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

No bears here, there is a private zoo a half mile from us with exotic animals, we will have to take a drive and see what animals are out and about. We often see a group of camels running across the fields, their size and strength is very impressive. The heron rookery by the creek is full this year, nice to have them back, they disappeared for a couple of years. The deer and coyotes are still playing hide and seek, I think the deer are winning. I see some hungry looking coyotes around, I have to keep a close eye on my dog. My husband loves to cook, so far he has made a loaf of farm type bread and a loaf of raisin bread. The raisin bread wasn't sweet and didn't have enough raisins any suggestions would be appreciated. We are trying to help keep some of the food places in business while everyone is sheltered in. Went through a drive thru at a chicken place the other day, haven't done that since we gave up fried foods twenty years ago. IHOP is delivering in our neighborhood so we are going to order a dinner from them. We have never had a meal there so that will be a whole new experience. Ordered groceries on line for the first time. we can pick them up Monday at noon, good thing I didn't need them this week. Denice

I don't have any snow views but I do have a field across the street full of wild life. It is turkey mating season, the male puts on a nice show but you can tell that the female is the boss. I finally finished glass casting done, it is time to start assembling and mortaring everything in place. That will have to wait until better weather. My husband has started working on the basement, it is unfinished so wiring, plumbing, framing and sheet rocking needs to be done. He has finished the storage room and wood working shop and is working on the bathroom now. I need to make some more tile for the shower, he changed the design and made it larger. I have the clay and glaze ready, I just need to start rolling and cutting. We are lucky we both have plenty of projects to keep us busy during the next three weeks of shelter at home. Denice

There are a lot of potters who drive to Wichita and make a day of it, usually they have a relative that lives here. My ceramic supplier does add some freight to the clay he sells, it is less than what I would pay for it. I ordered a 25lb block of Flinthill clay recently from Kansas City, it use to be carried by my supplier. I needed to replace a broken lid, it cost me $25 for the clay and $25 for the freight. I tried to talk my husband into taking a little trip to KC but he wasn't interested. Denice

Johnny K are tided my supplier is about 15 minutes away in traffic. There are only two ceramic suppliers in Kansas, I am lucky to live near one. I may pay a little more for my supplies now and then than I would on the internet but I want to keep these guys in business. Denice

I usually make my own glazes, I will buy premix if I need a small amount for a special project especially if it is a difficult color to obtain. My son wanted a set of mugs that was a bright orange, I wanted to make sure they would be food safe. After a little research I headed for the ceramic store and found the perfect glaze. It is not worth the time and effort to mix and test glazes for a one time project. Denice

I am going to try throwing again today, I tried a couple of days ago and it did not go well. My hand doctor told me it could be a couple of months before I get completely healed. I hope my hand will cooperate today if it doesn't I think I will start coiling again. Tried using my slab roller and couldn't turn the wheel with my right hand had to use my left hand and arm. Wish me luck! Denice

I would take my kilns into my local ceramic shops to have them repaired, new elements ect. My husband could of done it, if he wanted to but he was always too tired and stressed from work and would only repair what was necessary around the house. Now that he has retired he has worked on all three of my kilns, and practically rebuilt our refrigerator and wonders why he wouldn't tackle these jobs when he was working. He wrote technical manuals on buses, amusement rides, and airplanes so he had the knowledge to repair anything. His hobby is rebuild and restore old muscle cars, I always understood how he wanted to spend what little free time he had working on them. Denice

A glass of water and a small dark dark chocolate bar that I break up in to tiny pieces. Caffeine, sugar, antioxidants and sometimes lunch in one bar. Denice

I have a dishpan in my sink that I wash my hands in and any objects covered with clay. After the clay settles I pour the top clear water into my settling drain and the thick clay goes into the trash. I have only cleaned my 15 gallon settling system once and I had my son carry the clay gunk upstairs. If I get some funky smell coming up from my drain I pour some bleach in it. Denice