Ancestry

In my post surgery down time, I've delved into my family's genealogy.  My niece, Annie, did a bunch of research that I've used to create my family tree.  One of the many amazing things she discovered was that my 11th great grandfather was Francis Eaton.  He came to America on the Mayflower.  He was a carpenter and signed the Mayflower Compact.

Francis Eaton (1596 - 1633)

is my 11th great grandfather

Rachel Eaton (1625 - )
Daughter of Francis

Daniel Ramsden (Ramsdell) (1649 - 1722)
Son of Rachel

Thomas Ramsden (Ramsdell) (1680 - 1727)
Son of Daniel

Gidean Ramsden (Ramsdell)(1712 - 1795)
Son of Thomas

Content Ramsden (Ramsdell) (1741 - )
Daughter of Gidean

Content Hovey (1772 - 1841)
Daughter of Content

Solomon Joy (1799 - 1872)
Son of Content

Eliza Angeline Joy (1833 - 1909)
(Her husband died fighting in the Civil War so she came west on the Oregon Trail as a widow with 4 children and settled in Benton County, OR where she married a man 18 years younger than her!)
Daughter of Solomon

Evannah Eliza Smith (1860 - 1902)
Daughter of Eliza Angeline

Joseph Edwin Tyler (1881 - 1930)
Son of Evannah Eliza

Ray Burt Tyler (1906 - 1991)
Son of Joseph Edwin

Joseph Edward Tyler (1931 - )
Son of Ray Burt

Melanie Susan Tyler
You are the daughter of Joseph Edward
 
 

Pre-kids, Sisu Bill and I took a trip back New England to visit his family in Massachusetts.  He was born in a small town called Fitchburg.  We were able to spend a wonderful week at his family's cottage on Cape Cod.  During that trip we stopped in Plymouth and went to the Plymouth plantation.  I wish I knew then what I know now.  It makes me more excited to take the kids back there for a visit, as there is now a whole new perspective of that place.  This past summer, Cooper and I were really into reading G. Clifton Wisler's historical fiction novels about young boys growing up in the early days of our country.  We read stories about the Revolutionary War, The Civil War, The Underground Railroad and one about a young boy's journey to America on the Mayflower (This New Land).  It was fun to tell Cooper about his relation to Francis Eaton as he really understood what a hardship that journey was after reading the book. 

Visiting Czech cousins in Provodov, CZ

I'm curious about looking into my Czech ancestry as we met relatives from Provodov in the SE part of the Czech Republic called Moravia.  I think there are some strong roots to tile making from that part of the world.  It will be interesting to see what I discover.  Someday, I'd like to travel to Doylestown, Pennsylvania and take a class at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works.  A girl can dream, right? 

The Catholic Church that my great great
grandfather Heriza (Hriza) family attended. 
We had heard stories about the
100 steps that lead up to the church. 
Turns out there weren't quite 100. 

My dad with his cousin Jan and Jan's granddaughter.
They are standing in front of the blacksmith shop
that gg grandfather Heriza (Hriza) worked in at his home. 
Jan's granddaughter did all the interpreting for us.   

Visiting the Heriza house in Provodov, CZ

My great uncle Tom Gregerson (Grandpa Rudolph's brother) was a passionate genealogist.  He did a bunch of research into his family roots back to their days in Norway.  He would be blown away by all the information that is now at our fingertips via the Internet.  How times have changed - but the fundamental curiosity about who we are and where our ancestors came from remains the same. 

Cheers!

I was relieved to hear that the Celtic tumbler order for the wedding on the other side of the U.S. all arrived safely.  The bride and groom were wonderful to work with.  They were so kind to send me a few photographs from their wedding celebration showing the tumblers at their reception.  I love to hear about people enjoying the ceramics that I've made, so it was especially fun to see these pictures from an event as special as a wedding.  They made homemade mead for their reception and wanted something special to serve it in that the guests could take home as a gift as well.  We came up with a color and added a celtic knot to tie it into their theme.  Cheers to Paul and Melissa!

The Things We've Handed Down*

My parents recently gave us my Grandma Gregerson's piano that had been in their house since the 1970's.  My sister, Liz, was so kind to have the piano moved up from Salem to our home.  I did a bit of research into the piano to find out more about it's history.

