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the work ethic of the northern climates

updated wed 13 jan 10

 

tony clennell on sat 9 jan 10


Here I am North of 49 blowing the driveway and making pots on a
Saturday and a fellow Clayarter way north in the Yukon is stoking the
wood stove and making work planning for the apple season. Down in the
Republic of Texas David and Dale are sitting around under the apple
tree doing their taxes waiting for the apple to fall. It's a joke
guys!!!! So there are no apples on the tree but it's a good time for
pruning.
Next I'll read of all the southerners bread recipes and how they spent
the weekend making breads, soups and stews. Then they danced around in
their moo-moo's and played Dirty Scrabble.
We buy our bread down the road from a wood fired bakery. 5lbs a loaf.
Soups and stews will be made tonight after work.
In Northern clims we spend a lot of time on survival. When I lived up
in Wiarton down the road from fellow Clayarter Steve Irvine I used to
spend probably 2 hours every day on snow removal. My deck, my kiln
shed, the entrance to my showroom, kiln shed roof, studio. And yes I
burned about 20 face cords of wood each winter that had to be brought
in from the cold to the house.
It is harder living in cold climates at this time of year. I don't
seem to get as much accomplished.
Long live the Alamo.
Tony

--
http://sourcherrypottery.com
http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com
Workshop Feb 5,6,7 Mudbucket Pottery
Myrtle Beach, SC
info@mudbucketpottery.com
Workshop Feb 13th
Tucker's Pottery Supply-Lies, lies and more lies
info@tuckerspottery.com
La Meridiana, Italy April 25/May 8th- workshop is full
Calgary May 14,15, 16 Mount Pleasant Arts Centre NMPAC@calgary.ca

Gay Judson on sat 9 jan 10


Tony, You got us wrong--well, a little bit wrong. No sitting out =3D20
under the apple tree here, now! We are having the coldest spell (of =3D20
several days duration) in 20-30 years! Sun is shining today--was not =3D20=
=3D

yesterday or day before--but the high is 40=3D95F, low in the low 20s. =3D=
20=3D

Very cold for us used to warmer days--remembering the summer-long 100=3D95=
=3D20=3D

+ days just a couple months back! Not comfortable in my studio these =3D20=
=3D

days so I am working on getting a sour-dough starter going and reading =3D2=
0=3D

my "Slow Cooking" books! Venison stew so fine you'd kill for it--=3D20
well, Jim did!
Thinking of you in the far, cold north! Fondly, Gay Judson

On Jan 9, 2010, at 12:23 PM, tony clennell wrote:

> Here I am North of 49 blowing the driveway and making pots on a
> Saturday and a fellow Clayarter way north in the Yukon is stoking the
> wood stove and making work planning for the apple season. Down in the
> Republic of Texas David and Dale are sitting around under the apple
> tree doing their taxes waiting for the apple to fall. It's a joke
> guys!!!! So there are no apples on the tree but it's a good time for
> pruning.
> Next I'll read of all the southerners bread recipes and how they spent
> the weekend making breads, soups and stews. Then they danced around in
> their moo-moo's and played Dirty Scrabble.
> We buy our bread down the road from a wood fired bakery. 5lbs a loaf.
> Soups and stews will be made tonight after work.
> In Northern clims we spend a lot of time on survival. When I lived up
> in Wiarton down the road from fellow Clayarter Steve Irvine I used to
> spend probably 2 hours every day on snow removal. My deck, my kiln
> shed, the entrance to my showroom, kiln shed roof, studio. And yes I
> burned about 20 face cords of wood each winter that had to be brought
> in from the cold to the house.
> It is harder living in cold climates at this time of year. I don't
> seem to get as much accomplished.
> Long live the Alamo.
> Tony
>
> --
> http://sourcherrypottery.com
> http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com
> Workshop Feb 5,6,7 Mudbucket Pottery
> Myrtle Beach, SC
> info@mudbucketpottery.com
> Workshop Feb 13th
> Tucker's Pottery Supply-Lies, lies and more lies
> info@tuckerspottery.com
> La Meridiana, Italy April 25/May 8th- workshop is full
> Calgary May 14,15, 16 Mount Pleasant Arts Centre NMPAC@calgary.ca

Steve Irvine on sun 10 jan 10


Drove past your old place today Tony -- it's as beautiful as ever in the =
=3D
snow. We've had a fair bit of the white stuff since early December.

