neilestrick

All of my shows through July and some into August have officially cancelled. I didn't even bother to apply to any September shows except one small local show. I've got one May show that rescheduled for August, and one October studio tour show that I was invited to be a part of up north. That's my show schedule for the year-2, maybe 3 shows instead of 15-20. Total bummer. On the plus side, I've gotten back about $1500 in booth fees, and I was finally able to apply for unemployment this week. 

All of my shows through July and some into August have officially cancelled. I didn't even bother to apply to any September shows except one small local show. I've got one May show that rescheduled for August, and one October studio tour show that I was invited to be a part of up north. That's my show schedule for the year-2, maybe 3 shows instead of 15-20. Total bummer. On the plus side, I've gotten back about $1500 in booth fees, and I was finally able to apply for unemployment this week. 

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

Finally getting some mugs ready to go into the kiln. Despite being in lockdown, I haven't spent nearly as much time in the studio as I thought I would. Seems there's plenty of other things to get done, and the kids are starting to feel stressed about being stuck at home so I'm spending more time with them. But anyway, firing this week! All that haze on the black will disappear in the glaze firing.
 

Cinnamon buns for my family, just out the oven, vanilla icing when cooled a bit. Mug of tea for me (in one of my mugs).

 

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

Finally getting some mugs ready to go into the kiln. Despite being in lockdown, I haven't spent nearly as much time in the studio as I thought I would. Seems there's plenty of other things to get done, and the kids are starting to feel stressed about being stuck at home so I'm spending more time with them. But anyway, firing this week! All that haze on the black will disappear in the glaze firing.
 

We just let ours go to seed. They get really tall and look like a fern. Apparently you're supposed to let them do that when you're done with harvesting (if you harvested at all), as the fern top collects sun energy and makes for stronger plants the next year. They'll also make little berries/seeds that can be planted.
https://www.aveggieventure.com/2018/10/beauty-of-asparagus-berries.html

Growing up on the front range in Colorado, my grandma used to take me out to pick wild asparagus. I never liked to eat it, but hunting for it was wonderful, especially because I got to hang out with Grandma. I'm still not super fond of it, but I'll eat it. We've got a very small patch started in our garden, and there are currently 4 stalks coming up that are a nice thickness. It takes forever for it to get established and spread. This is the 3rd or 4th year in our garden, and we're finally seeing stalks that are good for eating.
https://www.modern-forager.com/colorado-wild-asparagus/

Well there you have it.  My eyes need to be checked and I'm too impatient.  Thank you!

https://www.paragonweb.com/files/manuals/LX_914_Duncan_Kiln_Owners_Manual.pdf

We just let ours go to seed. They get really tall and look like a fern. Apparently you're supposed to let them do that when you're done with harvesting (if you harvested at all), as the fern top collects sun energy and makes for stronger plants the next year. They'll also make little berries/seeds that can be planted.
https://www.aveggieventure.com/2018/10/beauty-of-asparagus-berries.html

It is ok to vent your feelings away from the home hearth. Folk here can empathise with your situation because many are facing similar situations.
It is healthy in fact.  Sounds like you have good people in your classes so if really and I mean really brought home that any state of unwellness in self or at home, -dont appear,( I know it is not a 100% er),and that everyone treats each other with respect and maintains the hygiene required for a food safe prep area, I feel pottery classes are a possible go to..when working folk tend to be very focussed on own projects...1/2 on wheels half on  hand build..lots of thoughts...take home buckets for scraps and waste??
Scrub up or down as enter room, ditto on leaving.
Nothing is eaten or drunk in clay shed anyway.
We pay tax on a presumed income based on previous years.....so I too am awaiting a return to Babs as we scale down due to age........our worrying does nothing to the roll out speed from those departments....
I am almost learning these gems of wisdom in my septuagenarian years :-)))))
My kids early on spent weeks making their own versions of board games..sets of cards , pieces to move etc etc Their rules were brutal. I kept them and handed them over. Hate to think they binned them but prob did.

