Time for gardening, baby animals, and the birds are back!

The green has returned!!  My front yard gardening is going to be different this year. In the past  I gathered my annual flowers from various green houses whenever I had spare money from whatever errand I was running. I liked to tell myself that the $100 invested was worth the beauty of watching my "flower painting" grow over the summer.

This year will be different. With the news of the possibility of neonicitinoid treated flowers sold at big box retailers, and the connection with these pesticides  to the decline of bee colonies, I decided to concentrate on my perennials, and put vegetables and herbs in my front yard planters this year.   I will search out organics, and try to be more vigilant in my seed saving.  The humming birds have returned and are feasting on the nectar of the wild Columbine.  There is a planting of tall Russel Lupine, and a nice border of Wild Plantain, not only providing a nice border, but a good remedy for burns and bug bites. Other wild medicinals in there are Yarrow, nettle, and catnip.  The Grandpa Ott morning glories are waiting to climb over all of the Staghorn Sumac, also a medicinal, and source of a tea high in vitamin C. 

Out in back, in the barnyard, I have one litter of bunnies, several setting hens,  and my lambs are growing like the weeds and grass they dine on.

But the biggest thrill this spring, the one that makes my heart leap for joy, is the return of my friends, the Barn Swallows.    It's been about three or four years since I have had these playful darters swooping around me as I work out in the yard with my animals. I can't think of another bird that I share such a connection with, or that seem to "talk" back to me .   Several years ago, the nests seemed to fail,  I found babies on the floor of the barn.  Something seemed to be messing with their nests. We still had tree swallows that visited the yard from their woodland nests, but my cheerful Barn Swallows were painfully absent.  Until NOW!!  There are several pair back and building nests, and I am just delighted to see them again.

So yay for Spring in Minnesota!

Well I had a fall post, and this I will call my spring post. in between ...




Yeah a lot of white.  It's been an old fashioned winter of glorious proportion, and April 1st is kicking off with a joke from Mother nature, snow flurries.  I sit hunched by my bright light, sorting out my tasks for the day.
The highlight of my winter was a workshop I put on last weekend for fiddlers, and a concert the same evening.   Our guest artist was Brian Wicklund and I had a great turn out for both the workshops and the concert later that evening with Brian and guitarist Mike Cramer.

The old Coin School was the perfect classroom

I ran the whole thing myself, and it wasn't hard until the very end. I will know what to delegate next time so I can better participate in the workshop.  Tired as I was from it all it just filled my heart with joy to see musicians from all walks of life and every age from 8 to( almost) 80 getting together and learning new ways to play.  The concert was superb, I had never seen Mike Cramer before and he created a stellar performance with Brian.  

One of the resources that was instrumental in my publicity for the event was KBEK the radio station in our area.  They so generously gave away tickets for the concert for three days prior to the event and gave me invaluable coverage in the area.  Today I found on my Facebook feed that KBEK  is off the air.   My heart is very heavy, and I really hope that they are able to reorganize and bring back our live and local radio.  My daughter worked there as a DJ when she was in High School.   I was so excited for her, she was living a dream of mine, I have always been a radio junkie. KBEK was the last of a breed of radio station that was not fed from some tower in colorado somewhere with a disconnected voice popping in and breaking up the music and advertising. 

I really liked the immediacy of a live DJ on the air when it came to weather emergencies, winter and summer, school and activity closings, area events, local news, the station is a big part of our community and radio listeners here can consider themselves a part of the evolving history of radio as we see the passing of our live and local station.  Whatever happens, I hope it is the best for all involved at the station. 

We have enjoyed an extended autumn season this year, I had a few extra days to get things in before the snow.  The barn extension was completed, and I have the hay inside and dry. Most of my banty flock (chickens) I moved to a very cozy coop in the back, and Cesare' my rooster has three new hens that he is tending up here at the house. 
We are attending the GSR Goldsmith Reunion Show in Mankato this year.  I am really looking forward to seeing old friends, and this year my assistant will be Lily.
This show meets my criteria as a run by artists show.  They really know how to treat the participants at this show.  The entertainment is always excellent, and there is wine tasting and new foods this year from what I hear.
As the name would imply there are some fabulous jewelers at the hub of this event that has grown consistently over the years into a great show with a great variety of handmade quality items, of which some will be ours, if I get down to the studio and get to work! Later then, Denise

