bodner046

The week between Christmas and New Years Day is a strange one. It seems we don't know what day it is and we fall out of our usual routine. The other day Jeff said he felt like a retired person. Work a little bit on this or that, take a break, get started on something else. We have used this time to catch up on things that were let go over the busy season. I cleaned the carpet in the den and then did a thorough dusting. I did such a such a good job that when I switched on our lovely wagon wheel light, it flipped the circuit breaker. Evidently some of the wire covers were very brittle and my super-duper cleaning exposed some wires. It was time for the fixture to go! We were gifted a ceiling fan with a light some months ago so it was time to install it. I was shocked that Jeff actually knew where we had stored it... under the bed! If I am missing anything, I should always look there first. It took way longer than planned but it's done.  This is the wagon wheel. It has little coppe...

What a week it's been! We unloaded the kiln on Monday, sanded all the pots, packaged and shipped them off to their destinations, just in the knick of time. We had an excellent firing. All of the orders looked great. Jeff's giant cooker came out perfect. The buyer didn't want anything fancy, just something utilitarian. He should be able to cook a good size bird in it.  The weather has been warm and I took the opportunity to do some heavy cleaning. I took anything that could be hosed off outside and did just that. The floor got a good mopping. It will be nice to resume work in a cleaner studio. Last night we kicked off our holiday celebration with my annual tortierre (pork pie). Traditionally it's a Christmas eve meal for French Canadians, but I just like to enjoy it any time around the holiday season. Wishing all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Festivus. Enjoy some time off and celebrate life with family and friends. ~ Michèle, Jeff, and Sophie

Jeff and I really underestimated how much our move would affect our business. Who would have thought that moving one mile up the road, on the same road, could be that painful? It wasn't just the new location, but also the expense of renovating studio space, along with the cost of rebuilding our gas kiln. We did most of the work ourselves which saved a ton of money. There is still more to do but since last April, we feel we are up and running at full speed again.  Jeff and I have never lived extravagantly but for the last eighteen months we have tried to cut our expenses anyway that we could. We switched propane companies when the one we were using  increased our rate to $2.39 per gallon. Quick math will tell you how much a 500 gallon tank costs to fill at that price. I made a few calls and found a company that offered $1.15! Now if I could only get the old company to remove their tank from our yard... it's been sitting there since September. I wonder if I can start charging th...

Jeff and I have been feeling rather unorganized since moving our studio a year ago. Don't get me wrong, we have never been super organized... but if you were to go down to our basement right now you would gasp at the mayhem. It's been a tough to balance getting pots made and getting settled. This week while I glazed piggy banks, Jeff cleared out some boxes and got the smaller pug mill set up in a permanent location. This is huge for us. It's been totally painful to pug clay for the last year and our scrap clay has been getting a little overwhelming because of it. We now have a clear workspace and all of our dies are in easy reach. After the holidays I will spend some time deciding what needs to be on the shelves and in cabinets. Our work flow is slowly improving!

If you have pets, beware of this plant! It's a dieffenbachia, also known commonly as "dumb cane." You may remember that Sophie was a sick kitty on Halloween and a trip to the vet revealed she had hyper-thyroid, but no cause could be found for her vomiting, lethargy, and refusing to eat. She was given anti-nausea drugs and within 24 hours was back to her old self. Fast forward two weeks and we awoke again to a very sick kitty. This time the vomiting and drooling was extensive. She wouldn't stay in one place, so just imagine the mess. Never mind the fact that our house is mostly light beige carpeting. I followed her around cleaning up, bucket and carpet cleaner in hand. Eventually out came a piece of plant. Jeff identified it as the dieffenbachia! A quick google search and she had all the symptoms of plant poisoning. Off to the vet we went. This time we came home with "pepcid" for cats along with a slurry drug to coat her mouth and throat. This plant irritates...

Thursday and Friday we loaded the kiln to fire a bisque. Lots of things weren't dry so we fired very slowly. Jeff  snoozed on the sofa overnight, setting his alarm to keep checking the kiln. As soon as it's cool we will glaze and load her up again. We have orders to ship next Friday.  Jeff created two more custom skull mugs. These are a little more cartoon-like than the last. The buyer sent photos of what they had in mind. I think this one is pretty cool! This week we are back to piggy bank production. Since the first of December, I have take thirteen new orders. I always get a stressed when the deadline is Christmas delivery. I don't want to be the person that doesn't deliver a gift on time!