Big Iron

     Aha!!  I bet by now, you all had even forgotten about the "word" posts that I was supposed to be doing!  Uh-huh.  Well, that's okay.  I'll let it slide this time.  I can't blame you because I have been a terrible slacker.  But, I keep the list on my desk so I will get to them all at some point.  Well, anyway....the next word on the list is podger!!  And I would imagine that most of you, like myself, are like, Huh??  What the hell is that?  Leave it up to some smarty pants construction people to come up with something like that...heehee.  The tool of course, I knew, just not by that name.  Down here, we call this a spud wrench.  Podgers, or spud wrenches, are generally carried by ironworkers and used to help erect "red iron".  This is the term we use for the structural steel framework of a building that is usually coated with a red primer, although many times they will use grey.  Red iron just sounds better.  Red iron is welded in places but initially they bolt it together as the crane lifts each piece into place.  As you might can imagine, a 30 foot I-beam swinging from a crane is not incredibly easy to control by a person standing only on an 8 inch wide beam 60 feet in the air.  Suspended in such a manner, the beam actually swings quite easily, but getting the bolt holes to line up just right is time consuming and a good way to mash your fingers off (literally), thus the pointed end on this tool.  It's easy to ram that end through the misaligned holes, as long as they are somewhat together, and as the pointed end is pushed through, it draws the holes in line.  The bolts can then be placed in the other, now aligned holes, the podger removed and that hole bolted.  It's also a great pry bar.  A coordinated ironworker can move pretty fast with one of these.  This particular spud wrench is fairly large (for me) at about 20 inches and it has, as you can see, a fixed open end.  Many spud wrenches are adjustable just like a large Cresent wrench.  I honestly have no idea where I got this one and have rarely used it.  Tools like this were usually supplied to us on the job and as I was not a full-fledged, regular ironworker I did not keep my own.  Allen has an adjustable one that we use more often, as you might imagine.  So, there is your lesson for the day.  Haha!


     I haven't told ya'll a funny work story in some time so I thought this one kinda went with the post.  I don't think I've told this one but if I have just pretend you've never heard it.  In my construction career, I actually worked more as a carpenter probably but did do a fair amount of steel work on our jobs and the last job I did was solely as a welder.  I did hang a little "red iron" but mostly I was there to weld up the structural steel that held pre-cast concrete and stone panels.  As you might also imagine, this is some pretty hefty steel to be able to hold that much
weight.  The steel is also not bolted up but welded directly to steel plates embedded in the underside and edges of the concrete floor slabs.  The vertical pieces were only about 3-4 feet long, and I could handle those myself but the horizontals were very heavy and they would set those for me with a machine.  Well, this was a crap job.  I was supposed to have another welder helping me but that boy never could get his act together and ending up leaving because of an off the job injury.  Even with another welder there was no way I could hang all that steel by myself (also the elevators, handrails and much other misc.) in the time frame they wanted.  I was somewhat flattered in their confidence, or whatever, but no way, no how.  So, they ended up hiring a steel subcontractor to come in and help.  I had the pre-cast on the back of the building and this group of 5 men had the steel on the front.  To be fair, they did have more to hang than me. ha!  Now, for near 20 years, through chance or design, I had worked a great deal by myself.  When I truly needed help I could get it; I never moved a piece a steel that was too much, but if I could handle it myself I preferred it that way.  And, when you work by yourself (whether you're a man or woman), you learn how to move things and hold stuff the smart way because it's not physically possible to manhandle it.  The high art of wedging, cantilevering, prying and clamping come in handy.  So.  I was chugging along the back, hanging my steel like all get out.  I would put a heavy board across the handrails of my lift bucket and then wedge the vertical piece of steel between that board and the embed it welded to.  I had my layout marked on the embeds already so I just tapped the steel with a hammer to get it on spot and to plumb it up.  Magnetic levels are very handy too!  I'd tack that off and then move back, clamp the diagonal brace off to my first piece and just hold the other end until I tacked it.  Easy Peasy.  Double check my plumb and then hard weld everything.  I only needed help after I got all my vertical/ diagonals hung and one of the guys would hold the 30 foot or so horizontal angle up to them with a Lull.  I'd tack weld it on grade, he leave and then I'd finish.  Piece of cake.  So, the new steel crew came out and started on the front.  And this was no rookie crew.  You could tell by looking at them they were seasoned ironworkers.  Well, their first day I came through the building for lunch and I noticed that 3 of those men were crammed into the basket of one man-lift.  Now, that is highly illegal in OSHA's book and our foreman over the steel had a fit when he saw them.  "What in the world are ya'll doing??  Why do you need 3 men in that one spot??"  They stomped and fussed.  "Well, what do you expect??  Got to have one to hold, one to plumb it and one to weld!!!"  Now, Nick, one of our younger foreman at the time, usually goes into a battle of wits unarmed, but the construction gods were kind to him on that day.  An evil, joyous smile quickly spread over his face.   "Well, I'll tell ya'll what..." Nick drawled, barely able to control his glee but trying to feign a serious air. "I got a woman welder around back that's hanging all her steel by herself....I'll go get her to show ya'll how to do it."  Nick said a look of sheer horror came over that steel foreman.  "Hell no! No, no, no!!  Naw, we can figure it out!!  Nick insisted it would be no trouble, that I was a very nice lady and don'tcha know she won't mind a bit but they would have none of it.  Haha!  Imagine that.  I was in the trailer eating lunch with the other guys when Nick came running in to relay the story.  He was laughing so hard we almost couldn't understand him but eventually we all got a huge kick out of that.  He told me later that day he saw two of the welders peeking around the corner of the building to see just how I was doing it on my own.  Of course, every time I passed them after that I made sure to smile big and wave.

Free To Be Me

I haven't put any pottery photos up in a while so I thought I'd show ya'll some recent things I have been working on.  At least, I don't think I've shown ya'll these things before.  I get confused about what I've put here and what I've put on Facebook (my pottery page) and I'm basically too lazy right now to try to go back and check.  So, here it is.  The pots with the holes in the lids are for honey, as you may have guessed.  Or mustard or any kind of sauce like that..but then the little bees wouldn't make as much sense.
Well, speaking of making sense, I may not make a lot tonight.  Oh, I know I don't normally anyway!  maybe a little less than normal.  See, I've been nursing a bad back again and a bad tooth for about a week.  I finally got in to the dentist today and turned out an old filling had to be replaced.  Tomorrow the trip to the doc is for the back and so tonight I'm kinda zoned on half a pain killer so I can rest.  At least the local anesthesia has worn off and I can close my right eye now.