I would really miss the winter if I had to live in some tropical place. =3D
I'd miss the austere beauty of it, the challenge of it, and the =3D
wonderful, still quiet. I like the slow pace of winter as a time for =3D
developing new ideas, doing glaze research, making moulds, and doing =3D
some long range planning.

On the survival side of things, we have a gas generator wired into our =3D
electrical system so that I can run the furnace, water pump, fridge or =3D
microwave off of the generator if (when?) the power goes out.

We did some snowshoeing this afternoon:
http://www.steveirvine.com/clayart/snowshoeing10i10.jpg
Georgian Bay hasn't frozen over yet.

Steve=3D20
www.steveirvine.com

> In Northern clims we spend a lot of time on survival. When I lived up
> in Wiarton down the road from fellow Clayarter Steve Irvine I used to
> spend probably 2 hours every day on snow removal. My deck, my kiln
> shed, the entrance to my showroom, kiln shed roof, studio. And yes I
> burned about 20 face cords of wood each winter that had to be brought
> in from the cold to the house.
> It is harder living in cold climates at this time of year. I don't
> seem to get as much accomplished.
> Long live the Alamo.
> Tony

tony clennell on mon 11 jan 10


Steve; I heard from Tim Smith that my old neighbour Clarence died this
past summer. I have fond memories of starting the firebox on the big
two chamer kiln in the early morning. Clarence would bring me over a
warm fried egg sandwich and a coffee. We would then have one of his
roll your own ciggies. It is the only time I ever smoked. That one
before a firing. He died of lung cancer.
Then you would show up for your shift at 1 o'clock. Always on time,
always could count on you. We sure worked with that kiln. I still have
a press moulded vase of yours from that kiln on my mantle.
A very important time in the development of our careers.
All the best to the good folk of the Bruce.
Cheers,
Tony
P.S I see you are a juror for the HPG Exhibition- congrats!!!

On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 10:00 PM, Steve Irvine wrote:
> Drove past your old place today Tony -- it's as beautiful as ever in the =
=3D
snow. We've had a fair bit of the white stuff since early December.
>
> I would really miss the winter if I had to live in some tropical place. I=
=3D
'd miss the austere beauty of it, the challenge of it, and the wonderful, s=
=3D
till quiet. I like the slow pace of winter as a time for developing new ide=
=3D
as, doing glaze research, making moulds, and doing some long range planning=
=3D
.
>
> On the survival side of things, we have a gas generator wired into our el=
=3D
ectrical system so that I can run the furnace, water pump, fridge or microw=
=3D
ave off of the generator if (when?) the power goes out.
>
> We did some snowshoeing this afternoon:
> http://www.steveirvine.com/clayart/snowshoeing10i10.jpg
> Georgian Bay hasn't frozen over yet.
>
> Steve
> www.steveirvine.com
>
>> In Northern clims we spend a lot of time on survival. When I lived up
>> in Wiarton down the road from fellow Clayarter Steve Irvine I used to
>> spend probably 2 hours every day on snow removal. My deck, my kiln
>> shed, the entrance to my showroom, kiln shed roof, studio. And yes I
>> burned about 20 face cords of wood each winter that had to be brought
>> in from the cold to the house.
>> It is harder living in cold climates at this time of year. I don't
>> seem to get as much accomplished.
>> Long live the Alamo.
>> Tony
>



--=3D20
http://sourcherrypottery.com
http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com
Workshop Feb 5,6,7 Mudbucket Pottery
Myrtle Beach, SC
info@mudbucketpottery.com
Workshop Feb 13th
Tucker's Pottery Supply-Lies, lies and more lies
info@tuckerspottery.com
La Meridiana, Italy April 25/May 8th- workshop is full
Calgary May 14,15, 16 Mount Pleasant Arts Centre NMPAC@calgary.ca

Marcia Selsor on mon 11 jan 10


I miss the Montana winters and the minus zero from Jan. 1 to mid- Feb. =3D
This tropical living in SOuth Texas makes me forget what time of year it =
=3D
is.=3D20
We had a good wood and pellet stoves at the studio. I collected hard =3D
wood from a cabinet maker. Could also make nice little tools from the =3D
scraps. I use to use coal in my little house in Huntley. We could back =3D
up the pickup to a conveyor belt and get coal right out of the mine. =3D
Wood was not as abundant in the area. I miss Yellowstone Park in the =3D
Winter and swimming in the hot springs while your hair grows icicles and =
=3D
you sit and watch the bison..
I missed the squeaky sound of "dry" snow in the bitter cold and the car =3D
seats cracking when it is minus 30. And let's not forget headbolt =3D
heaters to keep your car engine from freezing. I was only snowed in once =
=3D
in 25 years of teaching. About 1990, the university stayed open when it =3D
was minus 30 because they would otherwise forfeit a basketball game to =3D
Alaska. I did learn how to solder pipes after they froze. Montana is a =3D
lesson in survival and self-reliance. I really do miss it.


