Wine country

Had a customer last Friday looking for a wine cooler--not the drink, some kind of pot. "You should have them! This is wine country!"

When pressed to actually describe the beast, she seems to want something like a tall, handle-less tool crock. "You fill it with water and pour it out and put it in the freezer for half an hour. It keeps your wine cool all night. You should make them. This is wine country!"

I ask her to explain why the fill and empty with water routine; should you chill the water or use ice or something? No, she finally says, it's because the cooler absorbs absorbs the water, at which point I can explain that my clay is stoneware, and doesn't absorb water. What she wants would have to be earthenware, which I don't use, lest I accidentally load some into my stoneware kiln, where it'll melt into a puddle on the shelf. She says she doesn't know why there should be different kinds of clay, and repeats "This is wine country!" Several times.

(I'm also dubious about making something to be soaked and put into the freezer. Leave it too long, and expanding ice crystals will turn your cooler into crumbles.)

In an unrelated note, "This is wine country!" becomes our catch phrase for the rest of the weekend.

"Boy, it's hot." "This is wine country."

"Is anything selling?" "This is wine country!"

"I've got a blister on my foot." "This is wine country…"