Life right now is full of green things, rain and thunder, cool breezes and open windows, sun sometimes, lots of obligations, and equal amounts of joy and stress in doing all the things I do.
Between working with clay and planting things whenever I can, my fingernails are never clean. I like it that way.
Pots are getting made.
We are talking a lot about the self-sufficient and handmade life we would like to have. More on that later.
We’ve been baking our own bread for years now, and recently have learned to roast coffee. I think foods are more delicious and more nourishing the more you have to do with the process of making them. More on that later.
We walk together almost every day now that the weather is nice. Things blown off of trees come home with us a lot.
And as I said, pots are getting made. I’m really in love with a lot of the things I get to be part of creating (take this as a spiritual allusion, if you will, but it actually means that none can fathom the mysteries of a 2300 degree kiln).
“Taste and see that the Lord is good . . .”
Handcrafted and Homegrown 
Rachel Rachel! Beautiful post. I love the new pitcher. Would you call that earthtone?
Your Papa
Esteemed Father: your instincts are remarkable! I would indeed call all of these earthtones, since the colorants used in my glazes are naturally-occurring minerals and oxides and whatnot. The pitcher has ash glazes on it which definitely give it an earthy look, and the colorants in its two glazes are red iron oxide and cobalt.
Your Daughter
Dear Rachel,
Your beautiful pottery, your photography, your words, the life you and Matthew are creating for yourselves are a breath of fresh air to me. Every time I visit your blog I am renewed and encouraged. Thank you for being part of my life.
I love you,
M
I’m so glad I have an M and P who like me and read my blog.
Beautiful…I love the glazing.
Amy, thank you! I’m enjoying perusing your blog :).
Dear Rachel,
We have a relation is common, through Margaret Doering Dudrey who is my beloved sister. She has shared with me your artistry through clay, photography and words and I am delighted to be so introduced! Your pottery truly strikes a chord with me. When I was little and was exposed to my one and only pottery class we used paper doilies to impress lovely patterns in our clay. Those patterns have stuck with me to this day as among my most favorite.
I appreciate the simplicity of your postings in your blog. I think that is the beauty that I see in your pottery, too. There are deep intricacies and patterns all around us in the simplest of things. We can take these as they are and appreciate them, but in digging a bit deeper if we so chose we can find such a connectedness.
Thank you for all that you offer to us. You are a beautiful young lady!
I am touched and honored! I do so hope to speak of truth and beauty, but not in too many words; sometimes I don’t know what to say, and I’m glad to have images to help me along. (And I’m so glad we have Margaret in common!)