Happy HOLLYdays Newsletter 12-19

Holly's HollyDay Newsletter (Not a subscriber? You can join my mailing list here.)

Hi, everyone! I meant to send this out sooner, but I've been having some medical issues. I've had plates/screws in my leg for decades. After months of infections, and a surgery in August, they took them out a couple weeks ago. So I'm home recovering and I'm no longer bionic! LOL Which is why this newsletter is a little late. The exciting news is the first two books in my Hometown Hearts series are available for pre-order!!  Crib Notes is out in January, A Special Kind of Different is follows March.  You can preorder both at: Crib Notes: Amazon iBooks Nook Kobo A Special Kind of Different: Amazon iBooks Nook Kobo My other big news is the work on our barn (my future studio) is plugging along! We finally have doors on the front! But mainly this quick newsletter is to wish you all a happy holiday...no matter what holiday you celebrate! And as the new year approaches, I hope you're thinking about your word of the year!  Mine is going to PATIENCE. I need to work on that. Turns out I'm not such a patient patient! LOL I blogged about it here. I'll talk to you all in the new year! I wish you nothing but glee this holiday season! Holly

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Patience—Word of the Year

I started picking a word of the year long while back.

I don't like resolutions. If you break them then you feel like a loser.  Goals are better. Something you're working toward, but still if you don't achieve the goal, there's an element of failure to it. A Word of the Year is better yet. They're goal-esque. But they're also a foundation to build a year around. They're something to weave into the fabric of your year. Something for everything else to spring from.

I know I'm early, but I've already picked my Word of the Year for 2020...Patience.

Being laid up with crutches means I'm relying on others more than I am accustomed to. Himself has been amazing. He's been trying to take care of me. Trying is the big word. I am not easy to take care of.  LOL But I'm working on my patience. (Maybe it's not just patience but a certain humbleness I require. It takes a humbleness to ask for help. I'm going to mull that over now that I've thought of it.)  I have figured out how to get my own drinks (travel mugs shoved in sweatpants pocket) and even a bowl of lunch (office chair used as a rolling table) but I didn't do either this weekend...I've asked Himself for help.  He's been infinitely patient with this less than patient patient. LOL He's picked up the slack for me.

So I'm working on my patience with myself.

I have always been the caretaker. When I was young, I took care of my brothers, including a baby brother twelve years younger than me. I've taken care of my kids, my extended family, neighbors. That's the role I'm used to. Caregiver. Care-ie...not so much.

In that last blog post I said every obstacle comes with a gift in its hand. And it does. I'm hoping one of the gifts these crutches have brought me is patience. So there's a gift.

Sometimes my word of the year isn't difficult. One of my favorite words of a year was Glee...I tend to have a lock on that. And come to think about it, I've found glee even in the midst of all this. But patience...yeah, I've got some work to do this year! And maybe that's not such a bad thing. Sometimes it's good to have some work to do.

Every obstacle comes with a gift.  I suspect that learning to be more patient isn't going to be this particular obstacle's only gift.

How about you? Are you thinking about a word for 2020?

Holly

PS The first two Hometown Hearts books are available for preorder!! Yes, A Special Kind of Different is up too!! Crib Notes is out in January, A Special Kind of Different in March!!

Crib Notes:
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
iBooks

A Special Kind of Different:
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
iBooks

Obstacles

I know many things about myself.
I love my family and Himself.
I treasure my friends.
I have Medusa hair.
I do not truly wake up until I have hot, strong black coffee in my hand.
I love to read, play with ceramics, learn new things...
I feel most at home out in the middle of the woods at the cottage.
I am a busy sort of person.
I am not a patient patient...

Oh, that last one.
I've been having some ongoing issues since summer with my bad leg. It has put a bit of a hitch in my giddiup this summer and fall. Well, last week, they took out my decades-old hardware and we're hoping this last surgery is the LAST surgery. Yes, my bionic leg is screw and plateless. It's a regular old leg. And I'm on crutches for a bit while those screw holes in the femur heal.

Uh, remember that not patient patient Holly fact? It's coming into play. But I'm being very well behaved even if I'm not patient. I'm resting a lot and slowly rebuilding my strength. All my wood-splitting means my arms aren't doing too bad with the crutches. So I'm moving more slowly than usual, but I'm moving.

