Decembering

[offcntr]

Crossposted from offcenter.biz.

And, suddenly, it's December. Cats cluster around the heater vents, and the bears are shaking out 
their Christmas stockings.

We're already two weeks into Holiday Market, and starting to worry about re-stock. Fortunately, 
we load the glaze kiln today, just in time to unload Friday night for this weekend.

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, since Clayfolk, particularly after I realized we were meant 
to be unloading the kiln December 7, not loading. Fourteen-hour days in the studio, 
making and trimming and handling pots, moving pots around, trying to dry pots in front of 
the space heater or on top of the kiln. Only blew up one baker in the bisque firing, which is an 
accomplishment, considering.

Started glazing finally Wednesday evening, more long days down at Club Mud, averaging fifty or 
sixty pieces per day. Thank God for Denise--because she was willing to work at Holiday Market while 
I glazed, we're able to load the kiln only a day late.

I'm constantly grateful for her help. Like a farmer's wife is a farmer, too, Denise is a potter, 
even if she doesn't sit down at the wheel and do the high-profile, flashy part. She helps. She helps recycle clay, and load kilns, and sort and count pots and sit the booth and sell pots, frankly better than I do sometimes. I don't know how this family business would run without her.

When I'm writing these posts, and I say we, I'm not being precious, or authorial, or 
imperial.

Just honest.