It's a Steinbach and Dreher upright piano.  Steinbach and Dreher was a small, family owned firm that built pianos in very small numbers. Their factories were in Rockford, IL (Chicago).  The piano was built circa about 1915 and is made of Honduran Mahogany wood.

I love the delicate ornate features on the sides of the piano.

While this is the factual history of the piano, there is much more to it than that.  This piano has a sentimental history. 

My mother was born in 1933.  My grandmother Margaret became ill with some complications from the delivery and had some significant postpartum depression.  She ended up moving to Portland to live with her sister for a year to recover.  My grandfather hired someone to help care for my mother and her older brother during this time.  I can only imagine how stressful a time that must have been for my grandfather.  He had a young son, a newborn, a full time job as a mechanic and the Great Depression had hit.  After Margaret recovered, she returned to Boise.  My grandfather bought her this piano to help raise her spirits.  We speculate that he must have bought it from someone who needed the money as times were hard then.  A purchase like this must have been a big deal for them given the time and circumstances. 

Margaret played the piano beautifully.  She could play by ear as well as read music, which was evident from the large stack of sheet music that arrived with the piano.  Margaret came to live with us after she had a stroke in 1978.  While many of her abilities were affected by the stroke, her ability to play the piano was not.  I got the feeling that the piano still brought her comfort even after all those years. 

Rudolph (Rudd) and Margaret Gregerson
Newlyweds in Yellowstone Park 1925

Rudolph and Margaret Gregerson
Pasadena, CA 1926

I took piano lessons for 11 years and played on this beautiful old piano.  It's been enjoyable to revisit some of those pieces I worked so hard to master as a young person.  I'm amazed at how some of it just comes back more easily if I don't think about it than if I do - in a funny sense memory kind of way.  My daughter seems to have an aptitude for music.  She sits down and figures out tunes that she knows and plunks them out on the piano.  Hopefully we'll soon have her in some lessons so that she can learn more.  I'd like to think that there is a little bit of her great grandmother's gift in her.  "The things we've handed down*" - both literally and figuratively.

My sister, Jean, wrote an interesting story about my grandparents and how they met at Yellowstone Park in the 1920's.  I took the images I used above from her story.   I'm looking forward to taking my kids to Yellowstone Park sometime soon.  I think must be a magical place for our family.

*One of my favorite songs from the soulful Marc Cohn

LYRICS: THE THINGS WE'VE HANDED DOWN

(Marc Cohn)

I don't know much about you
I don't know who you are
We been doing fine without you
But we could only go so far
Don't know why you chose us
Were you watching from above?
Is there someone there that knows us
Said we’d give you all our love
Will you laugh just like your mother
Will you sigh like your old man
Will some things skip a generation?
Like I’ve heard they often can
Are you a poet or a dancer?
A devil or clown
Or a strange new combination
Of the things we've handed down
I wonder who you look like
Will your hair fall down in curls
Will you be mama's boy
Or daddy's little girl
Will you be a sad reminder
Of what's been lost along the way
Maybe you can help me find her
In the things you do and say
And these things we have given you
They are not so easily found
Oh, but you can thank us later
For the things we've handed down
(Things we've handed down)
You may not always be so grateful
For the way that you were made
Maybe some feature of your father's
That you'd gladly sell or trade
And one day you may look at us
And say that you were cursed
But all the time that line has been
Extremely well rehearsed
By our fathers and their fathers
In some old and distant town
From places no one here remembers
Come the things we've handed down
The things we've handed down
The things we’ve handed down

The Breaking Light

Images like this put things in perspective. 

I had surgery over a week ago and it's put me out of pottery commission for a while.  I thought I wouldn't be as sore as I have been.  I'm looking forward to feeling like myself again -soon!  In the meantime, I've been watching entirely too much TV.  The images coming out of Japan are so heartbreaking and unimaginable, I find that I have to stop watching to get a mental break from it.

I love music.  If you find me in my studio, I'm usually listening to an NPR Podcast, music from my iPod,  my favorite radio station (KMTT - The Mountain) - especially their Audio Vault Live in the Music Lounge Sessions or an audiobook (a great way to multi-task).  I enjoy the music of Vienna Teng and have seen her live a few times.  Most recently it was a few years back when she played a show in Seattle with Alex Wong.  They came out with this song to help raise money for Japan.  When I saw them at the Triple Door  (imho- one of the coolest venues in Seattle), I loved how they interacted with the audience and incorporated interesting sounds.  The song they wrote, The Breaking Light, is a beautiful example of those things.  Enjoy and buy the song for a good cause... and be reminded of all the good things in your life.