@Babs thank you for the support! I just ordered a new hard drive and battery today for one of our old laptops so the kids can use it. Computers are awesome until they aren't.
I really shouldn't complain. We're fine on money for now. It's just that it seems like everything is on hold and it would be nice if at least something would move forward. We filed our taxes more than a month ago, figuring that we would be able to get our refunds before everything went bad. It'll happen eventually, I'm just frustrated with waiting.
Today I tried to figure out how to deal with my classes once the lockdown is over, and I realized there's no way to fit all my wheels in the studio with safe distancing, even if I take out the work tables. I've got options to make it work, though, so that gave me some peace of mind. And I know my students will be willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. They're good people. This will all get worked out eventually, and life will be good. I'm glad to have a place to vent my frustrations. Thanks, all!

Spring Green still hasn't cancelled their art fair, which meets the last weekend in June. They say they'll make a decision by June 1. I think I'm going to drop out regardless, because I don't really feel comfortable doing a big travel show that soon. Staying in a hotel and being exposed to thousands of people just doesn't seem like the right thing to do this summer.
Here in Illinois today a judge overturned the governor's stay at home order. A down-state rep claimed that the governor overstepped his authority by extending the stay at home, because his original disaster declaration expired on  April 9th. The rep is from a rural part of the state in the middle of nowhere, with a small population, so they haven't seen many Covid cases. So he filed a lawsuit so his people can get back to work, without any consideration at all to what that would do to those of us in the Chicago area where we're seeing more than 2,000 new cases every day. I only hope that there will be a stay on the ruling and it works its way up to the state supreme court and the governor wins. It's really stressing me out, though. If the lockdown is lifted, then we all have to choose between opening back up and possibly getting sick, or staying closed and not being eligible for any unemployment funds because on paper there's no danger. I just can't believe how reckless people are willing to be with other's peoples lives.
Also, the Illinois unemployment insurance system for the self-employed might not be up and running until May 11, so two more weeks of waiting there until I know if I'll be getting any financial help, and the IRS and the state are taking forever with our tax returns since they're so different than our 2018 returns because my wife opened a business last year. Sorry to unload on all of you, but I'm starting to feel the stress of all this uncertainty.

To bring this thread back onto topic:
With everything I've been reading lately about the current state of the virus spread, and the very possible/ fairly likely second wave in the fall, it would be best if we didn't have any activities with large groups until we have a vaccine, or can prove that we have acquired herd immunity (which may not be possible). I think about this every day and how it affects my business, income, and safety, and it's a hard thing to find the balance in my mind at this point. Not having income form shows is a big hit to my income, but at what point is it worth risking my health or community health?

Spring Green still hasn't cancelled their art fair, which meets the last weekend in June. They say they'll make a decision by June 1. I think I'm going to drop out regardless, because I don't really feel comfortable doing a big travel show that soon. Staying in a hotel and being exposed to thousands of people just doesn't seem like the right thing to do this summer.
Here in Illinois today a judge overturned the governor's stay at home order. A down-state rep claimed that the governor overstepped his authority by extending the stay at home, because his original disaster declaration expired on  April 9th. The rep is from a rural part of the state in the middle of nowhere, with a small population, so they haven't seen many Covid cases. So he filed a lawsuit so his people can get back to work, without any consideration at all to what that would do to those of us in the Chicago area where we're seeing more than 2,000 new cases every day. I only hope that there will be a stay on the ruling and it works its way up to the state supreme court and the governor wins. It's really stressing me out, though. If the lockdown is lifted, then we all have to choose between opening back up and possibly getting sick, or staying closed and not being eligible for any unemployment funds because on paper there's no danger. I just can't believe how reckless people are willing to be with other's peoples lives.
Also, the Illinois unemployment insurance system for the self-employed might not be up and running until May 11, so two more weeks of waiting there until I know if I'll be getting any financial help, and the IRS and the state are taking forever with our tax returns since they're so different than our 2018 returns because my wife opened a business last year. Sorry to unload on all of you, but I'm starting to feel the stress of all this uncertainty.

Finally getting some mugs ready to go into the kiln. Despite being in lockdown, I haven't spent nearly as much time in the studio as I thought I would. Seems there's plenty of other things to get done, and the kids are starting to feel stressed about being stuck at home so I'm spending more time with them. But anyway, firing this week! All that haze on the black will disappear in the glaze firing.
 

