Friday To Do

 I used to write my to-do lists here all the time! Before I became aware that people were actually reading this blog, & got self-conscious about what I posted. I am going to try a return to more mundane posting, because honestly I don't have profound thoughts or even very interesting happenings to post very often. 

Today I am preparing for the firing that I hope to do on Sunday (or possibly Wednesday.) There's alot to prior to a firing, so let's get to it:

1. Dig out kiln 🙄
2. Mix wadding
3. Grind shelves? I might not need to do this; I have way more shelves than I usually need, so probably have enough fresh clean shelves to load. But I gotta check
4. Check propane. Which means creating a path thru the snow to the tank. MORE SHOVELING
• I might have to call the propane folks! 
5. Start loading
6. Pottery tour stuff! Today I am scheduling Facebook posts about the studios on the tour. 

Things & Stuff

 It's been almost a month since I posted - mostly a cold, snowy, sleety month. I read once that humans have hibernation in our genetic history and some months I really feel it. When it's snowing hard & in the single digits, every fiber of your being tells you to stay where you are warm & safe & dry; but you go out to shovel, because if you wait it's gonna be so much worse. 

That's not to say I haven't been busy! As I do every year, I began putting together the Maine Pottery Tour in January. This year we are funded by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission - yay - but that funding is so far just a (very reliable!) promise; I don't expect to see the money until June, after the pottery tour is over. Still, it will pay for updates & upgrades to the website, much more advertising, a bit for our previously-volunteer publicist, and a small stipend for me. (Not even that small, by my standards, tbh!) 

I want to fire this weekend, but the kiln is snowed in; we got 2 feet of snow in a 7-day stretch here in Augusta, & digging out has been slow. Hopefully the warm temperatures today thru Saturday will take care of some of it for me. 

I did buy myself a little day-brightener: a giant rolling pin for slab work! I got spoiled by the heavy maple pins at Portland Pottery & finally decided after all these years that I deserve one of my own.