Forgotten Cookies

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Inspiration

These are (the last two) Forgotten Cookies, they are delicious and the easiest cookies to make.

All you need is:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
6 ounces of chocolate chips (I used about 1/2 cup of bits of leftover Easter treats)

Sometime in the early evening, preheat the oven to 375F
Whip the eggs to soft peaks
Slowly add the sugar
Whip to stiff peaks
Fold in chocolate

Spoon onto greased cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Put in the oven then turn off the heat.

Forget about them until morning. Then reward yourself and have a sweet treat with your morning coffee.

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On March 3, my stepfather, Yoshi, passed away. I spoke at the service and this is what I said that day:

Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi….
Your death has been a great shock and has left us all in a state of wonder…

.. is this actually happening?
.. are we really here?
.. why?

We still had so much to do together…
we wanted another conversation,
another game at the golf course,
another round of drinks at Clancy’s.

Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi…

I’ve known Yosh for 27 years, which is most of my life. When I was a young girl Mom and I were on our own for a while. Then Yosh came along and he changed our lives – for that I will always be grateful. You see Yoshi helped make one of my dreams come true. When I was a little girl I always asked Mom for a little brother or sister. You can imagine what that must have been like for her – a single mother of an only child and all I wanted was a sibling. Six years after Mom & Yosh met at Frank’s wedding, Jeff came into our lives and one of my childhood dreams came true – I had a little brother.

Jeff – I see so much of Yoshi in you,
in the way you smile,
the way you hold your camera,
in the way you two would critique each others’ golf swings…
You are your father’s son. How lucky are we that we get to look at you and be reminded of Yoshi – and he was such a good man.

Always generous with his time, he was so helpful and would do anything for anyone, all you had to do was ask and he would
sharpen your scissors,
unclog your drain or
do your taxes.
Whatever you needed he was there to help out.

The morning he was rushed to the hospital was also the morning my husband, Mark, and I were scheduled to move into our new house. As the paramedics were preparing Yosh to go to the hospital he said, “I can’t go, I’m supposed to help Melanie move today.”
And that was Yosh – always thinking of everyone else.

He was so caring and thoughtful and when I look at the faces in this room today I see all of the love and kindness he projected into this world being reflected back to him. His unique charm and one of a kind personality drew us all toward him.

Yosh had a lot of skills and talents, most of which he’d gladly tell you about – not to say that he was arrogant or conceited – no – he was just very confident in his abilities. In Yosh’s mind he was
a pro golfer,
a semi-professional photographer,
a successful fisherman,
a well seasoned traveler,
a man of style and class with great taste in music – he could have been a member of the Brat Pack in Las Vegas.

And if Yosh had a past life before this one, then he would have been a Samurai.

He was such a proud Japanese man and loved to share his heritage with all of us. Yoshi and his mother taught me how to make Origami and now that I make pottery for a living I’m often told my work looks like it has a Japanese influence, of course it does – that’s Yoshi.

He was the eldest child and a son, a position that brought a great deal of tradition and duty with it – duties he didn’t hesitate to carry through. He had a very deep love and respect for his parents and his sister Yoko and the loyalty he felt towards them never wavered but only strengthened over time.

Yosh was a unique man, I don’t think you’d be able to find another like him. His charisma and sense of humour won him many friends all over the world.

I will miss hearing that infectious laugh – I think we all will.

But what I want you to know is that his wit carried him through into his final hours here on this Earth. I know this because one of the nurse in the ICU said to me, “He’s got a great sense of humour.” I told her she was right and that he’d also want her to know that he was a great golfer as well.

Yosh forged his own path through this world and he lived life to the absolute fullest. When we were thinking of a verse or collection of words to describe Yosh there was only one thing that came to mind, the lyrics to one of his most favourite songs by one of his most favourite singers – the song My Way by Frank Sinatra. Whenever he played this song he made a point if telling me it was his favourite, then he would sing along with Frank word for word. And the song describes Yosh perfectly –

And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m ceratin
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and ev’ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Yosh – you indeed do it your way and though 27 years with you was not nearly enough I am ever so grateful for the time we had together.

