Hulk

I have a nasty case of plantar fasciitis in right foot and am not allowed to walk much or ride a bike -I'm icing, infrared red lighting,stretching, swearing, rubbing and hoping after 4 months this will get better soon.I am trying hard to stay off my feet which for me is near impossible .

my bicycle is happy that i finally put air in its tires and have taken it out of the shed.   i think i must have shrunk a little, my toes hardly touch the ground.   got to see if the seat can be lowered.  i don't go far, maybe 2 city blocks.   just hope nobody comes around the corner while i am approaching it.
finger exercise works too, typing here, playing solitare and playing two boards on the scrabble game help keep fingers nimble.

I started running again! I'm trying to get out every day, but the weather isn't always cooperating. Today it's 43 degrees with 20mph winds, so I think it'll be a rest day.

I've got 2 huskies and 2 kids here in quarantine, so I have been taking them on walks just to get a tiny bit of sanity.  My kids have reached peak annoying this week, and I've been trying to flatten the curve as much as possible.
But yeah, lots and lots of walks, with and without the kids, but always with the Huskies.  Because you know what's worse than bored childrens?  Bored huskies! Yikes.
 

I’m working on a free trial of a yoga app (Glo). So far so good. It’s not my usual hot yoga, but I found some similar routines to what I’m used to. 

Hi folks, trying to think of new topics is tough, but. . . . .QotW: What are you doing for exercise beyond working in the shop?
Myself, I have been working in the shop at least 4 hours a day, usually an hour of wedging/recycling, 3 hours of throwing. I also have been getting in the 10,000 steps a day and doing my usual push ups and planks. I go to be tired, and sleep well.  I had been so used to going bowling, and doing the walking out in stores and such before, especially when the weather was cold and nasty, but now that it is better, I do walk around the block. . .staying away from others. I feel for those out there that do not have company at home, and do not have relatives nearby, or any other support group. . . it must be really tough. I hope all of you are doing something to keep your energy levels up and your spirits well as this is a difficult time,
Once again, QotW: What are you doing for exercise beyond working in the shop?
bless all,
Pres

yesterdays glaze loads stack and ready to fire to cone 11.
I like a lot of space so pots can BREATHE-ok its a myth at least for me in a reduction kiln-I like it packed tight. 
In the  salt kiln its more true
The little kiln a 12 cubic updraft and the car kiln a 35 cubic downdraft.
Little kiln is off now an the cone 11 is almost 1/2 and about to be shut down.
then two day cool-no rush at all for these pots now
 
 

I've been working on transferring photographic images to clay.  I've read the myriad of image transfer techniques and am fiddling with my own addition to that 
Lots of misses but a few show some promise.  I won't be able to fire until the exile is lifted. Meanwhile... more adjustments. 
Then the fun part will be placing them actual pieces.

Rolled or "steel cut" oats, some chia and roasted sunflower seeds, a few almonds and toasted coconut flakes - toss handful inna bowl while kettle's working; walk out to garage to grind coffee beans (e'body's asleep) and check on pots; start pour over into cup; warm two small thermoses with boily hot water, then pour same into the oatmeal mixture bowl; switch coffee filter thingy to thermos when mug is full, add some whitener to coffee, aaah; put oatmeal bowl in microwave, set for a minute; watch oatmeal, for when it starts to foamy boil, that's enough - almost always less than 60 seconds; meanwhile tend the thermoses (for later on). Sit down when the thermoses are done. By the time the oatmeal has cooled some, it's ready! By then, time to warm up the coffee mug. No hurry, it's a.m. (did the same before retirement, 'cept then, at work, 1st break o' th' day, an hour or so in, ...and still nobody around, for early starter was I).
I add a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter, because I am Hulk.

Rolled or "steel cut" oats, some chia and roasted sunflower seeds, a few almonds and toasted coconut flakes - toss handful inna bowl while kettle's working; walk out to garage to grind coffee beans (e'body's asleep) and check on pots; start pour over into cup; warm two small thermoses with boily hot water, then pour same into the oatmeal mixture bowl; switch coffee filter thingy to thermos when mug is full, add some whitener to coffee, aaah; put oatmeal bowl in microwave, set for a minute; watch oatmeal, for when it starts to foamy boil, that's enough - almost always less than 60 seconds; meanwhile tend the thermoses (for later on). Sit down when the thermoses are done. By the time the oatmeal has cooled some, it's ready! By then, time to warm up the coffee mug. No hurry, it's a.m. (did the same before retirement, 'cept then, at work, 1st break o' th' day, an hour or so in, ...and still nobody around, for early starter was I).
I add a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter, because I am Hulk.

if you make a bowl with an inward sloping rim, boiling over should fall right back in, i think.  

We have been playing with a bit of breakfast of late, as we usually have not cooked breakfast since retiring. My wife and I would go to a Mom and Pop, drink coffee read our books and get breakfast served. Oh well, new time of late. So we started fixing egg beaters or egg whites in the microwave, there is a company out there that makes a breakfast kit including a plastic bowl, some fixings(cheese, veggies, meats) with instructions on how to fix it. Hmmm only took one time for us to realize we can do the same so much better. This was today's breakfast for me, 1/2 cup of egg beaters=two eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, onion and green pepper, a pinch of cheese. 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave, take out  fork stir, and then 1 minute more. Perfect, really fluffy eggs. I am working on the same thing with oatmeal, but still haven't figured out the perfect bowl for boil over. 
 
 

 
best,
Pres

Wow. Love your butter dish. Never tried that...is it as fiddly as it seems?
Love the wax resist on pot behind.