Blue Moon, You Saw Me Standing Alone

One of my blue mugs is featured in a Blue Moon Treasury.  I saw the theme and immediately started singing "Blue Moon" in my head.  I grew up in the '70s and fell in love with the movie Grease.  I bought the sound track (on vinyl, of course) and played it constantly.  Blue Moon was one of the songs on the soundtrack, so I hear the Sha Na Na version of the song and the mooners when I think of it (this is a Youtube video with dubbed Spanish at the end of it, which was unexpected when I listened to it).  My 12 year old mind back then thought the mooning was hilarious, of course. 

Recently I watched the movie again with my kids.  I was surprised at all the things that must have completely went over my head when I was 12.  I just loved the singing, dancing and visual appeal of it.  I saw the movie about 10 times with my friends in 1978 - pre VCR and DVD days - so you could only see it in a theater.  My kids have no idea of that concept.  They look at me with a confused look when I explain that we had only 5 or 6 TV channels, a black and white TV with no remote control and how we'd look forward to the airings of the Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, The Grinch and the Charlie Brown Specials.  Kids today have so many media choices at their fingertips.  I can't imagine what that would have been like for me when I was a kid.  I think it might have been a little overwhelming.  I remember when we got our color TV and what a big deal that was.  Funny how things change.

Japanese Relief Effort Etsy Treasuries

One of the sake sets for the Japanese Relief Effort has been featured in two treasuries with relief effort themes.
Hope for Japan

Tsunami Relief in Japan

Japanese Relief Effort

I'm donating 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the Sake Sets in my Etsy shop to the Red Cross to help with the relief efforts for Earthquake & Tsunami Victims in Japan.  I'm planning on making up some more sets to add to these soon.

Metallic Black and Brown Set

Green with Rust Rim Set

The Tuesday Night Pottery Club

We go through life and meet so many people over the years.  Some people come and go and others stay with you always because of the impact they have made on your life.  I just got off the phone with my dear friend, former teacher and mentor, Linnell Barnhart.  She just celebrated her 79th birthday in February.  She is such an inspiration to me. 

A sweet little vase made by Linnell

I met Linnell shortly after Bill and I moved to Sacramento in 1998.  I had been taking ceramics classes at a community college in the Seattle area before we moved and was interested in continuing with potting in Sacramento.  I had a hard time finding similar classes and ended up discovering Linnell's studio through a local ceramics supply store in Sacramento.  Over the years I took weekly classes with Linnell and learned so much about throwing pots - and about life.  She is an amazingly patient instructor who really taught me all I know about wheel throwing - among many other life lessons.  I can't thank her enough for everything she's shared with me.  I can still hear her words in my head when I throw ("strengthen your rim", "1 down and 499 to go").  She ended up being like my second mom in many ways - and ironically is only 5 days older than my mom and also has five kids. 

I loved going to Linnell's studio on Tuesday nights.  It was wonderful to get to know other potters who were taking the classes as well.  We shared  the ups and downs of our lives over the spinning of those potters wheels over the years.  When I was pregnant with the twins, I threw as long as I physically could - until my belly was too big to have the leverage I needed to throw.  After the babies were born, I took some time off but returned as soon as I could.  Fortunately, Sisu Bill had a friend come over every Tuesday night to help him with the babies, so I could get a night off and get out of the house.  Linnell's studio really became respite for me during that time.  It was a highlight of my week! 

I was really sad to leave Linnell's studio when we moved back to the Pacific Northwest.  Fortunately I had learned so much that it inspired me to start something of my own here in Woodinville.  It was fun to catch up with Linnell today to tell her all about what I've been up to and hear all her news.  She's always so supportive and positive.  She's a true role model - continuing to teach classes at her studio, teaching ceramics at a local college, taking workshops, working on her website and still having her annual holiday sale.  I only hope I can be as active and inspiring as her when I'm her age.  What a blessing she's been in my life.

Post Nap Results

I am relieved to have this order of tumblers on its way to Alabama for a Celtic themed wedding celebration. And yes, a large nap was taken.

