Transformation

It was quite a year at the Lost River Artisans’ Co-op (LRAC) and its Siamese twin, the Lost River Museum (officially the Lost River Educational Foundation or LREF). The push for change was obvious: the lease was running out, the store manager left to go RVing for a year and a half, and the museum director took a job in Egypt. As president of LRAC/LREF, I often muse over that ancient Chinese character that stands for both challenge and opportunity. I also felt an obligation to make the co-op and museum compliant with the American Disabilities Act. May I never encounter another elderly or infirm individual who has struggled up the barn’s step, arrived at the counter, and asked politely for the restroom—only to be told of the (yes, handicap accessible but muddy) port-a-pot out by the parking lot.

Not quite two miles south on State Route 259, the old feed store was renovated for new tenants. It is now painted barn red-- that would be the big red building without the Confederate flag. It is on one floor, has a ramp and other amenities, and offers the same amount of space we have now. We were invited to move there and the lease is ready to sign. Mind you, it is hard to leave the 1844 barn that we’ve been in since 1996. It is a lovely barn, but it’s a real barn: no plumbing, no ramp, and irascible heat. For some the inconvenience of the barn is already becoming picturesque and quaint, while others are celebrating indoor plumbing!

Our mantra is: “We aren’t closing, merely moving.”  We went down there and planted spring bulbs, so we are already taking root in our new place. I am proud of the board for taking that first step of our next thousand miles. We have winter and spring to make our move and to resettle, and then, transformed, we will ready for a new and improved 2016 co-op and museum season. We hope you will come see us any weekend from April 16^th on. Keep an eye on the lostrivercrafts.com website!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

This morning I found a pumpkin I’d forgotten about on the porch. I popped it in the oven to roast on its way to becoming pie. That pumpkin was a hold-out. I know it is time to put away all things autumnal and to get with the holiday program. Last week dozens of ornaments (expect-able items such as snowflakes and gingermen, but also no few starfish, bears, and hearts) went off to a ministry in Pennsylvania. This week’s challenge is Santa hats. A man called wanting Santa hats, which was my excuse to get a nice copper cookie cutter. He sent his list and I decided I’d make one as well. I think by the time I complete all the Santa hats, I may be more than ready to move on.  On the other hand, ornaments are a lot more fun since I realized that the backs don’t have to be plain.

To prevent pottery from sticking to the kiln shelf, the bottom of each piece remains unglazed. The glaze is a layer of glass that forms as the glaze melts and matures at high temperatures. We brush “kiln wash” on the kiln shelves in case a few molten drops hit the deck during the firing process. That is far better than having them adhere to an unprotected kiln shelf and then remelting and sticking to an unsuspecting pot that comes along in the next kiln load. To prevent that, the drops of hardened glaze are chipped off with the protective layer of kiln wash. What is the point of this glaze talk? It’s my revelation that I could use glaze to decorate the textured backs of pieces without having them stick to the shelf. The ornaments lay flat on the kiln shelf, but the glaze stays in the deeper indentations. I simply thoroughly wipe it off the areas that actually come in contact with the shelves. 

So now I have a list with about fifty names, each destined to adorn a Santa hat with the year and, for many, “LRV” for the Lost River Valley. There will be some added snowflakes, of course; those are more fun to make than to shovel, for sure. The finished ornament is then fun and interesting on both front and back, as well as personalized. I’ll let you know how I feel about them when I get to the 49^th name.  Ho! Ho! Ho!

Those Ravishing Radishes

Jim Randall, (Elk Run Farm) a long-time farmer in the Shenandoah Valley, brings his produce to the market in Harrisonburg on Tuesdays. For several years I have availed myself of those lush goods, as well as plied Jim with questions about local farming ways. Lately, a series of different types of radishes have appeared on Jim’s stand. I am not an ardent devotee of radishes, although I like the Japanese daikon. My husband is the radish eater in our home, while I get excited about their leaves. Folks at the Farmers Market sometimes think it is strange to buy vegetables for their leaves, but a sale is a sale. And who can pass up such gorgeous foliage after the first frost when good greenery is hard to find?

I’ve made five bowls recently with a variety of leaves from German radishes (lovely globes that do not split, no matter how large they get), some other type of radish that comes in a plethora of beautiful reds and purples, a couple daikon-- and a bunch of parsnips. By all accounts, the radishes were delicious. I know the daikon was great in the wontons I took to the recent reception at the co-op. Parsnips I love in any form, but the leaves are best on bowls. Those landed on pumpkin pots. That is, I pressed the leaves into circles on rolled out clay, cut out the clay around their outside edge, and then pressed the clay down over those wonderfully organic pumpkins with the big ridges. The bowls are not as round as they might be when made over other pots, but their shape speaks to the land, the market, and the kitchen. The first “ravishing radish pot” I made was purchased as a gift for a chef. I have others now that will make a great holiday gift for the cook in someone’s life. And I have one to take to Jim, so he will finally understand why I ooh and ahh over his leaves.

Celebrating fur friends

Janet is a veterinarian who often comes to play in the clay with me when she has a day off. She is very creative-- and surely the only vet I know who actually makes “abodes” for toads!

Most of us have had beloved pets over whom we’ve made hard decisions and then grieved. I still miss Atticus years later, and long after adopting another great rescue dog. I can only imagine how hard it is for the veterinarian whose job it is to facilitate those end of life choices, and I know I have been most grateful for those who truly empathize with the pet owner’s loss. It means a lot when a vet (like other people) communicates that he or she feels that loss with you. It’s not just a medical intervention; it’s a personal experience—and a tough one.

Janet recently decided to begin making ornaments with the pet’s names to give to the people who have had to make those judgments and are missing their animal friends. A simple heart will never make up for the loss after some cat or dog or other creature has left paw prints all over our hearts for a good number of years, but it can go a long way toward letting someone know that you care and share in their mourning. I have made several grave markers for friends’ dogs when they died, and they have been much appreciated by Gus’s, Fancy’s, and Benjie’s people. A marker can be quite a job (and being thick, it takes forever to dry), but a small memento can mean a whole lot too! They can be in any shape and perhaps don’t even need the pet’s name on them. It’s the sharing that counts.

Beads, Balls, Berries and Baubles

“Nope,” says the first guy, “I want plain leaves, no little gewgaws or whatever those are.” “Be sure it has lots of those little doodads,” says the next customer, “I love the little dark balls and berries.” 

“Doodads” are like anything else: people love them or hate them! I started adding little balls to my pumpkin pots many years ago. I think they soften them, sometimes help balance them, or simply add interest. Nature is full of little pods, galls, and nuts, so the tiny additions look to me like they belong there. It took me awhile to figure out how to make acorns out of clay; for a long time I made little balls and left it at that. These little additions are likely to occur anywhere on the pot, although it is generally only the ones on the rim that people have to have or to avoid. They may or may not notice the others.

I long ago fell into the habit of putting a metallic “Saturation Gold” edge on my pot rims, and that goes on the “beads, balls, berries and baubles” too. It is food safe when properly fired and helps finish the pieces. What do you think? Are you pro or con baubles, doodads, and gewgaws?