So, I'm feeling a bit rough and may wander a bit in my posting.  We also had a Kitty Adoption party yesterday and gave away the little black and white kitty to some Russian friends.  That was a lot of fun.  However, I still have little koshka to find a home for.  We thought we had another taker but they backed out at the last minute.
One of my older hens, Bea, has been sick for about a week too.  Poor thing, she would just wander slowly about the yard for a bit in the morning and then sleep under a tree for the rest of the day.  I have never seen a chicken sleep face down on the ground before.  3 times I thought she was dead and would go over to pick her up and she would jump up and look at me like, 'what were you fixin' to do??!!'  Her comb got real pale and you could tell she just felt really bad.  I didn't know what to do or what was wrong with her so every day I just made her drink a little olive leaf powder and molasses in some water.  She has gradually gotten better and today she foraged all day with the other chickens, even running to get her share of some rice I cooked for them.  I think, from some stuff I read, she may have eaten something somewhat poisonous or something like that. 

 So, due to my back and company and rain that never seems to go away for long, I don't have any kitchen updates for ya'll tonight.  Maybe soon.  I did get my walls all closed up so the cabinets can be set but I think I showed that.  I plan on showing a lot of the kitchen work because I know I haven't done many house building post in a long time and that's what this blog is supposed to be about!  Of course, deviations from that subject is fine and this blog has evolved into just a "life" blog but I still feel it lacks some of the "umph" that it had when I first started.  I've turned into the boring, ol' married woman!!!  Agh!!!  and I'm not even married yet!!  Agh!!  Well, since I don't have the crazy, single life stories or the work stories anymore it seems kinda boring to me.  That's awful.  I don't feel my life is boring.  Maybe I just don't take time to properly write about it.  I think that's it.  Seems like I used to get comments from a number of other people too and that makes me feel like they got bored and left.  Of course, I KNOW that people's circumstances change; things happen, they develop different interests and such.  And I'm not complaining about ya'll that comment now!!  Please don't stop or think I don't want to hear from you.

Speaking of hearing from people, I have spoken to a number of people from my old company lately, just by chance.  Of course, none of us still work for that company so it's been nice to catch up and hear from all of them.  And it makes us all sad too that we don't work together any more and get to see each other.  It's made me seriously think of trying to organize a reunion of sorts for our old company maybe in the spring or around Christmas.  Before any more of us die or move away.  I think everybody would love to see each other.
Okay, so I think that is about all I have tonight.  I'm just getting lost in the fuzzies now.  I'll be back soon.

Two Steps Behind

Oooh, I am just not doing well on keeping up on the posts I'm supposed to be writing.  I have a number of things to write about; I guess I'm just not entirely enthused about it all though.  Well, I mean, I am enthused about what's going on, just not the writing thereof!  I don't know, I guess it's just a combination of being very busy and feeling like no one is particularly interested or paying attention.  Now, before anybody jumps on me!!!...  I know that there are a number of you that do pay close attention and are interested.  I'm just saying how I'm feeling.  Computers are a great way to feel connected to others at times and yet, at other times seem to emphasize just how alone we are.  The conundrum for me is that computers are probably my best bet for interacting with people because I can edit myself.
Then again, maybe it's just about needing some time to chill out and not think.  As you can see from the photo above, the garden is doing very well this year.  I know some parts are really getting smacked by drought this year but we have done very well.  We have only had to water the garden a few times so far.  So, I've been canning, drying, pickling and cooking every spare moment at times and in between painting the house, making pottery, tending chickens and doing regular house chores.  Crap!! no wonder I haven't felt like thinking enough to write an article!!  Ha!!
 I believe it was last Friday that we had an enormous and severe thunderstorm come up after lunch.  I was taking a short nap but woke to the sound of thunder and hail on the windows.  That is NOT what you want to hear when you have a garden full of stuff.  It was a couple of hours before we could really go out and see how much damage there was but in the end we lucked out.  Thankfully, the hail was not very large and didn't last long.  Some of the green beans were kinda beat up, a few broke limbs on the tomato plants and it blew over my cucumber trellis but other than that we did okay.  So, it all goes on.  The peas and corn have about pooped out but now the tomatoes and figs are cranking up.  I also need to get my seeds started for the fall garden.  Dang, there are just not enough hours in the day.  But I do enjoy it really.  It is very satisfying, in a number of ways, to know that we are able to grow these things and provide so much for ourselves without having to depend on the commercial food structure/ depletion cycle.  It is a very real thing.

So, I have a number of great new recipes and such to share and I have not forgotten about the Frugal series I was doing.  I'll be back!!
Hey, one question: is anybody having trouble reading these post because the type seems too small??  For some reason it looks a little small to me but I don't think I've changed anything. ???

Drawing A Blank

I keep thinking I'm going to be able to come up with a story or something for ya'll but I'm just coming up blank here.  I guess I'm just tired when I finally get time to do a little posting in the evening.  I feel kinda bad for just continuing to put up the same (basically) ol' chicken pictures!  I do have some other photos but I am actually working on some type of how-to or such with those and don't want to put them up until I have the whole sequence.  Well, as far as the photo above, these are our girls now except for Prissy and Sheila, who are sitting on eggs at the moment.  And Blondie is there but just not in the picture.  One good thing is that Scooter has gotten old enough that Bertha and Bea, the 2 other Barred Rocks, have 'taken her under their wings' (HA!) and she hangs with them a lot now.  Bea is probably her mother so I was glad that they finally accepted her.  She even gets to sleep up on the top roost with them now whereas before she had to sleep on the bottom and get crapped on.

These little boogers are getting to be a handful!  We did lose 3, including the little tophat, but these seem very vigorous and healthy.  One died just about within 2 hours of the shipment coming in and the rest in the next couple of days.  Well, one died yesterday.  They just couldn't seem to get the hang of either eating or drinking or didn't want to for some reason?  The last one I tried so hard to get to drink but it just didn't seem to ever do it on it's own.  You can't really force them to drink or you can drown them so I tried dipping it's beak, holding water up to it, mushy food, dropping water on it's beak etc.  It would drink out of a dropper but I guess that wasn't enough.
Well, now the post seems kinda depressing.  Dang!  I got to come up with something else to talk about. 

This has been a very good year so far for berries!  Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and now blackberries!  These were some Blueberry Strudel Muffins that I made the other day with my blueberries..  Very good.  I think I'll have lots of fruit put up this year for the winter.  Lots of things are starting to come in now from the garden and so between that and caring for babies and working on the house there is just not much time or energy to put into writing.
It is very gratifying to finally be literally reaping the fruits of my labors of so many years.  All the tilling, composting, mulching, planting and on and on is finally paying off but then it like buries you!  It's good though; I'm certainly not complaining.  Maybe I just need to go out and blow off some steam!  I talked to a couple of my fellers from work last night and it was nice to hear from them.  We gossiped and chatted about this and that.  I miss having that many people to interact with during the week I guess.  So see, that's what ya'll are here for!!  Haha!!  Just kidding.  I just need to have some people over for a party or something.  Well, anyway, I'll try to have something a little different next time.  Maybe even something about the kitchen progress!  Which isn't much by the way.  Or one of you can give me an idea for a post or question to answer!!  Yeah!!