The Napper



Wedding Tumblers waiting for the Napper

I am wrapping up what's amounted to the busiest week of the year, so far, for me.  The kids had a crazy schedule of rehearsals, concerts, activities, appointments and class projects.  I had meetings, doctor's appointments, taught three clay classes, finished up some custom orders and completed a large order for a wedding.  I finally shut down last night (this morning) around 2 am and I'm ready for a big nap today.  Sisu Bill jokes that I sleep when the kiln is firing.  It reminds me of when the kids were all little and I'd nap when they all napped.  There was a time when we had three kids two years old and under - it makes me tired just thinking about it.  Although in this case, the "baby" is doing anything but napping.  While some people name their kilns, I haven't yet.  Perhaps I should call it "the napper".  I kind of like that.  TGIF. 




Memories of Crazy Days - Ages 3, 1, 3

 

Heritage Day Project



Ready for Spring? YES - Definitely!!!

I just returned from a night out in Seattle with Bill to see Amos Lee at the Moore Theater.  Thankfully I brought along my mini umbrella because it rained. I popped it out of my purse and quickly opened it to avoid the dreaded frizzy rain hair I so easily get in this climate.  As I looked around the busy downtown area, I noticed that I was the ONLY umbrella on the block.  Seriously.  Many people had their hoods up and the others just didn't bother.  I found myself feeling a little funny with my little umbrella in the rain.  How crazy is that?!?  I guess it just drizzles here so much that people just stop bothering with umbrellas. 

We lived in Sacramento for nine years and I was surprised by how people there didn't like to go places when it rained.  It seemed like really rainy days in Sacramento were the PNW equivalent of a snow day.  And yes, if they did have to go out in the rain, they definitely used umbrellas. 

Years ago I used to work for a buyer for a couple of retail stores.  I'll never forget meeting a new sales rep for a company that sold raincoats and umbrellas.  She had just moved to the area and said she thought she'd hit the mother load with her new Pacific NW territory.  She was surprised that her numbers weren't what she thought they would be.  I guess it made sense - people think Seattle = rain = lots of umbrellas.  Sadly for that sales rep, it's not really true.  Well, the rain part is, but not the umbrella part of the equation.  I was reminded of that again tonight during my lone umbrella moment.

I came home to discover one of my leaf and berry mugs is in a spring themed Treasury called "Leafy - Ready for Spring?" My answer to that is a definite YES!

Through the generations

My parents passed the love of skiing to me and my siblings. They used to pile us all in our VW Bus and take road trips to the mountain.  I love this picture of me and my brothers and sisters taken in Bend, Oregon in April 1971.  My mom always said it wasn't so hard to have five kids because the older ones helped with the younger kids.  Clearly that is evident in this picture where Liz and James are helping out me and my little brother Andy.  I remember needing help to lace up (yes, lace up) my ski leather boots, having someone help me clamp down my bindings on my wooden skis and attach my safety straps around my ankles. 

This past weekend my mom and brother organized a family ski get together near Bend, Oregon.  The youngest generation of cousins were all there (sans Tyler in Texas).  It was a wonderful deja vu moment for me as I witnessed the older cousins helping all the younger cousins with their skis, boots and gear.  They helped them ride the chairlift, get up from wipeouts in the snow and taught them how to navigate down the mountain.  The equipment has certainly changed, but the element of family love and support remained.  My kids have great memories from this weekend that will live with them and perhaps be passed on to their children someday on future family ski trips.

Snow Day

We are having a snow day here in Woodinville today. School was canceled due to a big dump of snow last night. Coincidentally, I had a mug show up in an Etsy Treasury called Snow Day as well which was fitting, so I thought I should post it. It makes me think of a big mug of hot chocolate with marshmellows melting into a sugary foam.

I remember loving snow days as a kid. There was nothing better than waking up to a white blanket of snow on everything, having school cancelled and getting to play outside all day. We would have huge snow ball fights, sled down the hills in my neighborhood and make snow angels until we were so cold we couldn't take it anymore. Then we'd head in for hot chocolate with marshmellows. I love seeing my kids enjoy the snow. My youngest asked me if I loved it when it snowed as much as he did. I told him that I remember loving it as much as he did when I was his age. It's a different kind of "love" now as an adult. Mostly loving a memory of what it was like to be eight years old again.