I snapped these pictures last week as I did a packing job for a friend.  Amy Sabrina passed away Sept 27th.
One of her requests was that I be the one to pack up her artwork to be stored.  You can bet I took my time and moved very slowly as I packed away the work of a departed friend.  I actually said little prayers every time I took a tile down or approached a tea pot on the shelf.   I did not want to be the one to break these now irreplaceable artworks.
The process took me through a journey in time as I wrapped up wall plaques that I remember seeing at "St. Kates" art show in the eighties sometime.  I worked my way through the working history of my friend and colleague.  I got to have one last look at the delicate details of the painting, and run my hands over the subtle textures of the glazes.  The tea pots and bowls surprised me with their sturdiness, as I swathed them in bubble wrap and foam and peanuts,  nestled in their boxes, taped up to be taken from the studio where they were created.   They were so Amy in that way.  Beautiful paintings,  dancing teapots with squiggly spouts,  looking fine and delicate on the shelf, but sturdy and well formed to the core.
  

Our community celebration of Amy's life will be held with a barn dance at her Sweetgrass Farm near Dalbo MN this Saturday Oct 19th  .    There will be a potluck dinner at 4, with tributes and stories at 5, with at dance at 6:30.  We hope all the Mad Cows, past and present can make it, and any other bands or band members who played at the barn dances over the years who would like to participate are welcome.
  A fitting tribute held in a barn that she so lovingly restored.  
  

  

RIP

My potted garden

I truly love this time of year! The flowers are just getting ready for one more big bloom before fall, and I just can't wait until the Staghorn Sumac behind it begins to change.  Planting in pots is necessary here because we live on almost pure gravel.  I am lucky to have a good source of large pots from Paul.

I can rearrange the pots as the plants develop.  I just love my morning plant watering and taking care of the various plants. Some are my house plants that spend the summer outside, and there is a section that is still sunny that is full of Blazing Stars and different colors of Yarrow that come in after the Iris and Lillies are done.

Yarrow and Blazing Stars in the sunny spot

I caught this proud fellow in the driveway , he hardly noticed me, as he was busy marking his territory.
It is a busy month for Morris enterprises , we are glad to be back at the Creative Drive again this year, scheduled for the weekend of May 18th.  We are at the Silver Bison Ranch, and will have all new items for the show, including Rita's wonderful bird mugs.
May 11 our dance band Mad Cow Band is performing at the North Folk Winery near Stark MN . We are playing at noon, with two more acts, see details here, I can't wait to see Paul Metsa!
I sure hope we can squeeze the gardening in between the snowfalls! What a spring!

As early spring drags on looking more like February, a bright spot is the maple sap is running, and the temps are perfect for the harvest!  We have our first batch of Maple syrup, and may get another if the trees keep generously giving their bounty. 

So although the forecast isn't so great we are glad that much needed moisture is soaking into the earth, and anxiously await the gardening.

Easter Sunset Charles City IA

Spring is dragging it's feet this year!  I am taking some extra light therapy today as I wait to see what degree of winter weather we get today.  Paul is out opening the kiln at Bill Gossman's pottery in New London.
We are getting ready for an Art show this weekend in Minneapolis.
60 Artists on 50th Cultivated Fine Art Show
1601 W 50th Street
Minneapolis, 55419
MAP

Hours are 10am to 5pm

I will be going along this year and am really looking forward to seeing some people!
My photo above is from my trip to Missouri last week.  It was a wonderful trip, with some business, family, and my last stop in Hannibal MO, was a mini workshop at Ayers Pottery  .  I did some experimental under glazing and slip trailing on planters for a spring show.  I love the set up of their studio/shop. The potter can work and still talk to the people as they come into the showroom in front.


Fred had many nice planters  ready for me to paint on!

 

 

We had a good time on Friday night for "Date Night" participants made pots on the wheel, and I showed them some different decorating techniques.

 

I am hoping to arrange another workshop in Hannibal. There is a teaching studio in the basement with several wheels and a bright cheery atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

This is the first post from my new contributor, daughter Lily, who is an occasional collabortator in our studio also.

Once upon a time…

 

I went home for thanksgiving with Colin, recently back from China eager to revisit the Morris Estate and shmooze with my fascinating parents.

As is customary for visits home, especially those with guests, and even more so when the first fat snowflakes of true winter are falling, we took a walk around the path.

 

At the edge of the dense wood, before breaking into the old pasture, I yelpled in surprise at the sight of a creature very close a foot.