Thank you for changing our lives.

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Nine Mugs

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

The agenda for Monday: work on a batch of nine mugs. I threw these on the wheel last week:

Each mug was turned upside down then re-centered on the wheel for trimming. Once trimmed I sign and number each mug:

Nine mugs trimmed and ready for handles:

Every handle is pulled from a handful of clay:

The handles are test fit to the mug before they’re attached:

One handle done, eight more to go:

Three of the mugs are part of the Dots! line so they’re done, for now. These six are Dragonfly Mugs:

The spot for the dragonfly is scored:

Side view of the dragonfly body, before I clean it up:

The wings:

One dragonfly done, five more to go:

There were just two dragonflies prepared ahead of time so I conjured up four more:

Here are the six Dragonfly Mugs:

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Three Teapots

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Last Friday afternoon I worked on three teapots and I took photos along the way.

I threw these a couple of days before and then let them dry to leather hard:
…The pots and the lid forms are all trimmed:

…Three handles for three teapots:

…And now they each have a spout:

……..I finished the lid for the Dots! Teapot on the wheel, it’s now time to make the lids for the two Dragonfly Teapots:

…Attaching the wings:

…The first Dragonfly lid is done:

…The second Dragonfly lid:

…Three teapots:

…Now they just have to dry then be bisque fired, waxed, glazed, and then fired one more time.

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Tasks

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

I was sitting here thinking about all of the things I have to do & I started freaking out. Then I looked around at what I need to do right now & saw all of this:

The most beautiful To Do List.
This right here is me making pottery for a living.
I have absolutely nothing to freak out over.

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A New Chapter

Friday, January 27th, 2012

A funny thing started happening in the Fall, soon after we arrived in Ontario, people kept telling us about Prince Edward County and it seemed like everywhere we went someone was drinking wine or talking about the cheese from The County. This was a place neither of us had heard of before. But it was starting to feel like the universe was sending us a message.

So we went exploring. We went for a three day weekend, extended it to four then we found a home.
And it is awesome.

The house is 120 years old. It looks like the house version of the first apartment Mark and I lived in at the Holly Lodge in the West End of Vancouver.

It’s on 6.75 acres. There are fruit trees.

It’s a B&B. Remember when I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to have a second bathroom“? This place has 5.

Oh – and we also have a Carriage House. That building includes:
* Garage space for Mark’s workshop. And the kilns.
* Another guest room with an ensuite.
* A loft which will become the home of the Mena Dragonfly Studio.

My own studio.

Oh – and the whole place is located 5 minutes from Sandbanks Provincial Park, home of the largest fresh water sand dunes in the world. Plus, it’s on the Prince Edward County Arts Trail.

I remember saying to someone in Vancouver, “…. change is good, sometimes you have to start a new chapter and see what opportunities come.” What an opportunity.

We are so incredibly excited. Mark and I have talked about running a B&B for years. We’ve been daydreaming about this for a really long time but we thought it was a plan for the future.

The future is here and this is it.

We’re opening a B&B.
We’re setting up a studio and workshop.
And Molly & Lexy are here with us, having a blast:

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Up to Eleven

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Inspiration

Twenty-Eleven was the year that went up to Eleven.
It feels like everything got turned up just past the maximum.

When I look back on the year I don’t think of it in terms of months or weeks, I see it in Seasons.

Winter

Turned up to 8, sometimes 9.

After my big debut at the 2010 Vancouver One Of A Kind Show I was busy until the end of January with orders and organizing a full teaching schedule. I also added three new colours of Dots! and began experimenting with some new shapes on the wheel.

Mark and I also decided to start renovating our kitchen, ourselves.

I applied for a bunch of shows and got into them all. I worked away in the studio making my stock for the Spring Show Season.

It was a very wet Winter in Vancouver.

