Oct. 12, 2013 6:47 am 3rd glaze run

I have been dealing with my kiln all night. We got home around 10. I'd had the kiln on low and open for the moisture to escape and for everything to dry thoroughly. I set the alarm for 1 am when I got up and turned the kiln to medium. At 4 I turned the kiln to high. At 6:40 the cone hadn't bent and the kiln was still orangy white, but not white enough like it gets, o so I think. We are heading to Tornonto to the temple today, so I had to turn it off before the cone bent. The kiln setter had fallen last night when I had had a kerfuffle with the kiln. I had remembered I hadn't put in a cone. The lid had been propped open, but it was pretty hot in there anyway. I had to poen the kiln a it to put in a cone 6 cone, but found I had a bowl in front of the hole. So I reached in with tongs and moved it over, having to remove one cremated bowl first. I wasn't sure where to put it incase it exploded from the change in temperature. Not on the ground beside the kiln, I had to go there. The ffreezer? It might explode and hit willem. Si I opted for the wet grass outside as better than the cold cement pathway. It was already cremated, so it was okay, I guess Anyway, it didn't even break. So that moving things around and putting the cone in there was a hot and tricky job. I was not impressed that id forgotten to do that. The heat had been so hot that id inadvertanly dropped the lid five inches, which made the kiln setter cone fall out of the kiln etter pegs and the flap bang down turning off the kiln. So I had to fire it witout a kiln setter cone as well.

 

I used my welders glasses to see inside the kiln. I think I should put it up higher, perhaps on cement blocks. Perhaps I should build a platform in that corner for it then put it back in place. Ill have to keep my eyes open for cement blocks. Perhaps my mason friend knows where I can find surplus.

 

I had two experiments going on. In one of my books, it said you could glaze greenware without bisquing it, eliminating the cost of the additional run. I wanted to see if it would work and what would happen, so I dipped two bowls in glaze, wiped off the bottoms and loaded them into the top of the kiln.

 

I also glazed the cremated pottery and put that in. There were several bowls from the Turq/green kiln run that had holes in the glaze inside. So I put fresh glaze on the holes and put them in the kiln. So here were cremated pottery freshly wet with glaze, unfired greenware with wet glaze and bowls with the first glaze, the green in two shades according to the constitution of the claybody and more bowls with the turq glaze on thickly.

 

So each of the children should have a set of bowls that will match and likely will be different from the rest. I will have to mail Virginia her set to Germany, or give them to her when they come to Canada in March. Her birthday is in two weeks and there's nothing in the mail for her yet.

 

How do I feel about doing pottery? What are my goals?

 

I love it. I love that things are turning out properly. I love that I'm learning by my own experience. I have made many mistakes, a cremated kiln at the dump proved that! Plus having taken my poor quality work to the final glaze run, I have those heavy small thick handle less mugs to prove it!

 

My goal I think is to let the creative juices flow, to learn to make complete sets of pottery, plates, mugs, bowls, saucers, and many other items, pitchers, large mixing bowls, apple bakers, honey pots with lids, teapots, small bowls like my little salt and pepper bowls…

 

I enumerated to Willem the price of all these things I bought so that I can have a pottery studio. He was amazed at how much it had cost. I think it was probably around $2000 all together. I'm so grateful that we are out of debt, the house is paid off and all is well. I'm so grateful to have this amazing life.

 

I love learning. I think if I already knew how to do it all there would be nothing to learn. I'm also so glad not to have to clean up after myself in my sunroom studio. It is lovely to just get up and walk away from it when I'm done. At Mera they were obsessive about cleaning the studio, even unbolting the stainless steel bowls and removing them from the wheels and washing the out in the sink whenever we were done working! I love my wheel where all the bits of clay can accumulate and dry out before being dumped back into the pot of water to reconstitute them!

 

I love that it's all right there, so handy. I love being able to just play in my studio for awhile and accomplish what I want to accomplish. I got a cupboard at the dup on Thursday. It's such a lovely place to be, in there. I think I'll put the cupboard behind the wheel against the wall. I can store in there the things that I don't need to use very often. I don't want to have to move the wheel too often to get into it. I will then have more room to place bowls I have tjust thrown. I wonder what the little batts are made of. I would like some smaller ones so I don't have to use so much room while the bowls on them are drying.