Marcia Selsor
http://www.marciaselsor.com

Eleanora Eden on tue 12 jan 10


I just got my gas generator replaced by a direct line propane generator.
Bought it from generators.com, free shipping from California.

Last winter in the ice storm my power was out for 3 days. I know, I know,
many in western MA were out for weeks. Thanks to wonderful neighbors,
my generator did the job. I wrecked my right arm trying to pull that start=
er
which I am just now finally getting physical therapy for.

So, we now have this little concrete pad and roof for this new machine, so
it is bolted to the pad and the gas company would hook it up. Very snazzy.
Like a little dog house without sides. Its up on blocks to be above any sn=
ow.
I don't look forward to a power outage but I am all set for it now. Just t=
urn
a key and press a button. No filling gas cans and depending on other busy
folks to keep it going.

Survival means getting help from your friends, and also doing your best not
to need it!

Eleanora

>
>On the survival side of things, we have a gas generator wired into our ele=
ctrical system so that I can run the furnace, water pump, fridge or microwa=
ve off of the generator if (when?) the power goes out.

--
Bellows Falls Vermont
www.eleanoraeden.com

DJ Brewer on tue 12 jan 10


We have had 4 consecutive days with weather 32 or below. That is
unprecedented on the Texas Gulf Coast where I live. My little studio was
a numbing 39 degrees inside. I did not throw for those days. I much
prefer the torpid heat and humidity that I work in, rather than freezing
cold.

Our generator is for outages caused by hurricanes and thunderstorms. We
have a LOT of thunderstorms, but bad hurricanes are infrequent enough. I
respect ya'll who live in cold climates. My husband is from Marquette
Michigan, and the stories he told me of houses buried up to roofs in
snow, and two-week spans in January where the temperature was -16
WITHOUT windchill -- well, needless to say, he opted to move to Texas.
No snow shoveling of driveways here!

Although nothing can beat the beauty of the UP -- I love it in the
summer. I love its beauty also in the winter. I'm just not sure I
could survive one!

much love to all of those in cold climes and warm ones!

DJ



Eleanora Eden wrote:
> I just got my gas generator replaced by a direct line propane generator.
> Bought it from generators.com, free shipping from California.
>
> Last winter in the ice storm my power was out for 3 days. I know, I know=
,
> many in western MA were out for weeks. Thanks to wonderful neighbors,
> my generator did the job. I wrecked my right arm trying to pull that sta=
rter
> which I am just now finally getting physical therapy for.
>
> So, we now have this little concrete pad and roof for this new machine, s=
o
> it is bolted to the pad and the gas company would hook it up. Very snazz=
y.
> Like a little dog house without sides. Its up on blocks to be above any =
snow.
> I don't look forward to a power outage but I am all set for it now. Just=
turn
> a key and press a button. No filling gas cans and depending on other bus=
y
> folks to keep it going.
>
> Survival means getting help from your friends, and also doing your best n=
ot
> to need it!
>
> Eleanora
>
>
>> On the survival side of things, we have a gas generator wired into our e=
lectrical system so that I can run the furnace, water pump, fridge or micro=
wave off of the generator if (when?) the power goes out.
>>
>
> --
> Bellows Falls Vermont
> www.eleanoraeden.com
>
>

KATHI LESUEUR on tue 12 jan 10


On Jan 12, 2010, at 1:16 PM, DJ Brewer wrote:

> We have had 4 consecutive days with weather 32 or below. That is
> unprecedented on the Texas Gulf Coast where I live. My little
> studio was
> a numbing 39 degrees inside. I did not throw for those days. I much
> prefer the torpid heat and humidity that I work in, rather than
> freezing
> cold.
>



Just goes to show that everyone has a different thing they can't
tolerate. I hated living in Texas with the constant heat and
humidity. My studio wasn't air-conditioned (or heated). I'd go in a
six in the morning, quit at one because the heat was intolerable and
then go back about seven at night. I, also, hated that I had to run
from the air-conditioned home to the air-conditioned car to the air
conditioned store. I was so glad to get back to Michigan. I'd much
rather bundle up in cold weather. And, even when it's really cold
here I can just bundle up and go for a walk. To each his own.

KATHI LESUEUR
http://www.lesueurclaywork.com