Asheville day

Before heading to Asheville for the Herb Fest and some grocery shopping, we watched the Royal wedding - very impressive; and of course everyone looked beautiful. The Brits definitely know how to do ceremony very well!

We had a lot shopping stops in Asheville, so I didn't linger too long at Herb Fest - just focused on what I was really searching for - French Tarragon and some unique pepper plants; but I found a few other goodies like pineapple sage, lemon grass, two types of nice sized Brandywine tomatoes that are already in flower, and a six pack of various swiss chard varieties. Herb fest is a once a year event near the Farmers Market and is always a fun event with wonderful selections of culinary and medicinal herbs from around the world,vegetable starters, hand made soaps, trees, vines, etc. Now I have to find time to plant them. Tomorrow I need a half day in the studio and the other half preparing for porch sitting with friends, so Sunday will be the first opportunity to get some things planted.

It's going down to the 30's tonight, so I'm heading to the porch to bring in the basil and pepper seedlings for the night and cover the rest with remay.

Lilacs blooming

This is the first year I've gotten blooms on my two lilacs. Last year someone (deer I'm sure) ate the blossoms before they opened; but this year we finally got our first flowers.

We decided to skip the Herb Fest in Asheville this morning due to the forecast of rain and thundershowers. Lord knows I have way too much to plant already and don't need any plant temptations. Instead we'll get over to one of the big nurseries in Asheville next week in search of the one or two items I need to get. Maybe by then I'll have a lot of these other plants planted.

I think my black bamboo, which was in a pot, died over the winter, so I need to get a variety for our zone. I took at chance with a zone 7 bamboo (we're zone 6b) and thought it might be OK since it was so close to the house; but that doesn't seem to have worked.

Today is another studio day. I got a couple of slabs cut for a sushi dish and base for a tray and will roll out a bit more this morning. All but one pot got trimmed so I'll get to that this morning, finish assembling a couple of pots and maybe get time to start slipping before dinner. I tried using pelon instead of canvas to roll out the clay and it does give a smoother surface than the canvas. My Bailey slab roller is huge and I never make slabs that wide, so in a way it was a useless expenditure; but it does work as a great work and catch all table! LOL

The trimming of just a few pots is taking forever because of the sticky soft, reclaim clay which is making me have to throw thickly and then having to trim a lot. I hate this but I'm determined to use up all this clay.

Tonight I get a rest from the kitchen. The Inn at Little Switzerland is now open and we're heading there tonight for their seafood buffet which is always a treat.


Till later,
June