73rd Firing of the Kiln (December 2007)

We all get really excited, nervous, anxious, stressed, etc. around this well-planned, yet spontaneous and unpredictable, event. The potters create their artistic wares during the three months leading up to the firing. Cups, bowls, pitchers, and plates are extruded from the muted colors of earth. Each new day brings forth a vision of what is to be made (with guidance from Mark - the master potter).



Wood is cut and stacked according to size. The next two weeks they finish up their decorations and begin packing the kiln, taking up to one week to do so. Pots are strategically placed within the body of the beast so as to take advantage of the designs that come forth from the flames and wood ash. This is the most well-meditated process of the firing. Pots up front become gnarly and covered in ash, pots on the sides receive a lot of kisses from the flames and pots in the back get soft tones of warmth.





The kiln is then sealed and the firing begins! It involves three days of constant wood stoking. Initially, only one person is in control of the wood entering the kiln. It then, eventually, builds to up to four people stoking all parts of the kiln. This continues on all-day, all-night until the desired temperature has been attained throughout the whole kiln. This can be a difficult task, especially with large kilns such as Mark's. They have ended firings as late as midnight and 1 am the day after they were supposed to end. All the potters are exhausted, covered in ashes and smell of wood smoke and sweat. All for the sake of making a beautiful piece of art.





That following weekend is the sale. This sale in particular is actually part of the Chatham County Studio Tour where up to 100 artists showcase their wares in their studios. This is a two-weekend event. In Mark's case, a majority of the pots are sold during that first day (saturday), with not much to spare for the sunday and weekend#2 arrivals. For those who are just out to look at the goods made by the fabulous, local artist it is advised to come that first Saturday. Otherwise, you miss out on seeing the intricate lines and shapes that Mark's work has become known for.

Chaos ensues at the first saturday of the kiln sale. It is frantic, people are not shy about getting what they want, it makes for a long day for all involved. This happens three times a year and each one seems to arrive so quickly. The next sale is in May. The potters get a longer break, a time to unwind, settle in to the time that is winter, and really work the brain into generating new and fantastic ideas to be presented in the coming year.

Money In, Money Out

Recently, I helped a friend out and took care of his greenhouse full of hydroponic lettuce (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics). It was a three week ordeal which I thoroughly enjoyed. Joseph and I look forward to the day when we will have our own greenhouse to help feed our family (even smudgie!). Here's a photo of the greenhouse that we just finished building at work. This is for the vermicomposting project that I received grant fund for (from a grant that I wrote to the state). See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6TiawLx0J8





I wasn't expecting any sort of payment, except a labor trade for help on my greenhouse. He surprised me the other day with payment. That day I had taken in Smudge to get her teeth checked out. She has stomatitis, which means she is allergic to the plaque on her teeth causing severe gingivitis. The doctor said that she needed to get all her teeth removed because they were seriously decaying in her mouth and causing some swelling. My poor baby girl! He giveth and taketh away (money, that is).

Smudge had to spend the night at the vet because they wanted to keep her on morphine overnight. I picked her up this morning. She's on pain meds and a sedative to keep her relaxed as she heals. She only has four teeth left: the two upper and lower canines. Poor girl. She is doing just fine, sleeping by our heater and eating canned food. Let's hope that this is the last issue that Smudge has for the remainder of her life.

Just a side note....the crew is firing the kiln this week. The excitement is at an all-time high, as is the anticipation and stress. Nothing they can't handle. We'll keep you posted on the progress of the firing along with some photos.

We are infested....

With what, you may ask. Well, fleas. And chiggers. And mice. The mice and chiggers not so much as the fleas. And when I say "we" I mean Smudge and myself. Joseph doesn't seem to get bit. We have not resorted to full-on chemicals yet, although some moments I feel we have no other option. If I counted the number of bites (i.e. quarter-sized welts) on my body, I probably have at least 30 from head-to-foot. Joseph ran into a woman at the vet the other day. She was talking to the front desk secretary about she puts Frontline on herself to keep the fleas off. At the time, we thought she was joking(a bit of a loony they say!) But, now the idea doesn't sound so bad. At this point, I would do almost anything. I feel them jump onto my ankles and hang on for the ride as though they have grappling hooks. They tickle, sort of.

