#1 or #2

In six more weeks, little Odin will be formally adopted by our son.  He has second choice of the two males in the litter, meaning he gets whomever the first buyer doesn't want.  How can anyone possibly choose between these little cutie pies?  I'd be forced to take both! The breeders have a puppy cam for the future parents (and grands) to keep an eye on their babies, I can say it is a huge time warp!

Being weighed- at full grown he'll be near 100 pounds.

Mom!! Come and get me out, this isn't very comfy!

In pottery news, our class unloaded the soda kiln yesterday - such a cold and labor intensive task. I initially didn't wear gloves so I could have a better feel of gripping pots and shelves, however the soda deposits the occasional sharp shard of glass and now my left hand has two deep cuts.  Lesson learned!  It will be a test of true Northern grit to load and unload in the depth of winter, it takes only 30 minutes for us to eagerly grab our treasures out from the kiln, but the shelves then have to be ground free of soda deposits which are like glass bubbles, then new kiln wash painted on and stacked in the shed. All the posts that hold up the shelves are redipped in kiln wash and packed away, the door of the kiln is rewashed, the arch and floor need grinding then sweeping and vacuuming, then kiln wash applied.  And this is all done outdoors in the crisp and bracing Minnesota air.  I shall be wearing my warmest boots and parka for the winter firings.  And gloves, most definitely gloves.

Front stack of 3

We also have a big new salad bowl for winter dining.  The oil bottles were a mixd bag of results, the soda blasted one so severely the funnel is flaking off the pot, so into the trash with that one.  The two smaller are good with a nice wet gloss to the sides.  Atmospheric firing is quite fickle, even the best technique and glazing can be changed by the firing, was it too hot, too much reduction, it was a windy day and drew a lot of air from the kiln.  The kiln god gives, and the kiln god takes away, blessed be the kiln.  (lol for my stricter faith friends)  I wonder, if everyone used handmade pottery for our everyday eating, would we be so cavalier about purchasing habits? Doesn't a slow food movement just beg for handmade vessels.  What nutrition value is there in fast food, packed into non earth friendly containers?  From earth to table, count how many times a handmade vessel is touched.  Processed from clay dug form the earth, wedged into balls, thrown on the wheel (or hand built), dried to leather hard and trimmed, firing to bisque stage, glazed, fired again to 2400 degrees.  Lovingly packed, taken to an art sale, displayed and purchased (we all hope).  I made a pecan and roasted golden beet salad with white jalapeño balsamic vinaigrette last week, and can't wait to make it again and serve it in this bowl.  We should eat with our eyes and soul as much as we do with our hands and mouth.

Interiors are more protected so the glaze stayed truer to color,
this big gal is 11 inches in diameter, large for me to throw, it
was closer to 14" wet, it shrinks that much in firing.

Same glaze as bowl, heavier soda deposit so the glaze went whiter

Stay warm friends, it was a crisp 36 here on the edge of the prairie this morning.