I'm setting small goals for myself. For instance, yesterday I made the bed and made the morning coffee. Poor Himself did pretty much of the rest of my daily routine, but darn that bed looked nice and the coffee was just the way I like it, hot, strong black coffee. Today, I've already made the coffee, I'm making that darn bed, and I'm going to find one more new thing to throw in the mix. Maybe unload a dishwasher. Anyway, that's how I'm going to measure my recovery...one new (regular) thing at a time.

My ultimate goal is to be back in the studio by the end of January. I've always been someone who likes to work with goals. I try to have realistic goals. It's almost time to pick my word for 2020. And I'm not going to wait until the new year to pick it. I'm going to pick it now. Patience.

I've always found it easier to be patient with others than patient with myself. There's so much in the world I want to learn and do. So many new things to explore. That hitch in my giddiup is slowing it all up. But slow doesn't mean stopped. So I'm being patient. Or at least trying to.

Here's the thing, goals are great. They give us something to move towards. But I think we have to be kind to ourselves and be patient with ourselves. Sometimes life happens. And our goals have to change. I might not be hosting my big Christmas Eve bash this year (thanks to my marvelous sister-in-law for taking that on), but darn the bed is made. LOL And I've read 600 pages in that 1,000 page book my son has been telling me to read (Brandon Sanderson is an amazing author) and I truly binge-watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's new season. Yeah, most of the time I don't have the time to binge watch. My leg has derailed my plans, but it's also given me time to do things I wouldn't normally have time to do. Every obstacle comes with gifts in its hands!

So Ella and I are going to sit on this couch under my buffalo plaid blanket and read the paper today. (Well, she doesn't do much of the reading.) Then I'm going to make that darned bed and find a way to do one more thing from my normal routine today.

And by the end of January, I'm going back to the studio. In the meantime, I'm going to look for all the gifts this particular obstacle has in its hands! And I'm going to patiently celebrate and embrace each of those gifts!

Holly

PS. I have two Christmas books on sale, and the first two Hometown Hearts books are available for preorder!! I hope you'll check them both out. And check our the Dear Reader Letter on A Special Kind of Different's Amazon page. Celebrating our differences gives me glee!!

Christmas in Cupid Falls

Everything But a Christmas Eve

Crib Notes HH #1

Amazon, iBook, Nook, Kobo

A Special Kind of Different HH#2

A Sense of Play—My Novel Freshman Experience

A Holly alkaline glazed Face Jug

Dave Drake, Alkaline Glaze

Alkaline Glazed Bowl

I've been reading about Burlon Craig—my artist for Tuesday's class presentation—all summer. I find his adherence to the "old ways" inspiring. I love those same traditional ways. And I've fallen in love with the alkaline glazes that Catawba potters are known for.  Professor H. has let me run amok trying and testing glazes this term. I've been experimenting with those alkaline glazes and having a blast just playing with them.  I've had more than a few clunkers, but this last batch is close to what I want. The top left picture is an 1800's alkaline glazed piece I've been using as inspiration. The face jug on the right is my new glaze.

But more than just ash glazes, I've been looking at other glazes, too. This white glaze was nice. I tried adding different stains and oxides to it. The little tiles are some results.

Seriously, I'm having so much fun with this.  Trying new glazes, trying old favorites in new ways. I know it's school and I'm learning, but darn I'm having fun while I'm at it. It truly is play for me.

I think sometimes we forget to play. To allow ourselves to try something new and be okay if we fail at it. Maybe that's why I love pottery. It's not only okay to fail, it's sort of expected. Potters who have been at it decades have pieces that don't work out. There's a Burlon Craig quote I love. Actually the quote is from another potter, Kim Ellington in The Potter's Eye about Craig. "One time I was watching him (Burlon Craig) turn a five to six gallon jar—quietly because I knew you couldn't carry on a conversation doing that kind of work. When he came to pick it up with his pot lifters, that thing just slumped down onto the wheel head. He slammed it down all the way with his fist and said, 'That just goes to show. You never always get it right. Let's go to lunch.'"

