local restaurant with only one car in the parking lot, had a wonderful breakfast. This is the first time we have been in a restaurant in two months. Our favorite restaurant was packed so just drove on by, avoiding crowds for now. Denice

I picked some asparagus Sunday and mixed it with some tulips in a bouquet for my mother in-law. She lives in a senior living facility, they have sheltered in for 8 weeks now and not allowed any visitors. The food is alright but they haven't had any asparagus on the menu since she moved in 6 months ago, she loves it raw or cooked. We watched the staff from our car gather the items to be delivered to her, they noticed the asparagus bouquet and got the strangest looks on their faces. She called us later and was bursting with joy over her unusual bouquet. She is 97 and everyone thinks of her as their mother so she had received lot of candy and flowers. She said the asparagus was the best present she had received in a long time. Denice

I did some remeasuring and found out I need about 300 more two inch tiles, this will bring me up to 1000. I haven't even started on the molding tile, oh well it will keep me busy while sheltering in. Denice

Let the asparagus grow before 3 years before picking it. I found a new patch of it in my garden, seeds from the plants last fall. Those cinnamon rolls look yummy. Denice

I don't have a photo of it but I made roasted King asparagus from my garden. The asparagus is so huge that you have to peel the stems like a potato. I rub some olive oil on it and sprinkle with garlic salt, roast it at 400 degrees 10 to 15 minutes. Before I serve it I sprinkle a little dry cheese on it, my husband who was a little skeptical told me it was the best dish he had in a long time. Very tender and juicy! Denice

I have a tendency to get too thin also, occasionally I have to take a step back and evaluate my work and work thicker. Denice

Still making tile probably will take me another week to make enough and then I will have to start glazing. Denice

Back to the garden this morning, freezing weather moving in for several days. Going to cover up my asparagus with plastic and thick heavy rugs to keep the plastic from blowing away. Denice

I usually do my MS stretches, but I hurt my hip in my shop the day before so I skipped it. Later in the day I felt better so I went out and cleared and raked out my garden. Today I hurt everywhere. Denice

We were quickly running out of yeast and unable to find any at a decent price. I think the yeast on E-bay is about the same price as gold per ounce. I noticed some San Francisco starter for sale, my husband isn't crazy about sour dough, I decided to do a little research. I found a starter made with boiled potato water, flour and a package of yeast. I have made three loaves, my next loaf I am adding some apple cider vinegar to it to create more bubbles in the loaf. I am glad I hung onto my bread machine, I bought it at a estate sale for ten dollars. I hardly ever used it and was thinking of giving it away. Denice

Great looking jars of jelly, I have had gooseberry jelly but have never heard of Tayberry. What is the taste similar too? Denice

When the Coronavirus spread first started I was getting ready to start on tile project so I had taken a count of the different types of clay I had and weight. I also went through my chemicals and glazes to see if I was low on anything. I was going to do some testing and hate it when I am in the middle of mixing a glaze and missing a chemical. This has turned into a much longer shelter in, our county closed down a week ago and now they are talking about the state. My husband and I are in the almost 70 category, he has mild diabetes and I have MS so we have to be vigilant a in avoiding exposure. Thankfully we both have plenty of projects to keep us busy. Denice