more pottery

 I've already posted photos of these pieces on Face Book, but I'll put them up here for those who read this but aren't on Face Book. I'm not sure if there is anyone in that category, but I"m pleased with these pieces, so am glad to show them off again!  As you may know, I am involved in three pottery classes a week.  One of these I teach, but I still sometimes have time to fool around with clay myself.  The others are where I am a student.  I love being with other potters and being inspired by what they are doing.  We all learn a lot from each other.  The teachers pretty much let us 'old timers' work on our own, but they are there to answer questions and help if we need it.  These two pots were built using coils.  It's a rather slow process, compared to throwing on a wheel, but I enjoy it.  I"m still learning how to get the sides smooth, rather than having the coils show.  I like pots either way.  These two were made with high fire clay and fired in a gas kiln.  I've not used these glazes before, so I was pretty much guessing how they would turn out.  We do have test tiles for each glaze, but they aren't always accurate.  This blue and brown one really surprised me.  I thought it would be just one color.  Instead I got this really great effect.  The other glaze had a celadon base, so I expected something in green.  I knew the glaze would run and it certainly did!  I really like what it did and will probably try it again.

Ok, enough about pottery.  I know it's boring when someone gets on her hobby horse.  There hasn't been a lot happening lately in my life lately.  Next week will be the bad/good one.  For three days the floor team will be tearing up my floors and putting down new ones.  Kitchen/dining room; bedrooms; master bath; stairs and hall will all get new floor coverings.  The house will be in disarray from Tuesday night when I start moving small stuff out of the dining room until Friday night when they finish. (Actually until Saturday when I get all the stuff back in place.)  The floor people will move the furniture, but I have a whole lot of small, breakable stuff that I will have to move.  Can't say I am looking forward to that.  Especially NOT looking forward to putting it all back.  Kate would say that this is a wonderful opportunity to cull the items and get rid of some.  She also would know me well enough to realize that I'm not likely to do that!  I love my stuff and don't want to get rid of most of it.  So, I have to deal with it.

We had a very rainy day yesterday.  I was inside all day - at the gift shop and then just staying home.  I've been feeling very tired lately, so it was nice to spend the afternoon and evening just relaxing and reading at home.  (I even skipped choir!)  This morning, when I went downstairs to do laundry, I noticed a stain on the floor of my studio (concrete unfinished floor) that looked as if some water had spilled.  I could not find the source.  The floor was dry, so it had not just happened.  I"m not down there every day, but I'm guessing that the rain had something to do with it.  Except. I could not find any evidence of water coming in from anywhere.  There is a drain pipe that comes up from the floor, put in when the house was built so that the room could be made into a bathroom.  The drain appears to be covered, but I wonder if water did come through there.  I'll have to check on that the next time it rains.  Anyhow, no damage was done, but I would like to know what happened.