 

It was a robin. Robins, as a whole have long left this land for the more sustainable south, yet this one remained. As I walked forward, it became clear why this little bird lingered in the cold: it was Broken Wing Robin.

 

Broken Wing Robin graced our land all summer, flopping laboriously down the driveway after his friends had flown from auto traffic, rustling about in the undergrowth in futile attempts at camouflage, and presenting a generally sorrowful existence. The fact that Broken Wing survived this far without already being caught by the laziest of predators was astonishing.

 

I did not wish to upset Broken Wing, and I especially did not want to alert our hounds, Bug and Peanut of his helpless presence… But I had to move forward. When I did, Broken Wing made a flopping attempt at flight, simultaneously awakening the “destroy vermin” instinct in our lackadaisical house pets.

 

It was the end of the road for Broken Wing. My urgent calls could not stop Peanut’s jaws. After the initial strike, even though life still coursed through his delicate body, the ethical thing to do was let the dogs commit the final blow, and release Broken Wing from the suffering of this life.

 

I brought his Earthly shell back to the house, and did my best to honor his life by studying the intricacies of his body, interring him forever in my sketchbook.

 

This is the story of Broken Wing Robin.

 

Robins.

The first to arrive in the spring, the last left singing at night.

Symbols of new life, new beginnings, new growth.

Dead at winter’s first snow.

natural pest control and holiday decoration

I don't have to decorate for Halloween, I have an amazing architect in my window.  I wish I still had a kid at home for a great science project!  This crafty spider is accumulating an array of insects that I don't have to chase or spray, totally organic bug control.
 I appreciate my indoor wildlife as winter approaches , and I keep something blooming at all times here year round. I love my indoor plants and have a big array right now after bringing them all back in , they were crowding us out of the kitchen! 
Good thing  the spiders are decorating the house because I am busy decorating pottery,  getting animals ready for winter, and reorganizing the inventory to accommodate more items in my etsy stores.   I am adding a vintage store to etsy in the near future. 
 

Really? May 22? I am such a terrible blogger.  Where is it written that everyone is a writer??
I am on a self imposed exile from the Etsy forums and am on day six.  I realized that although I felt I needed to read to keep up with the changes that the site implements constantly, that immersing myself in it was ruining my day, and therefore stunting my creativity. I was feeling bad about my work and unmotivated to go to the shop.  "The Artists Way " by Julia Cameron has a name for what Etsy was doing to me and that is called the "crazymaker".    When I quit reading I started writing in my routine again.  Actually writing in my journal, a habit I had kept since I was twelve, had fallen by the wayside over the years as I got sucked into the online offerings for my attention.
I realize I have an addictive personality, and that I dive whole hog into things, and have to remind myself of that sometimes, and pull back and get perspective.  

Well it is going pretty well so far.  The work in the studio couldn't wait for my excuses any longer, and once I got rolling I am having a lot of fun and look forward to getting down there each day.  I also made a goal to list at least five new things each day, with a goal of 300 items in my shop by Nov 1.   There are also a couple of live shows left for us to do this fall.
Paul will be at the Fresh Art Tour again this year as a guest of Peter Deneen at Pepin Farm Pottery.
We are also organizing everything here at the homestead, and are planning a studio sale of our own in November or early December.

 

Lessons on the road

Lily, me and Peanut at Ha Ha Tonka state park

I am back from my road trip to Missouri with Lily.  We wanted to take a week before she started her jobs to visit my family.  It was great having the time to visit and relax, Mother's day found the whole family at grandma's, and that was a rare and special occasion.