Holidaze

Last weekend I had a successful show at the Happy Valley Grange in Redmond, WA. I enjoyed seeing friends who came out to see me and was surprised to have a couple of customers who came out to buy more of things they'd bought the previous year.

It's been a busy week catching up after the show while trying to get ready for Christmas. The kids are way into it as usual. I'm trying to keep up with their energy and holiday spirit.

We were off to get out tree the day following the show. My youngest found our tree. A Norway Spruce - beautiful but SOOO spiky!



O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

Busy as a Beaver

I've been busy, busy, busy - getting ready for the holiday season. I'll be showing on Dec 4th at the Happy Valley Arts and Craft Fair at the Happy Valley Grange from 10am - 5pm. Tell me you read about it here and I'll give you 20% off your purchase. I hope to see you there!

Mugshots

Etsy Treasuries are always interesting to me. I love how creative people get with themes, colors, stories, etc... My "Rise and Shine" metallic coffee mug is featured in a treasury called "mugshots". I found this to be particularly cleaver with the placement of the mug in the photos - like a police line up of mug shots. Brava to Lolailo! Very clever, indeed!

I found it interesting that my "mug" was in the same line up with another potter I met last year when I bought a kiln from him. It's a small world.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Rainy Days and Mondays...that song will always make me think of one of my older sisters who used to listen to The Carpenters when I was a young kid (and Jill - you know why - ;-)). I know all the words to so many of those songs, thanks to her. The soundtrack of my childhood was incredibly influenced by my three older siblings. I remember sitting outside my big brother's room while he listened to his favorite music on his giant reel-to-reel tape system. I used to play his 45's on the record player when he was off at school. Apparently I often scratched them and I remember him being steaming mad at me for that.

I grew up listening to what would equate to a crazy musical stew of the Beatles, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Three Dog Night, Steve Miller Band, Elton John, Carly Simon, Carole King, The Carpenters, various disco songs (ha!) - topped off with a splash of musical theater that my mom would stack up on the "hi-fi" (Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, etc...) and the Nat King Cole that my dad loved so much. Those songs are truly unforgettable - the lyrics are burned into my brain. Most of us have a soundtrack to our youths - usually so telling of where we were in our lives and what we were doing. I'm always curious to hear what songs were the soundtracks to my friend's youths. Anyone willing to share?

Today one of my "Monday Morning Coffee Mugs" was included in an Etsy Treasury called "Rainy Days and Mondays". Surprisingly it's not raining today here in the Seattle area - like it is so many Mondays. When I saw the title, I instantly heard Karen Carpenter's deep voice singing that song in my head - which started the above thread of thought. Honestly, these days I kind of like Monday mornings as the kids are back in school and I usually get a little break from the chaos. So perhaps the tune will change to "Rainy Days and Mondays always make me smile". At least for now.

~*~As Summer into Autumn Slips~*~

I just returned from a very misty fall morning dog walk with our big rusty brown colored Aussie, Sequoia. He lives for these post bus stop walks. Every morning he waits patiently for the household to rise and get ready for the day. As soon as the kids throw on their coats (yes, fall has arrived very quickly this year in the PNW), he jumps up, perks his ears and wags his tail furiously.

If dogs could smile I would say he smiles as he looks forward to his morning "cruise" (as I now call it since the word "walk" sets him into a much crazier frenzy). Clearly the wild wagging of his tail is evidence of his smile. Even though "Boya" is 10ish, he still acts like a puppy at these moments. After the cruise he settles into a big long nap like you would expect this grandpa aged dog to do.

Sequoia's coat color reminds me of fall. I returned from our walk and discovered a beautiful Etsy Treasury called "As Summer into Autumn Slips" which included one of my little dipping bowls glazed in a green and rust glaze combination. Cozy stuff!

Moving Day

The kids are back in school and I'm gratefully getting back to work in the studio. The only problem is that I've discovered that someone has moved in while I was "away". Spiders. I get SO incredibly creeped out by spiders. They make my skin crawl. I've just done battle with some HUGE ones and I've got serious heebie jeebies. I considered photographing their remains but can't bring myself to face their giant bodies again as I fear they might inhabit my dreams for nights to come. Trust me. They were big and scary. I had to retreat to the house for a break from it all. I know, I know... spiders kill lots of other bugs. I just wish they didn't have to do it my studio space. I'm refusing to let them move in for good. As I type this, I hear Kristin Davis singing that little theme song tune from Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends cartoon and I'm feeling a twinge of guilt. Sadly for the spiders, it's only a very small twinge.