Suddenly Strange

Well, I'll warm ya right off the bat this is one of those rambling, slightly deranged, bored out of my mind kinda posts.  I don't have squat progress to post about on the house and I don't don't feel like downloading those pictures from the garden and writing a sensible article about what I've been doing there lately.  I've felt like crap the past couple of days. This leaves me to wallow on the couch, get disgusted with TV and finally end up here, vomiting my frustration on you, my dear readers, like Grendal vomits on my rug when she got too many cat treats.
In my frustrated boredom tonight I was just flipping through blogs, trying to find something new I had not seen before but my threshold for middle aged women writing about their kids and trips to McDonalds is pretty low, so this didn't go very well.  I did manage to come across a few well-known blogs that have led their authors on to illustrious careers in books and even TV.  And I'm not knocking those people at all.  Good for them, seriously.  But just looking at their pristine, superbly categorized sites I knew I will never attain such success.  Not that that was my goal here but hey!..I'm in a crappy mood so I had to be down on myself about something!  I think first off I don't have sense enough to hide the crap side of life like those people do, or make it somehow seem funny.  I just blurt out that the chickens shit all in the doorway and Chigger eats it or I cooked something new and it tasted like shit etc. etc.  Granted that doesn't happen very often but for just once I'd like for one of those fancy food bloggers to admit they made something that made the dog flee in terror.  Way back when I was first trying to learn to cook I made some biscuits.  They were not quite edible so I threw them to this ol' hound we had.  Now, a southern hound dawg will and can eat just about anything.  They kinda like goats.  Even ol' Slick spit that biscuit back up though.  I could see the fear in his eyes when it lodged in his throat.  I quickly theorized how to perform the Heimlich on a dawg but he barfed that thing back up before I could attempt it.  Good thing; I don't think it would have went well.

Being in this state of mind and body makes me want to wander too.  However, the pain killers make me too groggy to drive, so I'm confined to zooming around the globe via the web.  I have at least come up with a variety of ways to make recycled light fixtures out of egg cartons for the kitchen, if I ever get back to that.  And I have thought of a killer tile pattern to do on the fireplace divider wall, but you'll have to wait to see that too!  Ha! now you see my frustrations!!  I have the materials to finish my kitchen laying all around me and the stores where I sell my pottery keep calling me wanting spoon rests.  I am a freaking artist!!  hahahahhaha  I don't make spoon rests.  Spoon rests are crap!!  And if I would make blue spoon rests they would probably be beside themselves with joy.  Let them go to Wal-Mart.  I only make art.!!  Allen splurged the other day and got me a bottle of Knob Creek.  It does help the cramps.  And no, I'm not a drunk.  Two shots is about my limit.  Oh, I used to could do more but now heartburn gets me.  Gettin' old and decrepit.  Back when I was married, years ago, we would usually cook a big weekend meal in the summer and make cocktails, usually something with rum.  I think this one time I was making pina coladas and after about 2 he says, 'why don't you just drink that rum straight?'  Well, I guess that sounded like a good idea, so I did.  You ever been so drunk you had to hold onto the floor?  I did.  Woooweee; I felt bad.  I never did that again.  'Course, back them I had a lot more to drink about.  I had to wake up next to that sum bitch every morning!!  ha!  God I'm glad I'm not there anymore!!  But it was my own damn fault so no one to blame but me.
So, I still miss my fellers from work.  Another one called me the other day to tell me he was going to another company.  I was glad for him but it's sad.  Our old company, which really isn't anymore since it's been bought out, has just been trashing those guys benefits, pay and everything.  Everybody is trying to leave or has already left.  It's a sad thing when an honest, good craftsman can't make a decent living anymore.  I suppose the unions need to come back here but that's a whole 'nuther story.  We had some good times though!  I'll never forget Hippy and Dal gettin' stuck behind that Porto-let during that tornado!  Or Hippy's teeth flyin' out into that concrete pour.  Me and Anthony moving forms and that rat ran out right towards me!  Steve running over my brand new welding machine with the backhoe.  Watermelons.. Bama throwing rocks at me from the crane ladder where I couldn't see who was doing it.  Boy, we had some fun.
Come to think of it; things is kinda boring now that I'm not having to dodge heavy equipment, projectiles and vermin.  Ah, well, that's life I guess.  I need to have a big cook out and get them fellers up here.
Hey, I don't think I told ya'll about Daddy Rabbit and Pops??  Daddy Rabbit got let go from the company.  He was the super on the last job I was on and ya'll know I had worked for him for years.  I don't feel bad a t'all for quittin' them now.   Sons a bitches.  And poor Pops; the older black gentleman that ran the buckhoist on that job, died.  On the job.  His son, who worked there too, found him in the Porto-let dead.  Musta had a heart attack.  I sure did hate to hear that.  He was a sweetheart.
Well, now I've depressed myself again.  See what you've done!!  Got me to talkin' about all that stuff.  Well, I guess I'll go on to bed.  Nothing else to do around here.  Things will be better in a day or two though!  I hope ya'll are having a good weekend and remember the servicepeople who have sacrificed all this weekend.  God bless them and their families.

