Make my day

I don't know why so many people think this is a blue jay. Don't they know how many other blue birds there are (not even including bluebirds)?

It is in fact, a belted kingfisher, though as only females have the russet belt, I suppose it could properly be called a queenfisher. In any event, there are several in the booth right now.

Came down Saturday morning to find that the work crews had been through with a concrete cutter, severing a big chunk of the corner from the rest of the Park Blocks. They also started tearing up 8th Street, including a big chunk of curbside at the Farmer's Market. The farmers all moved north, including filling all of the alley. Don't know quite what I'm going to do when the construction reaches me, though I'm told they won't start on our side until July, and even so, will begin on West Block. Maybe I'll be terrifically lucky, and they'll finish the work in the same week... Naw, nobody's that lucky.

About ten minutes 'til opening, a couple and their sixish year-old daughter stopped in. Folks were looking at the banks, but she was over by the soup bowls, so I asked her, "What's your favorite animal?"

Seeaytee, she replies. I cock my head like a confused Pomeranian, and she sighs and repeats it, slowly: C A T; cat. "Oh," I reply, holding up the cat pattern soup bowl, "Like this?"

She nods, and says in the most deadpan, Wednesday Addams voice imaginable, That made my day. Mine too.

Saw retired potters Laura and Dave Winkleblack, from whom I purchased a gas car kiln an embarrassing number of years back. They were being distracted by a passel of grandkids, so I didn't have to admit I still hadn't reassembled the thing.

Favorite t-shirt of the day, letters split left and right between blue and pink, "Boy Is the New Girl." Second favorite: "Bear Cub Nation." I've no idea what it was in support of, but Pyotr, my teddy bear du jour, approved.

Around mid-afternoon, a flock of college girls stopped in, taking turns sticking a finger in the elephant bank's trunk and trying to convince each other that it was making the phbbbbt! noise, and not the weird guy behind the counter. They eventually headed out, laughing, "That just made my day." Some things don't change.

Denise restocked her watercolor cards box and we sold eight of them. Pottery sales were all over the place, but by the end of the day, I was just under $700. For the first time in a month, I didn't have a late sale after I turned in my commission check.

Spouting off

Back in the studio, glazing for my Roseburg firing. Started with spouted forms: pitchers, gravy boats, mixing crocks. (Also a whole bunch of honey jars.)



Then I glazed some baking dishes.


...And a whole lot of mugs!