Montana

Now for today's post (having just finished and put up yesterday's). It's always hard to leave Montana, but last week was unexpectedly beautiful and warm, and it just broke my heart this time. Part of it was time out of life--which I guess I needed worse than I thought--and part of it was the place. Every blade of grass there resonates within me. In Atlanta, it's just grass.

Buck up, put the big girl panties on, and deal with it. But here are some photos I wanted to share. This picture of Flathead Lake and the mountains behind is here to show why I snicker every time someone mentions "going to the mountains" down here in the south. We "went to the mountains" in Kentucky for spring break. They were lovely and most closely resembled the mountains that are the dark band above the lake in this picture. The Mountains are the lighter blue band behind them covered in snow. Hills, meet mountains. The garden shot is a close-up of my mother's tulip and herb garden with the chives blooming amongst the tulips. *sigh* Maybe I would feel better if I had time to get a garden in--and if it wasn't too bloody hot to do so! Now back to glass.

Whoopsie-daisies!

Dee is coming down early this afternoon and getting Todd's work that needs to be shipped to ACRE on the way (sort of on the way... well, not really on the way at all--thanks Dee!). I realized while I was in Montana that I traded or sold several pieces at the BMAC in February and I need to replace those pieces for ACRE. Whoopsie-daisies!

And that was the beginning of yesterday's post that I didn't get up yesterday. Whoopsie-daisies!

Back in Atlanta, Back in the Saddle

Back from Montana, ensconced at Kavarna. Unfortunately sat behind two vapid women who chattered non-stop about how cool they are and their relationships (or somesuch). When another big table opened up I vamoosed. Dave'll have a pause when he gets back form his phone call. They gave me snotty looks when I moved, but whatever!

The phone is out at the studio and the house and has been since Saturday. It's supposed to be fixed by 7:00 tonight but I'm not holding my breath. If it weren't for the studio I think I would just drop the landline altogether. Today we are closed and I am taking advantage of the lack of people in the studio to get a new website up. The week in Montana gave me the time to really figure out what I want and need going forward, and the time to do it too. I am definitely combining my two sites (Siyeh Studio and Siyeh Glass) into one, and I am featuring the blog and book prominently too.

So enough posting, to the interweb and beyond!

Bad Blogger!

There are many jobs that can be done remotely. My husband, for example, codes very successfully from the red chair in our home office or from whatever coffee shop we happen to be frequenting of a morning. Studio artist, however, requires a studio, and I am not in my studio. I am in Montana for a week on family business. Both the family business and the being away from the studio are forcing me to sloooooowww down and evaluate life--and this is a Good Thing. After last week's insane pace (and no posting) I need a little sleep and a little perspective. And to dream of vermiculture--but that's another topic for another blog.

Now my only question is, do I work on the websites, or create the other half of the POS system for the retail/classes side of the studio, or do long-term financial and business planning, or catch-up on home finances and long-term budget planning... or should I just read and sleep? Maybe a combination of some of the above--but not a combination that makes me feel like I've been pulled in 20 different directions and am ineffectual at all of them. Right now I think I'll enjoy reading in the early evening sun on my parents' deck while looking out over Flathead Lake to the snow covered peaks in Glacier Park just to the north... Yeah, I've got it rough.

PS-Just read Morganica the Viking's review of my book on Amazon. Wow. I am humbled that someone so good thought so much of my work!

What a Week!

A new week has begun! I luxuriate in a medium mocha at Chocolate (and the occasional nibble on Dave's bagel--my new dieting strategy: Never order my own food, just take one or two bites from the food of everyone around me). The post today is going to be long with even more photos than text. I'm way behind on studio happenings--and they have been quite post-worthy. Some of today's topics (like the drive-in and the Ren Faire) don't really have anything to do with glass, but right now the studio events and the rest of my time all blur into one big LIFE so I'm not going to bother to separate them out. And speaking of big life, that is me all cozied up to former President Jimmie Carter last Saturday--no photoshopping involved. Details forthcoming.

Last week was intense, and it started at the end of the week before with the arrival of Johnathon Schmuck and two of the participants for the roll-up workshop. We hit the ground running on Saturday and flew by the seat of our pants through Thursday. We got through the capricious weather, schedule changes, piece failures and the breaking in of the new pick-up kiln with just a few bruises. Friday we caught our breath--just in time for the arrival of the latest glass delivery from Bullseye. I got a little planning in, and then had to jump right into the East Lake Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. (I'm glad I scheduled Opaline-A-Palooza for every other week and this was our week off).

Week two of the East Lake Farmer's Market was pretty quiet until about 11:00. There were no collard greens cooking, no live music playing, no farmers selling organic produce (except for the people next to us who sell eggs and meat from free-range chickens). There was some organic produce available from the staff of the farmer's market, but apparently there are far more farmer's markets than there are organic farmers to sell at them so it's hard to get vendors. There were only six of us this week--the farmer's market booth, LefTeas, two bakeries (sorry, I didn't get names), Little Red Hen Farms with organic eggs, and us.

Traffic was desultory. Then former President Jimmie Carter showed up with Mrs. Carter and their grandson Jason (who lives just down the road in Candler Park and who is running for State Senate from our district) and things picked up right quick. There were more secret service people than vendors, but the crowd sure filled in. I was lucky enough to get to shake President Carter's hand, exchange a few words and get my picture taken with him.

For those who posted on facebook--No, he and Mrs. Carter aren't coming for date night in the hotshop (Jessie thinks they should come and do a kilnforming date night with me instead anyway), and no, they didn't buy anything (they didn't even get much past the entry gates and we were set-up at the other end), but they sure made my day!