Those Were The Days

I know I'm not supposed to show pictures from work but screw it.....I don't work for them anymore. And by them I mean, the company that bought us and imposed this asinine rule, not my old company.
At any rate, this is from my last safety meeting with the guys. I know I should be happy to be able to retire from this business and pursue a career that means more to me personally but I still can't help but feel a great sadness today. Sadness to see a once really great company that prided itself on true craftsmanship and quality, now faded to just a handful of guys that even remember those days. Sadness to see these men now struggle with overflow of bureaucratic bullshit that has all but washed away any joy or satisfaction of a job being built and completed. But that's a long story and not really what I'm writing about tonight.
Mostly it's a sadness for lost love. Bear with me on this and let me explain....At this point in my life most of my natural family has passed away or otherwise gone. I have one brother and one sister with their small families and my Mom. I rarely see any of them though, except my Mom. Through actual death or the death of common interests I've lost most of my birth family and now I'm losing my adopted family, my friends, my sweethearts. Now, some people may scoff at such an idea. How could these rough ol' men, who are not supposed to accept a female in their trade, be any kind of family to me? How is it that we can go a couple of years at times without even seeing each other and then to step onto a new job together and it be like you were never apart? And worse still I reckon is what does it say about me; a woman that can get along far better with a bunch of raggedy ass, hard livin' and generally misunderstood men, more than anybody else in this world? To tell you the truth, I never have really figured that one out. I never have known why they so completely accepted me. I've seen a few other women come and go with our company and I guess that may be part of it; they never stayed. Mostly because they weren't worth killin', as they guys would say. Now before anybody has a stroke, that just means they didn't think the women could work very well. They didn't try.
I do know that I always tried my best to do my job without asking for help every time I turned around but I never tried to be a man. I understood they had me on sheer strength. I also know that most of those guys are not the mules that most of society thinks they are and that even an old carpenter sometimes just needs somebody to talk to. I guess the two things brought us together. They respected my efforts and I respected them. Did we fuss and argue? Oh hell yes. We've cussed each other 'til we were red in the face. We've kicked and stomped and slung many a hardhat. We've finished more than one job swearing that was the last. But then, a few hours or maybe a day or two to cool off and we'd sidle back up next to each other. We couldn't stay mad for long.
I've been through a number of rough patches in my life. Some of my own doing, some not. Through it all the people that I could most depend on, whether for a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand up, was these guys. They know me pretty good and they helped me know myself. They have been my cheering section and have done their darnedest to establish my legend. Even on my last day they couldn't help but recount some of the stories again that they get such a kick out of. Like the time I shamed a boy into quitting because I took a sledgehammer away from him and showed him how to really use it; that's their favorite I think. I'll never live that one down. And for the record, I think they embellish it a little. The boy didn't quit until the next day.
I am Miss Annie, Sweet Pea, Anna (to my Hispanic boys), Fruitcake, Sweet Thang, Susie Q or just Ma'am. They are my Sweeties, Honey, Sir, my Men and I will miss them so.

Cold Days To Come

 We didn't get any snow the other night but it has turned considerably colder since then.  As you can see, Chigger's favorite rope toy was a little stiff this morning!  She played with it anyway though.  That dog is a never-ending source of amusement.  If people could be so content with such simple pleasures we would all be much better off.  There was such a heavy frost last night that when I awoke this morning it almost looked like it had snowed.  I thought it would be a good morning for a little walkabout and Chigger is always agreeable to such.  She knows the word 'walk', so you have to be careful saying it in front of her.  She starts jumping and dancing around in anticipation.  she has free run of the place but won't go down the drive or some other places by herself so she really gets excited if she thinks you are going to take her down to the creek.

In the colder months it takes a little while before the sun begins to peep inside the house as it first must make it up over the ridge behind me.  Once it's over though, the sun floods into the house.

The creek is up a good bit right now due to the recent rains and it normally runs a little more during the winter.  I was trying to get some good shots and I just happen to find another piece of broken ceramic in the water.  It has a beautiful rich, green glaze on it.  I think it's curious that I find so many pieces of broken pots in this creek.

So, I think I'm getting back into the blogging swing.  I have to make another small confession.  I had gotten a bit discouraged while working out of town and had not felt as much a connection to the whole homesteading/ sustainability thing.  I think I did okay considering that I was living in a hotel, but it's very difficult to maintain a certain lifestyle in that environment and work schedule.  But mainly, people are by far the most discouraging aspect of the whole thing.  Now, my guys at work tease me unmercifully about eating tofu and all that but we have a lot of fun and I don't mean them when I say people are discouraging.  A few of them even told me over the course of my time there how lucky I was to be able to live like I do and not be a slave to a corporation.  But it's just the general attitude of the public and the white collar people that we interact with in the course of our work.  I was not prepared for that, especially in a university setting.  I don't go around telling people how I live because I know by now it is considered very weird but I will say a little something if someone asks me.  And people will ask because they know I only work at times and they see this or that.  I had a few ask me about how I ate and they just laauuughed, like I had told the funniest joke.  I'm sitting there thinking, "what did I say that was funny?"  They scoff and snicker a little if I said I would be glad to finish my work and go home.  Their eyes bugged out and they sputtered incomprehensibly when I said I didn't shop at Wal-Mart.  Or they would just stare at you and kinda slink off, like I had something contagious.  Over the past few years that I have been really trying to live with more of a conscience, I have been called various, unflattering names.  I've been accused quite often of thinking that I am better than everyone else. (This makes no sense to me)  And like I say, I generally don't talk about stuff unless someone asks.  Guess I should stop doing even that.  Anyway, I guess it kinda got to me and I began to think, "Is what I do really of any importance?  Does it make any difference at all?  Is there really any point to any of this sustainability stuff?"  Well, coming home, of course, reassured me that it does make a difference, even if just to me.  And I realize that people who make fun or criticize others for trying to do right are only doing it to cover their own guilt or shortcomings they feel and are not willing to face up to.  Well, really this is a whole 'nother post, as I often say but I had to write a little about that.  It just confounds me that people will be so ugly to others when it really doesn't make a hill of beans to them what I do.  Do any of you ever encounter these issues, or is it just something about me?

