Stewart Creations

Desert Flowers

mammal — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:01:09 +0000

It’s certainly not showy, but the Spring blooming of the desert is upon us for sure.

pottery sherds

We went back to the big wash where we found the pottery sherds. We took Molly and Vinnie, and their human roommates, to see them and I remembered the camera.

more pot shards

Is it sherds? or shards? I think I’ve heard it both ways.

Ajo Lily

The spring flowers were mostly too small to photograph with my camera. I probably could if I explored the close-up symbol (a flower, go figure) on the dial. That dial is such a pain in the …. I think my fingers have stopped working on tiny dials.

Arizona Poppies?

Some of the little yellow flowers were all rolled up and just starting to open in the morning, they reminded me of miniature California Poppies.

Victor

mammal — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:46:07 +0000

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’s sick

mammal — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:41:43 +0000

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?

Dogs

mammal — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:11:02 +0000

Peanut and Cookie

The arizona poodle rescue guys think they can place her, so we’ll try that.
I might even get approved to foster some of their pups once Cookie is gone. I don’t think I need anything special. If I do I am sure they have an equipment leasing arrangement.
Cookie always looks a little worried. She’s relaxing a little bit, but it’s slow work. She spends a lot of time in the closet, she has a nest arranged back there and her favorite pillow and woolie blanket. This morning on the walk she was feeling her oats! What a cutie! And I’ve discovered that she likes a sweater when it’s cold. I think her name might have been Cucaracha, Cuci for short. Or maybe I’m imagining things.

Mad scientist

mammal — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:57:54 +0000

raspberry glaze

I mixed the raspberry glaze chemicals today. Tomorrow it will be nicely floculated, if I have that term right. I believe that floculation is the process of the powdered chemicals actually soaking up water. Although, it might be the opposite, the definition wasn’t clear and even when I talk to potters who know, it doesn’t seem clear, but it’s a great word.

desert motorcycle

mammal — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:17:28 +0000

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?

lemon pie cake

mammal — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:32:30 +0000

The guy who is buying the motorcycle from my Darling is a nurse and even showed up in scrubs. He shops online for them at places like Marcus nurses uniforms.
I verbally gave his wife the blender pie recipe and told her I would post it and if she googled blender lemon pie she’d find it. I played around with the blender lemon pie recipe last night and poured the lemon mix from the blender onto a yellow cake mix that was poured into a bundt pan.
The results were mixed. While being delicious, it was an ugly thing when I inverted it out of the pan. The lemon pie did not stay on the top of the mix, but, rather predictably, lay in the bottom. That left pie on the top when I inverted it, which was not as pretty as it should have been. Don’t know what I’ll try next, it’s going to take a while to eat this one and work off the calories, so experimenting will have to wait.

blender lemon pie

mammal — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:56:20 +0000

1 9″ pie crust
1 whole lemon, quartered and seeded
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine (cut into chunks)
pinch of salt
blend all ingredients for a couple of minutes, pour into pie shell and bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can pour the filling over granola and bake for lemon bars.

little boxes

mammal — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:49:28 +0000

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

Today I worked on the berry bowls after doing the finish work on the three boxes I built yesterday. I think I will have five berry bowls for Morgana to choose from. It won’t be long before I can do a bisque firing, I’ve almost got a kiln-ful already.

dog walks

mammal — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:03:47 +0000

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

Time Warp

mammal — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:42:02 +0000

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.

It Was Christmas and I have Pics to Prove It!

mammal — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:41:54 +0000

Paris and Heather came for Xmas and stayed the night. We had a great time.
The chili rellano casserole was a hit and very easy to make.

Xmas Eve with our neighbor

Paris and Heather at the donut shoppe mural (yes, we had donuts)

Paris and Winnie at my house, Christmas 2011

Sue sent a beautiful arrangement

Looking for a Spay/Neuter Clinic

mammal — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:46:25 +0000

So far, the AZ Poodle Rescue people have the best and fastest info. They answered my email within minutes with a mobile spay/neuter clinic in Apache Junction next week. That might be a little too soon for us, since we don’t know how long Cookie was in heat before we found her, so we can’t predict when she will be done.
On another subject, my darling is making the chicken shed even more deluxe! He hasn’t got out the welding equipment yet, but he’s attaching hinges to their already great nest so we can open it and clean it. Those are some pretty lucky chickens! He made them a new ladder so far today already and he’s going to insulate their night box up at the roof so their heat will build up in case it gets really cold.

Found Poodle

mammal — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:32:25 +0000

I think I already said that I found a poodle. She’s in heat and I just found out that it is not a good idea to spay a female dog in heat as they can bleed excessively. I did not know that.

found poodle

I went through the alphabet with her and decided she likes the k sound, so her name is now Cookie.
She looks just like Pnut and when my long-suffering sweetie saw her he said “Oh no, they’re multiplying, they should be dividing!” Yeah, he’s funny.