Nice. That's the type of attitude I love. Go ahead and try. Don't expect it to always work out. It's a philosophy that applies to pottery and writing.  Whenever I do a workshop for writers I point out that when I'm talking about my writing, that's what works for me. I don't expect everything I do to work for them. I suggest they take what does sound right and discard the rest. And I point out that what works today might not work tomorrow.  We all change in our craft. We grow and evolve. The pieces I'm making today are better than the ones I made this time last year. And I hope they're not nearly as good as the ones I'll be making this time next year (in my own studio!!). Same thing with books. My early ones were written with more heart that skill. But hopefully when you pick up a newer one you can see how I've evolved. Hopefully you like both though! LOL

A hope as I evolve in my craft I don't lose the sense of play. I unloaded a couple kilns this weekend and I was little-kid-at-Christmas excited. Each piece I pulled out, even those that weren't mine, made me smile!

I hope you all share that sense of play and wonder. That you have something in your life that makes you feel like a kid at Christmas!

Remember, 'That just goes to show. You never always get it right' and that's alright!

Holly

PS My Hometown Hearts series is starts in January! The first book, Crib Notes, is available for preorder now! I hope you'll pick up your copy! (The first chapter is available as a sample at iBooks.) I'd really appreciate your support with a preorder! Each one gives my book a bit more visibility!

Amazon          Nook          iBooks          Kobo

So there's a chance I'm a geek.

So there's a chance I'm a geek.

Burlon Craig Swirl Teapot

Now, my kids would assure you that there's more than just a chance, but I've long held out hope they were wrong. Until after reading four books for an upcoming 10 minute presentation, reading a bunch of articles and an hour-long  video, I realized I had another book on my shelf and picked it up and gleefully started reading it.

Do you think there's a chance that five book's might be overkill for a ten minute presentation? LOL (If my kids are reading this they're nodding.)

But here's the thing, the subject is fascinating.

My teapots.

I talked about my report in my last post. Burlon Craig. He had a long career and shaped an entire region's worth of potters.  All this reading about Catawba potters led me to experimenting with alkaline glazes in class this term.  And I'm planning to try swirling clay someday soon.

My Barn (well and Himself's)

My presentation is coming up and I swear I'm going to try to keep it at that ten minutes, but it's going to be tough. (To Any Fellow Student...I do promise to try! LOL) And after that, my term is over. I have one more term of ceramics. I'm only the second person in my professor's career to have a third independent study in his class.  And I feel a bit panicked because there's so much more to learn and I'm not going to fit enough in just one more term.

But there's also a sense of excitement. When this term's over, I should have my own studio up and running in the back of the barn.

Speaking of excitement, I unloaded three kilns this weekend for the class. It was fun watching the kids' pieces come out and it was like Christmas whenever I pulled out one of mine!

Yes, I'm afraid my kids are right...I'm a geek. But hey, I'm okay with that! I find such glee in all the little things in life. And maybe I go overboard on a ten minute presentation, but I learned a lot with all this reading.

I'll let you in on a secret...finding things that inspire you to go into overdrive mode might be a ticket to never getting old!

Holly

PS My Hometown Hearts series is starts in January! The first book, Crib Notes, is available for preorder now! I hope you'll pick up your copy! (The first chapter is available as a sample at iBooks.) I'd really appreciate your support with a preorder! Each one gives my book a bit more visibility!

Amazon          Nook          iBooks          Kobo

PPS Today's Trippin' with Holly and Susan video really ties into this blog post. If you've missed it, check it out! And if you follow me at YouTube, you'll get alerts whenever a new episode is uploaded!

Another Term Winds Down—My Novel Freshman Experience

Burlon Craig Face Jug

I signed up for a spring class last week. Another pottery class. If you're counting...my sixth. It's my third independent study (officially individualized studio) class. I'll confess, the flexibility works well with balancing the minions and the rest of the family. And I like spending a term going in my own direction. Professor H. makes a great advisor. He offers opinions and some direction, but let's me be in the driver's seat. I'm already feeling sad about spring being my last ceramic's class. Of course, by the time the class is over, I should have my own studio up and running! Yep. I've got studio glee!