Spring

Turned up to 9, working it’s way toward 10

At the end of March I started doing Shows every 2-3 weeks until the end of June. I did Portobello West three times, Make It!, Got Craft?, and I was also at the Robson Square Artisan Market for three weeks. I got my table/booth set up down to a science.

I also got to meet a whole bunch of talented, creative, friendly artists at the Shows, I made a lot of great friends, I felt blessed.

Shows took up my most of my weekends, my weekdays were spent making more pots for the Shows and two to three nights a week I was teaching. While in the studio I had come up with a newish line of pots, more of an expansion of The Wobbly Shotglassees but I was having trouble figuring out where this newish line was going.

We still worked away on the kitchen. Our progress was slightly hindered by Mark’s troubles with his feet. He just couldn’t work all day running around the building and then spend the evenings and weekends on his feet in our kitchen. But it was coming together and starting to look quite fantastic.

One evening in April something struck and we started planning a big, big change. Mark said to me, “How about we take our lives on an adventure and move to Ontario?”

I remember it was still raining.

I finished up my Show schedule and finished teaching my classes. We went to Ontario at the end of June to scope things out and ride roller coasters.

Summer

Turned up to 11

We came back from Ontario in early July and it was still raining in Vancouver. We had decided to do it, to take our lives on that adventure. Once we made the decision our focus was to finish the kitchen – quick. We started telling some people about our plans, but not everyone. Mark was the Live In Caretaker for our building and telling our neighbours that we were moving also meant Mark having to give his notice. Two big life changes in one decision.

We didn’t know how long the kitchen was going to take to complete, we didn’t know how long it would take to sell the place so Mark didn’t know when his last day of work would be. Oh the domino effect. So we were hush hush about it for a bit. And it’s really hard to keep something that big all to yourself.

Then near the end of July my Uncle Bill passed away and I made my way across the country to be with my family.

While I was in Newfoundland Mark continued to work on the kitchen and a week after I got back we were ready to call a real estate agent. Mark let the Strata know what our plans were and gave his notice, finally we could tell everyone what we were planning.

About 10 days after that the apartment was sold.

That was around the time the rain stopped in Vancouver and the sun came out for a while. I put my wheel on the balcony for one last throwing hurrah outside in the Vancouver Sunshine. While listening to Bjork I made the rest of my stock for the Vancouver OOAK Show* & casseroles dishes for the One Of A Kind Thanksgiving Pop Up Shop.

Autumn

Still at 11

The month of September was nutty. We tried to visit with as many people as we possibly could as we packed up everything we owned and tied up the loose ends of our lives in Vancouver. The closing date for the sale of our home was at 5:00pm on Thursday, September 29. We drove away from the building in a U-Haul towing our 1984 Honda Civic behind us at 4:59pm, I’m not exaggerating, we literally had one minute to spare.

We took 11 days to drive across the country. It was awesome. We arrived on Thanksgiving Day right in the middle of a sun filled heat wave.

My new kiln arrived by the end of the week and I got to work on making my stock for the Toronto One Of A Kind Christmas Show.

I worked a lot. I made a lot of pottery while Mark helped me figure out my booth.

Both the Toronto and Vancouver One Of A Kind Shows were excellent. I loved them and have so many great memories and lessons learned from both shows – but I’ll write more about that another time.

Right after the Toronto show ended Mark and I went to Vancouver for two weeks in December and it rained. It was a whirlwind of Show prep, the Show, visiting with as many people as we possibly could – oh and I went to the spa, where things were turned back down to a normal level, like an 8 or 9.

Five days after we got back to Ontario it was Christmas.

And then Twenty Eleven was over.

Last year when I looked back on 2010 my memories were very clear and I could see an over arching theme to the year. 2011 was different, it feels like it was a bit more blurred, a bit more chaotic, more adventurous, more active, just more of everything.

So what’s next?

I’ve already gotten back to work in the studio making lots of pottery.
I have so many ideas for new pots to make and I’m excited.
Mark and I have to go exploring and find ourselves a new home.
We’ve planned to do some traveling this year, first up will be New York in February (and I’ve scored tickets to see Bjork in New York!).
And, as soon as I can I’ll be on the Leviathan.

