back to school

I'm back in clay class! It's really great to be doing that again. Though with gas and tuition and supplies I am gonna have to tighten the old belt.


So it's been almost a year since I was last throwing pots. The first day we made some tile experiments for most of the class. I didn't sit down at a wheel until near the end. It was just like riding a bike... seems I improve with absence. I threw a nice sized bowl and a jar which will end up in the trash. I had some greenware that I'd kept in the garage for some finishing and I brought that in to bisque fire, so I've got a lot to glaze soon. I hate glazing. I am uninspired by the process and I have a hard time imagining what finished pieces will be like so it takes forever to choose colors.

Later I threw a nice vase, it's around a foot tall and I really like the proportions. Also there are some cups, and a pitcher. I had some good practice pulling handles and throwing lids.

Ollipop's Art

"Beautiful Beautiful OOO"
12/19/07

My daughter is 5. She is an artist. She likes to draw pictures at my computer using MS Paint and they are so wonderful I feel the need to share them with you. I can't decide which part of her art is more special, the pictures or their titles. Sometimes they come with a story, but usually you don't need one. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

There's a Princess in Everyone

My daughter is not too much of a girly girl. She loves princesses and flowers but also bugs and dinosaurs. I found this in her room and it made me smile all day. You can't really see it, but there is a fuzzy pink snake slithering through the windows of her doll house. Awesome.

I can hear a clock ticking

No, really.

My grandparents had two big old mantle clocks. They were beautiful and intricate and they had these great sounds... from ticks to chimes they were cool and special. I remember trying to sleep on the couch at their house and listening to those clocks ticking quietly. They sounded more than mechanical... there was something soft and organic about them.

We do not have any clocks like those. We have battery powered soundless timepieces or led digital modernstrosities (it is my new word). They are missing that comforting rhythm. tick tick tick tick. But now I hear something like them floating over the computer fan... somewhere on this side of the wind outside which unnerves me. Sounds like someone calmly rocking in a rocking chair, knitting needles clicking. Soothing like that.

Oh wait. I just figured out where it's coming from. Heh, isn't that something...

Well, good night.

Factgirl suggested that I blog about my pottery. It's a little out of my mind lately because of all the kids and I just haven't had the time to go to class, but I think it's a good idea.

The picture you see is a bunch of stuff I Made in my last semester of class. Most of it turned out okay, the 2 cups are red and now live with my little sister. The tall piece is in my living room. I had a problem putting on glaze this last semester. I just didn't have the patience, I think.

We've just cleaned out the garage and I'm thinkin a little corner studio in there is just the ticket. I hope it works. That's it. The end.

Sick Babies and Well Babies

My little Ranger is sick. I think it's a cold, I don't want to call it a flu because he had 2 flu shots and I would hate to think they were for nothing. He's had a fever for the last 3 days. It hasn't been too bad in the daytime, but at night it shoots up to crazy.

He's a little trooper though and he manages to smile through it. I'm tired though. I took Ollipop to the movies last night. We saw the B Movie. It was good. There were a couple of times where she laughed full and loud and it was so cute. But I am tired now. I hope the baby is better tonight so I can sleep.

Thinking Globally this Christmas

This year is very exciting for us. We've found the perfect gifts for the kids and I hope they like them as much as we do. My young rocker has been asking for a computer of his own and the old clunker they are using is becoming less and less reliable. Its old operating system isn't compatible with our new router so the kids can't do any of their very important internet research for reports and such. They assure me this is what they want computers for... not frivolous gaming or chatting with friends... what good children they are.

So I had been hearing about this program... One Laptop Per Child and I had to look into it. Turns out the goal was to make a cheap laptop that would withstand extreme environments and hard use and could be sent all over the world for kids to learn with (I love it!) and for a short time they are offering a give one get one program of which we are taking advantage.

The price is great and they run Linux and they are damn durable. I just hope they arrive in time for X-mas.