August, oh August...

...where have you GONE!?!? Hands down, August is turning out to be routinely my most incredibly unproductive month for ceramics! I think it's a combination of having the kids home, family trips (note - these are not "vacations") and prepping for back to school. I've got a pile of work to do and need to get out in my studio to crank it out. Instead, we've been hosting house guests, doing 14 loads of laundry (I kid you not) from our trip to Idaho and shopping for soccer cleats, school supplies, etc... *sigh*. Only 7 more days until BACK TO SCHOOL! Yes, the count down has begun.

I haven't died. I just haven't posted in a while. ;-) I'm looking forward to the groove of a routine that September brings. Well, everything except for making lunches.

Here are some pictures from Idaho where we created lots of dirty laundry.
HUCKLEBERRIES! Purple gold. (At LEAST this features a ceramic bowl!)

Fishing for Idaho trout.

Yahoo Corrals

Breakfast at Shore Lodge

Serious Castle Building

Hiking to Duck Lake.

Custom Orders

My summer has been full of custom ceramic orders. Since it's wedding season, I have been making a number of wedding plates. I am always relieved when they come out of the kiln as expected. I opened up a load yesterday and found these three celebration plates that thankfully turned out well. The rest of the load was hit and miss.

I have a green glaze that is beautiful but runs like crazy - so that happened more than I had expected. I need to wax higher on those pieces next time. I also had a big problem with a large lot of soap dispensers that didn't shrink as much as I expected so sadly, the dispenser spouts don't fit. 12% is the typical shrink rate for the clay body that I use. I'm not sure if I mismeasured or if it's this new batch of clay that I used. *uff da* I'm hoping the people waiting for these aren't too upset.

Yes, times three.

The third shoe dropped. My daughter just threw up. Ick! I wonder if I'll ever get used to cleaning that up. Not likely.

At least it's not the kiln.

Uff Da times three?!?

People say bad things come in threes.

This morning our washing machine stopped draining.

This afternoon the garage door cable snapped and the spring flew across the garage. Thankfully, no one was in the garage when it happened - and remarkably none of the pots I had drying got hit.

I'm not sure what the third thing is going to be. I'm tempted to break something, because I need to fire up my kiln soon - and I really don't want that to go down too.

Fortunately Sisu Bill fixes most everything that breaks around here. Here he is troubleshooting the washing machine (again). I came upon this scene and couldn't resist snapping a picture. The umbrella cracks me up.

Uff Da!

Uff Da! My daughter has decided this is her new phrase. I told her that it would make her Grandma Ruth smile to hear her utter Uff Da*.



Recently I traveled home with my eldest sister, Liz, to help our mom out with the 35th Anniversary Party for her Crazy Ladies Bridge Club. (THAT is another story in and of itself.) During our visit we decided to help Mom clean out our older brother’s old bedroom so that she could use it for an office. My parents had their house built back in 1968, so after all these years she’s finally getting a space to spread out all her projects. It’s about time.

My mom is a notorious pack rat. She’s not an out of control hoarder like those people on cable, but she saves things. A lot of things. Sometimes she saves things because they are valuable. Mostly she saves things because they have a sentimental value associated with them. We joke that she’s saved things so long that they are now worth keeping because they are so OLD!

My mom takes great pride when she pulls out some long forgotten treasure for a special occasion. My brothers, sisters and I have benefited from many of these stashes of stuff over the years. We all give her a hard time about it, but down deep we are all likely grateful that she hasn’t taken the opposite path and pitched all of our childhood paraphernalia.

During the push to purge – well, rather re-organize as no purging was the rule - we discovered many treasures and a bit of trash – and a lot of in between. Liz and I travelled home with a few things that Mom was able to part with and pass on. One of the things I brought back with me was an hand carved “Uff Da” sign that my mom had bought years ago when she organized the Gregerson Family Reunion – a large gathering of the descendants of the seven Gregerson brothers who’d emigrated from Norway many generations ago.

Mom seemed a little perplexed that I would want the Uff Da sign. The puzzled look on her face seemed to reflect her thought about where in the world I would put that in my house! I quickly explained to her that I planned on putting the sign in my pottery studio. Yes, that made more sense to her now.