Christmas Gifts

mammal — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:02:15 +0000

My bisque firing went well. On Saturday I will load the glaze kiln, Yippee!!
I have great gifts for my aunt and cousin in Joshua Tree/L.A.
It’s not as fancy as Black diamond earrings … no, wait: it is! The gift is: original arrangements set in hand-crafted pottery vases. Holiday-themed colors and silk flowers. My friend, Sue, of Sue’s Trading Post, is planning the arrangements and I’ll easily have them in time to mail. She makes the most original and beautiful arrangements I’ve ever seen. I’ll get pic.
Those vases are done and Sue has them right now. I have some other things, like Justice’s acorn box that came through the bisque and are ready for clear. I can’t wait to do that.

Extra Poodle

mammal — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:43:40 +0000

How is it possible to have too many poodles?
I found another one today. This little girl has been spotted out my window a couple of times lately, and it really made me think that Pnut was out once. I ran out the door and had to laugh when Pnut was right on my heels.
Well today I found her in the street and in heat. I think her people moved and left her or something, the way her hair is matted and how hungry she was makes me think she is on her own.

Pre-Xmas Shopping

mammal — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:20:04 +0000

I swear I am going to get one of those flat book-like computers. I heard they will do everything a lap-top will do.
So far, I have been shopping on line and trying to get familiar with what I can expect the contraption to do. I have been to sites for refurbished netbooks and am leaning in that direction. It seems like a big bang for my buck. I can’t wait to read novels on my snazzy new toy!

Brother Visit

mammal — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:38:06 +0000

I had a very nice time with my brother this time. He and his lady friend were able to stay a couple of weeks, and they had a good enough time that I expect them back again next winter.. if not sooner.
His main income in Oregon is with heavy equipment, like a skid steer, or other loader and digger equipment. There’s only so much of that you can do in the winter when the ground is frozen and there’s several feet of snow. So I might even see him back here before the winter ends. I think he knows enough about Arizona to not schedule a trip down here after May.

Fea, the Huntress

mammal — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:32:48 +0000

Rodent Time!

La Fea

Rain

mammal — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:30:32 +0000

It was raining hard and steady in Ajo when I left, and I guess it followed me. Here I’ve been in Phoenix for three hours and it’s now raining here.
It was nice when I first got to town. How come I miss the city when I get here? I don’t miss it when I am in Ajo, but I get all happy to be back when I get to Phoenix. The shopping!! The lights!! The movies!! The traffic!! yes, even the traffic seems great when I’ve been away for awhile, maybe it’s the anonymity.

La Fea

mammal — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:17:49 +0000

La Fea means the ugly one (feminine) in Spanish. I named Fay that when she was just a pocket-sized baby. I wasn’t meant to stick, that was just what we called that dog while I tried to find her a home, five or six years ago.
But look at her now! She’s so cute when she’s chasing varmints.
I think the lizards are asleep, so she must be after a rodent.

Gifties

mammal — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:42:17 +0000

It is time to start thinking more specifically about Christmas gifts. I want Sammie to have a knife block this year. She has some really nice, sharp knives but they’re in a drawer, and I want them up on her counter-top.
So you know me, I have been shopping on-line. There’s all kind of options, from Martor USA utility knives to Ikea, and pre-shopping can narrow it down some. I actually am looking for something plastic and bright colored, but I might end up with a light-weight traditional wood block.
At any rate, shopping is fun!

cold snap

mammal — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:35:28 +0000

I feel that winter is finally here! It got down to 58 degrees inside last night. I stayed under the covers for as long as I could, grateful for the warm dogs on my feet. My sweetie-pie was in Phoenix, probably happy for his foot-covering dogs.
As soon as I load the kiln for a bisque firing I will follow him and get that house closed up. We still have several loads for donate/dump to sort out and deliver and the masking off of the inside for spray painting.

New Fifth-Wheel

mammal — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:15:25 +0000

Did I say that we bought our get-away vehicle? We got the same fifth-wheel that we looked at 2 years ago. This one has the exact floor plan we want, and when we saw it at the dealer’s we thought we’d find one just like it, but used (much more affordable).
Turns out that one was custom ordered and they don’t just make them like that. Well, we couldn’t afford that, so we just kept looking for 2 years. Then, low and behold, the same one comes up on Craig’s list, a couple of years older and ten or fifteen thousand cheaper.
The guy who bought it evidently has some experience with rv repair because he completely tricked it out. It has a new floor, bigger cabinets, bigger tanks, bigger generator, and I don’t what all else. We are so tickled!
We take delivery in a couple of weeks, I’ll get pics.

Thanksgiving Feast

mammal — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:08:49 +0000

We had T-day right here in my house in Ajo. We were planning to go to the big pot luck out in the desert like we have for several years now, but it is so cold today that Mom didn’t want to go out and we all decided that was a good idea, too. So we decided to stay and just eat the things we had made for the pot luck. And we decided to eat on the disposable plates and spoons, using paper towels for napkins, so I have zero clean-up. Whoopee!
I made a huge roaster pan of stuffing and a big cauldron of gravy and Joe Ann made a big batch of traditional green beans casserole. She put onion rings on top and everything and it was so pretty. Turned out delicious, too. Mom provided the lemon pies. It would have made a nice contribution to the whole pot luck, but we stayed in and enjoyed our narrow selection of holiday foods.
It really is cold out, and looks dark like rain. We’re all snug inside. Happy Thanksgiving.