If you can’t find dry yeast, the fresh cake stuff is still around because fewer people are familiar with it. I think you add a bit more of it than the dry stuff and just crumble it in to the flour. The no-knead recipes also only use 1/4 tsp yeast, 3 cups of flour, 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1 1/2 cups of water.
ps: @Mark C. if you crop your photos on your phone to a square format, they don’t flip. It also can help with file size. Snapseed is a free and ad free photo editing app you can use for this. 

Not Babs but here is my Naan AKA Flat bread recipe
4 oz of buttermilk, you can substitute yogurt but you may need a little more
6 oz of AP flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
If I'm cooking this on an outside BBQ that's all I do, If I'm cooking indoors on an electric pancake griddle I'll add a teaspoon of baking power. It isn't necessary but nice
I warm up the griddle or the grill then I add the ingredients and mix the dough until everything is combined and is still a little sticky. I cut the dough into quarters then I roll out each piece on some bench flour to about 1/8" thick.  Sometimes the dough will want to shrink back so I'll go back and roll them out a second time.  Heating up the cooking surfaces to rolling out the dough takes about the same length of time so this is quick.
Once it puffs up a little and there are some small browned areas I flip and cook the second side and take it off the heat when it puffs up more.
 

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

Oh I wonder what the rich are doing tonight.
Flat bread 
Quantity of yeasted bread dough..I use german grain, multigrain mix for flours.
I add a tablespoon molasses and bit of olive oil as well
After First rise, punch down and tear/ cut into lumps. Roll out to circular shape on top of a heavily seeded flour area. I roll out onto poppy, sunflower, carraway, pumpkin, sesame. By time I've rolled out the last one..lay separately on v lightly floured area..the first ones are ready to bake. I have woodstove so I place the bread directly onto hot plate and flip after a couple of minutes.place onto clean t towel and cover...keep doing this till all breads been baked. Folk use pizza stones on barbies or heavy frypans.
I freeze in lots of 6. Can be used for quick pizza bases.
Heat slightly, drizzle a bit of olive oil and use for salad, or quick lunches.
Can be heated till brittle and used as crunchie dips..
Can roll or stretch as placed on heat to make nice and thin.
Upside down apple cake in Babs bowl

A diver friend gave us some fresh live Dungeness crab yesterday-From a safe 20 feet away. I backed it and steamed it with fresh baguette and hot butter with salad and milk.
Yum- we may be isolated but are eating well
sorry image is flipped

made hot croos buns and big pot of bean soup...winter coming here, and tjis a.m. inspired by Min, hummous.
So lunch will be hummous, home made flat bread, and greens from my garden.
Pots mine

I've only been laid off a week and I've already pounded through 350lbs of clay.  I cleaned and organized my kiln area, got some finished stuff that's been sitting next to the kiln for months boxed up.  Finally got a bunch of greenware into the kiln and hopefully fire on Monday.  I have a bunch more stuff I want to do between now and then though.
Luckily my clay supply place is doing pickup orders now so I can just place orders and pick them up if I need to!  Our governor just locked the state down for another month, so hard times a coming!
I actually worked a full day on Wednesday, they called me in, and supposed to do another full day on Tuesday.  My unemployment claim was denied so I'm trying to figure that out as well.

Ok not on my workbench yet -but really this does not fit on any workbench.
Todays greenware load-just loaded at 7pm and candling a few hours.
This is one and a 1/3 glaze load-stacked to the moon with most forms full of other forms.Some tumbled stacked large platters and rectangle footed sushi dishes on top .I still have one more bisque like this one to do in a week as well.
Most is a future wholesale deal-no matter what the world is doing I make pottery -its what I do.
 

I haven't been on the forum for awhile - trying my hand at hand building. Fear (& I hope not loathing) after I fire these things! Its a lamp, drying upside down & its bigger than the ones I throw on the wheel.

Ah wonderful!!!
I feel like I now have some awesome tools with all this great info. Tom, thank you!!! (and thank you Glazenerd!) I am a newcomer (not to clay but to Cone 6 firing/black clay/this forum, so I apologize that this is repetitive for those veterans on here. My clay history is cone 10 reduction so due to a recent move across the country, the situation has it that I needed to jump over to cone 5/6 oxidation.
I have done a ton of searches on this forum but if you don't have the right combo of wordage things don't pop up.  
Thanks again! 

Hi Lesley!
Yeah (runnin' out to studio to check firing notebook ...person I bought antique kiln from advocates keeping a log, aye that), about 30 mins. Manual kiln is fitted with a decent pyrometer; as temp reaches next critical temp, I'm twiddling the switches to keep it near there for half hour to forty minutes, yep! Excepting foot ring - which isn't glazed anyway - most walls are 4-6 mm (dry) or so; I'd go a bit longer for thicker stuff. Oh, sufficient oxygen during bisque firing likely also important; if you're not fitted with a fan, perhaps leave out a peep or two?
Perhaps my bisque fire is a bit slow, haha! I've shortened the run some by coming up to 200F the night before, leaving the kiln fan on all night, then cranking right through and past 212F the next day, as I'm assuming all wet water has been driven off ("bound" water still present, of course).
The source post, hrmm ...aha, copied from another thread:
Detailed article:
https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/17903-critical-firing-temperatures/
Compilation of links:
https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/20132-slow-bisque-kiln-help/
Tony Hansen's article:
https://digitalfire.com/4sight/glossary/glossary_glaze_bubbles.html
 
 

fwiw, have one set of test tiles and a few small test pieces in Cassius Basaltic; the same clear glaze that's working for red clay lays down smooth on the Basaltic as well, "Wollastonite Clear" (Bethany Krull) ...some of the coloured glazes look good as well, some froth up and come out crusty. Next glaze fire will include a few more pieces...
I'm firing a modestly paced bisque - wouldn't call it slow - however, significant pauses at the three temps (per GlazeNerd) 752, 1063, 1500F