Uff Da is a perfect sentiment to what often happens in my studio. I hung the sign over my kiln.

My handy hubby is full of his Finnish Sisu**. He has a "SISU" sticker on his tool box that screams out this eerily real ancestor-like trait of his – sisu. He is one of those guys who doesn’t give up – has an inner strength to persevere. True sisu.


So why can’t I be full of Uff Da!!?! Ahh, I like the way that sounds - full of Uff Da.

************************************************************************************

*Uff Da - international exclamations that can express joy, frustration, bewilderment, etc. It is an analogue of such words in other languages as "oy vey" or "carumba." In Norway, Charlie Brown says, "Uff Da!" instead of "Good grief!"

**SISU- a uniquely Finnish quality; the word used to typify the Finnish spirit; a concept that is at the heart of how all Finns view themselves; a certain feature or value considered by Finns to be typically Finnish - endurance, resilience, tenacity, determination, perseverance - an inner reserve of diligence, capacity, the ability to face head-on and always overcome - craziness: the recklessness that inspires a person to take on something in the face of incredible odds - bravery, empowerment, inner strength

You know you are tired when...

1 - you send a customer a message to say you "just finished listing the two sets of bowls" but really type "I just finished listening for the two sets of boys. Feet were louder than mine."
WHAT?!?

2 - you wear your husband's glasses to bed and don't even notice that you can't see ANYTHING with them on.

Moral of this post: Don't type messages while head bobbing.

Goodnight.

No Solicitors... or maybe not?!?

Summer time seems to be open season for solicitors in our neighborhood. We live in a city that is pretty rural so there aren't sidewalks, etc... Most of the houses have driveways off of a main road.

Our home is in a small development of about 40 houses in a loop, which seems to make us a prime target for solicitors. I've never lived somewhere where we've had so many people try to sell us things. I'm all for supporting the Girls Scouts, Cub Scouts and other organizations like that. What I get SO tired of is the pest guys, tree guys, driveway sealers, a/c-heat guys, magazine salesmen, window washers, yard guys - all trying to sell us their services. If I needed their services, I wouldn't be waiting around for them to knock on my door.

I finally had it last summer after a particular bad week of solicitors that wouldn't take no for an answer and put up a small "No Solictors" sign right over our doorbell. I'm still blown away by all the people that still try despite my efforts to tell them up front that we aren't interested.

Why just today I found 3 different flyers on our front door handle and porch (yard service, A/C and driveway re-surfacing) when I answered the door. Who was at the door? A pest guy, who decided it was his job to inform me that my "No Solicitors" sign was "about the smallest one he's ever seen". What?!? So, did that give him the right to ring my doorbell when I was telling him not to with my little sign? Geez. I admit that it is small (and ugly), but it really shouldn't matter.

I'm making a new sign out of clay - large enough for the pest guy to read.

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.

Update: Here are a couple that I just finished. I'm going to either do a wrapped wire or a ribbon as a hanger.

School's Out for Summer!

The song plays through my head. Today was the kid's last day of school for the year. They had a great year. It was a busy one for me, as all three kiddos were in our school's PACE program. It's a parent co-op within our school. I put in a ton of volunteer hours this year with PACE and with our school's PTA, where I was the chair of the Art Docent Committee.

Frankly, I'm looking forward to having the summer off to create in my studio! I have lots of ideas pouring out of my head. I just need some time to work on them. Time. That will be my challenge this summer - to find enough of it and not lose too much sleep because I'm up in the wee hours of the morning (like now).

Tumbler Love

This tumbler set is getting a lot of Etsy Treasury love lately - they are featured in the Chocolate Lime Treasury and Brown and Green Treasury - both shown below. Green and brown seem to be the "it" color combo this year. It reminds me of the blue and brown combo that was so popular not long ago.

It's interesting to watch the trends of color combinations that we see in clothing and home decor. I've been seeing a lot of brown and black featured together lately - like the many of the items in this Coffee Break Treasury.

Personally, I won't be sad if I never see a revival of the salmon pink and seafoam green color combo that was so popular back in the late 80's/early 90's. Do you remember it - the Southwest themed colors that were everywhere? I'm sure there were others - ah yes, neon (pink, yellow, green) and black. That was big when I was in college. My kids had neon day at school on Friday. Is that making a come back too? No neon glazes here. :-)

What other color combinations of yesteryear am I missing?