Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Michelle, some of whose days would exhaust a four-year-old! You are living every moment you live and, hopefully, loving every moment.

From Cabin:
Nothing done in studio yesterday but I packed up winter clothes, sorted out summer ones and left some packed, sorted out closet for better access to what is what, packed almost a box of books - did not turf out any but put some aside to consider further, reduced 6 inches of saved magazines to 3 inches, quickly threw the discards into the wood stove, found and sorted through file on environmental illness, and de-cluttered the computer of about 2000 old emails - lots more to go and I have figured out an improved modus operandi for the info I want to save to file. Wrote a long email to a stressed friend. Actually two - one to catch up and another in response to her response. Suggested she email her husband so maybe he would "hear" what she wants him to hear.

As the afternoon wore on, I realized I was feeling not so great and my eyes were burning. Decided the wood I was burning must be toxic and the chimney is not drawing well so I opened the door and let fresh air in. Started feeling better. Fortunately I had gotten the cabin too warm and the weather was moderate. The wood came from the saw mill and seemed to have something on it - tar? creosote? I was dubious about it but thought the chimney would evacuate any toxins. Wrong!

A wild turkey walked along the drive until I opened the door to try to get a pic. No pic.

This morning, after a nice brekkie with R, who has gone back to the city with my car promising to launder a load of clothes, after I suggested I would try to fix the leaky washing machine, I fetched another plastic bin for more winter clothes and put the full one outside. The bedding is changed and R took the second bag of laundry with him so now there is no reason to try to fix the machine. Maybe I will look anyhow.

Feeling energized by the clayart emails with ideas about claywork by real life potters. Potters are rare. I only know of two nearby and they are neither at the level of expertise of the wonderful folks, and some not so, on clayart. Imagine a lengthy discussion on buckets - for glazes, quality, types of lids, where to get them free, why to buy them instead, colours, quality of plastic. Or a tedious discussion on the qualities of stainless steel, use of the correct terminology - 'til it becomes amusing as in "Gee, they are still on about that!"

So R and I thought of places we might get free ones. Etc. Cool people, picky people, helpful people, tedious academics - real life potters! I learn and laugh and groan, and, once in a while, post a thought or a thank you. And need to de-clutter over a thousand of those emails onto files: Venting, buckets, French butter dishes, etc.

But today, another drismal but not too cold one, I have the energy to glaze so off I go!