Author: mud&string

Mother, daughter, wife, grandma, friend, animal lover, potter, knitter, Catholic and finally, retiree. Will work for yarn and/or clay and tend to geek out on any and all the above at the drop of a hat, provoking glazed expressions from g
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How Hot Is It??

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It’s so hot that even thinking of working with wool yarn makes me break into a sweat, even with the thermostat is set on Arctic Circle and the ceiling fans are set to airplane propeller speed.  All my knitting WIPs that are wooly are on hold for now.  I can’t work up any enthusiasm in my pottery studio either, trying to get caught up on glazing and firing at 3 a.m. when it’s at least bearable to be in the garage/studio.  🥵🥵🥵

Still and all, I feel blessed – me and mine are all happy and healthy, the Bangkok bunch got back home to America to stay after five years of perpetual summer without hitch one, self quarantined for two weeks and came out the other side still healthy and still happy.  God is good.

The photo I planned to post is missing in action, but I came across one taken a couple of winters ago and is something to look forward to………

 

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination. John Lennon

 

B

 

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Show and Tell, More Proactive Changes and What’s On My Needles

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SHOW AND TELL

My sweet son in law has been requesting a pitcher for I don’t know how long.  Being a pastor, he wanted something he could use for baptisms and communion. After many unsuccessful attempts, I finally came  up with one that passed muster.

Clefton’s Pitcher

Inside glazed with Spectrum Cinnamon Ripple

Outside glazed with Amaco Seaweed

 

Test Bowl

Outside glaze Amaco Seaweed PC-51

Inside glazed with Mayco Stoneware Glaze

SW-156

Galaxy

Here’s a better look at the inside –

 

TODAY’S PROACTIVE CHANGE

This one is turning out to be the most difficult – putting all my devices aside 30 minutes  before bedtime. Yep, this one is by far the most difficult.  There’s always just one more thing I want to  check on, which leads to another page, then one more site and then just one more peek at Facebook. Putting it all aside 30 minutes before bedtime gives my brain enough time to calm down and I fall asleep faster and stay asleep. 🥱😴

ON  MY NEEDLES

 

Shibui Sock

Colorway unknown

100% Merino

Petty Harbour by Rayna Curtis

 

We are limited,  not by our abilities,  but by our vision. Anonymous

 

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Positive Changes

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Without going into detail, I’ve been dealing with some health issues over the past few months, mainly insomnia and restless leg syndrome.  It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had more than just a few hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, but I’m working on some positive lifestyle changes that seem to be helping.  Just being proactive makes me feel better mentally and physically and I intend to keep it up.

One of the things I’m doing is making a bullet journal to record things like sleep time, diet, exercise, etc. because all these things tie into my physical and mental wellbeing.

Tsuki Bullet Journal

Pastel Edition

Notebook Therapy

Another positive change I’m working on is intermittent fasting, trying as hard as I can to go low carb,  high protein, cutting out sugar and caffeine.  Do I always succeed?  Nope, but it’s getting easier. 🙂

I’ll keep you posted.

One faces the future with ones past. Pearl Buck

B

PS – I put a couple of new pots in the kiln this morning with some new glazes.  Hopefully, I’ll have something to Show and Tell in my next post. 🤞

2020 · Family

What A Difference A Day Makes ppl p

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OK. It’s time. Actually, it’s past time I’m finally admitting how besieged I’ve felt for, oh, I don’t know, the past three months. The first weeks were fun. After all, what knitter/crafter hasn’t fantasized about unlimited time to indulge in whatever our (my) current obsession is. Even better, with the internet, it takes only seconds to replenish whatever supplies – including food – run low. Until……

It finally hits home that Covid 19 means people everywhere and anywhere can sicken, and die, overloading what we (I) always took for granted, quick and easy access to healthcare, medication and, when needed, a nice clean, cool and private hospital room to rest and recover in. Then, there were none and wherever there was space for a bed became a room. ERs, hallways, tents, athletic fields. There’s no room for pickiness when Covid 19 comes to town and my list of things I always took for granted gets shorter.

Then there’s social distancing and quarantine. Not a problem until it means that the new grandbaby so long awaited can only be worshipped from afar and a healthy loved one can only wave and mouth words of encouragement and love or helpless and disbelieving goodbyes. My family has been so blessed. Me and mine have stayed healthy so far. We’ve been super careful and tried as hard as we can to follow the rules. Masks, gloves, wipes, handwashing, sanitizer – we do them and will continue to do so for as long as it takes because it has worked, so far. The list of things I’ve always taken for granted continues to shrink.

