Computer Glitch

Only to be a cat and not have to worry about computer glitches. Barney actually cuddled up under the covers the day it was raining. He was soaking wet and was so tired. I had to reboot my computer and I lost everything including setting, virus protection, cleaners, flyers, files, and all my photos. I have a feeling it was from a glitch in a windows automatic update. I am sure what I lost is somewhere in my computer. I just have to find a way to locate it. It has taken me hours just to get online so I may be scarce for a while. Thanks for reading and for all your comment

A Screaming Baby Rabbit

I just sat down at the computer to type up a post and I heard Barney at the door. I noticed it wasn't quite light outside and I let him in the house. Next thing you know I heard the most pitiful screaming cry coming from the kitchen.  I ran out to see what it was and saw that Barney had caught a baby rabbit and brought him in the house. I hadn't even see it; the rabbit's fur was the same color as Barney.

I called Gary and he came and got the rabbit in a dustpan and put him out on the bark. The rabbit was very traumatized. I went out with my camera to see if the rabbit was still there and it hopped up to some weeds. It sat there for a minute and then it ran away. I hope the rabbit is ok. Meanwhile Barney is scratching like crazy at the door to go outside. He'll have to stay in for quite a while now to give the baby rabbit a chance to get away. I previously had given Barney a half a can of wet cat food so it wasn't like he was hungry. But cats are hunters; it's in their instinct and they can't help themselves.


I looked up a video so you could hear what a baby rabbit sounds like and as I was playing it Barney came running into the bedroom and jumped up on the computer desk looking for the rabbit. Big mistake. Now Barney is lying by my chair looking and looking for that rabbit. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

The New King of the House, a new Friend

In less than a year we lost three cats, Binky, Butter, then Betty. Sometimes it felt like too much to bear. As luck would have it we had Barney, an outdoor cat hanging around. Barney was here when we moved in and he came with our house. Barney has probably been suffering his own personal loss; someone left him here when they moved. Barney is a true manx cat and very independent but also friendlier than we thought he was. We're so fortunate to have him here; he is the new king of the house. A while ago we started letting him in the house a few minutes at a time to be sure he didn't "mark" his territory. As you can see he has made himself at home.

At first when Barney came in the house he looked and looked everywhere for Butter. He'd look behind the bed, then he'd look under the bed. He sniffed every piece of furniture and looked in every nook and cranny. Many times I had to open closet doors just to let him look around. Every day he'd come in and make his rounds looking and looking. Even though the two male cats didn't get along, looking back, I guess they were friends. I washed sheets and towels trying to rid the scent of Butter so Barney wouldn't look for him so much. It was so sad seeing him sniff everywhere around the house looking for Butter. His incessant looking brought up my own feelings of loss.

There's a lesson here for us humans. Perhaps you don't care for a neighbor, maybe you have a friend you can take or leave, possibly a relative or two. How do you think you'll feel when they're gone? You might miss them more than you thought you ever would. They might be more of a friend than you realize. Something to ponder; something to think about. I guess Barney is our new friend, someone for us to love and care for. Had another great day at the market today; I appreciate all my new pottery customers and collectors. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Trays and Boxes and Cats and Such

This week in pottery class my students are working on trays and boxes. A few more flowers are blooming in my garden but I neglected to take the photos. It's been unseasonably hot here and I've had a time keeping the flowers alive watering twice a day till they get established. But in the end I know I'll be rewarded. I finally got the squash and beans planted and the tomatoes are getting much larger. Soon I hope to have some beauties to show you.

In other news my little Betty cat is keeping me occupied. She sleeps all day unless I hold her and she forgets to eat or drink. So I put her by her food and water bowl and take her outside every so often. I think she has dementia. Betty is the only cat I have left, other than Barney the neighborhood cat. Butter was eaten by a bobcat or coyote and Binky passed away from cancer. I guess we're all getting old around here. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

The Promise of Seedlings

There is nothing better than the promise of seedlings. Recently I planted seeds of the North Georgia Candy Roaster squash which grows 18 inches long and weighs about 10 pounds. This is a winter squash which stores well and is very sweet. I didn't know if the seeds would be viable since I saved them from the squash I bought at the farmer's market last year - and yippee they are. 

I also planted Cherokee black bean seeds (Trail of Tears seeds). I got the seeds from a farmer last year at the farmer's market. So far only one has come up. I wonder if I should soak the hard seed overnight before planting. If other's don't come up, I'll try that.

I bought a packet of sunflowers Autumn Beauty and started those seeds and they're coming up well.

Planting and watering seedlings led me to make a row cover for the plants  so they wouldn't be over watered by all the rain. Then bending over to spritz the seedlings had me dreaming of a potting bench. Today we looked through our lumber pile to see what we could build. Stay tuned for a rustic potting bench.

Every day Barney (below - a true manx) meows to come in to see if Butter is here. He sniffs everything in the middle bedroom and even looks under the bed for him. Then he wants to go back out. Even though the two were stand-offish I guess they loved each other. The need for companionship is universal in animals and people. Poor little Butter.

