Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday

Coffee is a Starbucks tall in the Glacier National Park go-mug, music was "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane before I turned off the car. I sit in the sun sipping my Starbucks, munching a cranberry orange muffin, waiting for Bill from Elliott Metal Works (we are meeting halfway between our shops to exchange work for orders and I was early) and I post courtesy of ATT wifi. I found out the other day that I have free access to all ATT wifi spots because we have Bellsouth DSL... The things you learn.

A week without an assistant is like a week without Prozac--and just ask your nearest 21st century perimenopausal woman about what THAT'S like. Becky is off this week and it has been my busiest firing week of the year. I do two to three loads a day but have yet to do the magic fourth (Bertha and Bettina in the same day). And yet I am in the studio early every the morning, work without slacking all day and still don't get home till very late--exhausted, sweaty and grumbly. This situation has got to end never to be repeated. A regular assistant is now a necessity, no longer a luxury.

Yesterday--though I did not post here--I did spend much of the morning on Blogger. I helped my friend and ikebana instructor Elaine set up her blog on washi and ikebana.

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I started the above post on Friday morning, but before I could finish, Bill arrived at Starbucks, we planned, we traded pieces, and I got back to the studio. I did not get the second big load in, again. Saturday followed the same path of in the studio early, but deviated in that I *finally* got two big kiln loads in simultaneously. Unfortunately, when I went over and looked at them this morning the fuse load was underdone and I had to refire it. The only thing I can come up with is that somehow Bertha wasn't able to get enough electricity so didn't reach full-fuse temp--or reached it but wasn't able to stay there long enough... or I used the wrong firing cycle and I can't even imagine how I did that. Whatever it was, she seems to be firing fine now.

Tomorrow--Labor Day--sees me labor more with two full loads to do. Thank heaven Becky is back Tuesday! Shown at top right is Bettina's first fuse load on the new shelf.