Wool

The boys will not leave me alone about plucking their wool so I bought scratching pads for them to take care of themselves. It was disappointing that they were too big to wrap around the 4x4 posts they scratch on now. I had to attach them flat to the barn wall and hope they figure out what the pads are for. Of course, the boys were ready to help whether I needed it or not. They stick to me like velcro.

Tux spends most of the day outside, rain or shine, usually sleeping soundly. She always preferred being outdoors, even in the heat of the desert as long as there was shade. 

Clever Hattie. She knows how to work a crowd.

It's all about the flowers

 Work on the orchid pots goes slowly. I'm using porcelain so there is a lot of waiting for the clay to be just right before going on to the next step, and with the humid weather it takes days or weeks even. This little pot will get some holes when it's good and ready. I'll have to be extra careful not to break the dish part off when I'm cutting the holes like I did to the pot in the second picture. Orchid pots don't really need holes but I like being able to keep an eye on the root growth.

I'll have to throw a little dish for this one now and put them in the glaze fire together. The glaze will fuse them into one piece. They're a little rough at this point but when they're bone dry I can refine them a bit.

This is the coil built asymmetrical bud vase I worked on forever. Those deep cuts might split wide open in firing but I'm living dangerously.

The garden is coming to life, mostly weeds of course, but this rhododendron is a pretty sight at breakfast.

Peonies are taking advantage of the rain and growing fast. They don't look like much yet but will be fabulous soon. 

I hate cleaning up after bulbs, but they do so well in my horrible sandy soil that I can hardly NOT grow them. And they bring some much needed color into my life at this time of year.

April Brings the Busy Time

I've been busy with all the stuff that needs doing around here and haven't had the energy to take pictures or post anything. My good knee has been bothering me, too, but I'm not ready to even think about surgery again. I'm toughing it out and hoping it's a temporary thing.

The barn overhang is finished and the boys make use of it all the time. They do not like being rained on or getting too much sun and they are quite spoiled now.

With such pampering you might wonder why they look like ratty old wool rugs. 

Hattie is quite bored with my busy stuff. Working the sheep or chasing a ball or visiting with neighbors is more to her liking.

Part of my busy stuff is fixing the snow damage around the yard. I was afraid the hellebores were ruined beyond repair but even with their leaves trimmed off they roared back to life with a flush of flowers. 

I plan to start throwing orchid pots today if I can muster up the energy. I wedged the clay last night but I've been dragging all week and really just want to do nothing.