Crazy Cat Lady?

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I love cats. Jeff and I moved to North Carolina with his three elderly cats and my middle aged Sophie. The elder kitties have all passed on and we are now a one cat home, with no plans to add more at this stage in our lives.
This week I discovered a new way to satisfy the kitty urge.

Neko Atsume… Kitty Collector!

I can now collect cats inexpensively, on my smart phone, with an app. Yes, there really is an app for that! Cats are attracted to your “yard” by placing food, toys, and boxes. They arrive at different times to play and eat. 
You can take their picture and save them to an album. The more attractive you make your yard, the more cats you will attract. So far, I have only had three at one time. Usually there is only one. Sometimes when I check in, the food is gone and so are the cats. 
My real-life cat doesn’t like to have her picture taken. Occasionally I am able to sneak up on her. Jeff and I love our Sophie. She gives us hours of pleasure and entertainment. I adopted her from the NH Animal Rescue League when she was just a kitten… she will be 15 years old next fall! She LOVES being an only cat… I won’t tell her about the new virtual pets.

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New Pots from the Temporary Kiln

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We should only have to fire one more time in the raku kiln. Yesterday we unloaded and had some really good results. What a relief, because everything but a few items were orders.
I have been letting Jeff handle most everything about firing in this little kiln. I have done the occasional burner turn up and that is it. He has done the loading and putting it into reduction. I am afraid of what would happen if I made any adjustments. We are so very anxious to be firing our new kiln.
After the unloading, yesterday was spent sanding and packing pots for shipping. Today is a day of meetings and other obligations. We will get back to kiln construction on Saturday.

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Kiln Building Begins!

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The weather has been perfect for kiln building. Jeff and I were very fortunate to have fellow potter, Richard Hattaway give us a hand for two days. 
Yesterday most of the floor was completed. Isn’t it so pretty?!
Today Jeff and Richard reconfigured the arch form. This kiln will be just a few inches larger than it’s last incarnation. We want to be able to use more of the larger advancer shelves this time around.
By the end of the day, Jeff was able to set the arch form and lay out the bricks so that we can get a count of what we have. It looks like we might have to order a few more arch brick. They come from Georgia, hopefully they won’t take long to deliver. I can’t even tell you how anxious we are to have our kiln back up and running!

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We Have A Kiln Shed!!

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Our kiln shed was scheduled to be delivered today. The weather forecast predicted a slight chance of snow flurries. We were so afraid our delivery would be delayed. Let’s face it, here in North Carolina, the mere mention of a snow flake and business comes to a halt. 

But that was not the case. Shortly after 7 am the truck arrived.
Two men, in 27 degree weather, got the job done by 9 am!
Jeff and I researched our options for a kiln shed. We could have built a stick frame shed with a metal roof, but the materials alone were more expensive than purchasing a steel frame carport and having it installed. It would have taken days for us to get a shed built… this was up in 2 hours. Later, as money allows, we will put side walls up on a portion of the shed. 
Let the kiln building begin!!!!!

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Events for Pottery Lovers

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It’s been a busy week here at 505 E Main St. We are packed and ready to head for the opening of “Treasures of the Earth” in Shelby, NC. Each year, the Cleveland County Arts Council hosts this show of local and regional potters. This year there will be 28 of us participating. The opening is at 5:30 this evening. If you are in the area stop in, visit with the artists, enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, while adding to your pottery collection.
Can you believe it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend? I feel like Christmas was just last week. To celebrate the day of LOVE, we will be offering some sweet treats this weekend. 
All the info for both of these events are in the sidebar of the blog. Right over there on the right.
Have a great day!

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A Box of Treasures?

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Last fall when we were visiting Danielle and Jason in Connecticut, Danielle gave me a box that her Dad asked her to pass on to me. I let out a groan because I was feeling like if I hadn’t missed whatever was in there all these years, he could have tossed it and I would have been none the wiser. A lot of the contents ended up in the trash. Except for these…

Back in the 60’s my aunt Theresa gifted me a portion of her large collection of dog figurines. They were mostly collies and poodles. I was probably around 8 years old, and was very excited. The collection grew to include cats that were given to me by family members whenever they traveled, and some antique pieces that belonged to my father and grandfather. A few are Avon bottles. Unscrew the head, to get to the perfume, remember those? Some still have perfume in them and they smell as bad today as  they did back then. 

The silly boxing poodles were always a favorite. The tail on one had broken. Luckily it was in the box and I was able to glue it back together. Today I am shipping the boxing poodles to my 7 year old great-niece. She will get it just in time for Valentines Day. She loves tchotchkes. I think I will gift her the rest over time.

Her mother will love me for it.

The scary thing is, this is only about 1/2 of the collection. The rest are probably still lurking in a box in the basement of my ex-husband. Who knows when they might reappear.

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Foraging in the Freezer

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I was searching through the bottom drawer of the freezer and found a bag of over ripe bananas. I didn’t date the bag so I had no clue how long they had been in there. They didn’t looked frosty, so I thawed them, and they were fine. I pondered making a traditional banana bread, but it seems that in a household of two, the last bit always ends up wasted. Muffins, on the other hand, always get eaten. Since Jeff and I are both huge blueberry fans, I searched for a recipe for banana blueberry muffins. The recipe I chose has a cinnamon crumb topping… I knew it was the winner!
I tweaked the recipe slightly by adding 1 1/2 cups blueberries, because that is the increment I freeze them in. This couple likes a muffin LOADED with blueberries! I made 11 muffins instead of 12, because I prefer odd numbers. Actually, I prefer larger muffins.

They turned out great. A perfect breakfast on a chilly Saturday morning. Here is a link to the recipe:
Banana Blueberry Crumb Muffins
On the pottery front, I am back to making piggy banks.  I love the names that I am asked to put on pigs. This week I have Stella, Grant, and Rayla. Check out my Etsy shop if you need to gift someone a pig. They are great baby gifts! 

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…Better Living Through Handmade Pottery.