Ron Roy on fri 24 nov 00
I've been cleaning up some old clayart files I saved and ran across this
remarkable bit of prose by David Hendly - thought you all might enjoy a
smile.
"Darn!", it was after midnight and that receipt I need to finish
bookkeeping chores for the month was back at the pottery shop. As I opened
the door to the darkened shop I thought I heard something. Kind of a
tinkling and mumbling. I quietly made my way towards the noise, and ended
up in the showroom, next to the mug shelf.
"....and what about Vince? If he gets me I know he'll paint me with Terra
Sigilatta and start rubbing me for hours and hours. Just imagine being
rubbed and rubbed and..."
"Hey, what's going on in here?" I said, as I switched on the light. All the
mugs were gathered around in a circle, with a big blue mug in the center.
"We're worried about that "Clayart Mug Exchange!", said Big Blue. "Mug
Exchange...", I mumbled, and then remembered that I had grabbed that mug
off the shelf to get a drink a few days ago, and carried it back to the
house to read my e-mail. It set there by the computer for several days
before I took it back to the shop.
"Yeah, it sounds like a BAD IDEA to us," said Big Blue, as I realized he
had been sitting by the computer screen for 3 days reading my e-mail! And
now he was telling ALL the mugs about what he'd learned!
"Just imagine if the Clennells take me home," said a little brown guy.
"Tony will spray me with ITC and make me part of his bag wall!"
"Yeah, or Linda Blossom!" chimed in another, "She puts it on everything."
"What if I have to go to Minnesota with Mel, or South Dakota with Cindy?
They seem like nice people, but I'll FREEZE to death! Two thousand degrees
I can take, but 20 below zero? They might forget about me and leave me out
all night and..."
"Don't worry guys," I said, "these are all people who LOVE pottery. They
wouldn't do anything bad to you. Besides, you might go home with someone
like Dannon. She's nice and you wouldn't even leave Texas. Or Don Jones. I
bet he'd get you your own little plexiglas pedestal to stand on. Just think
of it as a great adventure, something..."
I was interruped by Big Blue, "W-w-what about R-r-r-ron R-r-r-oy?" The room
fell silent. I didn't know what to say. Finally, a demi-tasse on the top
shelf asked, "What's a ron roy?"
Big Blue, trembling, burst out, "He's the most notorious mug abuser on the
North American continent! He has been torturing mugs for years! First he
freezes you, then he boils you. He scratches you with jagged rocks, and
pours acid on you. It's a slow, agonizing death! And he'll be there!"
There were gasps all around the room. How could I explain this? "Well," I
started, "Ron Roy really loves pottery, and he just wants to help make..."
"No! No! No!", shouted the whole group.
"Calm down, you all," I said, "you've got nothing to worry about." "Nothing
to worry about?", asked Big Blue. "Did you hear what I just said?"
"Remember when we adjusted your glaze to keep it from crazing?", I asked,
"Ron Roy helped us do that. And we increased the flux in the clay to stop
cristobolite development. We checked your flux/alumina/silica ratio, and
recalculated the glaze to eliminate barium carbonate. You all have nothing
to worry about. (cue patriotic music) Like athletes training for the
Olympics, you are ready for any test a mug can be put through. It would be
an honor to be tested. Making things better for all mug-kind!"
Things were calming down.
"It's late," I said, "I'm turning off the light." "Say 'Hi' to Mel,"
shouted Big Blue as I was leaving. "I guess I won't get that bookkeeping
finished tonight," I thought, as I walked back to the house and got ready
for bed.
G'night everyone. Sweet dreams.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
See David Hendley's Pottery Page at
http://www.sosis.com/hendley/david/
Ron Roy
93 Pegasus Trail
Scarborough
Ontario, Canada
M1G 3N8
Evenings 416-439-2621
Fax 416-438-7849
Cindy Strnad on sat 25 nov 00
Excellent story, David. I giggled all the way through the rest of the
clayart messages. I'm still imagining my mugs conversing behind my back, on
their shelves, probably cursing me. But then, "Shall the clay say to
the potter, 'What have you made?'" (I think that's in Proverbs, but it might
be somewhere else--maybe Isaiah.) So I guess they're not allowed to complain
too much, are they?
Thanks for posting this, Ron.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
earthenv@gwtc.net
http://www.earthenvesselssd.com
Marcia Selsor on sat 25 nov 00
Dear Ron, that's a wonderful story. And I treasure my mugs from the
clayart exchange as I use them for tea, coffee or my husband's homemade
cocoa. I am already wondering which mugs to take to NC.
Thanks for the story.
Marcia
\snip
> "It's late," I said, "I'm turning off the light." "Say 'Hi' to Mel,"
> shouted Big Blue as I was leaving. "I guess I won't get that bookkeeping
> finished tonight," I thought, as I walked back to the house and got ready
> for bed.
> G'night everyone. Sweet dreams.
>
> David Hendley
> Maydelle, Texas
> See David Hendley's Pottery Page at
> http://www.sosis.com/hendley/david/
>
> Ron Roy
> 93 Pegasus Trail
> Scarborough
> Ontario, Canada
> M1G 3N8
> Evenings 416-439-2621
> Fax 416-438-7849
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
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--
Marcia Selsor
selsor@imt.net
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls/Tuscany2001.html
J102551@AOL.COM on sat 25 nov 00
Thank you David and Ron Roy, for that great story. What a great bunch we are
Makes me grateful to count myself among you. I started potting for the clay
but the people ...WOW. Jeri
Jim Chandler on sun 26 nov 00
Or, what the clay said. Isaiah 29:16 "...Should the potter himself be
accounted just like the clay? For should the thing made say respecting
its maker: 'He did not make me'? And does the very thing formed
actually say respecting its former: 'He showed no understanding'?"
One hopes not.
Offered with humility, from the fringes, from one who is still more
painter than potter but enjoying being back on the list.
Laura Chandler, Kensington MD
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