Rain!!! And markets.

 It's been so dry here that I've been feeding the sheep and alpacas a little bit in the mornings. Some alfalfa pellets, sunflower seeds and minerals. They also get baking soda. They sure don't look like they need anything extra. But there is hardly anything out there growing.

So Saturday, I called my hay guy up the road to bring me a round bale. So it's here if they want it.

So yesterday, while I was at the market in Rad Bank, it was pouring rain here at the house, for several hours!!!! As I was driving home, I could almost see everything turning green again! It was amazing! All the buckets and other things laying aroun had at least 5" of water in them!

You can see here how green it already looks.

But all that rain just bent over most of the borage. I've been gone all day so haven't been back out there to check on it. I hope it was able to get back up after all the water ran off them. The bees are loving all the flowers. So are the Japanese beetles. They are all over them too.

But walking out there this morning, everything looked so refreshed and different. There's just nothing like rain water to get things going in a garden. The beans and sunflowers looked like they had all grown a foot.

I won't have to water for several days!!

I have been so busy the past week. Last Friday, I started going to the Erlanger hospital market at 11-1. It's inside the hospital in the food court area. So we park in the garage and have to haul everything inside about a block away. And I found out after putting soap out, that I cannot sell it there. I had already sold 2 bars too. So I have lots of flowers, herbs and dryer balls. And when I get veggies, I will sell them there too.

After I leave that market, I go straight over to St. Elmo market at 3 and set up there. I can sell anything there.

Then Sunday, there's a new market up on the mountain at Lookout Trading Post. These 2 guys have a great little store where they make pottery and have a little gift shop and have a really good lunch menu. So we get to set up there for free! But it's 9-3. It was so hot Sunday. Then it rained like crazy. Up there. Not a drop down in the valley. But I'm not complaining at all. Everyone needs rain.

Then Mondays are the Red Bank market from 4-7. Then Tuesday is Audobon Acres 4-7.

So 5 markets a week now. I have no time for anything.At least I can leave everything in the Trooper for 3 days in a row.

My goal is to have my own shop right here so I don;t have to go anywhere like I am now. I want an open studio-store right here. I want to add on at least 300 sf onto my studio. I want a pottery studio. Then have the wool things in the new addition. And the soap in the kitchen area. I'd like to have it all done and opened by at least September. It's a dream right this minute that I hope will come true.

New soap and pottery...

 Been busy making soap and pottery.

Today I made a plantain-lavender-oatmeal goat milk soap. With lavender buds on top. I hope it's a good one.

Tuesday I made a rosemary-mint with fresh rosemary and mint from my garden. It smells amazing! And I've had people asking for eucalyptus soap, so I made a lemon-eucalyptus soap. It smells really nice.

Got the handles on the mugs and little pitcher. They are ready to go get fired. I'll take them next week.

These are some things I picked up yesterday from the studio.

I really love these bowls. I made 4 bowls and 4 mugs, all glazed in 2 blue glazes. When I got the yesterday, I was told to not do this again. Because the top glaze ran down and they all were stuck to the shelf in the kiln. Not a good thing. But I think they turned out so pretty.

If I can get them sanded down enough, I might be able to sell them. I shall see.. If not, we will use them.

This is my first vase. I finally got to use a glaze I love but that's non food safe. It's so pretty. I glazed a few yarn bowls with this too.

And my first ever yarn bowl. All glazed and ready to use. I have 4 more ready to fire too. It was fun making these. I hope to make many more.

I'm trying to stay inside as much as possible. In the 90's. And I need to get ready for the 2 farmers markets tomorrow. I got in the Erlanger hospital market! It's from 11-2 inside the hospital. I can only use a small 5' table and will have to condense all my stuff. Gonna be fun! Then the St. Elmo market from 4-7. And it will be in the mid 90's tomorrow too.

Listening to cool cello music makes all this look so pretty!

Birds and garden...

 The babies are back! This is where they roost at night now. Under the open garage door. We can't shut it now. Because the babies are more important, ya know?

Here's Sally, with the biggest mouth full of big ole bugs! Looking for her babes.

Just had to show my breakfast a few days ago. On a plate I made. With eggs from my hens. And the best cheese ever, from Sequatchie Cove Creamery. I LOVE their cheeses.

I just glazed 6 bowls in these same 2 glazes, nutmeg and oatmeal. They will probably not look like the plates though, as it's a different clay. We don't know what kind of clay this is. David had a note on the plates when I went to pick them up last week. It said "not our clay" . Well, I don't know who's clay it is but I bought it there. We never could figure out what kind of clay it was. But I liked the way the glazes looked on it.

And my flower-herb garden is growing like crazy! I just love all the insect activity out there. Except for those darn Japanese beetles. They are everywhere. I have been going out a few times a day with a little bucket of gas and knocking them off into the gas. I have a lot of weeds though, so they are mainly eating those right now. But they will not get it all!

This is Cosmo the cat, in front of cosmos the flowers. She is my garden companion. She follows me all around the garden while I water.

I am loving all the bees and butterflies all over these flowers right now! Always busy out there. Little legs full of pollen. I am so glad I planted all this for them. If it weren't for all the bees and other bugs, I would not water out here. But I do, for them. A few times a day. It takes a few hours too. Our water bill is pretty big. But it's all worth it.