Smudge is miserable. She is constantly itching, grooming, running, and sometimes hiding from the fleas. Frontline does not work on her anymore. I have spoken with co-workers and Frontline has stopped working on their animals also. I think the huge flea infestation has to do with the drought. We gave her a bath.



It has rained for three days straight (no joke). I told Joseph that I could not handle living in Seattle. I would rather go through a whole Minnesota winter than go through a week straight of rain. We needed it, desperately. I think the whole state has been praying and probably performing their own version of a rain dance. However, it has done little to bring us back from the brinks of permanently dry lakes and reservoirs. Some areas only have 30 days of water left. In the Raleigh area, we need 8ft of rain to refill the reservoir and bring us back to non-drought conditions. Nobody is allowed to water their lawns (has been this way for almost three months). Nobody gets a bye. Garden centers have struggled. Processing plants have shut down. People have lost their jobs. It's frightening.

Wedding...

In the days leading up to The Day that has been in the works for almost 2 years, we were both calm and collected. Nothing could have dampered (or dampened) our special day that we wanted to share with all of our loved ones. I vowed to not look at the weather forecast, however this was a difficult promise to uphold. We pretty much had no alternate plan.

Joseph went to his parent's house in Austin, MN (hometown of SPAM) and I went to mine in Chaska, MN (hometown of Gedney Pickles). I fluttered about the whole week making decisions on jewelry, hairstyles, color of toenails, and flowers. My mother and I spent hours zooming around the Cities looking for those perfect accents. The original plan was to get flowers at the local farmer's markets, but all they had left were crusty daisies and carnations (it is to the flower family what the catfish is to the fish family). Yuck! So, we proceeded to buy out all the Gerbera daisies we could find in the local nurseries. The plan was to decorate our cakes with these.

The rehearsal went wonderfully. We had a healthy helping of food and wine.

Joseph spent that night with his parent's in their hotel in Chanhassen while I slept at my parent's house. The next morning, mother rushed off to the ceremony and reception site to decorate (as we could not do this previous because it is a public park and there are other weddings there). This place was booked up a year in advance! Hence, the friday wedding. We proceeded to get our hair and makeup done in the kitchen of our house.



Mother scurried about at the site like a busy bee at work. We are so grateful for her and all her hard work. How do you repay her back for all that? The question crosses my mind almost daily. I guess that is what parents are for. And hopefully I will be able to provide that for our children (whenever they choose to arrive). Anyways....tangents abound......

Hair, makeup, the stink of nail polish. Kelly, Laura, and I broke out the bag of nail polish. I found colors in there that I have not seen since 7th grade. Let me tell you! I found Pumpkin Orange, Sally Hansen glow in the dark, BLACK!, Prince Purple, and so many shades of glitter I cannot count. Lord have mercy! It was quite enjoyable to go back to the old school polish. As we toss out the old shades, dried out and coagulated, we symbolically clean out our unwanted baggage, not so good memories. Middle school was harsh. I will gladly let go of those years and say goodbye to JOLT pop, baggy pants, and LL Cool J.

During this time, the photographer, Emma Freeman, showed up to our house. Perfect timing to get those special "getting ready" photos. She, along with her assistant, freely walk around the room and the house without a distraction, finding those perfect moments.



Relatives arrive, dresses are thrown on overly perfectly placed hair, we adorn ourselves with jewels and light. Where is mother? It's 12 noon. We gotta get to Noerenberg Gardens by 12:30 so we can leave there by 1:30! She calls and says she's on her way. We pile into two cars: laura, bryce, and kelly in his car to go get some quick lunch (me, I'll just have a Luna bar, thank you!), and Patrick and I in the Honda.



Off we go to take some photos. I get to see Joseph! There are no bathrooms at this place so we brought quilts that I could change behind. The photography proceeds in the gardens while light summer showers begin to come from the sky. We welcome spontaneity, and this day was going to bring plenty of it. I changed behind the quilts in broad daylight out in the middle of the parking lot. Everybody there was staring, although it's not everyday that you get to see a half-naked bride dressing in the middle of garden (surrounded by multi-million dollar homes, I might add) while the sky sprinkles all over you.

Now, we're ready. Kelly, Laura, and I walk over to where they are taking photos. The first time I get to see Joseph and the first time he sees me. We walk over like we are Charlie's Angels. It didn't matter that we had delicate dresses on. I think strong women are a running theme in our family history. Proud, confident, but not ever delicate. Joseph weeps, we hug and kiss, and so the day continues. Our photographer (Emma Freeman; www.emmafreemanphotography.com) was amazing! She moved in and out of spaces so freely and completely unnoticed. She took some amazingly beautiful shots in the gardens.







