What brings joy?

Like so many others, the week between Christmas and New Year's is a time when I like to look back at the year, reflect and focus on the upcoming year.  One of the things I've really thought about this past year are the things that bring me joy. It's often in very small ways, but still they bring a smile to my face or joy to my heart. Today, I'd like to share some photos of one of the places that bring me joy. 

My husband and I own 40 acres in a small farming community of Lanesboro, Minnesota.  When it was purchased, there was nothing on the property but a well that hadn't been used in decades.  Since that time, we've had a driveway built, brought power into the site, constructed a small building to operate as my studio with a sleeping loft above, established a "yard", constructed a kiln shed and had a bourry box kiln built there. 

While this was all a great deal of work, it brings me so much joy when I look back to where we started and how the site has changed.  In addition to the sense of accomplishment in making this site "ours", the quiet, peaceful nature of the areas hills and valleys brings me even greater joy.  

We love the place it has become and the peace we feel when we are there. 

What brings you joy?

Re-united

Saturday I received the bisque fired pieces I'd made while attending a workshop on texturing wheel thrown pottery in Virginia . Seeing the boxes when I arrived home from a long day at a sale was kind of a cross between Christmas morning and exploring in the attic. My daughter and I sat on the floor in the dining room and ripped open the boxes. My husband teased us a bit about being like a couple little kids and then snapped this picture. We dug through the big boxes to find more boxes protecting the individual pots, which were all wrapped very carefully in several layers of newspaper. All the pots arrived in excellent condition thanks to the excellent packing skills of the workshop instructor Sarah McCarthy. Opening each small box was like opening presents on Christmas morning because I didn't know what would be in the box. After unwrapping the item, it was like exploring in the attic and finding the thing would put up there and were now re-united with.
















"Oh yeah, this was a cool piece" was said more than a couple times. Today, I'll start preparing them to be glazed and put some more of those pictures out here for you. Check back soon to see what's new. Be well.