A few pieces of my pottery.....

Thanks for asking about my pottery, Susan! 

Here is a small sampling of some boxes, platters, bowls and plaques that I have done. All work is hand-built and hand-painted...(It is hard to tell the sizes of these pieces in the photos...sorry).  I am getting ready to begin work on some new inventory soon!  : )

 

House update since "The Flood"....

 

Floors still torn up downstairs and in the Great Room...."Durock" sheets nailed down in kitchen/sunroom as we wait for the tile order to come in.....and the hardwoods, which will have to sit in my bare room for a few days to get "acclimated" to my home. : )

I'm getting used to the workers coming in and out every day as well as the sounds of hammering, sawing, buzzing....and, any other noise that you can think of that is loud.

I will say that, as usual, I have enjoyed all of the people who are coming to work.  Because I work with my hands as a potter, I so appreciate their handiwork and skills. I always tend to get very close with the workers in my house, which many would say is not such a good idea.  But, I feel like we are a team....and, thus, I treat them as "teammates".  And, that includes homemade cookie baking.... : )

With that being said, I am anxious to get my house back soon.

Looking forward to "normalcy"....whatever that is!

Happy Anniversary Claire whoever you are!

While at the park yesterday we saw this graffiti on the wall nearby:

Whoever Claire is....she is a lucky gal!

I tried to convince Dave to write something sweet about me on the wall.

He just laughed.

These random cell phone pictures don't do it justice as I couldn't really see what I was capturing....

 

Picture yourself in the middle of downtown Birmingham adjacent to the railroad tracks on a warm, beautiful early spring day.

All around you are people of all ages, colors, sizes, etc. just enjoying this little oasis in the city.
Some were walking the paths while others were setting up picnics on the massive grassy areas.
Children were riding bikes on the trails....with the really adventurous ones riding down the bowl-shaped
sunken areas made especially for this fun.
A man walked by us grasping a bunch of brightly colored balloons as his wife and little boy followed along
getting ready to celebrate a birthday.
The playground areas are scattered around the park and we could hear the children's laughter.
Others had chosen to take off their shoes and run freely on the grass with total abandon...as their parents sat on benches or blankets watching them nearby.

A little red trailer was parked on the premises offering to sell  a juicy hotdog to anyone who was interested.  A small area was set aside for those who wanted to sit and "dine".

This downtown park spans several city blocks and was newly built on an area that was pretty much a junkyard and an eyesore before.  Local donations have turned it into a safe haven for all to come and enjoy. There are streams running through it along the grass and under wooden bridges.  We passed an herb garden just starting to pop out of the ground.
As the warmer weather begins to be an everyday thing, I can't wait to see the fledgling plants, flowers and trees begin to show their beauty.

Today I felt proud of my little city as Dave and I walked on the trails taking it all in and doing some good "people watching"!

It was a nice feeling and a great way to start our day. : )

Donation Site for the Japanese Earthquake and Pacific Sunami

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052&s

Finally, I can hear myself think....

...as the noisy, super dooper, heavy duty fans and dehumidifiers were turned off and carried away today.  My floor is dry! My floor is dry! Hallelujah, my floor is dry! : )

Now that the sub-flooring has been removed and dried, the next step is to prepare the floors for the tile and the hardwood.  Both decisions have been made and the materials have been ordered....so, things are moving along.

The dust in the house is beyond incredible.  I am breathing it and, probably even eating a bit of it! It has settled on to everything that is exposed and, even though I wipe everything down daily, it is really a fruitless task...but, I do it anyway.

As I try to focus on the end of all of this mess and getting my house back....I turn on the television and see horrific photos of the devastation from the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan...and, I realize how very fortunate I truly am.  I can't even imagine what the people over there are going through as they watch their homes wash away.  Their destruction is of such a great magnitude, it is difficult for me to wrap my mind around it all.

Suddenly, my flood damage seems pretty inconsequential.

Three **Alta Cockas**and a Car

(**Alta Cocka** is Yiddish for "old people")

I called Mom today so that I could get caught up on what was going on at The Home.  I have had trouble getting in touch with her lately and I teasingly said, "So, you get a boyfriend and now you are never around to talk with me anymore!"  She laughed, since she knew that  it was true. She probably realized  that I was grinning when I said it as her new friendships have given me more happiness than I can measure.

It seems as if Mom, her "boyfriend", and his best friend, went for a spin yesterday.  Her boyfriend is the only one in the group who has a car and who can drive.  He was needing to have some physical therapy outside of The Home.... and Mom and the friend went along for the ride.

At one point, Mom said that she had a hankering for something sweet.  (Well, she didn't say "hankering", but I decided to add a little Southern touch to the story.)  The men agreed and left it up to her to find a place.

Excitedly, she told me that they went to Burger King to get Smoothies.  I never heard my mom quite that enthusiastic for a Smoothie....but, then there are a lot of things that Mom says lately that I  I haven't ever heard before!!