*A lot of people have asked me about how I shipped my pots for the Vancouver OOAK Show, I didn’t. I made everything before we moved to Ontario and left it all in storage in my in-laws’ basement (Thank You Rob, MC & Evan!).

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Introducing Samena

Friday, October 28th, 2011

When my Grandma passed away last year a big question for my family was what would happen to her house? We’re a very sentimental family and are all attached to that house. It’s where my Mom and her seven siblings grew up, it’s where we had all those kitchen parties, it’s where we sat having a cup of tea, with Grandma eating sweets like Gumdrop Cake.

No one wanted to see the house go, but it didn’t seem like any of us could step in and take it over. For a while it was rented out and the couple who lived there did a lot of damage, which was kind of heartbreaking.

With very heavy hearts the family put the house on the market. One or two offers came in but for whatever reason the sales never went through. We were all feeling down about the prospect of never being able to go back to the house.

Then something wonderful happened. My cousin Cheryl bought the house for her and her growing family. She fixed up the place, she painted a few rooms, even found some of the pictures Grandma had hanging and put them back on the walls. When Uncle Bill passed away it was such a comfort to be able to go back to Grandma’s place.

My Mom and her siblings divided the proceeds from the sale of the house and my Mom gave my brother and I a portion of what she called her inheritance. I told Mom to keep the money for her retirement but she refused, she said, “Your Grandparents didn’t have a lot of money but what they did have they shared with the family and they would have wanted to be able to give you this themselves.” So she asked Jeff and I to spend it on something that would remind us for Grandma and Grandpa.

I bought a kiln. This is Samena:

Samena is a combination of my Grandparents’ names, Samuel and Armena. It’s also the name the town gave to the road that leads to Cheryl’s new house on Samena Lane.

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Answers To Your Recent Questions

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

In my studio

Toronto? Why the heck are you moving to Toronto?
We’re not. Funny how when you mention you’re moving to Ontario lots of people assume you’re heading to Toronto.

Although Mark and I really like Toronto, we’re thinking more Cottage Country rather than Big City.

Where are you going to live?
We don’t know yet. We have a couple of ideas but we haven’t made a final decision on the location yet. In the meantime we’ll be staying with friends and family while we find our new home.

What is Mark going to do?
He’s not sure yet, that’s part of the adventure. Mark needs time to rest his feet and just chill out. Personally I can’t wait to see what Mark will do when he’s not tied to a job, when he has some time to just create, when he’s not limited to just two weeks of vacation every year.

Do you know about the bugs in Ontario?
Yes, we are aware.

What about all that snow? Do you like the snow?
Me, no. I like wood burning fire places and hot chocolate with marshmallows. Mark loves the snow. He is actually looking forward to shoveling a drive way, apparently it’s a good workout.

Here’s one thing I am looking forward to with regards to snow – it will be bright. I am looking forward to seeing the sun reflected off the snow banks in the middle of winter. The dark, grey, wet winters of Vancouver have been, well, dark and grey.

Will Molly & Lexy like it there?
They don’t really have a choice. But yes, they will like it there, they do like it there. We’ve taken them to Ontario a few times, once it was even in the winter and there was snow.

So, how are you?
I’m ok. It’s been a very emotional, topsy turvy, bitter sweet summer. On the one hand I am so excited about making this big change and seeing where this adventure takes us. On the other I am so sad to be leaving behind the many wonderful friends we’ve made here.

I’m also still so sad about my Uncle Bill. I can’t even speak, or type out his name without welling up. When I got back from Newfoundland I entered a whirlwind of renovating, selling the place, then catching up with pottery and now whenever I let myself and my mind relax I remember that Uncle Bill is gone. I hate that he’s not here anymore. I really, really hate it.