Cold November Rain

Well, I'm on a roll here, posting twice in one week!  Unfortunately, it's mainly due to the fact I've come down with a massive case of tonsillitis and had to take the day off.  I worked all week with it but when I woke up this morning I was just feeling too bad.  The fact I had burned my chest badly again, got something in my eye, so it was swollen and matted up, and got my back acting up again from lifting that heavy steel just didn't help matters either.  And it was going to rain and turn cold, which it did.  I'm waiting on them to find the drawings for my next project so today would have been a sort of slow day anyway.  I hate to sit down here out of town and not get paid but sometimes you just gotta look after yourself or you sure will get run down and injured.
I know from the above description it might sound as though I'm on death's door and I do feel like I've had the hell beat out of me.  It's going to take me a few weeks to recover from this excursion when it's over.  All of this has really opened my eyes to how radically I have changed my life since being laid off this last time and how differently other people live.  It's not that I got soft from not working.  I think the well project proves that!  It is just a completely different type of life due to being so much in the city I guess.  As I've mentioned before, I have tried to eat right while here, and I do for the most part.  I buy partly from a local organic grocer and bring food from home but it's not the same always because I can't cook much.  I get a lot of good natured teasing from the guys about my lunches and snacks and it is worlds apart from some of that stuff they eat! *shudder*  They would die, I guess, if they saw how I eat at home, where I can cook!  Now, I do try to cook several meals over the weekend and bring much of it with me to eat during the week but it doesn't last long and I end up eating out once or twice a week, sometimes more.  I have to be careful to avoid the city water down here.  It is putrid and has given my stomach hell since I've been here.  I finally figured out what was doing it and strictly use bottled water, or bring my water in jugs but it was tough back when it was hot because you have to have cold water and they fill our water barrels with the city water.
The air here is awful also.  There is a stench over everything as soon as you enter certain parts of town and it really gets to me.  I'm so used to my fresh country air.  Plus, for some unknown reason, it seems that 80-90% of the population smokes in this town.  I have found it rare to go many places without smelling the stench of cigarette smoke and that stuff really bothers me.  That and the fumes from welding mess my sinuses up and have caused the tonsil issue.
Well, I didn't mean for this to become a whiny post and I'm sorry if it sounds just like every other post I've done since being here.  I have just been surprised at how much of a struggle this has been for me.  Not the work but the cultural and social parts I guess.  No one lives like I do.  It's hard to find recycling facilities and fresh, natural food.  Wal-Mart and smoky bars are the big spots to go!  The ladies that work at the hotel where I'm staying hold me in curious regard and one has been brave enough to ask me a few questions about what I do.  (Due to the hi-viz shirts we are required to wear we are all branded to the public as construction workers and many people avoid us.)  From their attitude it seems that maybe they were never taught women could do anything but be secretaries or clean. God help if she ever asks me about how I live at home!
My superiors at work hold me in a curious regard also.  They know I didn't ask to come here.  They know I have not enslaved my self to a life of servitude (debt) and therefore don't have to work for them.  They treat the guys like crap but they know they can only go so far with me or I'll tell them to cram it.  And they know I will too.  Interesting the extent of the freedom no debt gives you.  I do my job and I do it well but I can't help but be a little smug about it and flaunt the fact they don't own me. LOL!  Not much though.  I still remember the company ours used to be and out of honor to the guys I tow the line, for the most part.
The bottom line is this job has served to reinforce the idea to me that this type of life is nowhere near what I want or will have.  There are malls and shopping for anything you would want around here but it holds nothing for me.  I admit I have bought a few nice pieces of clothing, on sale, because I got down to not having much in the way of nice things, but other than that, I just mostly stare at the windows and wonder how people can be so obsessed and excited over a new purse?  A life of stifling, frustrating hard labor where you only get 2 days a week to do what you enjoy is out also.  I want to enjoy every day.  I used to enjoy this work; we all did.  We talk about how fun the jobs used to be.  Micromanagement, bureaucracy, disposable society and the death of common sense has killed all that.  It has however, brought to life some images for art that I have had floating in my head for years that would never quite crystallize.  They are very clear now.  That has been very interesting and I am excited to get home for good to start producing these works.  They will be unlike anything I've shown ya'll before.
So, it has been good and bad, as most of life is.  I am making some money though and am actively searching now for the stove I want, as my main goal from this is to finish the kitchen.  I should be ordering cabinets before too long also.  If I get that and get to work with my fellas on a big project one last time then it will be worth it.

Good Ol' Boys

I know I have pissed and moaned about this job and working out of town, and it has been rough sometimes, but all in all we have a great time.  I love working with my fellers.  On this day I was taking some photos, during a down time, of the crane hooks for some art work I want to do and I guess Bama (the operator) thought he would help me out, as they are all prone to do, so he lowered it down to the deck so I could get some close up shots.  You don't really realize how big those things are until they are next to a man.  Well, Steve and Nick saw it as their prime opportunity to cut up and do some camera hogging! We play a little when we can and have a good time raggin' the living hell out of each other but we are like family really.  Well, family you get to choose because you enjoy being with each other.  There are a number of us staying down here and we get together about once a week to go eat after work.  I tell ya, I could call about any one of these guys if I ever needed anything and they would be there to help.  The work is harder on me than it used to be but I miss my boys a lot when I'm not working and I will be sad when this job is over because of that.  The work is so hard sometimes so you got to play a little when you can, ya know?

Edit:!  I meant to tell ya'll this kinda funny related story last night but forgot.  So, we are obviously working on the very top floor of the building and we had gone up one morning to get started.  It was a little cool, and I was going to be welding, so I had thrown a heavy denim shirt on over my Hi-Viz t-shirt.  We normally have to wear a vest if we do that but they can't seem to find me one that won't instantly combust when I start welding and ain't doing that.  So anyway, Nick calls for a lift from the crane and Bama says he ain't movin' because he can't see everyone well enough.  Two of us have our shirts covered up.  Funny how crane operators made thousands of safe lifts for decades without these shirts, but I digress.  So, Nick, in his loudest voice, yells over to me, "Hey Annie, take your shirt off!!!!!"  Now, there were about 20 Mexican rodbusters up there with us and many of them claim not to speak English but I'll be damned if they didn't ALL understand that phrase.  Every one of them stopped what he was doing and turned around to look at me.  At first I didn't know what was going on (I wasn't close enough to hear his conversation with Bama) but  then he laughed and explained, "Bama won't move until he can see you".  So, with great flourish I flung off my over shirt, cussing the whole time of course!

Rock Around The Clock

 The photos are just some miscellaneous ones I had that are somewhat related to what I wanted to write about tonight.  The area shown is where my most recent project has been going on.  I know that the world of commercial construction is very far removed from the way most people work so I thought I'd just give ya'll a view of my day.  It starts out early enough at about 4:30 a.m.  I get up in time to have a good, hot cup of tea and really wake up.  I hate to be rushed into my day.  I make my lunch and breakfast and am on my way to work by 5:30.  One good thing here is that I am only about 15 minutes from work at the most, so I make it there by about 5:45-50.  We start work at 6:00 sharp so everybody gets there earlier in order to get their stuff in order and several of us usually sit and eat our breakfast also.  We also use the time to begin our daily aggravation and joking on each other.
At 6:00 we have our safety meeting.  It used to be you only had those once a week but it has become common to have them every day now, first thing.  That lasts about 5-10 minutes and then everybody goes to their assigned job places to shake tools out and get to work.  I have been hanging steel in this stairway that you see in the above photo.  First, I welded on those short stubs you see on the right, next to the concrete.  There are steel plates embedded in the slab that you can't see.  This is 7 floors with embeds at each floor.  Now, my welding leads only reach about 3 floors, so I have to pull the leads up or down the stairwell to reach the next section.  When i run out of leads I pull everything back to the welding machine, roll it up, take the machine over to the buck hoist (if it's running) and take it up or down to the level where i can reach the rest.  Now, sometimes I can just put it on the 3rd or 4th floor and just have to move the leads but sometimes I have to take it all the way up or down for other projects.  Inevitably, I end up moving the machine at least once a day and pulling those leads all over the place.  I know many people have commented on the "condition" of my biceps and shoulders.  Well, now you know.  They are in the shape they are from 18 years of moving, pulling, carrying, shoving or rolling up leads that weigh 30-40 lbs. each.  If I carry them both at once to save time it is a fair load.  And I'm also doing this going up and down any number of stairs.  So, I just work on this type stuff; welding, carrying, moving, layout etc. until 9:00 a.m.  Then we get a 15 minute break if our work allows it.  if you have to work through break you can usually make it up later.  I know 15 minutes doesn't seem like much but it does help a lot.  we get a snack and something to drink, joke around and aggravate each other some more and then go back to work.  Now, today, work involved flying steel into place with the crane as I have all the other stuff in place.  The other day we were on the inside and the crane flew the steel over to us.  I have help doing this.  We maneuver the pieces into place and as the crane holds them, i tack weld them well enough that we can cut him loose and he'll go pick another.  After we get all the pieces hung, I'll come back by myself and hard weld everything according to the drawings.



