Plum Bottom Pottery's Holiday Open House

Plum Bottom Pottery's Holiday Open House, originally uploaded by pejnolan.

Has it been a week ago already? The Holiday Open House was so wonderful! I met some truly remarkable people: remarkable for their talent and down-to-earth friendliness.

On my way out of town I stopped by the Midwest Museum of Natural History to drop off some prints with Molly. Thanks Molly!!

I drove up to Door County on Friday. I actually made it through Milwaukee without getting lost—that was a real achievement! I stayed at the Newport Resort in Egg Harbor. This was my first time there and I would highly recommend them for your next Door County visit. The rooms are impeccably clean and nicely decorated. There is a full kitchen, so there is no need to go out for meals unless you want to. The Main Street Market is just down the road and has everything you might need for groceries and then some!

I unpacked and went to Hands-On Art Studio on Peninsula Players Road for their Friday Adult Night. There was only one other couple there besides me, but I enjoyed chatting and getting to know the workers there. I made a bee vase and a silver necklace out of PMC on a leather cord with a symbol for courage for Jake for Christmas.

The best part of the night was meeting Hazel, the pot-bellied pig. She kept crying for someone to pick her up. When I completed my projects, I sat on the floor cross legged and she came right into my lap. She rooted her nose down my coat sleeve to get warm and promptly fell asleep. She was full of personality and just adorable!

Saturday, I went over the Plum Bottom Pottery first thing when they opened at 10am. I had heard on the news the previous night that there was supposed to be a lot of snow–some predictions were 16-18 inches! So, that was a main theme of conversation for the day.



I was saying before that I met some great people. Most were local people and many were artists themselves. It is always good to speak with people to explain what it is I do and demonstrate how I do it. It is easier for me to talk with people when the subject is my art and not myself.

Later in the day, the most adorable pair of sisters and their cousin stopped by. Perhaps I shouldn't have, but I let them make prints of there own from some of my blocks. I pretended to show them how to ink the block. Actually I was inking the block, so they wouldn't have to try so hard. Next, I "showed" them how to use the baren while actually I was creating the print. Then I gave the baren for them to try. Those girls were so wonderful. I let them make two prints each before it was over. Then they went outside in the woods to explore. It brought back fond memories of me walking through my woods at Hawthorne Lane as a young girl. I was happy that they would have the same type of happy memory I have.

The result of the show was that 5 pieces sold! I want to thank everyone for their purchase. It does my heart well to know that others enjoy my artwork and that it will share a piece of their life.

Around 4pm, I was offered a room at a local home to bed down for the storm. I was told I would be staying in a garage. What it actually turned out to be was a luxury suite that was larger than my entire house at home! This was the coolest part: there was a button to press near the bed that would warm the sheets before you climbed in! I am so very thankful for the generosity and hospitality of that person who I will keep anonymous due to their privacy.

The snow blew many stories into the air! It looked like a herd of ghost-white horses charging past, churning up the dust as they went by, except they didn't pass-they just keep coming. And the sound! Sometimes it sounded like a wildcat howling. Other times it sound like the low rumble of a train as it rattled the windows and the house timbers creaked. I am so thankful to have been in a warm, sound home. Imagine what it would be like if it was the 1800's and living in a cabin waiting out a storm like this!

I ended up staying an additional day (Monday) due to the weather. I had to be plowed out because there were drifts about 6 feet tall right in front of the garage door! That additional day was spent reading Door County Magazines. Many of the artists I had met the previous day were in articles within the pages of Door County magazine. I felt rather silly for not having recognized them, but was also honored that they would come out the Plum Bottom Pottery and meet with me and the other Plum Bottom artists!

I'm not much of a reader, but I also read a book entitled Love Comes Softly. The characters tended to not mention anything that went wrong or caused conflict and instead found something kind to say–or said nothing at all. It was about tending to people's needs out of duty, then having that develop over time to caring for people out of mutual goals and finally feeling genuine love. It softened this bitter heart of mine.

The ride home was tentative. The two lanes were completely snow covered and the four lanes were down to just one lane each direction until south of Milwaukee. The trip which should have taken 5 hours took about 7. I stopped to help a mailman whose car had broken down on County Road G. He could only go backwards, so I helped him along for a few miles until he reached a friend's house. He didn't have a warm coat or gloves, but he promised me that help was on the way in the form of a new vehicle, so I left him warm inside his car. I hope he was ok. I'm sure he was, but I still worry.

Also, before I left the Peninsula, I picked up the things I had made at Hands-on. The drifts were so high, but the lane had been plowed out. Cy came out rather upset that I had driven in. I think he thought I wanted to use the creative facilities. I explained that I just stopped to see if I could pick up the items, and that if we couldn't get to the shed, it was no problem at all. He told me, still a bit upset, about people trying to drive through 5 ft drifts in tiny cars the night before. As I walked through the main barn, I saw his rooster inside in a cage on a table. The poor thing had one foot raised–not a good sign for a bird, so I asked about it. Cy had found the poor thing laying on his side in the animal shed. He had brought the bird in to warm. I hope it felt better the next morning.

It felt good to get home, but work was put off for a day. I was supposed to get the magazine sent to the printer's Monday, but couldn't due to the blizzard. The entire week was busy! Saturday I cleaned all day long. The house was a wreck! Today I updated my finances and then Paul & I went Christmas shopping for Jacob. I made the dough for gingerbread men to bake later in the week. Supper was hot chili and biscuits. That felt good on such a cold day.

So, the end result of all that is that this is the first chance I have had to post. As usual, there has been an abundance of business. That is going to one of my goals for 2011: to slow down the pace of my life. I can't enjoy the beauty around me if it goes past as a blur in motion.