   We decided to take two days to drive back, so I booked a motel halfway with a pet friendly room for Peanut, our canine travelling companion.  By taking two days, we were able to leave later in the day, so we arrived at our motel about 6pm.  I was just dozing off around 10 when the motel manager called the room and asked if I had a dog in there, I said yes I had reserved a pet friendly room. He started yelling at me that the room was not a pet friendly room, and he was billing me an extra $100 for cleaning the room. He even said he had me on tape. That creeped me out and I wondered if the cameras were spying on me in our room.
   Needless to say I didn't sleep well that night, and we were on our way by 5 am the next morning.  I tried calling customer care at the number where I made my reservations, and they were unhelpful, to say the least.  I was pretty disgruntled as I headed back  north, through Des Moines, and only about three hours from Minneapolis, my speedometer dropped to zero and I pulled off at the very next exit, which had a wayside rest stop.  I called my mechanic at home in Ogilvie, and he said it might be the speed sensor or the alternator.  With the possibility of alternator in the picture I was not going back up on the interstate, but across from the rest stop there was a new gas station.  Both of these, the rest stop, and the  gas station were brand new since my last trip, and they were in the middle of nowhere IA.  Just minutes, I mused, from where Paul and I worked and met 31 years ago.  When I entered the gas station, I was greeted by the counter lady who asked if she could help and I asked for an auto mechanic. She handed me a card, and I called the number, not realizing it was only 8am. 
  After a short wait, the mechanic appeared and confirmed my alternator was shot. I opted for a used part if he had one at his shop.  While he went back to look, I walked the dog, played on my laptop, and wondered how much this latest incident would add to the cost of my trip. I called my insurance company and found out I no longer had roadside assist. So I was glad to have my credit card, but worried that this might add two or three hundred dollars to the already expensive trip.  I consoled myself thinking It was just a miracle that there was a gas station,  and a mechanic two miles away, and I was off the freeway. 
   It did turn out that there was a used part at the shop, and after the part was replaced and it was payment time,  the bill came to just over $100.00.   Oh my gosh I could have hugged that guy!  The whole incident had only cost us a couple of hours off our trip, and we were safe and the car was running fine down the highway.

  So as I drove and Lily and Peanut snoozed, I realized that I had been taught a lesson. The first hundred dollars was a LOT to lose for a flea bag motel and a rude host, but a hundred dollars was a very SMALL amount for the great service I recieved while stranded at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention, if I had tried to do the whole trip in one shot, we would have been stranded in the middle of the night somewhere in the middle of nowhere!  After feeling like customer service was dead after the motel, I found out it is alive and well in Dows, IA. 

I am so happy to announce a new pair of hands at Morris Pottery. Paul's daughter, Rita has joined us to help out in the studio as well as the garden and animals.  These mugs are new out of the last firing.
I see it as a great start to the second generation of Morris Pottery.  Having this new creative energy in the studio is great.  I have taken some time off this month for cleaning and some 2D work.
Paul will be set up at Silver Bison Ranch this weekend participating in the Creative Drive Studio tour. Some of these new mugs will be on display there. These mugs are for sale and can be seen at my new boutique on SupaDupa  MORRISPOTTERY.MYSUPADUPA.COM

It has been a busy week with my classes and getting my new computer set up. I went on Friday to get a back up flash drive for the computer, and also got an mp3 player for Paul. He has been wanting tunes in the shop for years  and his radio isn't any good down in the valley where the studio is.  So I have been busy filling it up with all the CD's in our collection.   Music for me provides very vivid snapshots of my life , just like looking through old photo albums only the pictures are all in my head! Deep down in the archives are the cassette tapes and the record albums.  Most of those I have found later in newer digital versions, but the one in the picture is unique, I have asked , and been told that the stuff they needed to make this digital is gone.  I will have to save up and get one of the gadgets that digitizes LP records if I want to get some of these archived.  I am liking Pauls mp3 player a little too much!

 
Well it looks like a bunch of snow is headed this way, and if I had broadcast television I imagine the weather guys are having a weathergasm over the big blob of blue in the west!  My teacher friend is hoping for a snow day, and although I am no longer affiliated with school, I still like snow days.  Poor Minnesota has suffered a snowless winter, and although most of us feel like we "got by" pretty easy this year, for me there is a bit of missing the white stuff. 

For instance there are all kinds of things I put off in the warmer months to do in the winter when you cant do anything else outside.  A snow day might prompt me to start some sewing project or re organize some corner.  One of my projects in the living room studio has been experimenting with ink and acrylic on my big stash of paper.   At an auction I got about 700 sheets of 80 lb card stock, and I have been trying different things on it.  It doesn't like getting wet much so I am using a dry brush technique and having some fun with that.  It is so liberating having so much paper because I am not afraid to screw it up.  I have had beautiful watercolor paper for years and I just don't want to wreck it.

Hoarders, my version

The above picture is my pack and ship after the holiday season.  The rest of the house looked similar.  It was obvious that the small area I had set aside for shipping was not functioning well.  I was having to wade through the boxes to get to my scale.  I was wishing I could have a professional organizer come in like on "Hoarders" or like on "Oprah" and get me organized. Well hiring a professional is not in my budget, and  I don't need a doctor appointment to tell me I have and organizational disorder, and it wasn't bad enough to get the hoarders team in, so I had to deal with it. Below is the same corner, waiting to be my photo corner, and my pack and ship has expanded to the back of the room.

