Tiny vases with different faces

Small cup with infinity in red on one face, then some pretty brown grasses on the other three sides...

Some different looks for a simple little vase...which is colorful all the way around...the next 3 photos are the same vase!

Tiny love cup, with little curls and swirls of brown on the rest of the white surface.

A test of a chocolate brown underglaze, simple little vase.

Yes these glazes are all food safe. The clay is Laguna's B-Mix. White liner is our studio's Satin White.

Are you suicidal?

the following is taken from National Institutes of Mental Health

Introduction

Suicide is a major public health concern. Over 40,000 people die by suicide each year in the United States; it is the 10th leading cause of death overall. Suicide is complicated and tragic but it is often preventable. Knowing the warning signs for suicide and how to get help can help save lives.

Signs and Symptoms

The behaviors listed below may be signs that someone is thinking about suicide.

• Talking about wanting to die or wanting to kill themselves
• Talking about feeling empty, hopeless, or having no reason to live
• Making a plan or looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online, stockpiling pills, or buying a gun
• Talking about great guilt or shame
• Talking about feeling trapped or feeling that there are no solutions
• Feeling unbearable pain (emotional pain or physical pain)
• Talking about being a burden to others
• Using alcohol or drugs more often
• Acting anxious or agitated
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Changing eating and/or sleeping habits
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
• Taking great risks that could lead to death, such as driving extremely fast
• Talking or thinking about death often
• Displaying extreme mood swings, suddenly changing from very sad to very calm or happy
• Giving away important possessions
• Saying goodbye to friends and family
• Putting affairs in order, making a will

If these warning signs apply to you or someone you know, get help as soon as possible, particularly if the behavior is new or has increased recently. One resource is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889.

This whole post was triggered by an interesting couple of videos posted on a newlsetter which I get daily from Open Culture, HERE, about the causes of Suicide.

I must admit the sputter of surprise when I asked a friend over lunch the other day, "Have you ever felt suicidal?"  After a moment of stunned silence she did tell me her answer.  And I said I'd be posting about it (suicide) on my blog because of the Open Culture link.  She asked for that as well so I've sent it to her.

Plus it's mental health week (said someone over on FB)

Let's talk about it!

 

Flower Bridge and its art

Looking across the highway, which now goes on a new bridge so the flower bridge uses the old roadbed, there's Chimney Rock.

 There are whimsical art pieces throughout the garden on the bridge.

Even the stepping stones are art!

Fabulous music from the roots of North Carolina

I was chasing around looking for something, when thank you dear computer, it just clicked onto the following song by Rhiannon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  Don't ask me where it came from...computer playing games with me.


Rhianon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops video

Rhiannon's new studio album Freedom Highway is out now!

I have seen the Chocolate Drops, and have watched Rhiannon's career zooming as her talent deserves.  I actually saw them/listened to them after that YouTube video was made, and here's their home page.

Here I'll share one more of hers.
Louisana Man From 2016 on Austin City Limits

"Know thy history. Let it horrify you; let it inspire you. Let it show you how the future can look, for nothing in this world has not come around before. These songs are based on slave narratives from the 1800s, African American experiences of the last century, and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Voices demanding to be heard, to impart the hard-earned wisdom of a tangled, difficult, complicated history; we just try to open the door and let them through." -- Rhiannon Giddens

Well this has wandered a bit hasn't it.. So my blog posts often seem to go.  Hither and thither!

Selfie and some flowers

 Barb and Helen playing with selfie photos at lunch.  Helen actually liked her picture this time, but not without my hamming it up as well! (Sorry, selfie has been removed for privacy of participants!)

 A kind of milkweed   YARROW!  thanks!

 A kind of geranium I think

Shades of grey on mugs

 Using our studio glazes, matt black interior and on top edge of exteriors, then satin white over that down most of the exterior, and a final dip about the lower third into our raspberry glaze...which gives a different shade of grey.   And yes, there were 4 mugs made...one just lagged behind in the glaze kilns.

You've seen some of these in their "before stage" when the glaze had just been applied. HERE.

  The thought I'm following for the next batch is to use Georgia O'Keeffe colors and huge bright flowers. 

Three glazes make for lots of shades of fun!

 I start by pouring matt black glaze into insides of mugs, cups, bowls, whatever is waiting for glaze.  And I dip the outside of the rim in the black as well.

After they dry a nice hour or so, I can hold them by their bottoms and dip the whole outside into satin white glaze, and then wait for another hour for drying.

The fun came last, dipping bottom half in raspberry red, which meant that it was over the white mostly, but the very base would have the charm of red.

 The clay is B-Mix by Laguna Clays, fired to cone 5-6.

 Isn't that fun blend of greys?  I love it!  I'll show you the mugs next time...

More pottery and flowers

You take the high road, and I'll take the low road...through that inviting doorway!

 A milkweed, which attracted us, as well as some butterflies

 Helen discovered that the petals on the flowers open downward.

Helen's Flower, I had to tease her about it, but it wasn't in bloom.  "Double Trouble" being an alternate (but not Latin) name...and Sneezeweed I could sure do without.  It's a good thing she's got a sense of humor.

And Chimney Rock State Park is again framed by one of the decorative pieces of doorways.

Another lemniscate with blue plum over white satin...

Chimney Rock State Park just reopened...though some of the trails and parking lots are still being repaired...and the elevator is still not working.  So you must be able to climb a bunch of steps to the lookout.  And the route we usually take from Black Mountain is also closed due to a landslide which will take a few weeks to be repaired (US 9 south to Bat Cave) so go through Hendersonville and take US 74 east to Bat Cave, and then Chimney Rock (and next to Lake Lure.)

By the Shore

Sitting by the sea is such a nice relaxing thing to do. I've driven for hours to do so, got hot sandy salty water all over me, or cooled too quickly, got too hot, too sandy, too dried out from the wind.  But I love to do it, and will someday again.

Check the people from the Sepia Saturday site to see what they've come up with related to this photo!
But my collection of beach photos has already been posted here before, so I'll just show a few again.

First a Florida shot (I know I lived there for years, but these ladies most appreciated a van ride from Tampa to Clearwater Beach, where there was a great little pier that wheelchairs could tool along.  This was in 2003, before I retired, when I loved working with elders as an activity director for an assisted living residence.

These following shots are all of Galveston TX. Come see if the rest of the Sepians have anything more interesting to share HERE

Old map of Galveston

Strolling on the beach below the seawall

The seawall of Galveston.

West beach, Galveston TX June 2018. My cousin, a long distance truck driver, shared this to her facebook page, so I have to include it even though it's pretty fresh off the press (as they once would say.)

Little lovin' boxes...

Glaze has been painted on, 3 coats of Stroke N Coat

After the glaze firing, they are just simple little boxes or pods.  I like that they are bare clay inside.  The shiny red will look pretty for gift giving...thinking tissue inside cuddling some nice jewelry.  Much more personal than those little jewelry boxes that are provided!  Be creative!

And these may still be around for Christmas and Valentines Day, who knows!

Flower Bridge springtime memories

 A sweet little water fountain among freshly planted little plants

 We had to sign the visitors book, the first people on that day!

 I love doing day trips with Helen, because she always is finding things to point out to me!

 We stuck our noses into almost every kind of rose we found, and finally were rewarded with one of the pinks climbing the gateway arch.

Helen said she doesn't like this red flower in her garden...not sure why.

This was the biggest blossom I'd ever seen on a clemantis.

Again I marvel at the fagility of the beautiful flowers, and know some of them didn't make it through the last of May's storms and floods. That just makes these memories more precious for me.