From Here To There And There To Here And All That Comes Between

When I get to Jessie's house on Wednesday mornings, Sophie greets me at the door. She doesn't bark at me except for a "Hello! Grandmer!" greeting. And she races to find a treasure to show me. Of course I always tell her how beautiful she is and how smart. Such a good girl. 

Pottery today was one of the quiet-type days. Or at least a little bit quiet. Everyone was concentrating on what we were doing for the most part, involved in our own projects. We did ask questions and offer advice and of course we praised each other's work. This is what we do. Our Lizzie was not there as she's been far, far away visiting one of her children and their family. We missed her of course. She will be back next week.

My latest fish spoon rest, the one I've made for Billy, was out of the kiln and I was quite happy with it. 

I love how each one I make is a little more sure of itself than the one I made before it, both in design and in colors. These fishes make me very happy and I am so enjoying making them. That first one I made was the thing that liberated me from feeling so very inadequate because my pottery was not anything like it was "supposed" to look but now I realize that it's not just "pottery," it's also ceramics. Today after I finished the work I needed to do on my hibiscus, I had just a few moments left in class and so I started a new fish. A smaller one. Not a spoon rest fish but one that will hang on a wall. My plan is to make several of them, similar in size but of different designs and colors with an attachment for hanging it on a wall. Before class was over I got it to the point where it can sit and dry so it can go into the kiln for a first firing next week although I MAY go by the studio and put it on the shelf for firing before then. I would like to. Same with my hibiscus which needs a little more drying time, especially the part that has the fancy stuff at top. Last time I tried to name those parts but I think I got gently corrected in a comment which is fine but I'm tired and not up to the challenge tonight. But you can see what I'm talking about here.

One would hardly think that very small piece took me well over an hour to do but indeed it did. I also added three marble-sized balls to the bottom to act as a base which took some experimenting to find where their placement should be because as Jessie pointed out, parts of the flower have a lot more clay and will tip it if I don't. 
"It's physics," she said. 
"Yes, and I failed physics," I answered. 
That is a lie. I did, however, get a D in the class. I believe it was the only D I ever got except for that semester at University of Denver where I crapped out entirely due to depression and, okay, possibly drug use. I will say that I think the drug use was completely related to the depression. I was self-medicating any way I could. And the fact that I'd moved in with a drug dealer had something to do with that too. 
Oh god. 
Well, it happened. I survived. And when I went back to nursing school in the eighties, I did quite well. 
Except for that damn D in physics. 

So that was pottery and then of course Jessie and I went to lunch which makes three days in a row I have gone to lunch and guess what? 
Good for me. 
We went to a Thai restaurant and I was so hungry I ordered not only a bowl of Tom Kha soup but also an entire entree with shrimp and eggplant and other delicious vegetables. And rice. 
About 70% of it is in my refrigerator right now. Good! That will be at least one, if not two more meals for me. 

I went to the library after I dropped off my girl and came home to find Mr. Moon in the yard, seemingly trying to free Billy's Paw-Paw's old tractor from the vines. 
It was at least 85 degrees out there. 
He'd spent hours trying to set up the new internet in the house and was done, done, done. He'd come to a river he could not cross and was as frustrated and furious as I was yesterday. As he was yesterday. 
And in an entirely different issue, he could not get Siri to speak to him and I have to tell you that Glen and Siri have a vocal communication relationship that I teeter on the edge of jealousy about.

He came in the house and cooled down and then together we figured out a few things and he took it all from there again and we now have a new internet service which seems very good and which is a lot less expensive. 
And he and Siri are back on speaking terms. 

The best thing is that he feels more confident about his abilities, as well he should. Technology can make all of us feel like demented dumb asses and we're not! 
Okay, maybe some of us are. I would hate to tell you how long it took me to figure out how to connect my hearing aids with their app on my new phone. And that's a whole other story. 

BUT, as I told my husband, change is always going to be hard and frustrating but we can and we will manage to figure it out. It may take the help of younger family members, tech-help lines, Googling to try and find an answer to our questions, and god knows what else. And that is okay.

I am so sorry I have not answered comments again today nor have I read and commented on all of your blog posts. Wednesdays start early and often end late. Throw in some new phone and internet problems which suck up so much time and, well, it is what it is. 

And so it goes. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Orchids at Jessie's house. 
I'm thinking this camera might just be okay.