I still have a way to go, but it is so much better to have the shipping area working smoothly again. All of this organizing and cleaning has kept me out of the studio for a week, and I am looking forward to getting back to my favorite part, the making of things!

I am dusting off the shelves in the Green Swamp Gallery, and adding a line of pendants, and ornaments to my shop this week. As I write, the wood fire is being unloaded, and I am trying to figure out how to get my shoes and coat and car keys without waking the sleeping dogs.  Yeah I know it is impossible. They can hear me thinking about getting up and going!  Here are some snap shots that I took at the kiln site. It was a very nice load. The little rabbit pitcher was made with mid fire white clay from Continental Clay, and it was fired to well over cone 10 in this firing. The vase looking pieces below, are actually lamp bases that were special ordered. 

When the frost is finally out of the ground, there is a flurry of activity around the gardens in Minnesota.  When I first moved here and started my own gardens, I had this vision of an English country garden, or closer to home my mother in laws garden, with perfect rows and raised beds, and no weeds!  But I learned early on that the forest will keep taking over, and there was good reason to embrace the "weeds"
For one thing I did not  want to use any chemicals , herbicides, fertilizers on my gardens, vegetable or flowers.  Our land was  wild when we moved here, and I wanted to be a good guest.  The weeds were here before we were, and as I have learned over the years, each one has it's own purpose.

This pink and purple area is made up of iris in the back, chives in the middle, and a petunia basket in the foreground.

  So today I have pictures of my co existing front garden that also provides some herbs for my kitchen.   I used to use a purple only theme, because by August every thing will be covered with Grandpa Ott purple morning glories.  But there are so many beautiful colors out there that I have added a full spectrum this year.

the wild columbine are out now

Filling in is the greenery of dandelions and plantain. both are beneficial plants.  

 

  

Well I am off to use my new eco friendly lawn mowing program. I will have pictures soon!

Blossoms of spring

This was a huge surprise today! I found it on one of my houseplants. This is on an orchid cactus, but I have only ever had red and pink varieties and when I saw the bud on this one, I thought it looked yellow, but up until yesterday it had enough pink on it for me to think it was just another pink one. I am just mystified as to where it came from. I am wondering if they can change colors or what.

I hit the greenhouses early this year and got these pinstripe petunias. I went to get more and they were gone already!  Our vegetable garden is in, and the new section of raspberries is looking good.  We have had a lot of rain this spring, and I am looking forward to a stretch of dry days so we can make some hay. There are baby bunnies and one of my banty hens is sitting on a clutch of eggs.

Domestic Goddess Day!

I got my new sheets today and I cleaned the whole bedroom and beyond getting ready for them! I got a great deal online at Herberger's.  I have a soft spot for Herberger's  , They had a department store in Albert Lea, when I was a kid, and we got everything there.  Now I check their website when I need things and I find some great deals exclusively online.
My daughter and I were talking about how it's uplifting to give your room a cheap facelift, and add that fresh line dried sheet smell and a clean room and it doesn't get much better.  And for sure the cleaning binge is going to go on and spread to the rest of the house.   It must be spring!!
This is a good way to stay busy while I wait for the kiln to cool. The firing went well on Monday. We got done about 11pm.  I can't wait to see the new projects Paul is working on.
I will post pictures tomorrow.

New work, with colors galore!

This is my first paisley plate.  I started doing these just for fun, and now  am making myself a set, still just for fun, and just for me!  This one required an extra bisque firing because I used wax resist on the bisque along with some underglazes.  Then I layered more underglazes, glazed with clear, and fired to cone 6 oxidation.  I work on one at a time, in between my regular studio duties, and I just get hypnotized adding details. On  a sandwich plate today, I let myself get carried away with the resist, layering many colors , can't wait to  fire it, and  layer on some more!
   Okay! So blogger was working on some issues yesterday , and I lost part of this post. I added the works in progress to show the process.  The slab piece shows the first layer of wax resist, and some areas that I put yellow under glaze.  My next step will be to wax wherever I want to keep the yellow, and then add my next color which will be just a bit darker than the first.  Adding layers can go on indefinitely, as I will be painting smaller details within the pattern, after these are bisqued to remove the wax.