So needless to say, I am a bit concerned about the kiln and how well the run went. I'm glad I was able to fire it again, even if it didn't go all the way to cone 6.

 

I liked firing it at night. I can do that, turning it on at noon to warm fire and then turning it up at 7pm, or at least closing the lid for a few hours to fire on low, and firing through the night, getting up with the alarm clock to make the necessary heat adjustments, then turning off the kiln by 7am when the rates go back up high again.

 

 

 

    

Friday, Oct. 9, 2013

I was standing by the hammock alongside the lane that was filled with tussock sedge grass that we'd dragged back from Triaqua Trail. I picked out all the canary grass and bundled the grasses together. By the third bundle, I had decided to take them over to show to Ankaret.

 

She was happy to see me. As soon as I arrived she pulled out her book of grasses and we identified the sedge. It's a Peterson guide to the grasses. I had timed my visit just right, arriving after they'd finished their lunch but before naptime. So it is called Tussock Sedge, as it grows in hassocks, the new grass with its triangular leaves with edges and so long and lovely, too.

 

She suggested I use the newly donated red raffia for coiling a beeskeep. Perhaps I shall. I said I'd show up next week and we could make them together.

 

I went over to Mera and harvested a bit of willow. Most of the back bunches are depleted, perhaps from my plantings and perhaps from Ankaret's well woman and heron she made this summer from the fresh willow. I took it down to the pond to plant it.

 

I also sorted some more sedge and decided we could manage the Sunday thanksgiving. I sent text messages to everyone about it. They all decided they can come, so at 5 will be thanksgiving, or when Alida is done work and thereafter we can have thanksgiving.

 

I went to town, bought some corn on the cob, a turkey and some cookies. I have everything else we will need.

 

I came back and loaded the kiln with glazed mugs and bowls. Then I dipped two dry but not bisque bowls

 

I turned the kiln on at 4:20 or so, got ready and headed out to the door with willem to go to here he was going to pay.

 

 

Sept 27, 2013 Temple drive

Wllem is driving today as we go to the temple. I decided that he sleeps so late anyway, it's no use to make sure he doesn't drink coke. I've spent my morning very well today. I got up and made a video. I had a hard time sleeping after 5this morning, but made myself stay in bed and go back to sleep. The problem comes when I start thinking about my kids. That probably keeps many parents awake at night.

 

I packed my good saas shoes into my temple bag, picked out a change of clothes and posted a video. Wilem had packed a lot of his stuff last night.

 

He's driving today so I have craocheted myself another little iPod bag as the other one seems to be oming apart.

 

I played the violin for over an hou. I phoned my mom, Now I'm going to try to catch up on my journaling. I see that for many days I didn't journal. That's no good! I'm glad the tweets post on here, though as that Is now where I can begin and fill in the blanks from there.

 

It's been so nie this week, temperatre wise! I have really enjoyed spending time at the pnod working on the boardwalk and relaxing in the sunny tipi by the aders wehre I have been cutting out the bent alders so we can walk through there esily.

I didn't want to drive today because I've had enogh of driving for awhile.

 

Wednesday: We stopped in at Dottie's. She'd paitned an amazing cow on a piece of cardboard. I was very impressed with how well it had turned out! Outside the sound of the brook in the backyard and the river across the road were other worldly! Just lovely!

 

Thursday: Mary and I went for a nice walkup towards the brook. We photoed all the wooley bear caterpillars. Their brown was extensive, which means a mild winter! They were walking north which meant that the weather wasn't going to be getting really cold anytimes soon. Good. I love global warming!

A friend came over to get peaches to make them into preserves. We went to Wassaic, then back to his house beside dottie's where I sat on the back porch and rocheted a bag for ary's iPod out of yarn she'd gotten in Estonia

Friday: Mary and I went for a walk along the river. We walked wy too far and had a hard time walking all the way back. A class of teens doing cross couirntry ran by us. Then they ran back. We drove along and handed out water bottles to them al. It was a really good feeling giving ou water bottles to them all. I filmed it but it wasn't filming, as the kids were so glad to have he water. In Canada the kids would have all had water bottles before they left the school, their teacher would have made sure of it, as would their parents!