Finally, the parents got there with about 15 minutes to spare. We took some family photos and decided to move on to the ceremony site, Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista. All the guests were beginning to come. We had a chance to speak with some of our friends and family beforehand. A good way to keep it stress free. The support of loved ones is so important. We gathered our extended family and took some more photos. It was the first time in years that all of Joseph's uncles were there on his mom's side of the family. Rita (Joseph's mom) had 6 brothers there and their families. What an amazing time!

It was now time to start. With the help of parents, aunts, uncles, and friends, they all happily took their seats. With a nod of Pastor Karl's head, we began the trek. About 200 yards away lay our destination.





Boyd Lee and Joe Cruz played instrumental music as we made our way up the aisle, two by two: Pastor Karl, Joseph and parents, Kelly and John, Laura and Patrick, Alison (the lovely flower girl), and me with mom and dad.



Joseph was so sweet, with tears of love in his eyes. I tried to stay composed and not start crying (I was more worried about getting splotchy skin than anything!). It was a noble attempt, but I was not successful. The ceremony went beautifully, with readings from Pastor Karl, a song from Boyd Lee and Marcy Kraft (Joseph's aunt), and a reading from Shannon Ostazeski. This reading can be seen below:

Wedding Prayer

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies, But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place. To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

-Traditional Apache Prayer

Now, a little side note. I want to explain how Joseph and I met. Shannon was my roommate my freshman year and the University of Minnesota - Duluth. We played softball together there and had a great time hanging out. My sophomore year, she moved to a house, soon to be known as the "2020 House." We had weekly get-togethers called Random Mondays where each housemate was to invite a new person each week, either a friend or a classmate, or someone that they just met in the line for coffee. It ended up being a huge hit, so much that we had 40 people there weekly. We talked politics, watched movies, had potlucks, played Mafia, and shared our favorite music. Joseph ended up going a few of the nights that I didn't go. Weird coincidence. That summer I moved home for the summer and Joseph lived in the house. Back then, he had a beard, long hair, and was a vegan (which meant that he was probably 150 pounds or so). That fall he left for Italy to study art.

I moved into the house in the fall and lived in the same room that he did. We never crossed paths at all. Shannon fell in love with a man she worked with at the DNR; they skied together and raised lake trout. The following summer they got married at the berry farm that they purchased on the east side of town. Joseph wasn't going to go to the wedding, but he got a huge stomach ache and realized it was a sign to go. We fell in love at first sight, as we shared our plate of smoked salmon freshly made by our mutual friend, Karl (although we didn't know that the other knew Karl well). So, the reference in the wedding invitation to "that fateful fall day....". That was this day.

Back to the wedding. We danced, ate, and made merry. The band was phenomenal. For food, we wanted everybody to have their choice. A pasta bar was provided where you walk up, choose your pasta, veggies, and sauce and they saute there on the spot for you. Carved meats and salad bar also provided. It was fantastic. High quality restaurant food, definitely not wedding food.



On each table, we had a small cake, one of four flavors: thick carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, lemon raspberry, raspberry ganache, and tempting turtle caramel chocolate cake. Each one was a surprise as we walked around to each table and cut the cake. We encouraged people to go to a different table if they didn't like that kind of cake. And the great thing was that the food nor the cakes cost any more than the most traditional wedding where you pick one meal and have one flavor of cake in sheets.



We danced the night away to concert quality music. The band is actually not a wedding band, but a regular band that plays locally in the Twin Cities. People loved them so much that they bought CD's and still rave about them. My parents have become super fans of the band and now go to their concerts whenever they are in the area.

All in all, the day was everything we expected and more. Everyone is right in saying that you barely remember everything that goes on. That's where a great photographer is key, so that you get to see all those that you love captured in time. We are ever grateful to all those that helped in making this day even more amazing. Having a casual and spontaneous wedding is harder than you think! Although, you'd never be able to tell......

What is going here?

On our way home from Ten Thousand Villages, the coolest fair trade store in existence (www.tenthousandvillages.com), we drove by what appeared to be a large colon. You did read that correctly. The AMAZING...the FANTASTIC....Come and...

