doggy jar!

(covered jar by Gary Rith)
Yes, guests are still here and extensive fun has been had. You have to have visitors in order to appreciate your hometown. Gawd, we biked everywhere, all over Ithaca, the Cornell Plantations, barbecued lunch and dinner and wow....here we are ready for more.

(teapot by Gary Rith)
Celeste and Maurice are in town and I can't say I am all that energetic this morning.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Blood Sugar Sex Magik, because our visitor Celeste likes the RHCP.

zombies and snackfood!

My sister and a couple of her friends made a video for a Cheetos commercial, and they were the winners! My sister did the makeup and production, the two actors here are father and son. They win 5000 bucks and a truckload of cheetos (I swear I am not making this up: they win a truckload of Cheetos) and something something with Comedy Central.
Have a look!
http://orangeunderground.com/greatness/

Celeste and Maurice strike again

I swear, SWEAR I am not making this up. Celeste and Maurice are visiting, but not staying at our house (thank GOODNESS!). Although they are fun, they are the kind of visitors that make life...interesting. Spicy. Can you believe that both, BOTH the sheriffs and the NY state troopers were called in this afternoon? Celeste told them it was the microwave popcorn. On high. For a little too long.
Anyway, the waters were calmed, the troopers and sheriff left, and there was a rather extended visit later to The Nines, former firehouse and current pub, for dinner and such.

Supersize (not me) Me

Supersize Me, vegan horror movie? Me and the missus watched this last night, and it IS horrifying when a healthy and fit guy nearly kills himself on camera by eating nothing but McJunkk for a month.
Interesting when he visits a school for troubled highs schoolers which serves only fruit and veggies and home cooked food and the kids are all a lot more mellow than you would expect: maybe less sugar, fat and salt is good for mind and body?

elephant bowls

(bowls by Gary Rith)
So, I made the top one last week and here it is fired, and of course I had a request from _____ asking for mama elephant and 3 babies which I finished yesterday.

Stereophonics

Maybe Tomorrow--common on the radio, and you see this and you want TO BE one of the Stereophonics. At least I do.


And Dakota, on the radio lately.

P-O-O-H

(honey pots, each about 6 inches tall, and a very famous bear and his honey pots)
My pals Grego and Gordo are into beekeeping. They will need me when the honey starts to flow.

small sugar and creamer with cats!

(sugar, creamer, cookie plates and cats by Gary Rith)
Lindapendent wanted to add to her teaset, and so I did. Totally cute, eh?

plates: like I was saying

(plate after and before by Gary Rith)
So, like I said below, in making Kcinnova's plates, I wasn't sure how much to begin with. As you see, there is quite a bit of shrinkage along the way. Looks good though, eh?

our ratty couch and our dogs and cats: a rotating cast

(Spike and Penny; Spike, Buster and Emily; Jack and Spike)
It's like musical chairs--who gets a spot on the couch, and better than that, who gets the MIDDLE of the couch.

Billy Idol

Flesh for fantasy! The DANCING! The HAIR!!!!!!!!!!
THE SNEER!!!!!!!!!!!!

plates, take one

(plates and bowls by Gary Rith)
Kcinnova asked for a set of plates and bowls. I don't often make items of a specific size for people, and so I wasn't sure how much shrinkage would occur in the firings (minimum 10 percent) with 25 oz. balls of clay, and these first plates are an inch and a half too small for her request (at 8 1/2 inches). So, I shall make more plates, maybe with 30 or 32 oz. balls of clay.
They look pretty darn good, though, and the wife is circling and making noises about keeping them....

Tuesday already! penultimate and entrance

Time for Tink's weekly photo challenge, this week: penultimate and entrance.

Penultimate: Penny is the Ultimate! She doesn't come or stay or other commands (I am working on it), but I am teaching her to dance. Which she will do, if there is a treat. No treat? She just stares at me.
Here is Mr and Missus Potsblog in front of the purple house. We have 4 or 5 entrances depending on how you count it, and we NEVER use this one. The other entries are fenced (so dogs can't run into the road) but the front door is about 10 feet from the busy roadway. I wouldn't want anybody running into traffic. I actually set the camera on the edge of the road on the tripod to get this, but nobody ran me over.

