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Attila and I headed out this morning to pick wild blueberries. This year’s crop was abysmal. After several hours of walking and about ten minutes of picking, we finally gave up with about one cup of berries in our basket. We sat on a rock in the shade, drank water and decided not to search any further. June was dry, and as a result the sparse berries are small and not very sweet. Most of the plants have born no fruit, and many have died. We will have to wait and see what next years crop will be like; there is no way to predict. One cup of blueberries is enough for a batch of blueberry pancakes, so that is what we will have for dinner tonight. This afternoon Attila found a handful of ripe wild raspberries on our property, so we will add them to the blueberries and count ourselves lucky to have any wild fruit at all. We are pinning our hopes on the wild blackberry crop that has not yet ripened. It is another cool day, so another loaf of bread to bake and batch of granola to prepare in the crockpot. Attila even did a roast of beef last night. Daytime temperatures in the low twenties are ideal as far as I am concerned, particularly when it cools down at night. We are making the most of this wonderful weather. The pile of firewood, dumped in the driveway, continues to shrink, and we are hoping that it will have disappeared altogether by the end of the week. Then we will take a break while we have visitors staying with us for three or four days. Our company enjoys the same type of inexpensive activities that we do, hiking on the beautiful local trails, campfires and just sitting around shooting the breeze. The studio is ready for occupation. I moved a rocking chair and ottoman into the room, and a reading lamp on the cabinet beside them. I have my two new reference books on the subjects of pottery and glazes on the bookshelf. While looking for my copy of “The Scotch” by John Kenneth Gailbraith, I ran across one of Attila’s books that looked very interesting. I have only read the introduction and already have gained a valuable insight into the process of creative expression (see quote in right column). This information gives me permission to use the clay to create anything I can imagine; because I do not have to keep the resulting piece of pottery. I grew up on a farm, where expediency ruled. To spend time creating an object solely for the sake of experience was unthinkable. Then, during my years in the academy, deadlines dictated strict discipline and focus, eliminating the opportunity for speculation. Thanks to Nicolaides the unthinkable has been thought. As I create objects out of clay, they will be kept for a short period of time for assessment, then returned to the water bucket to be reclaimed. If the piece proves to possess functional, sentimental or creative merit, then it will be fired and consequently glazed. What decadence to experience creation, without commitment to the finished piece. |
RECIPES :: Cast Worldly Distractions  The Garden By the Easy Chair The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides Quote “don’t worry if for the first three months your studies do not look like anything else called a drawing that you have ever seen. You should not care what your work looks like as long as you spend your time trying. The effort you make is not for one particular drawing, but for the experience you are having…” from "The Natural Way to Draw" by Kimon Nicolaides, page 2 Weather Sunny Temp 19°C Press 101.1 kPa Visibility 15 km Humidity 61 % Dewpoint 12°C Wind W 15 km/h |
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