When I'm welding near the edge I wear a harness, in addition to the welding jacket, etc, and tie off to these clever devices.  They pour them into the tops of each column and are left in place until all outer work is over.  They are very handy.  There is a handrail there, as you can see, but I often have to stand on a ladder to reach what I'm welding and if you do that you must be tied off.
So, we just keep working until 12:00 noon.  Then we get a 30 minute lunch.  It's enough time to rest up but not long enough that you don't want to go back to work.  You don't loose your momentum, so to speak.  Today we were hanging steel with the crane but we had to be up on the outside of the building in a lift in order to maneuver it correctly.  There were 2 of us in the basket and one guy inside to hand me the leads etc. and help hold.  This type work is a little scarier because the operator is flying the steel right over us and then lowers it down to us.  We use a special clamp of the steel called a "plate dog".  It basically bites the steel as long as there is pressure or weight on it and releases when the tension eases and the rigger flips a safety latch.  You have to use these when straps would get caught behind the steel once it was set.  It does cross your mind when that steel is over you that if that plate dog fails you will probably die or be severely injured.
So, normally we would roll up at 2:30 but we are working 10 hours a day so we keep going until 4:30.  We are allowed to go get a Coke or something around 2;30 or 3:00 and of course, we can get water or take a bathroom break any time work allows.  Sometime you have to plan these things if you are working in the air or on a lift.  So, same ol' work until about 4:15 and then it's time to get tools up.  we usually have quite a bit of stuff out so it takes a while to get everything rolled up and locked up in our tool boxes.  Then we go sign out and leave at 4:30.  You do not leave before then even if you have your stuff up.
I know this sounds like a rough day for most people, and it is hard, but we have fun.  We joke around when we can and tease each other.  Sometimes there are down times waiting for one of the cranes or such and we can rest them.  It does take some getting used to though and many people don't like the work.  I don't know, we all have a good camaraderie and help each other as much as we tease each other too.  I am fortunate to work with a great bunch of guys.

Tired Feet

Well, I had intended on posting a bit more but I guess I haven't entirely gotten used to this amount of construction work yet.  Ten hours a day, everyday, is a little wearying.  And, I guess, the abrupt and total change in lifestyle has been mentally tiring.  I believe this is about as opposite as the way I was living as you can get.  I'm having to stay in a small, cramped, heavily occupied, cheap hotel.  It's right next to the interstate; mostly asphalt around here.  The peace and tranquility of my valley is a long way away.  I'm doing the best I can I guess but it gets me down.  

I do enjoy working with my fellas though.  That's the one bright spot but I don't see a lot of them for most of the day actually.  Welders tend to work alone most of the time except when prep work is being done.  Well, didn't mean to write a downer post but I'm very tired and I want to go home.  We will get off at 2:30 tomorrow however and I'll be blazing a trail to my house shortly thereafter.  I'll try to have a better post from home.

Hard Bargain

Well, I had good intentions (but you know what they say about that) for my posting while I was away but ran into a couple of issues. First, the place where I'm staying has horrible Internet connection. I'm using a wireless connection but can only sometimes get a strong enough signal to stay online more than a few minutes. I inquired about the hotel's connection but they want $10 a week for it and I said screw that. I would get an excellent signal at work but do not have time to even log on, much less write anything and I'm not about to hang around after work to blog. Sorry folks. Don't mean I don't care about you! But that shower, however crappy it is, is calling to me mightily by quitting time. Hopefully, I can figure out a solution to this dilemma but in the mean time if I am slow answering emails or replying to comments, that is why. Also, and just as significantly, this first week kicked my ass, to be honest and I really didn't have the energy to do much writing. We worked overtime everyday except Friday and by the time I got back to my room, cleaned up and got something to eat, I was about ready to pass out. My crew has been working on hanging brick angle and so must work out of man lifts up to 80 or so feet in the air. Of course, we must wear safety harnesses that add about 6-7 lbs. to what you're already carrying and in the blazing sun with hardhats on. We've been going in at 6:00 a.m. to get some coolness but that makes for some early nights. At least for me. I can't stay up all night like I used to could. Fortunately, as far as the stress of the work, I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. The first part of the week was rough, to say the least, but by Thursday I was feeling like I was starting to get acclimated to it all again and Friday was almost enjoyable. Maybe that was partially due to the fact I knew we were leaving at 2:30 but I felt not quite so wore out. It was still about 100 degrees that day and I burnt the living crap out of myself cutting some steel but it wasn't a bad day. (The slag spewed back on me because I was cutting against concrete and it basically showered me completely in molten steel.) That statement may help you understand just how bad Monday through Wednesday was.
When I was pondering what to blog about I was thinking about just how hard it is to describe what we go through on these jobs to someone who has never experienced it. I mean, I picked metal BB's (basically) out of my flesh and yes, it hit in some very sensitive areas for a woman, but it was still a fairly enjoyable day, comparatively. Not to sound overly dramatic but it occurred to me; nothing I have ever done while building my house has ever been as hard as what I do at work. And my house includes quite a bit of structural steel and concrete. I admit, the spring box was close and some days at work are super easy but it is just a whole 'nother world there. I think that is part of the reason I get so pissed off when I hear people speak disparagingly of construction workers or have some office slackers make snide remarks to us. It kills me that society has so much respect for doctors and professors etc. but the people that build the structures for these esteemed members of society to work in are treated like so much trash, for the most part.
Well, that's enough ranting for now! Thankfully they are letting us have a 3-day weekend for the holiday so I will probably have some time to post again before I go back. I will try to write about something other than work also!

Oh, I forgot to mention, the photo is the view from the front of the job but you can only see one of the two tower cranes. Directly beneath the crane is some of the forms they use for pouring the floors. These are some interesting contraptions as they can be jacked up or down and shoved out over the edge to extend the floor they are forming. After the floor is poured, these forms are dropped down and pulled out by the crane to be replaced with shoring. The shoring is the 4x4 posts and scaffolding you see to the far left. There will be a forest of these posts amongst the floors. These must be left in place for a few weeks until the concrete samples taken from these pours break at the prescribed strength.
And...if you're wondering why I wasn't wearing some type of protection when I got burned...well, that's a good question. I just didn't take the time to get down from the lift and go get my sleeves. I only needed to wallow this hole in the steel out about an 1/8th of an inch and knew it wouldn't take a minute. So, in an effort to save time I did it bare armed. I eventually had to burn a few more, so I did retrieve my leathers when I went down to doctor myself. And yes, Daddy Rabbit chewed my ass when he found out that I had injured myself, so now I'm sore on both ends. Ha!