Betty (below-part Maine coon cat) wants to go out in the morning before the sun rises but I tell her no. She has to wait for the sun to come up.

Oh the news said big cats are getting canine distemper and it makes them not have a fear of humans, so be careful of mountain lions, pumas, or whatever you may call them. They may attack humans which isn't their normal behavior. Tomorrow is the Trash to Treasures sale so I'll be busy getting ready for that and hopefully be able to get those bells strung up so show you. Spring is a busy time of year I guess. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Animals are Smarter than we Realize

Yesterday Gary was looking at the computer and I was sitting on the bed.  We'd just let Barney in to eat some food. Barney's been doing better but still has a slight cough and a runny eye. The telephone rang and it was our neighbor wanting to know how Barney was because she hadn't seen him in a couple of days. We said he was fine that we'd been keeping him in since it has been so cold but we let him out when he wanted.

Our neighbor also feeds Barney as do other neighbors around here. He was the local cat before we moved here. While Gary was talking to our neighbor I could  hear her voice. Finally Gary hung up and Barney started looking around and ran to the door. Gary let Barney out.

I watched Barney as he went out the door and he was looking around like he was looking for someone. I said to Gary I think he's looking for the neighbor. I'll bet he's going down to the fence to see if she is there. I went into the living room and looked out the window and sure enough he was just about to the fence and was looking in the neighbor's direction. I came back in the room and told Gary that Barney had heard the neighbor's voice on the phone and went looking for her. I asked Gary to call the neighbor and tell her Barney was at the fence waiting for her. She said she'd go out and give him some food. Sometimes animals are smarter than we realize. Barney heard the neighbor's voice on the phone and recognized it and ran to where he always sees her.

Oh I changed my comments to embedded at Joanne's suggestion, please see if that makes a difference for the captcha. It did for me. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Bisque Complete, Time To Glaze

The bisque is complete. Today I'll be glazing. I keep forgetting to put my horse sculpture in the kiln and I even had room. I had it on a separate shelf out of the way so it didn't get bumped. Darn. Tomorrow I'm working at ArtWorks. No rest in sight for this week.

I think Barney has cat flu which lasts 7 to 10 days and is very contagious to other cats. Poor Barney. He's drinking a lot of water and eating a small amount of food and sleeping the rest of the time. I hope my other two cats don't get it. Ugh. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Small Bits of Clay & Barney's Not Well

Here are a few items I've made with small bits of clay. There are a couple of business card holders and small vases.

When I make platters or bowls the small bits of clay that are cut off are saved under plastic. Later I make the small pieces with those scraps.

Barney was gone all day yesterday since about 4 am when I let him out. Shortly thereafter we heard a big cat fight outside. The neighbor and I were worried about him all day long with visions of a bobcat getting him. Late yesterday afternoon I called and called for Barney and finally he showed up just before dark. He drank and drank water. Then I let him in the house and he drank some more water and has been lying down ever since. That's about all he's been doing since then.

He didn't touch a bit of his food and he's usually a chow hound. Not even the wet cat food I just gave him tempted him. He's been acting like he's going to throw up, occasionally coughing a bit. But he hasn't thrown up anything. He was doing that before I let him out yesterday though. I hope it's just a cold. He does wag his tail when I pet him. He didn't even want to go out. I'll see how he is today. Unfortunately he's not one to let me examine him thoroughly. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Keeping the Light On

Here's one of my tree luminaries. This one is glazed an olive green with a yellow star at the top. I have one of those battery operated votive candles inside. I'm keeping the light on because I'm firing the kiln right now. I spent all day yesterday glazing. I have four more luminaries in this firing and other work so stay tuned for photos soon.

The winter vortex arrived and it's 27 F outside but the kiln room is nice and toasty. I gave Barney a wool blanket. That might seem exorbitant but I got it at a thrift store. Hopefully he's staying warmer. Gary said he saw Barney go in his covered bed the other day but he came back out. Gary also said he's seen Barney going in the culvert under the driveway. When it's raining he couldn't go in there since it would be full of water. I just peeked outside and Barney is snuggled up in his wool blanket. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Linocuts, Naps & Market Abundance

This past week I've been working on linocuts. I always thought linocuts were a lot of work but once I got going the carving went quickly. Linocuts can be used over and over again. Here's I've carved a group of three mushrooms and two stylized flower buds. I printed them on paper to see how they looked.

Here's what they looked like before I cleaned up my carving. I've tested theprints on paper, next I'll try clay.

 Butter likes taking naps on the front deck.

Here's Barney following his example.

Look at the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables we brought home from the farmer's market this week. We got raspberries, peaches, tomatoes, poblano, bell and yellow peppers, eggplant, white corn, carrots, broccoli, and runner beans. There's nothing better than a small bowl of raspberries with cream. (Actually I used half and half). Thanks for reading and for all your comments.