We went fishing off the bridge for carp. We were just walking across the bridge, but when I pointed out the three carp to mary, she went back to her car and got the fishing pole out! She had all sorts of lures and other odds and ends she'd need for fishing. But the fish would have been to big to pull up onto the bridge if we'd have caught him. I don't't go much for catch and release. Seems like a waste of time and not such a nice thing to do to the fish either!

Saturday to Debrah's farm and visited with Sally.

Sunday I went to church in Goshen. There were peaches on the tee in the chapel yard. Unbelievable! We stood by the raging brook, nnear the Appalachian trail near mary's house and filmed the water. Sounds of nature, I called it. Mary showed me some pictures of us when we were young with mom. Amazing photos!

Monday I drove home from Connecticut. I photoed my grandfaterhes practice in millerton, drove through Ghent, then went to Albany and visited with Nicole during her unch hour. I drove home. Willem had made a passive solar dehydrator. I made a sign for it for him. He was sp pleased with it.

Tuesday we went to Ottawa to Willem's eye appt and to see three of the kids

Wed. I drove to town to see about boardwalk fabric and to take a photo of Alida.

Thurs: I drove to Mera, to the dump and then to the chapel.

 

 

Morning pages

I am lying in the hammock in Deer Blind tipi. I have come down early this morning to enjoy the sunrise, to pray, to read my scriptures, to walk the clothwalk triangle which connects the three ponds.

 

This tipi, though dew free, is filled with hiding mosquitoes. They love the darkness and the coolness. I rolled up all the sides so I can have a breeze that will blow away the mosquitoes. All's that's missing is the breeze!

 

I can't pray because my mind is so distracted by the mosquitoes, so I'll pray on paper.

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

I guess I'll write Thee a letter since my mind won't focus properly. Thank Thee for giving us this incredible land with all its beauty, varied bushes and trees, colours in autumn, and all the seasons.

 

Thank Thee for the birds in these alders that I can look for and watch. Thank Thee for the deer that sometimes happen along. Thank Thee for the three ponds thou hast provided for us. Thank Thee for this screening to cover myself for protection from the mosquitoes.

 

Thank Thee for providing the factory with the fabric that we can use for making this boardwalk. Thank Thee for its usefulness in covering tipis, making hammocks; laying on the lane and whatever else I've used it for.

 

Thank Thee for my family, mostly for my husband who loves me so dearly. Thank Thee for who he is, for the intelligence he brings with him, all the music he plays and composes, the calmness of his personality, all he blesses me with.

 

Thank Thee for my children and Willem's. Thank Thee for their love for me. Thank Thee for their jobs, their ability to support themselves. I'm so grateful that they are taking care of their own expenses now.

 

Thank Thee for Willem's pension. Thank Thee for blessing us with whatsoever we have needed through these many years of raising children. Thank Thee that I can be a part of his pension even though I've never worked outside of our home.

 

Thank Thee for all the things Thou hast taught me. I'm so grateful for my curiosity and my ability to retain and to learn new things. Thank Thee for my courage to try new things. Thank Thee for all the crafts that I have learned and the things I have learned how to produce.

 

Thank Thee for my grandmother's loom and for the training in how to use it that I've received from those at Mera. Thank Thee for helping me get interested in warping this old loom and for being provided with the opportunity to have this new white cotton to weave with.

 

Please bless me today that I might uplift others, that I might serve Thee, that I might do good in the world. Bless me that I can make some pottery bowls to fill the kiln so that I can run it this weekend.

 

Please keep me mindful of whom I am in Thy sight, and help me not to sin, help me to repent as I do make mistakes. Please forgive me of all that I have not done and inspire me to do those things so that I may be worthy of being filled with Thy Holy Spirit.

 

These blessings I thank Thee for and ask Thee for in the name of my Saviour, Jesus Christ, Thy Son.