Tough

Alright folks, just a quick post to let everybody know I'm on the job and still alive. It's been a little rough so far, to be honest. It's been hovering right around 100 degrees everyday and it does take a little time to get re acclimated to 10 hours a day in that.

I haven't had much time to take photos and really can't publish much anyway in that respect but I did think this one view gives you a pretty good idea of the size of the job. Sorta. If you view the courtyard in the center it seems much bigger. This is probably the biggest job I've ever been on and it's going to be tough. I've got a LOT of steel to weld up.

Anyway, lots of my long-time buddies are here and they are always a hoot. If it weren't for them and Daddy Rabbit I don't think I would try to come back. So, I'll try to post again soon.

Break In The Weather

Well, the weather for the past couple of days has been beautiful; funny how that happens with the worst storms. It's been cool enough in the mornings to make me throw on some long sleeves.
I finally heard from Daddy Rabbit and the other guys. They are safe and unharmed although in the midst of about total destruction. Daddy Rabbit's field clerk is a young lady who attends the University. Her roommate was killed. Last I heard the deathtoll in Alabama was around 210. Ol' Hippie (whom ya'll may remember) had a large tree fall through his house. Other than that, I don't think any of my guys suffered any worse damage. Talked to Head and some others and they are all okay. Thank you all for your concern and well wishes. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! Seriously. I'm sorry I did not or have not been able to answer everybody's comments one by one. Even though I have power, my phone and internet connections have been on and off. Sometimes I have them, sometimes I don't. Mostly lately I don't. It seems to be doing okay tonight, so maybe things are straightened out.
So, the rest of us just count our blessings and continue on. Above are some seedlings I must get planted this weekend. Tomatoes, eggplant  peppers and watermelon. Yes, I am going to grow some more watermelon but this is a different variety; Black Diamond this time.

Here is the current state of the garden: zucchini and squash are the most recent additions and going strong. They were blooming today. Well, I also planted two rows of Red Pontiac potatoes recently. They have not come up yet. Onions and garlic are doing very well.
The blueberries are doing very well this year as are the strawberries and raspberries. All the fruit got a good dose of compost and an organic fertilizer for fruit early this spring.

The broccoli is still chugging along. I get enough to make a side dish about once a week from 8 plants. They have all long since produced their main center head and these are just the side shoots now.

Even my grapes look like they may produce this year, now that I have relocated them inside the fenced garden.
This recent horrible storm has also had the effect of confirming in my mind the advantage of being somewhat self-sufficient. Or at least, not so dependent on the stores. Now, make no mistake, there is no way to prepare for a dead-on hit from that size tornado, short of a underground concrete bunker, but for the ones not hit there are still potential problems. A lot of people scoff at preppers or doomers and say it's stupid to worry about such. Well, I'm not a doomer by any stretch but this is a prime example of why you should be prepped. For example, most of the surrounding counties have been without power. No power in the stores mean no gas and no food. So, guess where they all came. You got it, our town has been overran. Couldn't even get in the parking lot of most gas stations and lots of food items were sold out. Fortunately, since I have prepared somewhat, it hasn't affected us. I have plenty of food and we have gas. And due to the ever increasingly erratic patterns of weather, you never know when some crap is going to happen. It's not just about some end of the world scenario that is probably never going to happen anyway, it's just regular world stuff that screws up most people today. For instance, I read about another blogger who hurt his back pretty bad and was down flat for 3 weeks. His wife didn't and couldn't drive. Had they not done some prepping and been self-sufficient they would have really been in a bind. Turns out they did fine. Makes me all the more anxious to get more of my stuff going.

Unstill Life

Our annual spring rains/ floods have come and gone this past week. Since I've been living here this has been a normal occurrence. Over the years I have been building and modifying the landscaping around the house to reduce the effects of the rains on the house and yard but I still have more work to do. The construction of the other half of the house would help greatly. Maybe one day. This wet season stream that flows under the drive is much reduced from the day before the picture was taken. Basically, I have a small creek that developes in my lower yard when it rains like this. Doesn't hurt anything though.

Chigger was helping me clean up debris from the rains. Well, really she was just running around with sticks in her mouth. She loves sticks. She will bring the sticks to me sometimes to put on the burn pile but if I could just teach her to put them there on her own that would be a great accomplishment!

The veggies in the coldframe are really doing well now with the warm weather. Of course, that is loose leaf lettuce on the left hand side growing so big. Next over, much smaller, is carrots and then further right of them is more lettuce just barely coming up. I'm going to try to keep a succession of plantings going as long as I can. At the far end is one chard plant, head lettuce and the beginnings of spinach. The days here are usually in the 60's now with nights in the 30's and 40's. I close the frame completely at night and prop it open in the day. On really warm days I open it like this.

The other crops are doing well also. Closest is young cabbage, then broccoli, older cabbage, garlic in the far right (tallest) and you can barely see young onions up there too. The raised bed across the walk is strawberries.

The broccoli are putting out tons of these little heads and they are so sweet and tasty! Each head is loaded with them. I do have 4 small broccoli plants also that, hopefully, will start producing when these older ones start pooping out.

I know I have been kinda quiet here and on your other blogs. I am just in a transition now I guess. I'm not sure of what I want to say or if I even have much to say. Well, of course I do, I just have been mulling many things over. If I am not going to go back into the mainstream workforce (and it looks as though I'm not) I must make some strong efforts here to complete some things and get many things operational. The garden, the chickens, my pottery. I must make a serious effort this year to begin producing much more of my food.

So, bear with me on my posting. I will be showing ya'll more projects and all that. I am still reading your blogs, just not saying much.

Signs Of Life

Today dissolved into a rainy, dreary mess but the previous three were just absolutely beautiful. The warmth and sun from those days were just what I needed to help rejuvenate my cold and listless self. Even the plants perked up and seemed to grow a couple of inches after I pulled their plastic house back so they could see the actual sun. The cabbage and broccoli seem to have been in a state of suspended animation but I noticed this morning that little broccoli heads are forming in there!

The cabbage is trying to form heads too. Tonight the temps are supposed to drop back again and they are forcasting a little snow for Friday, maybe, so these plants will go back into their sleep but I imagine when real spring comes they will really shoot up. I have another row of cabbage that are about half the size of these on the left, so their harvest will be staggered at least. Just a few more weeks and I will have made it through winter with still viable plants and no real greenhouse.