And the back entrance, where Spike would dearly love to exit and wander the yard, but the road is just too busy.

monster mugs for Manndible Cafe

(monster mugs for Manndible Cafe at Cornell's Mann Library by Gary Rith)

Raveonettes

One day at a time.

Celeste and Maurice check in

Potsblog friends Celeste and Maurice visit in a day or two, and any of YOU can visit too, if you are a law-abiding citizen, or fun.

Kate checks in:

Potsblog friend Kate writes:
"Since we are in the process of re-doing our back room/den/office/multi-use area, etc. I have been reduced to sitting on the floor! It will be a week or two till this room is fit again. New carpet to be installed, painting, new molding to be put around, etc, etc.

If I don't put my back out getting down and getting up, all will be well! ha!

Love your Iris's!

Kate"

Gary and the little beastie.
Dreamt that Greg and I were in Gordo's garage, which was one of those messy places full of interesting stuff, and we needed to do something with guerrilla glue and a leatherman tool. Then there was a ghost cat.
Some people will be grilling today, boating, biking, enjoying a holiday. I shall be prepapring orders, like glazing plates for Kcinnova and making her more and and and...

forgs and prigs

(mugs for the unsuspecting guest by Gary Rith)

"Gary, why do you live in a purple house?"

"Because the people who owned it before us wanted it to match their purple iris. The first one popped out yesterday!"

Raveonettes!

Beat City!

Celeste and Maurice

(Celeste goes for a ride, the charges were later dropped, and Maurice, somewhat camera shy)
Potsblog friend Celeste (who also happens to be potsblog friend CM's cousin) visits us from Canada later this week. There is some question as to whether Celeste will be let into the US after that thing at Denis' place June, 2 years ago. Potsblog readers will remember that Celeste is a blast but not always responsible, but her (what some might call rebound-after-Denis relationship) new boyfriend Maurice is new to potsblog, and something of a mystery. More on their visit later this week, as it promises to be lively.

Raveonettes!

Candy! More retro goodness!

back in the saddle again

(two different elephant teapots by Gary Rith, then as a set, then the original sketch of the idea, from 2 weeks ago--they turned out awesome, and the the teasets actually have slightly different glazes on them--baby blue on the larger, blue jeans on the smaller)
OK, so Kate and Jim said it, I catch a lot of colds. About one a month. They are probably just hayfever and allergy moments or something, I don't know, but, you know, the runny nose and stuffed head. The upside is that (knock on wood) I never have big colds. Just these one day things about once a month, healthy as a horse all the other time, never any flu or bronchitis and rarely a cold lasting more than a day. I am a healthy guy and I take my vitamins. Just have a stuffed nose and head sometimes. It was a good excuse to lie around in bed with my magazines, cats and dogs, and then tune in netflix and watch a dozen more 'The Office' episodes. I am now deep into season 3, and it is perhaps a bit soap operaish, what with the 'he loves her but she's with him and...'. It is still just about the funniest show I've ever seen, and the lack of music or laugh track is a big plus to me.
So, didn't go to the glass museum yesterday, darnitall, sorry. Didn't go anywhere.
Today, however, I shall finish my weekend chores, fire up the kiln and Kcinnova's first plates and Lindapendent's sugar and creamer set and check my notes about what I am making next. (plates are an odd shape for the kiln, Kcinnova, so I am only making 3 at a time)I have 3 or four other neglected orders. Such as, my mom needs something cow-ish. I will cut the grass too, if the head/nose allows. It is due to be hot and sunny and you know that's welcome. And miracle of miracle, tomorrow my wife has a holiday.
Dreamt about a fellow who was involved in our arts coop who left rather crazily and insultingly and broke things (people have considered a restraining order) so in the dream he came to the coop when I was there, he had made a dupe key and was stealing stuff.....terrible dream, because he was my friend.