The tea vendor (LefTeas) knew he was coming in advance and brought her special organic white tea with peach and apricot essence and osmanthus flowers (Give Peach a Chance). It has his picture on the bag and they got a photo of him holding it. I bought a bag for myself and can't wait to try it (I love their Yellow Dog Democrat blend).

Saturday afternoon I crashed. I meant to do some fusing, some planning, work on the website, but I just plain ran out of steam. I napped for several hours. Then we went to the drive-in for the opening weekend of Iron Man 2. The movie didn't start till 9:00 but we went at 7:30 (in the mini cooper with chairs and a cooler) and got the last good spot (second row center). The gates open at 7:00 and it's a big cook-out/picnic with kids running around throwing footballs, playing tag, making new friends, and adults grilling on their little (or as in the case of the people next to us not-so-little) Webers for two hours till showtime. It's amazing. The people next to us on one side had a big grill on wheels for their two cars full of people. The pick-up on the other side of us had a mattress in the bed and they had boxes of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. There were grills and beer everywhere. It was one big tailgate party.

Yesterday, Mother's Day, was a complete and total day off for me--the first in I-don't-know-how-long, probably since spring break. It started with breakfast in bed made by Dave and the J (she scrambled the eggs). Then we went to the Renaissance Faire in costume (Dave is one sexy Musketeer), and when we got home I napped for a couple of hours. I did answer a couple of emails and review an article just before bed, but it was really and truly a Day Off. (Dave let me sleep in this morning till 8:30 AND we went to bed fairly early last night--I was seriously behind on sleep).

Wow am I charged today! This week my goals are to get the new website up, get Keith's Christmas plates done BEFORE his birthday, and start the roll-ups for ACRE in Vegas in a couple of weeks. Yikes. ACRE, then summer camp! No rest for the wicked...

The Week Endeth... Almost

Coffee in the Montreal skyline mug, Ernie purring as he kneads my leg (ow!) for music. As much as I like Ernie, I think I'll put on James McMurtry singing "For All I Know". It's been a week. The most important event of the week was Todd's birthday on Wednesday. He turned 63, doesn't he look great? Actually we don't know how old he is. He acts nine, looks 32, grumbles like 70, and doesn't have a driver's license that we can snatch to check. However old he is, we love him and sing hippo birdie two ewes to him.

Lori Schinelli's Glass Inspirations roll-up workshop with Johnathon Schmuck started Saturday at Siyeh Glass with a demo. The rest of Saturday and Sunday were supposed to be up at Lori's studio, but there was a mad moment on Sunday when they thought they might come down and play in the hotshop (it didn't work out), then we hosted everyone all day Monday and Tuesday (beginning Monday morning at 5:30 when I had to turn the pick-up kiln on). There was flirting with another "play" session on Wednesday but it was pushed off to Thursday, and today we don't expect anyone at all (from the workshop--Lee does have hotshop lessons scheduled). Whew. Good thing as the Bullseye Glass order comes today. Next week we have to begin our own roll-ups for ACRE in Vegas the beginning of June.

Dave skedaddled off to Austin to work for the week Monday morning at 6:30, and I might have envied him except James McMurtry was playing here at the Five Spot on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Five Spot is tiny. And loud. I went Tuesday night with Keith, but I don't think I'll be going back. If I do I'll eat before I go and I'll take earplugs. But McMurtry was amazing on Tuesday (I think I'm in love. If it weren't for Dave I might become a McMurtry groupie and move back to Austin.)

Tomorrow is the Farmer's Market again--I have a day off from Opaline-A-Palooza though. The next session is next week.

Johnathon Schmuck and the East Lake Farmer's Market

What a life I'm turning out to have with this studio/glass resource center! Saturday was full, full, full. We started by setting up at 8:00 for the first day of the East Lake Farmer's Market. (Find it at elfmarket.org because if you go to elf.org--as I first did--you end up at the site for the entropy liberation front. I don't know about you, but I don't have any entropy lying around to liberate.)

It was great fun to do the farmer's market. I hope Judy and Carol had fun too as they were there more than I was, and I am looking forward to doing it again every Saturday for the rest of the summer.... well, maybe not EVERY Saturday. Judy helped out this first time as I was seriously overbooked. She was our Market Girl (see her schmoozing with potential date nighters in her spiffy Bullseye t-shirt).

Dee was a studio elf on Saturday too as it was Day 2 of Opaline-a-Palooza and she wrangled the class for me (including bringing a box of Starbucks coffee for everyone) and ran the studio while I went back and forth between there and the farmer's market.

At 9:30 Lori brought Johnathon down to do a demo in the hot-shop for all the attendees of her Glass Inspirations roll-up class with him. Johnathon is so wonderful. He is such an excellent teacher, a consummate professional with his flexibility, relaxed demeanor and positive attitude. Google his name, people (Johnathon Schmuck). If he ever teaches a class anywhere near you (even not so near), run--don't walk--and take it. It doesn't even matter what it is. I cannot say enough good things about him (and his knowledge) (and his book). In fact, I'm not sure if there are still spots, but he is teaching a coldworking class at the end of this week at Lori's too. If you are available...

Now about today! This morning the dogs got me up at 4:00 because of the lightning that presaged the Perfect Storm. I am not sure how many inches of rain we've had in the last seven and a half hours, but it was enough to bring down our rigged awning outside the hotshop by 5:30 am and to bend one of my aluminum pipe and drape pools at a not-so-nice right angle. The mulch is running in a river down the path and the drive, but Lee is cheerful, and I am resilient (if not totally cheerful). Lori, Johnathon and the first class participants arrived a little after 9:30 and everyone else trickled in after that. The tarp is somewhat back up, I put out donuts , muffins and coffee for breakfast and ordered pizza for lunch. If I can't keep them all dry, at least I can feed them.