Spring Ahead

Barb, my good friend, and I ventured south to Colorado this past weekend for a chic shopping spree and a quick cure for cabin fever.  We had a great time and as soon as we crossed the state line, we thought we had arrived in a different country.  Did we become magically transported?  The weather was beautiful, there was no snow and some green things were poking through the ground and some even had the guts to bloom. Ohhhh...wait a minute.  I used to live there and that colorful state has at least two less months of winter.  I had forgotten that.  How silly of me!!!  It was so nice.  We pigged out and had a little chocolate to boot.  Thanks, Barb! (We even took advantage of the nice evening with daylight savings starting.)

Below is my first attempt at making tiles.  I have a large lump of clay, rolled it out with a rolling pin and as we are redoing part of our main bath with a copper sink, we had to decide about a back splash.  At first I thought I would make all of the tiles for the countertop, but after much deliberating, and being a novice, I went for only a few.  The sink has fish engraved around the top and since we live where the fish jump in main street, I thought it appropriate for the tiles.  I had picked up half of a wooden  fish mold at a flea market knowing it would come in handy for something.  

So this is my first large fish.  These tiles are about 6 1/2 by 3 1/2 before drying and firing in the kiln.  I have two smaller ones which I will post later. My intention was to make them rustic so we will see how they work.
Debby is still calving with 7 live calves now and 4 more heifers to go.  I had coffee with her today and got caught up on happenings.  The Mr. and I went back to Colorado yesterday and picked up a pool table he had purchased. We bought it from a family who run an establishment there and they were so nice to deal with.  We did battle the wind coming home (what's new?), but made it home just fine with our prize.  Today I was able to get a vaccination for shingles.  For old people in my age group, shingles is a fairly common ailment, related to chicken pox and the other herpes viruses.  Yuk!  But they are very uncomfortable and very painful and at $200.00 a pop for the vaccine....I really felt it was worth it.  I have had them 3 times since October.  Information you all didn't need to know, but this is a journal of sorts, not very private.  Put up with me!!

We are headed out again for a state pool tournament and with everything that keeps us busy, I haven't been able to post.  I will be so ready for springing ahead and the long evenings for gardening and the settling down to get to this blog on a regular basis.  I am anxious for the first blooms.

"FLOWERS ARE SUNSHINE, FOOD, AND MEDICINE TO THE SOUL."----Luther Burbank