Gathering

We had a blast today in central Illinois. My cousin and two of her grandchildren joined us and it was the first time she'd seen our toddler grandson since he has been here. We had really good food, our daughter and her husband are wonderful hosts and cooks and I took a berry salad I think I found on Kalyn's kitchen. Children ran and shouted and squealed and swam and nearly toppled over in exhaustion. Dh made a secret trip to the sugar shack, otherwise known as krispee kreme as this was one time the grandson didn't need to know about this trip. Too much excitement already. Chicago daughter came down and taught me how to e-mail myself some photos I took with my phone, and what was in my mailbox when I got home? 5 photos of a local fundraising art project! Success. The quality of the photos leaves a lot to be desired, but at least I got it done. Who knows, in two or three years I might be able to text message somebody.

I had a bit of excitement at school on Friday. Some of my 8th graders wanted to look in the kiln. My kiln room has seemed strangely spacious the past few weeks and when I opened the kiln, I realized why. The custodians had shoved the kiln up against the wall, it was knocked a couple of inches off its base and some of the firebricks inside are somewhat CRUSHED. I was really really mad and I don't think the kiln guy will be able to come and fix it in time for this grading period to get to do clay. grrrr. On the other hand, the kiln is not school quality and maybe I will be able to get a better one, not a hobby kiln. You would think I would be a little more observant, after all, I am supposed to be an artist and don't we observe? Something was just not right, but until I looked inside the kiln, smashed up against the wall on its big electrical umbilical cord, I just didn't notice a couple of inches of kiln bottom showing out from under the edge of the stacked walls, where it should not have been.