I quickly pulled a u-turn and drove straight up to this fantastic event. People rejoiced at having the presence of the colon while listening to an old-time rag band, freely touching it with a smile on their faces. This man nearly escaped getting sucked into the gaping organ that so peacefully lived on the lawn.


We went to the grocery store, and calmly looking at the potted meat products we noticed a funny sort of "meat" that maybe should not ever be sold, EVER. The picture speaks for itself.


I think I'm going to be sick now.

Crazy, beautiful weekend

So, we are just now wrapping up the weekend where everyone is rewarded for their hard work in the pottery. We all live in this pleasant bubble, away from the insanity of the capital city, outdoor malls and bumper to bumper commutes. This weekend, those accustomed to a life we here choose to not participate in, came out in hopes of owning a piece (or many) of fantastic beauty. The turnout was amazing.





We were all prepared for rain, hearing thunder early in the morning. That explains the great fortification above the check-out area. However, this did not come in handy until later in the afternoon. The whole area became a swamp as the water flowed to the lower areas. Despite the weather, pots continued to move from the shelves into people's vehicles as they drove home happy to own a one-of-a-kind, handmade beauty.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...


It's amazing the following that Mark Hewitt Pottery has around here. People drive from all around the south east in order to participate in this event.

On another topic, I just have to continue to brag about our garden. We are so proud of it. Here's a few photos of Joseph struttin' his stuff around his (I mean our) prized beauties.

Emma's Dogs (Mark's Daughter), Puppy and Bea

Beets and Turnips

Purple Cabbage, Broccoli, and Brussel Sprouts

Sweet Peas!

Yum...Strawberries!


So ends a busy weekend. One month and 9 days to go until the wedding. Time moves quickly, and before you know it, we'll be in our 50's and wondering where it all went.

Fresh Vegetables Grown With Love

So, Joseph and I have been creating a beautiful garden at our place. Mark was kind enough to allow us to dig up an additional plot to double our garden size. The people here last basically grew a few herbs and some tomatoes. We're going at it full on: leeks, garlic, kale, collard greens, carrots and lettuce in the fall and winter; green beans, sweet peas, red cabbage, brussel sprouts, beets, strawberries, cucumber, red bell peppers, zucchini, sunflowers, eggplant, melon, and radishes. We just ate a fresh radish today. Man, it kicked the back of my throat. I've never had one so spicy! We also have various herbs growing: thyme, lemon thyme, chives, garlic chives, cilantro and dill. We will also be starting some basil soon. Wow. We're going to have tons of food here and only two people to feed! It's great practice. Mark calls it the "Garden of Eden" or maybe it's the "Garden of Eatin'." I haven't quite figured it out yet. This are our brussel sprouts and cabbage.



Today was easter. Happy Easter everyone! The past two days I have been on a raw foods diet. It has been somewhat of a struggle. I have been craving salt since I started. I was hoping to detox and just create better eating habits. It is amazing how full you get when you aren't eating any sort of starches from pasta or bread or heavy fats or processed, packaged foods. It just doesn't fill you up like a smoothie made of fresh blueberries, strawberries, orange and apple juice. I just spoke with Carol today and she is really keen on raw food diets (it's less of a diet and more of a lifestyle change). She gave me a couple of books on raw eating and how to make crackers/breads using a food dehydrator and how to make raw hummus and nut cheeses by sprouting beans and seeds like lentils, peas, and sunflower seeds. She is a wealth of knowledge and I am grateful that I know her, as I'm sure Joseph is grateful that he knows Mark. We couldn't be in a more wonderful place right now.

Everything is blooming here right now. I think this is the time of year when people fall in love with North Carolina and are so grateful that they live here. They seem to forget that your eyes dry out in the summertime because it's so hot. Here is a photo of a tree that is blooming right outside our cabin window.



These are the beautiful purple iris outside our front door.




What a beautiful place to live right now. I might be saying something different in a few months. The bugs are already starting to take over. Flies, spiders, ticks, chiggers. Yay!

