Old friend

This weekend I did a pottery course. It was the only way to access the pottery wheels at the local place; they just opened and haven't sorted out studio time or anything like that yet. The person teaching the class is, obviously, a potter and she lives in town; she offered me the use of her kiln if I wanted, and her husband mixes some glazes.

I've been toting around my extremely heavy wheel for nearly two decades now. I suppose in some ways it was a memory object or a statement of intention. I haven't used it in part because I haven't had a kiln, so there's no way to preserve anything I make.

I'm telling this story backwards. The wheel felt like an old friend. My hands can still shape clay; the process is still able to command my focus. I'm rusty but also some of the basic skills that I wasn't sure I'd mastered are there. It was an easy clay to work too, though. I made some bowls -- many of the ones I made during y trip to Sheri's have broken, and I haven't yet mended them -- and a mug, since we all started with mugs. I'd been replacing them with hand-me-down commercial bowls but it would be nice to be fully using my own. I'd also like to sort out my plate situation, I definitely definitely need to make some plates.

I'm going to move the shelves out of downstairs and put in Ron's leather L-shaped couch. I will probably set the wheel up in the center of the room as a coffee table/useful object and start throwing again.

The tomatoes are probably outside for good now, and it's two more days before I can move the peppers out too. Then I can start reorganizing Threshold. I took down my art and wall stuff in prep for the move to Sayward; that should go back up. I need to figure out what will live inside and what outside. Josh is sending some art up with Mom this summer so I can finally fill a couple key places. I had just got everything really set up right before this; no point in waiting another 5 years to do the same again.

I'm tired. I think things are gonna be ok.