Chiggers

Things are going well down at Marks. I decorated a bit this morning. I don't spend nearly the amount of time decorating here as I did at Matt's. It makes it all that much more enjoyable when I do make the time. I got a load of wood delivered yesterday but then the thermometer went right back of to 75 degrees. Another wonderful hidden treasure of the piedmont are these little bugs called chiggers. This is the third time these little guys have had a feast on me this summer. The first time I had no idea what they were and thought that it was some bizarre poison ivy. By the second time I had them pretty much figured out. The insert a small proboscis into your skin and inject an enzyme which turns your skin cells into slime and they then suck out the slime. When they have satiated themselves they drop off and then the itching begins. It beats any other itch I have ever experienced. It is an itch that wakes you in the night in a maniacal scratching rage. I cannot wait for the first frost so that I walk in the wood again, free from these demonic pests. But other than that I have no complaints.

Piling up...

Its late and I am tired so this will be brief. Life is slowly settling into some sort of normalcy. While the markets crumble around the world I feel lucky that I have something as tangible and concrete to fill my days as making pottery. I keep thinking about the guys on Wall St., panic stricken and sleep deprived not knowing what the next hour will hold. Why I chose to do this and not that I don't know but I am thankful. I suppose the question for potters is whether this is going to make people stop buying pottery and maybe some of you all can already answer that. Anyways. The pots are still piling up at an astonishing rate, spilling out of the studio and into the kilns and barns that surround the pottery. Below are a few pictures of the work as well as Joseph Sands first appearance on the blog and Eryn Prospero. Eryn is here only for a few more weeks before going back to Canada and Joseph will be around for a little bit. At this juncture I will just say this....Joseph can throw. I'll devote a post to this freak of nature in a few days but for now I need to get a little sleep. Be well...