When they arrived at the Burger King, Mom saw a picture of something new that they now carried: caramel sundaes!  Not being able to resist, she ordered one while her two cohorts stayed with the original "Smoothie plan".

"Well," she said to me sounding like a giggly little girl, "that was the most delicious thing that I ever ate!" My generally low-key mom was beyond joyous as she described her ice cream delicacy.  She even told me that she licked the bowl clean.....oh my.

Who is this lady who calls herself my mother.....and what have they done with my real mom???????

:  )     :  )    :  )

Waiting....

"I am ready any time. Do not keep me waiting. "
John Mason Brown
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sitting here this morning awaiting: the tree man, who is supposed to be returning to finish the tree cutting job that was started last week; the duct man, who is coming to check out my heating/air-conditioning duct situation since the flood; the mitigation gentleman, who is coming by to check the percentage of water still in my flooring; the woman who works for my contractor, who should be bringing by some more tile samples for me to see for the kitchen floor; and, finally, the ADT security technician to check out why the sensor on my front door is no longer working.

Other than that....it is a pretty normal day around here. Ha!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But the important thing about learning to wait, I feel sure, is to know what you are waiting for."
Anna Neagle

Celia, the flower girl!

:  )

Why is this man up in my tree?

OK,  I decided that having my house torn up wasn't enough stress for me soooooo, I had some dead trees cut down yesterday, too.  Any of you who have had this done know that it does not come cheaply....nor quietly.  Of course, during the cutting, they pointed out a huge tree in my back that was leaning precariously towards my upstairs bedroom.  After some bartering back and forth I made the decision to go ahead and let them take down this ginormous tree that was threatening to some day come crashing down on my house (!). After all, they reminded me, spring is coming and that means high winds and strong storms.

I believe that the tree cutters caught me at my most vulnerable state of mind.

Whatever they did, it worked and I am now forking out more $$$ for another tree removal.

Are we having fun yet?

Rest in Peace, Dad.

I can't believe that it has been three years since we lost you.
Missing you today, and always.
XOXO

(Dad, many years ago...)

Sleep escapes me these days....

...as I find myself wide awake at all hours of the night thinking (and worrying!) about what is going on in my home right now:  Construction workers coming and going....meeting with contractors.....once beautiful floors being torn up and carried off....the steady noise of powerful industrial fans and dehumidifiers going 24/7....the buzzing of electric saws cutting through wood....dust, dust, dust everywhere...huge sheets of plastic sheeting flapping in the wind caused by the fans while attempting to cover up shelves and the valuables that they contain...heading out to flooring showrooms to sift through piles of tile samples.....and the crow bars lifting up soggy sub-flooring with possibilities of finding more moisture in newly exposed places...etc. etc. etc.

I am trying desperately to look at the bright side of all of this....when all is said and done, I will have new flooring in my kitchen and great room....and new carpeting (again) put in downstairs. The men will be gone....the noises will stop....the plastic sheets will be taken down....my rugs and tables and lamps and art work and personal items will be put back where they belong....and I will have my house back again. These are just things.....and things can be replaced. I tell myself this countless times a day. It has become my daily mantra.

However, since none of this was planned...it becomes a stress that I hadn't anticipated....and, that is the part that is difficult.  That, and being concerned about having just had a major flood in 2010 and  how all of this will affect my insurance coverage.

But, for now, I will just have to deal with lying in bed at all hours of the night while I allow my racing mind to continue to go through its myriad of thoughts and concerns.

A few sleepless nights producing heavy bags under the eyes never hurt anyone......I will get through this newest challenge....and, hopefully, laugh about it someday.

I can't wait for that day to be here.... : )

First there was the flood....then the hail....then the phone, cable and computer....what's next?

Am I experiencing plagues or is it just bad luck?
That is what it is feeling like these days....
The back of the refrigerator caused a pretty massive flood in my home while I was out of town.
Now, I wake up to the lovely "glass-breaking" sounds of tile being removed from my kitchen floor as well as
loud hammering and electric sawing of my den hardwood  floors being ripped from the sub-flooring.
When the truck arrived yesterday to pick up my furniture so that the destruction could begin, they accidentally tore the cable line which meant that I had no phone, computer, or television for most of the day. (Of course, my biggest concern was that I might miss American Idol! ha!!)
Like all of life's little blips......this too shall pass.
RIGHT???

More to come.... : (

"If I could put time in a bottle...."

 

My dear, sweet Jeffrey is 34 today.

I don't know when that happened. 

It must have been when I wasn't looking?

Jeffrey, you have gone from a kind and gentle child to an equally kind and gentle man.

You always have that wonderful smile on your face...

Watching you as a daddy to Celia and Dylan brings tears to my eyes....

You are such a "natural".

I'm so proud of you....and, don't forget that, no matter how many birthdays you have...

You will always be my "baby".

Happy, happy Birthday!

I love you so very much,

Mom