Petey: 1987-2006

Our little dog Petey died a year ago. He was maybe half beagle, half corgi. Incredible good health, affection, loyalty and toughness until his last day. We found him living on the Chicago streets on a hot day, and his last month found him helping us move one last time to a new house. Loved him so much, and miss him too. Penny gets a lot of press around here lately, and she is so much like him. Well, she isn't a tough little Chicago dog, but what can you say about the love of a good dog or cat? I miss him so, but man, what a dog and what a life.

hedgehogs

(bowls by Gary Rith)
You know how it is, you get these weird requests: 'hey, that beagle mug looks great, can you make me a hedgehog mug?'. Most of these people and their ideas are deranged lunatics, but this one seemed like an interesting challenge, and YES, now I can make a hedgehog bowl or mug. I hope none of my customers read this, me making fun of them.

Penny's brother Jack is a patient old dog

the bat cave

15 or so years ago a friend said I looked like Michael Keaton's Batman. Somebody else said I was more handsome, even more than Tom Hanks. I beg to differ: they're taller than me!
So, for a brief year there, I liked to say 'I'm Batman!'.
Well, old houses have old problems, right? Our old house is, hmm, 1865 to now, 142 years old? Last summer the nooks and crannies, which when you look around are everywhere, allowed entry to five million bees, red squirrels, and next to the chimney, a bat cave. According to what I have read, the only thing to do is block out the bats, but you have to do it between fall and spring wehn they move in for the season, or they get stuck in house and die and stink.
Phase one is complete: the bat cave has been mortered over. I suspect that damn red squirrel who lived over my bedroom last winter came in that way too. Next, Trevor, the awesome carpenter across the street, will caulk all the little crevices that bees delight in colonizing.

FLY LIKE A BEAGLE

...to the sea....
Yes, it is amusing to google fly like a beagle, and this awesome artist pops up: doggy portraits! Pugs too!

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE: Kate, Jim, Steve Miller and ME

I love the lines from Steve Miller's song 'whoo-ooh, take the money and run'. I, ahem, felt that way when we sold our house in NH last year, so thanks Steve Miller for those lines that run through my head every time I think about how lucky we were to sell our place.
My old pals Kate and Jim have excellent taste in pottery, even if they don't know green when it hits them over the head. For Jim, Steve Miller Band live and 'Fly like an eagle', although I remember a cartoon version back in the late 70s that I have been unable to locate.

WHY DO WE READ POTSBLOG?????

No doubt you would say 'well, the pottery of course, but also the tunes of the day', to which you would add 'but I really like the cute pet pictures, like Jack here, and the mundane details of your life, like your tomato plants! Basil looks good too!'.
My tomatos are spoiled. It was in the 30s and frosty last night, but my plants slept in the cozy studio, near the warm kiln, and they go out into the sun later. In case you didn't know, they are patio tomatos, so they are stubby little things that stay in their pot.

a secret peek

(pots by Gary Rith)
So, faceted and about to be faceted.

Garbage live

Tunes o' the day, live on SNL from Garbage.

tiki talkin'

(pots by Gary Rith)

beagle bank!

(bank by Gary Rith)

scenes from a yard

So, David came over the other day to meet Penny and take some pics. Sure, pottery pics later.

Venus

Tunes o' the day, Bananarama and 'Venus'. Very 80's wouldn't you say?

the mug that ate my wife's head

(mug by Gary Rith and Mrs Potsblog herself)
Is this tiki thing getting out of hand? Probably not.

Bananarama

So, my Canadian friends tell me it is summer, so for tunes o' the day, Bananarama and 'Cruel Summer'. My goodness, when I was a young man I thought they were cute....

GUEST DJ CM CHECKS IN

Canadians are these slackers who add extra holidays to the calendar. This is their Victoria Day long weekend, which is totally unfair because in the US we havn't had any summer holidays yet. ANYWAY,

In honour of the first long weekend of the season, the ultimate Canadian summer song. Suddenly I'm 20 again, waitressing at a country club, hanging out with the other staff, and wondering if that boy is ever going to kiss me.

Thanks a million CM!

You will notice the very interesting spelling up there, we have to be reminded sometimes that Canada is a whole different country with a whole different way of doing things. It is like we are the alligators, they are the crocodiles.

Musically I hear on the radio that Godsmack is in Albany this weekend and Linkin Park will play at the NY state fair in August. Too bad I never go anywhere or do aything, those would be a lotta fun.

I have always thought this is hilarious. The potter's anthem!

(once again) life is just a chair of...

....bowlies, by Gary Rith.

cute doggy picture of the day

Walk into the room, and what do I see? Penny is well loved by everybody in the house, including the cat from time to time.

coming full circle: tiki bowls

(bowls by Gary Rith)
Just add your chips, and your dips.