Firing up the Kiln - First Glaze Firing in WI

Kiln before firing

We finally decorated enough of our pottery to make it worthwhile firing up the kiln.  We were a bit nervous using the kiln with the wiring in the house since we weren't sure whether we would have a successful firing or would fire up the whole house (good news was that either way we would probably get some finished pots - might be all that we own at that point, but it would be something).  Fortunately everything went smoothly with no problems and our jury rigged exhaust system kept any smells from reaching the rest of the house.  We had moderate success on the glazing, since about a third of the pots we weren't too ecstatic about the final results.  But that is the thrill of doing amateur pottery, your never exactly sure what you will get coming out the kiln.  Next up will be a bisque firing, but we need to complete a few more items to make it worthwhile.

Some of the finished product

We spent the weekend hanging around Milwaukee.  Friday I had a part of my anatomy routinely investigated with a long fiber-optic scope (I'll let you figure what part on your own, I have some photos if you are really interested) so I was pretty out of it for the day.  Although, I did find that propofol is a great anesthetic - on quick, off quick, makes you all happy and content, and great for sleeping later that night.  I slept over nine hours Friday night which hasn't happened in years!  Jo had a funeral to attend after my "procedure" and on the way home was hit by someone making an illegal lane change.  Fortunately no one was injured and the damage to the both cars was somewhat minor.  But we now have a car to get repaired and a slightly shaken spouse who is just a bit more nervous driving.  On a more enjoyable note, we took a couple of nice long walks over the weekend and enjoyed watching some of the women's world cup soccer matches.

All set and ready to decay

My big accomplishment for the week - besides having a tube snake around inside of me - was that I finished painting the outside of the garage window and then started on the inside of it.  Nice thing about an old house, there is always - I mean always - something that either needs painting, repairing, or repairing and painting.  It is just a matter of deciding if you really feel the need to start that project.  While this house has lots of charm and character - there are definitely times when the charm isn't quite enough to even the scorecard against the repair effort.

The only other news is that the garden is starting to grow - nothing too fast since we can't seem to get temperatures out of the 60's.  But most things have start to push up - except for my squashes this year.  I had to replant them so who knows what we might get in that department.