Then, on the last day of March at (naturally) midnight I fall and break my right arm, my first broken bone and the first time the idea of an ER visit scares me enough that I wait four more hours, in pain and fear before I cave and let Mr. iknead drive me there ONLY after he calls the ER first. Four freakin’ hours before yours truly admits that having my right hand totally pointing the wrong way probably should be checked out and we arrive to an empty ER and I mean empty. I was the only patient and had my own personal nurse, doctor and techs. The missing piece? I was alone. My spouse and ultimate support person could not enter the ER and was advised that he could sit in the car while I was there or could go home and wait for a call telling him I was being released. I asked (told) him to go on home and kept him updated via cell phone. Again, the list of things taken for granted shrinks.

If you missed the posts with the gory details, you can find it here.

Just when I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, I start seeing an unfamiliar name across social media. George Floyd. I learn that another Black man has died in police custody, all caught on camera and three words become a personal nightmare. I. Can’t. Breathe. I am a white female. I have never had to have The Talk with my children about their behavior when dealing with law enforcement because I was raised with the certainty that policemen are my friends. This is not a lie in my reality. The lie is that we all live the SAME reality. We don’t. Let me say up front that a family member is law enforcement and I would trust him with my life or anyone elses. Thank God that the vast majority of people that we trust with our lives are totally worthy of that trust but tragically, there is a small, unworthy minority and even one untrustworthy, out of control, power tripping and just plain mean authority figure is WAY too many. Ever. My reality is changing. Old attitudes are hard to change but I can hear mine groaning and cracking under the weight of my changed reality. I am embarrassed. I am ashamed. I am angry. I am learning. Most of all, I am changing. More shrinkage of the list.

Yesterday, though, at least a bit of my soul started to heal. Our second oldest grand girl received her first Holy Communion. I was so proud of her, so self possessed at such a young age, making a lifetime commitment. For once, I was glad to be wearing a face mask so my happy tears were hidden. (Happy tears or not, the ugly cry was front and center 😭). I felt truly calm for the first time in months, reassured that no matter what, God is in control, he knows me and loves me anyway. Life is tough at the moment for so many, and tougher for some than others, but it goes on, hopefully leaving a kinder, gentler nation in its wake.

Harper Elizabeth

First Communion

June 7, 2020

Know what I learned today? The shorter my Take It For Granted list becomes, the longer my Gratitude List grows. Sure didn’t see that one coming.

In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers. Mr. Rogers

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Has My Warranty Expired? or Now What!!??

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It’s 11:48 p.m. and I’m wearing my insomniac hat tonight. Now, it’s 11:49 p.m. which gives me about 11 minutes to have that last glass of water before midnight. If you’ve ever undergone a “procedure”, you’re familiar with the nothing to eat or drink after midnight rule. So, yes, there is a “procedure” in my near future. To be more specific, tomorrow at 11:30, I’m having oral surgery to extract three molars on the right and placement of two screws into my upper jawbone for eventual implants and a bridge. I admit that while I don’t have a phobia regarding dentists, I do get anxious a few days beforehand. I will be under heavy sedation so intellectually I know that it will be painless and quick, it’s just that my nervous stomach and jitters haven’t received the It’ll be OK memo.

This dental adventure on top of my broken arm and my subsequent ER visit, followed by a visit to a hand and arm specialist and the surgery to repair it using a steel fixator and let’s not forget about Covid-19 and it’s cousin, Quarantine, has me wondering what next!

I got a photo of my postop x-ray. BTW, if looking at stuff like this makes you feel woozy or sick I encourage you to skip over the low tolerance stuff.

This month’s Knit Crate carried a naked hank of yarn and enough kool-ade to dye it up right. Here’s how mine turned out using cherry on half and blue raspberry on the other half. I think it will knit up into a very interesting pair of socks.

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein

B

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This Wasn’t In the Plan

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How is everyone holding up while sheltering in place or self quarantining or social distancing or whatever it’s being called where you are? Casa Coleman was doing pretty well up until midnight Thursday. That’s when I fell down on my way to the bathroom and broke my right arm. In doctor speak that would be a fracture of the distal radius with some telescoping into the joint. We went to the ER around 5 a.m. where they x-rayed my arm and casted it.  Yesterday I saw an orthopedic surgeon and got set up for surgery to repair the break with a plate and screws this coming Tuesday.  😑 The worst thing, though, is that I’m right handed and can’t knit, can’t throw pots, can’t do anything myself except sleep.

Monday Night

Tomorrow’s the big day, the day I actually can start healing.  I miss being busy and today has been especially long and hard.  On top of being bored, this cast is starting to be less than fresh. Yuck.

Tuesday Afternoon

It’s over and done with and I’m told it all went very well – The last thing I remember is the big lights in the OR and being moved from the gurney to the OR table. Nine hours post op fracture and no pain (so far) thanks to the nerve block. 😁😁😁 Nothing lasts forever though so there are pain meds at the ready. 💊

My Bangkok grands, left to right, Annabelle, Emma and Susannah. My Bangkok beauties and their precious faith keep me going!