But then I also remember that he wouldn’t me to be sad. He was happy for Mark and I and thought our move was a great idea, he was glad we’d be closer to Newfoundland and that’s what I have to focus on. I’ll be closer to my cousins and my Aunts and Uncles and I’ll be able to see them more often.

So when are you leaving?
Next week. We’re planning to arrive at my Mom’s place in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Holy cow, we have so much to be thankful for.

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We’re Moving To Ontario

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Here’s the Short Version of the story:
Yes, we’re leaving Vancouver. Mark and I have sold our fantastic, lovingly custom designed, dream apartment. We’re going to load up a truck and then take a very long road trip with Molly & Lexy, seeing a few sites and visiting with family and friends along the way. We don’t know when we’re leaving exactly yet, but I’m sure our moving date will come sooner than we think.

If you’re wondering why and how all this came about, then here’s the Long Version of the story:

It all started when Mark began having some trouble with his feet.

It all started when we wanted to move into a bigger place.

It all started when we went back to Newfoundland last year.

It all started when Mark turned to me and said, “How about we take our lives on an adventure and move to Ontario?”

My wonderful, talented husband has been having a painful time, he has a pretty bad case of plantar fasciitis. He’s seen lots of doctors, followed through on lots of advice and has been able to manage the pain but he’s been living it with now for about two years. He’s the Caretaker for the building we live in, it’s a pretty active job. It’s now come to the point when more than one of his doctors has strongly suggested he find a new career.

But what?

While suffering with this problem, life for Mark and I carried on but with a lot less activity. We haven’t gone hiking for a long, long time. Mark doesn’t usually walk the Girls with me, we’ve been to Stanley Park only a hand full of times the last couple of years. Really, we’re not enjoying so many of the things we love about Vancouver.

So why are we here?

We have a stunning apartment. We are living The Vancouver Life. We own a loft Downtown. We have views of the mountains, Stanley Park & Burrard Inlet. Mark is a talented carpenter and designer and together we have created a fantastic place to live. It’s absolutely beautiful and could be found in the pages of Dwell, but it’s only around 800 square feet.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bedroom with a door on it? Or a second bathroom?

The last two summers have been a little tough, I’ve had to say good bye to two very dear, wonderful people I love so much, both of them in Newfoundland. Each time I went back it took a day and half to get to my family. This country is so big, the flights are limited (and crazy expensive) and the four and a half time zones really suck. This is the drawback to living on the west coast. I am so very far away from my family. And as I get older it feels like the distance widens.

Time is precious.

When we first started talking about moving to Ontario Uncle Bill was part of our plans. I told him I’d be able to come visit him more often, he said it was a great idea.

Tell me again, why do I live so far away from my family?

Health problems, career contemplations, space issues, a really expensive housing market, home sickness, all of these things were brewing and then suddenly Mark said, “How about we take our lives on an adventure and move to Ontario?”

I said, “Yes!” without hesitation and spent the rest of the night crying tears of joy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Vancouver—we both do. We just realized that we are not living the lives we want to live here, not completely. It’s time for a change.

When we made the decision to move we were in the middle of renovating our kitchen. We’ve been madly working to finish it off to sell the place and I’ve fallen a bit behind on making pottery but I’m now getting back into my throwing routine. I’ll have a special item for the Thanksgiving One Of A Kind Online Pop Up Shop at the end of September. I’m only making 25 and they’ll be available for just a limited time online. The shop opens September 27th and I’m really happy with how these little numbers are turning out.

In the next few weeks while we get ready to leave this wonderful, wonderful place I’ll be making pottery but I won’t be able to take on any more workshops or private lessons. (If you’re one of the people on my wait list watch for an email from me in the next few days.)

I’ve re-opened my BigCartel shop, but I’m going to leave my Etsy shop on hold for the time being, I just need to simplify a few things for the next few weeks.

I’ll also be coming back to Vancouver in December for the One Of A Kind Show & Sale, so it won’t be long before I get to come back to this city I absolutely LOVE.

This has been a very bittersweet time for us but Mark and I are both really excited for what’s ahead.

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