I didn’t get a picture of them, but yesterday I had a real good day throwing. I have two or three large plates and at least six bowls of varying sizes to trim today. Having a good day really cuts into my computer time, I won’t have time to cruise around links like triangle direct media while I have so many pots waiting to get trimmed.
Our stud dog, Hank, is not a stud any longer. He’s still the boss dog, but we had to get him neutered because he had a testicular cancer just starting (I guess) and the vet said if we get rid of his manly jewels, it will clear up that swollen prostate right away. Since he’s a dog, I am sure he is not worried about the side effects of libido max, and the way he still bosses the little dogs around, he doesn’t even know his jewels are gone, as far as we can tell. We’ll know if it worked if he goes a year without dripping blood out of his pee-pee. Wish him luck.
Hank the Cow Dog
I am getting antsy for Sammie’s wedding, it’s going to be like a family reunion for my sweetie, and it’s been a long time. I promise to take lots for pictures.
Sammie is putting together the last details, like the music, and shopping for Gemini dj mixers, for instance. She know a lot about music, being a guitar player herself and having been in charge of a large church’s sound and video center for years. She has very particular ideas about music, and is not afraid to run the sound system, or even mix her own music if she writes something she can use. She talked to Dave the other day about the father-daughter dance and what music, I suggested White Wedding by Billy Idol, but they didn’t go for it.
She is also figuring out the flower girl’s dress colors and the color of the ribbons on the backs of the chairs. She really is having fun with it.
Me, I’m in production on that dinnerware set for her wedding gift.
Luckily I only had test pieces in, but the whole cone got fused into the holder where when it gets hot enough it bends and allows the kiln to shut down. Well, that didn’t happen because the thing arced or something and fused the cone to the apparatus. The kiln never got the signal to shut down and a lot of weird things happened to the raw clay pieces.
Here’s my idea for the salad and bread plates for Sammies set. The foot will be angled and deep.
The dogs finally got the screen open on the truck shell, now their noses are out in the air whenever they want. It cracks me up. The truck full of dogs sounds like a rolling bark factory, and now with dog noses out, too, it looks like a rolling bark factory.
It’s cool enough to walk the dogs in the desert today, I think we’ll take them out. It’s not cold enough to be thinking about swimming pool safety fence, but before long we will be wishing for a cool place to swim.
Penny and her Sister-in Law
Aselle's first day!
owls
Cookie watches Chickens
Mike brought Karen over to meet us and they stayed in the 5th wheel. We had a lovely visit and collaborated at the swap meet. They are working on their combined trademark.
Dave and Mike
Boy Howdy, did it ever rain last night. The gmail weather report showed it coming up and this time we believed it because the wind blowing from the south all day yesterday held the scent of rain. Temperatures dropped 20 degrees, which is fine with me, it was way too hot for March. Not a good time to wear mens dress boots, although a perfect time to shop online.
We got all the laundry in off the line and remembered to close all but one of our vehicle windows, and that one was just cracked.
Pretty good for desert dwellers.
We added up what the dogs cost us this month and it comes pretty close to our income combined for the month. I guess I will have to keep using cheap fragrances and buying at the dented can store. I had taken money out to finish my dental caps with my dentist in Mexico, but spent that on Peanut the other day; I came home from school in Phoenix on Tuesday and Peanut was lame and crying. I figured he was coming out of a seizure, so I laid down with him, but it didn’t end. Then I thought his leg or back was broken. I called Debbie, the local animal control person, as she is the closest thing we have to a vet in Ajo, and over the phone she ran Peanut and me through a series of tests. She determined that he had a strained back, so I felt a little better, and gave him one of Annie’s pain pills and took him in to a vet south of Buckeye. They are great! And only an hour and change from Ajo, but the ex-rays, etc. were not cheap. So Peanut got my dental money this month.
dave and i have taken to getting Winnie out of the house. My darling took Mom down to the Curley School Gallery to get her taxes done. There are accountants raleigh who donate their time, and since Mom hasn’t filed for years and years, it should be interesting. Mom at least will have some conversation there, and beautiful things to look at. Tomorrow it’s my turn, and we’re going to sign up for the lunches at the community center. I think Winnie will like that.
The theory is, that if we get her more stimulation, she might regain some cognitive skills. If we can get her to walk more, too.
Well, we have a project, that’s the main point, and we are enjoying it.
Here’s a piece of the autobiography we had to do in socialogist-ese, the language of sociology. This is the 2nd or 3rd auto bio I’ve had to write for school so far, but each one is different. Same story, different perspective. Here it is:
My ascribed status of female Caucasian, age 62, puts me in the arguably most notorious age group in this age of media: I am a Baby Boomer. We were the population boom engendered by good economic times, but “[t]he ranks of the baby boom generation have peaked and begun their long decline, as deaths begin to outpace immigration into the United States by individuals in the boomers’ age (ncpa.org). Small families, partly due to better and more available birth control, have decreased age groups following the Boomers, and the largest current US population, 18 to 36 year olds, has been built on immigration.
It’s been a wild ride, but I didn’t have to do it alone, my life has been shaped by population and economic swells, along with large numbers of my generation. My personal history has been a clear example of what sociological imagination looks like, moving from the small farm to the urban areas along with a large segment of the population in that period, dysfunctional family life leading to my low education and earning, and I created a single parent family just when it was popular. Now I’m winding down and taking care of my aging parent, just like so many of my peers. The intersection of choices has been thrust upon my generation by larger events and by my smallest decisions, I have reflected current trends.
