update and gratitude

Thanks for hanging in there with me, folks. I've been pushing myself to the limit recently and doing some radical experiments in sleep deprivation in my attempts to get all my work done. (It's hard to turn paying projects away when you work for yourself.) Blogging has had to be put on the pack burner for a while, but I miss it and will be back as soon as things quiet down a little further.

Meanwhile, Bob and I went to Floyd last weekend (along with my laptop and a heap of work) to spend some time on the 16 Hands studio tour, and we came back with a bunch of beautiful pottery. Pictures will appear here sometime soon.

As always, our Floyd trip involved a stay in a tiny log cabin on a farm, with a tiny porch overlooking a broad pasture full of wild grasses, birds, and cattle, with a small stream cutting across it. We love this cabin for its location and view, but it's about as close as you can come to "roughing it" in a cabin with electricity, running hot water, a mini-fridge, and a coffee maker. It was even rougher this year, as the previous occupants had obviously been heavy smokers.

Ever since we got home, I've been reveling in the luxuriousness of our everyday lives. Beautiful art and pottery on our walls and shelves. Soft carpeting underfoot. A piano in my living room, for goodness sake. As I write this, I'm sitting in bed, propped against the red brick chimney that serves as our headboard on one side, and wrapped in a soft blanket my parents gave me for Christmas. Next to me on the bed is the pile of work I've set aside for the moment. On my other side is a cinnabar colored nesting table from West Elm, holding my glass of white wine and a spinach pie made by the local Mediterranean Bakery, which is itself atop a charming blue and yellow square plate by Donna Polseno (a 16 Hands artist and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet). Soothing music from Pandora is streaming from my computer in the background.

Tired as I am, my life is really good. I'll look forward to being back to sharing it with you again soon...