Food for thought

Every so often I revert back to childhood and buy a box of glow in the dark orange, mac & cheese. Might I add that it tastes even better in a wood fired bowl! Jeff thinks it’s disgusting, which is fine with me. I won’t have to share.

While waiting for the macaroni to boil, my thoughts drifted to last spring when I was cooking for my Dad after my mother died. He is a picky eater (he doesn’t think so) therefore making meals was a challenge. I knew he liked mac & cheese so I decided to make the real deal with lots of good cheese in  a creamy sauce, baked in the oven with a panko topping. I asked him what vegetable he would like with his mac & cheese and his reply was, “Your mother and I always had hard boiled eggs with it”.

Huh, what? Hard boiled eggs?? I told him that hard boiled eggs weren’t a vegetable! He didn’t care, that’s what he wanted. He had his eggs and I had a salad.

Since my mother’s passing, my sister takes Dad grocery shopping and cooks him dinner once a week. She usually makes something that he can heat up another night. He finds cooking a real chore. At first we were appalled at what he chose to eat… lots of hot dogs and beans, keilbasa, SPAM, and frozen dinners. We have finally accepted that at least he is eating. He is going to be 88 years old in another week and he may as well eat what he wants. Aside from being lonely and eating lots of processed meats, he is in pretty good health and is doing ok on his own. He takes care of his own apartment and walks to the library and church when the weather is good. I wish I lived closer so I could visit more often and give my sister a break. Hopefully I can get there in the spring.

I think I haven’t posted a photo of piggy bank in at least a week… so here is your serving of pork for the day…

Happy Sunday!

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“Treasures of the Earth”

Jeff and I are headed to Shelby, NC this afternoon. The annual “Treasures of the Earth” pottery show and sale opens tonight. If you are in the area stop in at Cleveland County Arts Council, see the show and buy some new pots for your collection. The exhibition runs through March 5, 2015.

It’s been a super busy week for us. I have spent time traveling back and forth from the bank and attorney’s office… which means we are getting closer to purchasing a new place! It is starting to seem a little more real. Keep sending good energy our way! Tuesday afternoon we drove to NC State in Raleigh to give a presentation and demo to the Triangle Potters Guild. Jeff demonstrated some of his throwing and altering techniques, while I did some sgraffito… which is sort of like watching grass grow. The guild has a great group of members and we really enjoyed the evening.

As soon as I can take a breath I will try and catch up on reading my fellow bloggers posts. I hope everyone is having a great week.

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NH Potter Friends

I have posted in the past about NH potter Al Jaeger. Al lives off the grid on a beautiful piece of property in Deerfield. The NH Potters Guild community wood kiln is located on his land. At one time Al constructed these amazing, wood fired, house sculptures. They are tucked into the woods along side the very long driveway to his home and studio. Al was recently featured on the show NH Chronicle. Here is link to the segment: Al Jaeger, NH Chronicle
I think you will enjoy this little peek into Al’s world.

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News from the shipping department

The first wholesale order for 2015 is almost packed. This is a totally different method of packing and shipping for me. Typically piggy banks go to galleries and gift shops that place them on shelves. That being said, all the pigs get bubble wrapped and placed in a box with cardboard between each layer and off they go. These pigs are being shipped to a warehouse and will be sold online or in a catalog. Which means that each one is individually boxed before shipment. Included in the box is an artist card with the company name and a little story about Jeff and me. Each box is also barcoded. 

I set up my shipping station in the kitchen because the supply room is right off of it. I can clear off the island to work on. Yesterday with all the little boxes covering the floor, Sophie cat thought it was quite an obstacle course. She finally made her way around the boxes, and to her food bowl, to remind me it was time eat.

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Name that pig!

I have an order for a couple of personalized piggy banks. It was a nice reprieve after making 30 pigs, all glazed in green and white. The most fun thing with the personalized pigs are the names that I stamp on them. You may remember the “Murray” pig from last fall, that was a fun one. This first order of the year are “Ruby” and “Talulah”. Aren’t those just great names?

Of course the big talk of the day has been the giant blizzard that is about to fall upon the northeast. I don’t even live there anymore and I am excited about it! I had a sudden need to dash off to the grocery store for bread and milk…. except I came home with bananas, a pork roast, and wine… as well as a nice IPA for Jeff. I hope that everyone in the great north weathers the storm, warm, comfy, and safe. Jeff and I will be living vicariously through your facebook posts, enjoying our libations, and not having to get out and shovel.
Cheers!

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Weekend Update

I have a new book! Don’t you love the 500 series from Lark? Last night was the Carolina Claymatters Guild, post holiday meeting/party. Everyone gets a ticket upon arrival and after dinner they draw numbers for prizes. Everyone goes home with something, either a new pottery tool or book. I was so excited to receive this book.

Before heading to the party, Jeff took down the door to the kiln. It wasn’t as exciting as some firings, the majority of the shelves were filled with green and white piggy banks. This is our first wholesale order for UncommonGoods in NY. We didn’t unload them all but so far they look great. I did manage to get a few new bowls in the kiln. I have made the altered rim bowls in the past, this is the first time that I incorporated the Korean stamps into them.

Today it’s back to building piggy banks. Happy Sunday y’all.

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Pottery Lessons in Korea

2012 I had the Honor and privilege to be invited to participate in a pottery event, centered around the traditional teabowl, in the central mount region of South Korea.  Potters from across the world were brought to the Mungyeong Chasabal Festival to share and demonstrate our various ways of working and our interpretations for the ceremonial  teabowl.


For nine days my fellow ceramic artist and I visited local potters and tea masters, in between slide presentations and teabowl throwing demonstrations for the festival visitors that came in search of teaware from the local woodfire potters .  


Using the traditional Korean style potters wheel for demonstrations, I found myself giving a few festival performers a impromptu potter lesson.


…I just couldn’t help myself, and they seemed to enjoy.

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…Better Living Through Handmade Pottery.