Elastica 'Connection'

Twice, 2 different ways!


This next one is the same tune but with all the naked dudes.

(sugar and creamer by Gary Rith)
Lindapendent wanted to make sure the creamer and sugar below had cats. They do now!

a thing or two

(stuff by Gary Rith)
Lindapendent asked for maybe a creamer and sugar, maybe also a cookie plate to go with her teaset. Small, though. Nancy at Thou Art asked for wine corks plus piggy bottom mugs, and we shall deliver those today. Then we're off to see Denis' ladyfriend Kim in Corning, and the Glass Museum! It is, of course, a holiday weekend in the US, the weather looks very good, and I doubt if anyone will be looking at this blog this weekend, but potsblog is a machine, and I can't stop it. I'll be blogging even if you're not sittng at work slacking and reading this.

The Raveonettes!

Love in a Trashcan. Awesome video that everybody would enjoy, EVERYBODY!

Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday!

(teapot by Gary Rith, and the thrown parts that went into making it)
I was monkeying around with this teapot, and asked 'somebody goes on this lid, but who?'. And realized it would be an elephant. I am thinking glazing the teapot red with polka dots.

Emily

Our 14 year old not very bright kitten, Emily, is a bit of a snuggle bug. She would also like to point out, because I cannot see back there, to people like Denis, that my hair remains remarkably thick.

N'dour and Dido 'Seven Seconds'

Special request from Missus Potsblog.

Lindapendent say: "Oh total yay!"

(teapot with cat by Gary Rith)
My hilarious Canadian pal Lindapendent received her teaset and writes:
"Hello Gary,

I received the teapot and teacups yesterday and everything arrived safe and sound and it turns out my cats like packing peanuts. Thanks for a three year supply ! By the way - good job wrapping all this stuff - I was struggling like mad because I just couldn't wait to see it all in person. I'm an excitable girl. Also, I have this thing about reading newspapers that are bunched up in packages I receive from around the world so I was all, 'Huzzah !' and then I noticed that one of the pages had an ad for Old Time Pottery who are having a Red Tag Clearance starting April 2nd and they're saying I can save up to 50% so I should hurry on in. You might want to leave out promoting the competition in the future unless of course you're selling your pieces there.

I just love everything so much and the cat looks even more quirky in person and I used the set today when I had tea and guess what ? It works!

Thank you again for making this unique set for me - it's entirely fantastic.

Linda"

Glad to hear that it....works. And that it survived the Canadian Postal system...

I can walk under ladders

So, this morning, off with the beastie and the wife for the morning walkies to the playground. Ours is a very lucky playground, for us. The missus stopped at one point, despite the rain and cold, and found two four-leaf clovers! Then I found, in different spots, 8 four-leaf clovers and one 5-leaf clover. I am emptying the bank acct and buying lottery tickets. Poker, anyone?
For newer readers, I have a hobby of searching for 4-leaf clovers, which the wife has picked up on. I have found over 400 in the last few years. I have given some away, and kept the rest pressed under 'c' in the dictionary. I am very fortunate, yes I am.
In other news, entirely contradicting the above, whoa, what a dream last night. I dreamt I had a premonition of a) a huge and destructive hurricane destroying our community AND b) I saw storm troopers, Star Warsish, sneaking in advance of the storm, so they could swoop in and take over. We went to our neighborhood and tried to warn people, who weren't listening, and tried to pack and run: jam, peanut butter, but how do you pack 3 dogs and 2 cats into a back pack? Sh!t, it was awful.
I awoke, of course, mindful of the fact that millions in eastern Asia have faced this in the last few weeks, and was quite humbled by their predicament. As I say, I am fortunate.

doggies

(wicked tall jar by Gary Rith)
I made this jar with the dog in the middle first, but I thought the dog was too big, so I made another and I'm happier with the jar on top. This is like, 2 feet tall.

Heart!

Kcinnova reminds us that Heart were the original rocking chicks. 'Barrucuda' here, oh yes.

the little beastie

Penny is one of my pottery models. I can deduct her from my taxes ;^)