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?