October 10, 2013

I got up early, went out in the lovely early morning fog and over to Joanne's. She gave me six boxes of clay to reclaim. I filmed my happy place on Silver Lake as I drove past.

I got there around 9, phoned ahead to let her know I was nearby.

 

I got back home and picked up some yarn which I took over to Mera to make the tea towels with. I enjoyed Lise's teachings on how to figure out the amount of thread we need to make the warp. They started with the dimensions of the hand towels, two each for eight people. Then how many ends per inch, so how many feet long it would be and how many ends per inch made up how much yarn we needed. Five spools to make a 16' warp. 477 threads wide.

 

We had a warping mill which was small and a whole lot of work to use. I stayed and helped wind it on. I learned a few things today. Putting your finger between two threads as you wind them on at the same time so they don't tangle as they leave the spools.

 

I came home around 3, trimmed 10 bowls, three of which had to be chucked because of unevenness. My knife isn't as sharp as it was.

 

I went to the dump after Willem unloaded my clay for me and replaced the trash and reusables into the car.

 

I came back and went down to the pond with Willem who was going to swim in the cold pond. I walked to Iceberg pond and nailed up the signs for the spring and the waterfall. I also hung up y hammock

Sept. 19, 2013

We had a wonderful walk this morning, investigating and filming the wooly caterpillars.

 

Sept 20, 2013

We went for a walk along the river in the warm sunshine, then handed out water bottles to the high school

Morning pages

I am lying in the hammock in Deer Blind tipi. I have come down early this morning to enjoy the sunrise, to pray, to read my scriptures, to walk the clothwalk triangle which connects the three ponds.

 

This tipi, though dew free, is filled with hiding mosquitoes. They love the darkness and the coolness. I rolled up all the sides so I can have a breeze that will blow away the mosquitoes. All's that's missing is the breeze!

 

I can't pray because my mind is so distracted by the mosquitoes, so I'll pray on paper.

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

I guess I'll write Thee a letter since my mind won't focus properly. Thank Thee for giving us this incredible land with all its beauty, varied bushes and trees, colours in autumn, and all the seasons.

 

Thank Thee for the birds in these alders that I can look for and watch. Thank Thee for the deer that sometimes happen along. Thank Thee for the three ponds thou hast provided for us. Thank Thee for this screening to cover myself for protection from the mosquitoes.

 

Thank Thee for providing the factory with the fabric that we can use for making this boardwalk. Thank Thee for its usefulness in covering tipis, making hammocks; laying on the lane and whatever else I've used it for.

 

Thank Thee for my family, mostly for my husband who loves me so dearly. Thank Thee for who he is, for the intelligence he brings with him, all the music he plays and composes, the calmness of his personality, all he blesses me with.

 

Thank Thee for my children and Willem's. Thank Thee for their love for me. Thank Thee for their jobs, their ability to support themselves. I'm so grateful that they are taking care of their own expenses now.

 

Thank Thee for Willem's pension. Thank Thee for blessing us with whatsoever we have needed through these many years of raising children. Thank Thee that I can be a part of his pension even though I've never worked outside of our home.

 

Thank Thee for all the things Thou hast taught me. I'm so grateful for my curiosity and my ability to retain and to learn new things. Thank Thee for my courage to try new things. Thank Thee for all the crafts that I have learned and the things I have learned how to produce.

 

Thank Thee for my grandmother's loom and for the training in how to use it that I've received from those at Mera. Thank Thee for helping me get interested in warping this old loom and for being provided with the opportunity to have this new white cotton to weave with.

 

Please bless me today that I might uplift others, that I might serve Thee, that I might do good in the world. Bless me that I can make some pottery bowls to fill the kiln so that I can run it this weekend.

 

Please keep me mindful of whom I am in Thy sight, and help me not to sin, help me to repent as I do make mistakes. Please forgive me of all that I have not done and inspire me to do those things so that I may be worthy of being filled with Thy Holy Spirit.

 

These blessings I thank Thee for and ask Thee for in the name of my Saviour, Jesus Christ, Thy Son.