We walk by faith, not by sight. The Holy Bible

B

If this is a rerun, I’m sorry. I think I actually neglected to hit Publish when this post was done. Musta been the pain meds!

Random

Could the End Be In Sight??

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You’d think that with the quarantine/social distancing/mask wearing and sheltering in place I’d be throwing pots and knitting like a maniac, but my orthopedic adventures brought these things to a screeching halt. The backstory is here if you missed it the first time around.

Anyhow, besides just the couple of weeks being bored out of my mind because I couldn’t do much of anything – when you break your dominant arm you’re pretty much out of luck for a while – being housebound hasn’t been too bad. You can bet, though, as soon as I got my cast off I was knitting, even if it was a super slow process. I got my hands back into the clay, finally able to finish what I’d started before I broke my arm and every day is a  little bit better than the day before. Here’s three very patient pots that waited for me to heal.

 

Word on the street is that life is starting to normalize.  Mr. iknead said there was toilet paper on the grocery shelves, no hand sanitizer or gloves, but at least it’s a move in the right direction.

 

From error to error one discovers the entire truth. Sigmund Freud

 

B

p.s. Don’t forget to visit my Etsy shop, ClayDreamsPottery.  I’m always adding new pots and you don’t want to miss out on the perfect one!

 

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Cooler Heads

mud&string

Thank heaven for cooler heads!!! I took ya’lls advice and put Gray Days in timeout for about a week, during which I calmed down a bit, enough for an attitude adjustment. . I picked it up again Monday morning and Gray Days is knitting up well and once again, all is well at Casa Coleman. 🙂 Here’s a look at my new, improved Gray Days Gansey:

Things are also going well in the pottery studio also.  I’ve had a couple of kiln unloads that I’m  very pleased with and want to share with you all.  Both pieces are made of the same clay, Speckled Brownstone.

 

Thanks to all who sent me good advice when I was ready to relegate Gray Days to my personal limbo — the back of my closet.

Oh, and don’t forget to visit my etsy shop for more pottery love!

And we are put on this earth a little space that we might learn to bear the beams of love.

William Blake

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Bummed

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So for the second time, I frogged the cable section on Gray Day and tried to fix a mistake.  Made a bigger mistake that just got worse and worse.  I’m fighting the temptation to relegate it to the WIP basket that resides in the deepest, darkest part of my closet, never to be seen again.  Should I give it another chance??  What would you do?

 

One fails forward toward success. Charles Kettering

 

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A Real Post As Promised

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I finally got my Etsy update finished and posted. If you haven’t visited my shop, consider this your invitation. I had a pretty good pull out of my kiln yesterday so another update is in the works so BOLO!

Here’s what’s happening here at Casa Coleman –

The Gray Days sweater has undergone a radical amputation and is about half the size it was when last shared. 😩 One of the cables went rogue necessitating a radical frogging. In my world, it’s more efficient to place a lifeline, take the needles out and just unravel. Tinking cables…..well, we just won’t go there. 😉

Here’s a look at some of yesterday’s firing –

The cookies are glaze tests; the green is Amaco’s Potter’s Choice Wasabi celadon and the blue is also an Amaco PC glaze, Downpour celadon. The large piece is wearing Downpour also.

Grandgirl #2, Harper has had the flu, but is on the mend fortunately. Now praying that the other two avoid it. 🙏🙏🙏

The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. Christopher McCandless

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Surprise!

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Ever glazed a bowl or knitted/sewn a project that you had such high hopes for that, on completion, was so ugly it was a real challenge to NOT throw it in the trash or banish it to the recesses of
of your darkest closet?  Let me tell you about my latest bowl of shame………

There was nothing wrong with the naked bowl, one of my better ones IMO.  Sorry guys, I took no photos of the first glazing. Too painful. 😜

The first glaze consisted of Toasted Sage poured into the bowl and swirled to cover, followed  by Oatmeal brushed on the rim x3.  I laid a band of Textured Turquoise below the Oatmeal rim inside.  I then brushed the outside with Spectrum Cinnamon Ripple x3.  When the glaze was dry, I fired this bad boy to cone 5. All I can say about the final result was YUCK and double YUCK.  I tried to console myself by saying we can’t all be beautiful and made up my mind to keep it around for a little while; sometimes a glaze combination will grow on me. Not this time.

I decided to refire it, using a new glaze I got for Christmas, a Hot Pink by Spectrum.  So, I just sort of slapped a few coats of this pink on it all over and fired it again.  BTW – all glazes are Amaco Potter’s Choice unless specified otherwise.  This glaze was a cone 9/10 and since I like to live dangerously, I fired to cone 10. 🥵

Here’s the surprise:

 

 

Love this!!

I’m so glad I gave this pot a second chance!  Forrest Gump’s mama was right:

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.

B