Oh, How the Time Came and Went

Time has passed so quickly. Laura was here on the tenth and left the 14th of this month, exactly two weeks ago. The time was so short. We talked about going to the mountains, various other sites, to the ocean. But, instead we visited local sites worth sharing, spent an hour or two on the porch listening to the birds and the spring peeper frogs, and made a ginger bread house :D) We realized that the ingredients on the box were longer than my shoe size and deemed it not worth eating. However, during the process, we somehow found ourselves picking little candies off, a little here a little there. We also noticed that one of the ginger people had no legs but seemed to have a crotch...take a look


Our neighbor willingly ate the poor soul a few days ago. Oh well. I miss her already. I mean Laura. Her and Joseph went to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game while I went to my "growing organic vegetables" course. They had a blast, although became distracted on the roads in raleigh and ended up getting completely lost on the way there AND on the way back. Something about the roads here. They call them beltlines: and inner and an outer (like belly buttons). One goes through RTP and the other goes around it. It's very confusing. We live far enough out, though, that we don't have to encounter those on any sort of frequent basis. Just when we decide to go to the Raleigh Flea Market, which Laura also got to experience. One square mile of your grandmother's junk. Everything that has been stowed away in her attic as well as her neighbor, Etna's, garage. You could find anything from old barbie dolls to shoes, gigantic picture frames to old artillery. Great fun, but you leave with sore feet and a headache.

Laura also got to enjoy some local food. We went to the Waffle House (yum!) and then on the last day for brunch we went to Mama Dip's for some good southern cookin'. She had a sweet potato waffle, which was delicious. I had my first attempt at grits, as well as, the "safe bet" french toast. But, time went too quickly. Next time she comes, we're going to the ocean!

I lost a friend today...

I found out today that a distant friend of mine passed away. Justin Kukowski was only 27 years old, passionate about life and Jesus. He was diagnosed with cancer, and when chemotheraphy was unsuccessful at shrinking the tumors that invaded his spine and brain, they decided they could do no more. He has left this world a better place.

I was lucky enough to have him as my confirmation leader as a freshman and to have known him in high school at Chaska. His faith was a light for all of us. He will truly be missed. Now he is at home with the Lord.

My prayers go out to the Kukowski family.


www.justinkukowski.blogspot.com

Share the beauty

Frequently, I get the urge to go outside and take photos. When I feel like just wandering around, shooting random things, I use Joseph's digital camera. When I have a purpose, intent and focused, I use my manual Minolta X-700 SLR. This night, I was determined to capture the moon. Its light danced on the surfaces of objects that I normally don't pay much attention to during the sun's turn. This place inspires me to be a part-time photographer. If only film wasn't getting more expensive. But, it won't stop me.

The most beautiful thing I've ever eaten

So, I just wanted to share with y'all the most beautiful thing I have ever eaten. I purchased it from a local farmer, and friend, Doug Jones. He runs a small organic farm on the outskirts of town and sells his produce to our local co-op and the farmers market. It's called a "fractal" cauliflower. It has such a vibrant taste too (for a cauliflower). I have never seen anything like it in my life. I guess it's a speciality of his and they are very finicky to grow.

If you look closely you can see that each peak is a spiral. What's harder to see in the photo is that each bump that forms the spiral also has spirals on it, and those have spirals. In fact, Farmer Doug (as we like to call him) has taken a magnifying glass and seen that there are actually even smaller spirals than what we can see with the naked eye. It's an amazing thing.

Save the Date!

Snow? What?

DSC00040.JPG
Originally uploaded by aegdorf83.

So, last thursday we got snow. I woke up in the middle of the night at about 3am (as I always do) and I saw the cute little flakes gently floating down to the ground. It looked almost like God had dandruff. School was cancelled for the day to the delightment of all young children. Many businesses were also closed. All this scrolled across the bottom of the TV screen as we sipped our morning tea. There was less than an inch of slushy stuff on the ground, and people were slip sliding everywhere in their cars. There were over 150 reported accidents, people in the ditch, hitting street lights and power lines....I had visions of what it would be like for me to go out and drive in this and everybody else in the world was stuffed up in their home because they didn't own a shovel to scoop their driveways. I had visions of the apocolypse and Joseph and I were the only ones left. The roads were ours, no traffic ever. A beautiful dusting of white covered rooftops and lawns. It's all a dream.....The gardens here are quite confused. We have flowering plants. Our lettuce continued to grow until we a few nights of frost in a row. The grass is green and growing. People have been mowing their lawns in January. It was upper 60's and low 70's all the week before. It's such a rollercoaster here. I'm glad I brought back my sweaters.