Carpenter Bees

Why do people insist on killing beneficial insects? Every where I go I see people selling traps to kill carpenter bees. There is much written on how destructive carpenter bees are but not much about their benefits. I try to tell folks these bees are pollinators to no avail. Folks insist they can do enough damage to make a house fall down and they keep selling traps to kill them.

Pollinator decline is a serious environmental issues. We all know about honey bee decline but carpenter bees are also pollinators although many folks don't believe they are. They don't eat wood but discard the wood to make their nests. Carpenter bees return to the same nest each year and are loyal to their birth place so killing them only encourages the next generation to bore a new hole in the same wood.

Not only are carpenter bees pollinators they aren't aggressive and rarely sting. Here are some examples of bee nests you can provide for carpenter bees. A small block of weathered, unpainted and unfinished wood is all that is needed to provide a good nesting site for these bees. Although there is research onThanks for reading and for all your comments.

If it Works for You, Weaving Clay

Recently a student contacted me about how I weave clay. One thing I've learned about clay is: If it works for you, that's how you make it. But it might not be how other's make it. The basket above is up in my studio cabinet. I may get it out one of these days.

The clay cross above warped badly but it was too nice to toss. It's went to a cross collector in California years ago. When weaving clay I work with the clay fresh and wet. I cut the strips of clay from a slab and immediately place them on plastic and cover them with plastic. I only take out a few strips of clay at a time to work with them. I keep the remains strips covered. That's my first tip. Other makers may use leather hard clay, I don't know. I only know how I make my woven pieces.

Sometimes I use a form and drape the strips of clay over it which is how I made the basket above. Sometimes I use a form and drape the strips of clay inside it.

Here's a porcelain trivet from year's ago which broke after it's final firing. If you notice hairline cracks in the pieces of clay when you are weaving wipe them with a damp sponge to smooth them out. I don't use any slip between the pieces because I don't want to see the rough edges. You can use white vinegar between the pieces if they don't stick.

This piece I painted with acrylic paint after the final firing. It went to the shard pile. Why I'm not sure I'm rather missing it now.

This is a porcelain serving tray which I painstakingly brushed with colored slip in two colors and then glazed with a clear. There are lots of tutorials on youtube for weaving clay and a google search of weaving may bring you to other blog posts which are helpful. Start out by making trivets and flat pieces till you become familiar working with weaving your clay then branch out into more complicated pieces like baskets and bowls.

This is the first woven trivet I made in 2007 which I painstakingly glazed in two glazes and high fired. I put a hole in one corner so it could be hung on the wall. I think I might have sold it this past summer. That's another tip. If you don't sell something for years that doesn't mean it isn't a good piece or that it isn't sale able. It just hasn't find the right home. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

A Little Something

Here's a little something to brighten your day.

Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Another Photo

This morning I took another photo of the bud vase in the window; You can see the burgundy color much better in this one. Sometimes I have to take lots of photos to get the work to show itself off in it's best light. This vase is about four inches tall and two inches wide. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Pots in Use

Finally filled the large woven basket I made with some fruit for a pop of color.

The hairline crack in the bottom center of the bowl doesn't affect the function. The basket holds a large amount of fruit quite nicely on our dining room table.

There are nine really large apples plus the mandarins piled high in the woven bowl. I am dreaming of a Waldorf salad.

Here's a flower in a small vase in the guest bathroom. The vase fits nicely on the side of the pedestal sink. We have visitors coming so we've been busy cleaning and sprucing. I need to put a small leaf plate on the other side for a soap dish. Next week we're expecting extremely cold temperatures. I hope to get back to the studio and show you some new work. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

House and Home

Do you ever feel like you're being eaten out of house and home? House taxes and house insurance paid recently were a big chunk. Also went to the dentist and I need more work done which will cost dearly. Too bad I couldn't get all the money back that I paid for health insurance that I didn't use up to age 65. Judging from the graph below at about age 55, I should have moved to another country.

Then a couple of weeks ago I had to go to the eye doctor because I got a floater in my left eye which started getting larger. Next I was seeing a flashing light and thought it might be a detached retina. So far it isn't. I paid $45 copay at the time of the visit and thought that would be it. But no, I just got the itemization of the bill. The total bill was $455. Medicare paid $43.96. The Medicare write off amount was $233.32. Now I still owe the doctor the remaining amount of $132.22. Why was my deductible more than what Medicare paid?

I also have another appointment to see the eye doctor next week to see if my eye has gotten any worse. I already have money deducted from my retirement for Medicare and I also pay $20 each month for drug coverage. I should have signed up for a Medicare Supplement and paid for that but couldn't afford any more each month. Maybe next year.

Last year with the Affordable Healthcare Act I paid a premium each month but had a $6000 deductible. That was the least expensive coverage I could get. When I had to be seen for my knee I paid about $1200 out of my pocket. I would have been better off paying the penalty and not having health coverage. I can't afford to go to the doctor but I can't afford not to go. All the plans I had for entering art shows this year just flew out the window. Save your money, you're going to need it. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Frozen Tundra and Woven Bowl

Outside it's like a frozen tundra here. Hasn't gotten above freezing for two days. Our driveway melted because it faces due South, but it's still frozen. I know our snow is minuscule compared to up North. Luckily we stocked up on supplies.