But here's what being a class of one is missing...reports. Yeah, I know, some people might think that's a plus, but over the out-of-school decades I forgot how much I love doing a deep dive on a topic.  We have to do a report on a ceramic artist in a week. I did a presentation on Rob Bernard my first term. It was supposed to be five to ten minutes, but I had pages and pages of notes. Interesting facts I was sure everyone should know. (My daughter assured me that not only did the kids in class not want to know, but there was a chance my glee over reports annoyed them! If it did, they were kind enough to feign interest. LOL) I did manage to keep it to ten minutes, but would have loved to have gone longer. I left so much unsaid. This time, I'm doing a presentation on Burlon Craig. I'm trying to keep it short...but it's still hard! He's equally interesting and exciting. He is known

Holly Face Jugs

 for his face jugs in the Catawba Valley in NC (my southern roots are firmly planted just north of there).  I bought a great book, The Final Kiln Opening, about his last sale which was so cool. And I bought a book on that folk tradition, based more in Georgia called Brothers in Clay. Equally engrossing reading...alright engrossing in a totally geeky way. LOL I've got pages and pages of notes.

Ten minutes?  I have to fit all this in ten minutes? The trouble is real. LOL

To add to my condensing everything into a less than ten minute presentation, I found YouTube videos from a PBS show called Folkways. They showed Burlon in his studio and firing his kiln. You can find them at Burlon on Folkways. They were fantastic! The second video talked to other local ceramic artists who were related to, or knew, Craig. They watched him work. I wish I'd discovered him sooner and could have visited his studio as well!

I fell in love with face jugs my second term. I wrote a bit about them here.

Holly's Game of Thrones inspired Face Vase

Holly's Jug

 I've done a bunch since then. For me they're a connection to my southern roots and to be honest, I just think they're ugly cute! LOL And art inspires art. School inspires study. I've been trying my hand at some folk art painting and one of my favorites is Burlon's kiln firing. It's obviously rough, but I've done a few versions of it. I love the flames!

Holly's Burlon's kiln painting.

I've been wanting to buy a Burlon Craig face jug but they're a little rich for my blood. But I did find one of his swirl teapots. It should get here soon. I'm soooo excited! I'll post a picture when it arrives.

I don't know what I'm going to take up at school next fall. Maybe some more art classes. I'm working toward a degree...maybe. I plan to just continue taking classes that interest me, and if I get close to a degree, I'll take some of the must-take classes. At this rate, it'll be a decade from now. But hey, for me, it's not really the destination (a degree) that matters. It's the journey. And so far, I've enjoyed every step of My Novel Freshman Experience journey!

Holly

PS Just in time for Thanksgiving, another school story...this one from a PTA mom's point-of-view. Once Upon a Thanksgiving is on sale!

Quiet

Quiet.

There are different types of quiet.

There’s the quiet all mothers know…the kind that tells you the kids are up to something.

There’s also the quiet in town. I don’t always notice it, but even at its most quiet, the city has noise. Cars on the road. Music. Trains. Sirens. A dog barking. Something. There’s always something. I tune it out most of the time, but it's always there.

I notice the lack out here in the country. It's a quiet that is deeper and softer. Oh, there are still background noises. Birds—specifically my Cooper’s Hawks. The rustle of leaves as the neighborhood squirrels run through the woods. The neighbor-down-the-road’s dog. And occasionally, a car. We’re set back quite a way from the road, but I still can hear a car now and then.

 

That country quiet is balm. It soothes me.

I came out this morning and started the fire. While the cottage warmed up, I split more kindling for my next visit and brought in more wood. Then I took a long walk down our dirt road. I normally walk through my woods, but during hunting season I take walks through my “neighborhood.” You get a different feeling walking down the road than driving down it.  Someone threw an empty can out. I grumbled as I picked it up. But then I got back to enjoying the scenery. Up the road a bit, there were a bunch of deer tracks. They obviously went from the woods across the road to my woods. I heard my hawks from the treetops. I wondered if they’re staying the winter or migrating farther south. Now that it's fall, the quiet is...quieter. The frogs aren't making any noise down at the pond. It feels as if a lot of the birds and animals have started to huddle down as the weather cools.

When I went back to the cottage, I got to work in front of the woodstove and the only sound I heard was the occasional pop of the wood. It was a lovely day.  

I shot a quick tour of the downstairs for you. The stonewall if finished. Every stone came from our property. I love that. Just like all the tongue-and-groove on the wall came from the mill down the road. We're taking buying local seriously. LOL

Hope you find a moment of quiet soon!

Holly

PS I started that new bio of Louise Dickinson Rich today. I was happy to have my "lunch buddy" back.