slow posting

Not much to report that is out of the ordinary and warrants a post. Still enjoying home schooling and pottery when I can get there. I occasionally read when the house is quiet in the evenings and am limiting screen time to a certain degree. Life is good, I like the routines we're in. We've even seen the sun twice this week and that's good for the soul.

I have a few books out from the library that I believe I may have commented on before but the search on my blog stinks and I don't have the gusto to dig through it. The theory I had was that if I'd blog about them I'd be able to find them again someday...hmm. Better tags would help.

"Food Not Lawns" by Heather C. Flores. Pretty self-explanatory. There's a whole network that been developed along with it and encourages doing the activism thing in your own home town. It's something I'm passionate about but need to either start small or stop being afraid of hard work and/or failure.

"Superbia - 31 ways to create sustainable neighbourhoods", Dan Chiras and Dave Wann. I've read it before and get a kick out of their scathing opinion of suburbia. What I like even more is that they try to come up with ideas to make it more functional. Similar vibe to Food Not Lawns.

"Off the Grid Homes: Case Studies for Sustainable Living" by Lori Ryker. Beautiful, carefully crafted homes that incorporate alternative energy ideas and smart design. It's generally as lame as all the other pretty books showcasing executive-priced homes well in excess of 2000 sq. ft that claim somehow to be the paragon of "sustainability". There are neat ideas but if you have a budget and want to build small it would be a discouraging.

the theme

The pottery glaze seems to be going with a theme here. I've done a lot of experimenting but few results are as pleasing right now as the "tried & true".

the real seasons

The Okanagan First Peoples Sylix calendar of seasons. I love this one because it represents the local ecosystem. "Fall" can't possibly cover the range of experiences we have between September and November but I know the difference between the time of salmon spawning and the time of cold weather!

hmm, it's not displaying properly...will try to fix that at some point. Maybe. Click on the link to see the whole thing for now.

mug

I need a new coffee mug and can't seem to make one I like without giving it away or breaking it. My issues. I love this one made by Erika Lyn O'Rourke at Elm Studios just a little too much. I did some pottery glaze research yesterday and am so intimidated by how bloody much I have to learn and how many years I'm going to have to put in to be good. If all goes well though I'll have the required decades left in my life to get there...

gorgeous

This is the amazing painting Karen dropped off at our house - a complete surprise. What a beautiful gift, thank you!

awfuls

"So good awfuls!!"
- Ezra Milagro

Waffles, that is.

Padme costume

I'm NOT pregnant but came across a pretty cool prego costume idea today and decided to blog it for complete lack of writing ideas. Odd that I was never visibly pregnant over Halloween with any of my babes.