Spring Green still hasn't cancelled their art fair, which meets the last weekend in June. They say they'll make a decision by June 1. I think I'm going to drop out regardless, because I don't really feel comfortable doing a big travel show that soon. Staying in a hotel and being exposed to thousands of people just doesn't seem like the right thing to do this summer.
Here in Illinois today a judge overturned the governor's stay at home order. A down-state rep claimed that the governor overstepped his authority by extending the stay at home, because his original disaster declaration expired on  April 9th. The rep is from a rural part of the state in the middle of nowhere, with a small population, so they haven't seen many Covid cases. So he filed a lawsuit so his people can get back to work, without any consideration at all to what that would do to those of us in the Chicago area where we're seeing more than 2,000 new cases every day. I only hope that there will be a stay on the ruling and it works its way up to the state supreme court and the governor wins. It's really stressing me out, though. If the lockdown is lifted, then we all have to choose between opening back up and possibly getting sick, or staying closed and not being eligible for any unemployment funds because on paper there's no danger. I just can't believe how reckless people are willing to be with other's peoples lives.
Also, the Illinois unemployment insurance system for the self-employed might not be up and running until May 11, so two more weeks of waiting there until I know if I'll be getting any financial help, and the IRS and the state are taking forever with our tax returns since they're so different than our 2018 returns because my wife opened a business last year. Sorry to unload on all of you, but I'm starting to feel the stress of all this uncertainty.

Spring Green still hasn't cancelled their art fair, which meets the last weekend in June. They say they'll make a decision by June 1. I think I'm going to drop out regardless, because I don't really feel comfortable doing a big travel show that soon. Staying in a hotel and being exposed to thousands of people just doesn't seem like the right thing to do this summer.
Here in Illinois today a judge overturned the governor's stay at home order. A down-state rep claimed that the governor overstepped his authority by extending the stay at home, because his original disaster declaration expired on  April 9th. The rep is from a rural part of the state in the middle of nowhere, with a small population, so they haven't seen many Covid cases. So he filed a lawsuit so his people can get back to work, without any consideration at all to what that would do to those of us in the Chicago area where we're seeing more than 2,000 new cases every day. I only hope that there will be a stay on the ruling and it works its way up to the state supreme court and the governor wins. It's really stressing me out, though. If the lockdown is lifted, then we all have to choose between opening back up and possibly getting sick, or staying closed and not being eligible for any unemployment funds because on paper there's no danger. I just can't believe how reckless people are willing to be with other's peoples lives.
Also, the Illinois unemployment insurance system for the self-employed might not be up and running until May 11, so two more weeks of waiting there until I know if I'll be getting any financial help, and the IRS and the state are taking forever with our tax returns since they're so different than our 2018 returns because my wife opened a business last year. Sorry to unload on all of you, but I'm starting to feel the stress of all this uncertainty.

It’s not food, but I did make them in my kitchen. I have trouble buying lip balm in stores, because these days they all contain ingredients that make me itchy (shea butter, aloe vera, menthol). Why can’t I buy a basic mixture of beeswax and coconut oil? Now I know why, because it is way too easy and cheap to make it yourself. The store brands need to add fancy ingredients so they can charge $3.99. These tubes cost me about 25 cents each.

Finally getting some mugs ready to go into the kiln. Despite being in lockdown, I haven't spent nearly as much time in the studio as I thought I would. Seems there's plenty of other things to get done, and the kids are starting to feel stressed about being stuck at home so I'm spending more time with them. But anyway, firing this week! All that haze on the black will disappear in the glaze firing.
 

Finally getting some mugs ready to go into the kiln. Despite being in lockdown, I haven't spent nearly as much time in the studio as I thought I would. Seems there's plenty of other things to get done, and the kids are starting to feel stressed about being stuck at home so I'm spending more time with them. But anyway, firing this week! All that haze on the black will disappear in the glaze firing.
 

I did photos today. Here are some ideas that bear more exploring, although I have to test and see how folks will respond to them. Also, I found a much better alternative to the cover style travel mug lid. It fits a number of mugs in my personal collection. It’s been handy since we’re doing all the home office stuff in the basement so we can have some work/life separation and it’s cold down there. 

To bring this thread back onto topic:
With everything I've been reading lately about the current state of the virus spread, and the very possible/ fairly likely second wave in the fall, it would be best if we didn't have any activities with large groups until we have a vaccine, or can prove that we have acquired herd immunity (which may not be possible). I think about this every day and how it affects my business, income, and safety, and it's a hard thing to find the balance in my mind at this point. Not having income form shows is a big hit to my income, but at what point is it worth risking my health or community health?