And success with the coldframe!! These had actually sprouted before the warm spell but that really helped them shoot on up. I was surprised to see how warm this frame would get, even on a 30 degree day, so now I know it is entirely possible to sprout stuff all winter long. It may take just a little longer but it does work. During this warm spell (we had days around 60 F.) I did have to be very careful about venting the coldframe, as these little sprouts would have fried had I not opened the frame. I also had to water about every other day, every day if sunny, because the soil dries out quickly in there.
The loose leaf lettuce is growing the quickest with the head lettuce next. The carrots have finally sprouted and are starting to really go but those crapping onions have yet to sprout. I never have luck with those.
But, as God as my witness, I'll never buy lettuce again!!! heh, I hope.

I also saw a few more signs of growth. Seems I'm not the only one anxious for warm weather. I have some other daffodils down by the mailbox that are up about 6 inches. I hope these don't get killed back by the cold. I have enjoyed the snow and all this winter but I am very ready for warm weather. I am very anxious to start gardening in a major way and as it looks as though I will not be working my 'real' job this summer, I will enjoy the cool summer mornings spent in my garden, rather than bent over formwork or a rebar mat.

A fine, misting rain was falling this morning as I was about covering everything back up. It was still in the 50's then, but by tomorrow the cold will have returned. I thought the mist on this sage plant was so pretty. Like little jewels encrusting it's leaves.

Cryin' Shame

Today was a beautiful, sunny, even almost warm day, so I decided to take a short break from the pantry and do a little yard work before it turned cold again. I moved two grape vines to the inside perimeter of the garden, so they would be within the protective boundary of the fence. My goal is to have the whole perimeter of the garden filled with assorted fruits with the veggies occupying the middle and a nice walkway dividing them. I also brought in a lot of firewood and kindling to prepare for the coming cold. They are even calling for more snow in a day or two.
Toward sundown though I came in to finish prepping the last of the big shelves to go in the pantry. I got it sanded very well and the beeswax put on. Hopefully, I can install this tomorrow and maybe a few smaller shelves too.

Well, Jack left today and he ain't comin' back. I guess I just ain't cut out for coupledom. Someone told me the other day I am like a bull in china shop. Reckon so. Cryin' shame though. Jack and I had a lot of fun together. I'll miss him. I guess not all problems can be overcome though.
I got lots to do around here though to keep me busy.
I even noticed that there was the weeist little sprouts popping up in the coldframe. I believe it was the loose leaf lettuce.


*Lyle Lovett

Travelin' Man

I tell ya, I feel like I am really falling down on ya'll lately. I just don't feel like I am writing about much of anything. I thought I might have some interesting things to relate from this weekend trip Jack and I took but, not so much so. Or, the thought just popped into my head, maybe I am experiencing a bit of shyness when it comes to writing about my private adventures. Hhhmm. Not sure; it's not like Jack and I were up to no good while visiting the Parthenon here. Hell, it was so cold that day I wasn't about to part with even the slightest bit of clothing. Heh.
Well, anyway, the holidays are practically over so I'm sure I'll be back to the tasks around home pretty quick.
This quick trip to Nashville was suppose to be so I could restock on clay but the supplier I use up there stopped carrying the one clay I like. Dammit. Happens every time. Now I'm gong to have to try to find a dealer in Georgia or just bite the bullet and have it shipped from North Carolina. Or start using a more local clay. Piss.
We saw a few sights while in Nashville but a lot of things were closed since we went up on Sunday. Jack used to live there, so he knew the whole city. That was great; he knew how to get everywhere and I just had to ride along.

The columns and the Parthenon were much larger than I would have imagined. For those who are not familiar with this structure, it is a full scale replica of the original Parthenon, complete with the enormous statue of Athena inside. We didn't get to see that however.

This was the Gaylord-Opryland Hotel. We did not stay here by the way. Much too expensive, but we went through it to see the Christmas lights. It's like a 4 acre arboretum under glass. Pretty cool.

These were the lights out front. Way down where those brightest trees are there was a full-size Nativity scene. I was kinda surprised to see a religious display like that on commercial property but I guess it's still legal. For now anyway. It was very well done.

So, I didn't get my clay but I got some other supplies and we had a blast, as usual. I like traveling with Jack because he just makes it so easy. He's very accommodating and we just take our time and enjoy ourselves. Even if I'm not feeling well, like Sunday night, we have fun and laugh at what we can. It's so nice to be with somebody like that.

I have completed one project at the house that I've been working on for a while so I'll show that next time. Nothing real exciting but it is helping immensely on organizing the basement. Got a few other projects underway that I will show soon also.
I guess I am wanting this blog to focus more on what I am trying to accomplish here now, more than just whatever hits my brain. I think this is because I feel more focus now and really feel I should knuckle down and make a concerted effort to move into a truly self-sufficient life. Lots of things are stimulating this move, like Jack being here and me loosing my job. But those are good things and I think bringing this place to fruition is a good thing too.
Don't worry though; I'm not going to get boring and all. Ya'll know stupid things are still going to happen to me!

If I Could Make A Living

I was surprised to see that was actually a song title. lol! Not really familiar with it but it will work. Well, I've been busy as a bee but really don't have much to show ya'll. I've just been throwing and firing to complete orders and get ready for this Open House next weekend. I have a feeling not many people are going to show up but then as soon as I don't make much, 75 people will drive up wanting pots. So anyway, I have lots of people right now, that are interested in buying work but I just keep wondering how things are really going to go, given the sorry state of the economy etc etc. Of course, I know that some artists have always been able to make a living, even in horrible economic times. I really need to start applying to some regional or national shows and try to get my name out there.
I've talked to a few of the guys from work lately but things are still horribly slow. I don't really look for that work to pick up any time soon.

This is some of what I did this evening. Some freshly thrown bowls and a couple of mugs on the left there. There is a real trick to sliding the pots off the wheel right after they are thrown and onto a board. I do that to save space and not take up so many bats. For years I have always done fine, rarely messing a piece up, but the other night I dropped 3 mugs in a row. I said, the hell with it and called it a night. I was tired I guess.

This is one of my recent casserole dishes. I think they are starting to come out well. I don't know if I have ever put a picture of one of these up before. It has taken me a long time to develop a design that I like with these. I will show this one glazed and finished.
I have not forgotten about the video ya'll wanted to see of me throwing. It's just a matter of getting Jack to help, which is not really a problem, and having a day when I don't look like I just fell off a manure wagon.
As a matter of fact, Jack has been a great help lately, cleaning up the place for the Open House. I certainly don't want it to look like the rednecks from hell live here. He also installed a new light fixture over my wheel so I can better see what I'm doing. And he has kept us in split firewood so I don't have to worry about that.

Well, I hope that soon I will have some new progress on the house to show ya'll. I have several projects that are right on the verge of being finished but I still don't have time for that last final step. Maybe soon!

Oh! and WAR EAGLE baby!!!