Bird Shooting Season is Open!

I'm shooting with a camera - of course! Last week the feeders were filled to the brim and it only took about a day and a half for the birds to find us again. The brave little Chickadees were the first to appear and as always will fly up to the feeder even if we are standing within a few feet of it. Because they don't seem to be as aggressive as the others, they have to be willing to take more risks!

Yellow

December, is this really you? The yellow in the yard was very unexpected. Due to the unseasonably warm weather last week, some of the lettuce bolted, and our Renee's Mesclun lettuce mix is now blossoming and attracting little bees. After heavily pruning the Chinese Privet, we discovered that a usually hidden little bush also blossoms this time of year. If anyone cares to do a little plant identification for me, I'd be much obliged.

Merry Christmas!

We bypassed sending out a Christmas card this year, but you can bet your sweet pants I'll be printing up this baby for the keepsakes! We managed to get a decent family picture in only two tries. The secret? I stuffed the boys' mouths with jellybeans (see the fat cheeks and smirks?). Merry Christmas, friends! I hope you day tomorrow is blessed with the presence of Emanuel, God with us!

A New Course!

It's funny how when I plug in to something I really enjoy or have a passion about, going to work is something I look forward to. Granted my version of going to work is sitting down on the red couch and opening my laptop, but it is work nonetheless. My education is in Biological and Agricultural Engineering. As a girl who grew up playing in creeks and streams, it only makes sense that I'd eventually pursue my advanced degree in the same. Truth is, I love water. My day is never complete without soaking in the tub, and in the summer without either taking the boys to the public pool or running the hose through the sprinkler. In high school, my AP Art study was on glass and water. I grew up taking family rafting trips, and in 2006 nearly lost my life rafting on the White Salmon River (another story for another time). When I was in the depth of my PhD studies in stream restoration, I couldn't pour out a glass of water without thinking of weir and flow equations.

It wasn't until 2005 after the purchase of our first house that I rediscovered my interest in gardening. When you hole away in dorm and apartment living for 5+ years, it's easy to get disconnected from the natural world, especially when it comes to growing plants. For a couple years now, I've wished there were a way to tie in this growing passion with my education experience. Enter water! There are people in my department who devote their research to rainwater recapture and runoff, and I've taken classes on irrigation, drainage, nutrient runoff and other water topics. I've taught many of the topics in my short teaching career since 2007. The information resources are available, and now I've been given the opportunity to start a BAE NCSU distance class titled, "BAE 590-606: Water and Nutrient Management for Home-Scale Agriculture."

BAE 590-606 will be nothing less than a labor of love. I as much look forward to learning as I prepare the course materials as I do in being able to offer the materials to others. This course will be grounded in practical application and accessible to the home gardener with little or no engineering and science background required, which is a welcome diversion from my more theory based courses. It's for people who love to grow their own food and want to do so sustainably and in an environmentally responsible way. Students will be presented with information on the needs of plants and soil and how to design and implement systems for water and nutrient management and then encouraged to implement their knowledge in their own garden. What I most look forward to are the side discussions as we are all preparing for our spring and summer crops.

This spring, the course will start out small, just for 1 credit hour, during which I will have to restrain myself from putting out too much information. If this goes well, then I think it could easily grow into a 3 hour course the following spring.

Rock & Shop in Review

My table

The Trotter Building

First off, I was so honored to get to participate in the Rock & Shop market this year. I skipped a year due to some baby raising, and I'd only been to the one in Raleigh. I was excessively nervous the night before thinking of having to set up my table without the help of Joe, and I must have ran through all the details several times over in my head during his work party. We'd made last minute display shelves which I didn't finish until the next morning - just in time to load up the Jeep!

I shouldn't have been worried because the Durham crowd was amazing! The doors opened at 12pm, and there was a steady stream of people until about 4:30 that slowly tapered off until 6pm. The atmosphere was more laid back than my previous (few) experiences, which could have been due to the presence of beer or perhaps it is just the atmosphere of Durham in general. Being the weekend before Christmas, people were there not just to check out the artists and designers but to shop.

Michelle Smith and her team ran a great event, and all the volunteers were super helpful. The advertising leading up the the event was top-notch and definitely made an impact. Not having a table or the space marked off when I showed up caught me a little off-guard, but that was all the fault of the rental company, and things were quickly fixed. I had a front seat to the fashion show, which was fun, but my table was essentially blocked off from customers for about 30 minutes. I did have one determined customer make a purchase right in the middle of the show! If anything, having that runway right in front of my table may have brought more folks by as they waited for it to begin.

Lessons learned:
1. People like sets of bowls - especially when displayed in a cute basket with a sign.
2. The increased vertical display was very helpful at creating more space on the table and highlighting those special pieces or groupings.
3. I really need to make more pieces in the $20-$30 range. I know I keep saying this, but the big bowls just don't sell.
4. One one large bowl should be displayed.
5. Large dinner plates don't sell. I should work on marketing those as a serving tray to go with a set of items like a small bowl for a dip.
6. I couldn't see anything from behind all my shelves. This forced me to get up and talk to people. Some like to be talked to (and talking into buying something), other are really uncomfortable with the hovering. I need to work on reading people. Maybe I should put out a bell that says, "Ring if you need me!" Just kidding, sort of.
7. I like checking out the other potters at these events. I think this weirds them out a little. They never visit my table. Hmmm.
8. Next event I should neither eat so much pizza nor drink two cans of soda.

Pottery Preview

This morning we had one last kiln opening for the season. Tomorrow is the Rock & Shop Market in Durham, NC, and I'm happy to say I have plenty inventory for the show. Earlier this week I stopped by Helping Hand Mission and picked up a shelf that will give my table some more vertical interest and space for display.

The good news about this firing is that the mugs were a success. I'm pleased with the weight and shape of the various mugs, and they were simple enough to throw and glaze. So after years of saying I would never do mugs, I'm saying I do mugs. The bad news is that most of my French butter crocks were a failure. The design I was going for ended up being far too complicated to throw and glaze, and the glazing was a disaster that led to several cuts on my hands while trying to get the lids off after firing. So, unless I come up with a more simple process, just keep your butter in the fridge.

Olé! Anole!

Look who was sunning on the baby butterhead this morning!

Rock & Shop Market - Durham, NC - 12/17

I will be selling my wares this weekend! Come stop by my table and get a gift for someone you love.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 17TH, 2011, 12-6PM
The 12TH Rock & Shop Market / BLOCK PARTY
Motorco Music Lodge, Fullsteam Brewery & The Trotter Building, Durham, NC

Don't You Give Up On Me

dedicated to my love



I'll go, I'll go, I'll go wherever you go
and I will never leave without letting you know

don't you give up on me
don't you give up on me

we're told, we're told, we're told we'll never get old so don't you ever show them, show them our bones
we'll dig, we'll dig, we'll dig our own little hole, then put our walls around it and call it our home

don't you give up on me.
don't you give up on me.

cause you're all i got
and time won't stop.

credits
from The Hello Sessions, track released 07 February 2011