Beto stayed in the hospital for 5 days. They ran a bunch of tests and followed a vein from his arm on up, and then let him go. We were glad to get him back! Mom is worse every day, I am so grateful for Beto for stepping up and taking care of her. We had no idea how far it had gone until we had to to it for five days.
We are thinking she’s had some strokes, we are set to get tested on Wednesday.
Then Fae got bit by a rattlesnake, and spent the night at the (expensive) hospital. So we were back and forth to Phoenix several times this week. Not to mention my regular alternate Tuesday class and the trip Dave made to get Hank’s blood work done for his neutering tomorrow.
It will be good to spend a few days quietly at home for a change.
The Curley School Art Gallery is having the Red Show right now. I have some little ceramic boxes in the gift shop, but they are not selling. I think the price is too high, but am unwilling to drop it. We’ll see when I sell them at Second Saturday next month. I will be able to sell them 30% cheaper and get the same return.
The piece in the gallery this month that I like the best is a decorated chair. The under-lying structure of the chair is very pleasant, like amish wood furniture, nicely proportioned, sturdy, and stylish.
painted chair
Until today, I have been avoiding the empty place in my pet-sitter’s heart where Gaby the cat used to live. I am currently babysitting Jake, the horse, and that means I walk past Gaby’s place in my heart every time I tend Jake.
Oh, how I love my animals! I can’t believe I get paid to care for these precious friends!
Yesterday evening I brushed Jake a little, got a lot of hair off him. I know it’s winter and he needs his coat, but I swear he liked it. We’ll do more tonight, and maybe I’ll think to stop at sunset and tell Gaby how much I loved her.
My latest little red hat doll has gone to her new home. I believe she will be loved and cared for very well. The guy who bought her really seems to like her. He got to pick out some of her jewelry and other details, like her hair color.
And I had over 40 pics of her and just now lost them all!
I’m allergic to deleting pics off my camera, guess I’ll have to call the allergy doctor austin has. Probably the best thing to do, since I can’t share pics of the little red hat lady, her name is going to be Marilyn.
It’s certainly not showy, but the Spring blooming of the desert is upon us for sure.
pottery sherds
more pot shards
Ajo Lily
Arizona Poppies?
Our young friend, Victor, the artist, is coming over for dinner. He’s bringing someone from the Curley School bunch that I haven’t met, Denny. I am eager to meet him because he is the guy who hung the last show and I have sent some bad vibes his way. I need to figure that out.
I am putting up a Red Hat Lady doll in the upcoming Red Show. Every time I finish one of these, it’s a little like giving birth, I have the urge to hand out al capone cigars and say, “It’s a girl!”
Hank the Cow Dog gets to go to the vet tomorrow, he keeps dribbling blood. He got antibiotics last week but they didn’t do much good. We’re afraid that he got something seriously wrong. Tomorrow he gets x-rays and what-not all. No food after 8 and no water after midnight. Poor baby.
That means both he and my sweetie-pie will be gone all day, Hank has to be there by 8 tomorrow morning and it’s a 2.5 hour drive. Guess who’s getting up early?
raspberry glaze
We now have 2 functioning dirt bikes for exploration without dogs. If we could figure out a way to let all the dogs ride some of the time, we’d probably take the dogs. We need hjc helmets or some kind of helmet anyway, and my sweetie says I need boots. He’s usually right about motorcycle things, so I guess I’ll be shopping for boots, too.
I’d post pics but can’t find the cord. Will we ever get totally unpacked?
So far I have 9 boxes that I am happy with. Happy enough to bisque fire, anyway. These are going into the Red Show in February, so they all will have some variation of red as the main color.
flower boxes waiting to get fired
pretty little boxes
now that we are here full time (I still feel the acute relief of not running back and forth), our dog walks are so leisurely. Today the dogs dug the whole top off of a sandy hill. Must have been some worried critters down in there.
80 degree weather
Ready is always ready
dirt-nosed digger
All of a sudden the holiday season seems extra long. Just a couple of days ago it was Christmas Eve and I went in to the studio as usual for at least an hour before I remembered that tomorrow was Xmas and it was a holiday. That’s probably why there wasn’t anybody else around, huh? I hadn’t realized it was that late in the season or something, I don’t know, I was confused there for a minute when it sank in that tomorrow was Christmas Day and I’d have a house full of people.
Today I am expecting my niece for a visit. She landed in Phx last night with a friend and they will drive here any time now, it seems like a lot of long minutes around here, waiting. She will probably be shopping for hiking backpacks and other gear in the big city, although I think Logan, UT has just about every store. Maybe they hit some bars, they’re young cops and Jo is a pretty frisky kid, and I think she has a friend in Phoenix, too, so…. What would you do if you were 35 and healthy and got away without the kids? I’m sure they found an adventure, she really likes the trails around Phoenix, maybe they just hiked somewhere.
My darling went to PHX today with the green truck and the trailer. He is going to finish up the house while I visit with Jo, isn’t that sweet? I was going with him to help and to drive the other truck back here, because tomorrow we get the 5th wheel over here in Ajo … who knows how now? .. we are up in the air about how to get all the cars here at once along with the 5th wheel. It reminds me of the fox, chicken, boat, riddle.