Out with the old...In with the new

 

My old vehicle (blue) needed a new head gasket. It is 15 years old (I owned it for 10 1/2) and has 122,000+ miles. A new head gasket would start at about $3,000. It was time to take the money and invest it in something that will hopefully last me another 10+ years. 

So here is the new-to-me, 3 year old (red) vehicle to get me around as needed. A pretty little Buick Encore. It is a little bit smaller, but still big enough for me to fit show supplies in (should I be accepted), as well as being able to transport more than one passenger at times.

It is a bit daunting having car payments again  after a few years without them, but, it is worth the investment.

These little owls are the only 6 remaining after an initial batch of 15. The rest have flown off to their new homes. I am making more!

This little turtle was a headache to make, I love it, but need to find a way to make it less fiddley. For now, it is a one-of-a-kind. I have at least 5 or 6 people interested in it... 

I hope you all are having a good Spring, Summer is just around the corner. Time has been flying by so fast! I have cats and snails and gnomes and this turtle to start glazing tonight... It keeps me out of too much trouble! Behave yourselves 'til next time... - C.

Keeping Busy in Uncertain Times

Here we all are, in the midst of a viral pandemic COVID-19. Our schools (including colleges and universities) here have been closed for 2 weeks and are closed at least until the end of April. All bars are closed, restaurants can only do take-out, curbside, or delivery. (It has forced some to temporarily close.)  People are encouraged to self-isolate, keep a minimum of 6' between, wash their hands, don't touch their face... stay home as much as possible. The big art festival (43rd Annual Spring Jubilee) has been cancelled. Parks are closed. The governor has said no social gatherings over 3 people. Things that are unheard of in my lifetime.

We have not been mandated to close our store. We try our best to practice social distancing while in the store.

We decided to offer some creative outlet for families suddenly forced to be at home. And we made up a few varieties of greeting card kits. We sell them for $3 each and they have been a big hit! Right now, we have Easter cards in the mix, but we will be adding Mother's Day cards next. There are also some all-occasion types.

They have been extremely popular and I spent a few hours this morning, here at home, cutting parts for more kits.

We have shortened our hours at the store starting tomorrow, but we have had very good business, thanks in part to the card kits (Boredom Busters AKA Virus Card Kits) and to virtual shopping for customers and either curbside pick-up or shipping.

I also took the hose and rinsed the pollen off the Equinox. I know more will be more there when I get ready to go to work tomorrow, but I got a lot off today.

May you and yours remain well.

Up and running!

Thank you to my brother Rick for checking out the wiring diagram and the kiln and fixing the mistake I made. I am now able to fire the large kiln with no problem.

The small kiln I have not given a test firing yet.  It seems possibly the tube of the kiln sitter was out of alignment and the sensing rod was getting hung up thus keeping it from tripping the power off. I do not have anything of my own to test fire it with at the moment, so it will have to wait until I can get some things made. (* EDIT - still not working correctly.  Will just have to use the large one for the time being.)

In the meantime, my car went into the mechanic last week.  I have had a whining noise from under the hood for a few months, but the most disconcerting was the new grinding noise coming from the rear axel area.  It sounded like I was dragging a branch.  I did not see anything, but thought it could possibly be the wheel bearing go bad.  I needed the car for a house/pet sitting a half hour drive away.

I dropped it off on a Thursday morning.  Their schedule was packed with appointments and they had to work me in around them. To get an appointment otherwise was at least a two week wait. I waited patiently to hear back.  They called at about 4:45 on Friday afternoon for me to come by to pick it up (they close ot 5:00).

It was not the wheel bearing (YES!!!), it was indeed a branch caught up in the undercarriage that was causing that noise.

The whining noise under the hood was the alternator and pulley that needed replacing, the alternator was nearing it's end of life. Thankful for the branch making me think it was a bad bearing for getting me to the mechanic sooner than later.

After a brief case of it overheating (a connector to the cooling fan knocked loose) that was corrected on Monday, all is running smoothly.

I am needing to get my hands back into the clay to create! It is my calming and rejeuvenating activity. And, I also need to get product for the store as well as Mistletoe Market.

A breakthrough!

After having a gazillion ideas running rampant through my brain, I finally was able to create today.

First, I graphed out the patterns for my Christmas Iris Folding class that is on July 30.  (I will post the samples once they are finished... waiting for some papers to arrive.)

 

Christmas Iris Folding 2016

 Once I had that finished (Yes, I know the photo is upside-down, Instagram did that to me, and I just left it.), I actually was able to create 6 new clay angels!  In the last several months I have only been able to manage 3 total, so 6 is a really big thing for me!  I do have other ideas swimming around in that grey matter in my head, but this is the first step and the rest will come in time.

Clay Angels 2016!

No, it's not world peace, but I myself cannot achieve that.  It is a big deal to me to break through the creative block.

I had an extra day off yesterday.  We were planning to close the store on Saturday for our trip to Atlanta to the wholesale buyers market.  Terri was wanting to leave earlier on Friday to get to see some showrooms, yet it was not a good idea to have the store closed 2 days in a row.  So, I proposed that Terri, Ben & Phyllis go and I stay home and keep the store open all day Friday while they got an early start.  Our friend Marsha spent the day with me and we had a good day!  It was worth me not going to Atlanta.  Yes, I missed going, I haven't been since last July (I was so sick at Christmas that I stayed home to continue recuperating in January.), but it was the best decision in the long run.  So, what did I do with my extra day?  I spent all the money I have been saving for months from my house & pet sitting.  And I got something that should last me a long time... 55,000 miles... a set of 4 new tires for the Equinox.  I usually have been buying used, but the price was right for a set of new.  Oh, and I also got an oil change.  I know, I really know how to party, don't I?

This week has been a series of emotions.

• Tuesday marked 5 years since Mom passed away.  Sometimes it feels like she has been gone forever, sometimes I can hear her voice in my mind and almost feel her presence.  
• On Thursday, my little sister from my college sorority sent me an email because of this blog.  ((( Leslie! ))) I have not been in contact with her in about 15 years or so.  I was so happy!  She is a special lady and hearing from her made my day!  
• Then, on Friday, one of my best friends through high school sent me a message request on facebook. Another special lady who helped me break out of my shell all those years ago.  ((( Jacque! ))) I have not been in contact with her in over 20 years.  Another day made!  
• In among all that I sent a care package to my niece Sammy who is undergoing breast cancer treatments.  In it were scarves that Verne gave to me as well as ones his mom gave to me.  I also made her a pair of earrings and sent some other little somethings to let her know I am thinking of her and wish I could be closer.

Well, enough for today, I need to get some other things done this evening.  I am grateful for the break in my creative block :~)