Meanwhile I tried my hand at another woven bowl. This time I made the strips wavy instead of straight. We shall see how it holds together. It's not ready to flip over yet. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Flying Dog & Zika Virus

This piece of driftwood looks like a flying dog to me. (right side looks like head of a dog)  Ha. This piece is about 17 inches tall. Working in the studio, trying to stay warm. We got a light coating of snow and then ice over that which coating all of the tree branches. I'll take a photo to show you tomorrow.

source

With the recent rapid spread of the Zika Virus I have been researching mosquito repellents and found that Lemon Eucalyptus Oil is an effective mosquito repellent and also helps repel tick bites. The Zika Virus causes microcephaly in infants and possibly Guillain-Barre in some of those infected with virus. But 80 percent of those affected with the virus will have no symptoms. Read about Zika Virus here. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Winter Wonderland

 Our community is pretty much shut down because our light dusting of snow has turned icy.

Even though our driveway is paved it's quite steep about a 45 degrees at the top.

So I'll be working in the studio more this week. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Drifting Along

This winter I've been drifting along rather than moving full speed ahead. I finally got down to the studio to make this asymmetrical basket. Gary has been after me to "use up" my driftwood. Little does he know it's going to take me a good long while to do that.

Meanwhile I've joined two local art guilds with hope of increasing locations to sell my art. I also have some of my work in a new location in Blairsville called Art 'n Antiques. The shop is a creative combination of local artist's work and some well placed antiques. If you're local the shop is near the theater. We're expecting a light dusting of snow today so I stocked up on food because our driveway is too steep to drive on when it's frozen. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Herbal Vinegar

source

Since I am a firm believer in using herbs in cooking I thought I'd try my hand at making herbal vinegar. Why I didn't think of this in the summer is beyond me. I guess I was busy with other projects. I have one empty bottle sitting on the counter to try my first mixture. I've been reading that fresh herbs should be used, not dried or powdered otherwise the mixture will be cloudy. Now when it warms up today I'll pick something from the garden. Except today it won't warm up at all. As with many things timing is everything and I've missed the mark this week due to the cold. I might sneak outside later today and pick a few sprigs. More later. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Out of My Depth

Hardly a thing has been done in the studio lately but I did manage to make a couple of bowls. This one is boat shaped made in layers.

For the drape bowl I flipped it over too soon and had to put it back. It has slip decoration on the inside and I was curious to see what it looked like.

Reminding myself to go out of my depth and do something exciting. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Clam Linguine

The only clam linguine I've ever had was in a restaurant. Sometimes my food craving prompt me to try making something new. I decided to give clam linguine a try.

I sauteed 8 sliced button mushrooms in olive oil till soft and set them aside. If you don't like mushrooms you can skip this step. While the mushrooms were cooking I put 4 cups of water on to boil in a separate sauce pan. I minced five garlic cloves fine and sauteed them in olive oil.

While the garlic was cooking I opened a can of clams and drained them reserving the juice. When the garlic is fragrant add the clam juice but not the clams. When the clam juice is warm but not boiling add half a cup of half and half cream. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oregano or some fresh chopped parsley. Sprinkle in a few red pepper flakes. Add one teaspoon of rice starch. Stir constantly till thickened but do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in the clams to get them warm. Don't cook the clams or they'll get tough.

I found these red rice noodles, similar to wheat linguine noodles, in the ethnic section of my local grocery store. This brand of noodles also comes in white rice or black rice spinach noodles. When the water boils remove from heat and toss in the noodles and let the noodles sit for five minutes then drain well. Plate the noodles and pour the white clam sauce over the top and sprinkle some shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Clam linguine takes less than half an hour to make and it's really delicious. The noodles and clams are something I can keep in the pantry and when I'm at a loss for what to cook I can make clam linguine.

Prototypes

Seems like eons ago that I made these two prototypes. They are vases with stylized arrangements (read ceramic flowers).

These photos aren't the greatest because the lighting in the studio makes them subdued. But you get the idea of what I intended from their shape. I never really did anything with them but I might re-explore the idea behind them. How about you, do you have prototypes in your studio waiting to be developed? I have lots of them and many more in my brain floating around. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Floral Shaped Wall Hanging

Before the holidays I began working on some new designs for wall hangings. Here's one of the first floral shaped ones which is about ten inches in diameter. For this one I intend to string some copper wire through the openings in the middle to hang it on the wall. I plan to make a group of these in varying sizes. After I made this wall hanging I thought the organic shape would make a nice bowl. I'll make a couple without the holes in the center.

Still dealing with some dental and vision problems which are taking up time and energy. It's not easy getting older. It got down to 20 F last night; trying to stay warm today. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Another Ribbon Vessel

Here's another ribbon vessel from the last firing. It turned out just fine, but I wish I had only put a few random blue decorations, next time.

On the snowflake and snowmen ornaments it was much better they had less surface and weren't as dark. Everything I make I learn something. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Happy New Year, a Beginning & Ending

Happy New Year, a beginning and ending. It was unseasonably warm this past week. Then with all the rain, one of my Cherokee black bean seeds which didn't germinate last Spring just sprouted up. Wonder if I can nurture it indoors for the winter?

Here's the sunset from last night, almost the end of 2015. A few health issues and doldrums have befallen me, I hope to return soon. Thanks for reading and or all your comments.

Skyscraper Vase

Skyscraper Vase

close up

Would you believe I made this skyscraper vase five years ago in October 2010? It's three sided and it has four squares set on point on each surface of the three sides. I used one of the glaze combos I recently tested for the squares. I couldn't be happier at how this piece turned out.

15 1/4 inches tall x 4 inches wide

 I never seemed to have a kiln load of tall pots with room to fire this vase. Finally I did.

The red clay I used in this piece does wonderful things combining with the glazes.

 From this angle it looks like a skyscraper, doesn't' it.

Here's the bottom with triangle feet. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Sunrise Over the Mountains

good morning

Thanks for reading and for all your comments.