Yard Work and the Art Garden

Got up early this morning to mow the west lawn.  Also pulled a few weeds.  While pulling weeds, I found this little guy.  I love the praying mantis.

Then I went and had some fun with my friend Mary.  She works swing shift and has random days off - but she has today and tomorrow off!  We met up at the farmer's market, which I haven't been to all season and Mary has never been to.  She grew up in Coulee City, so our farmer's market is something completely new.  Then she returned the favor by taking me to the "Art Garden".  It's a ceramic painting place kind of like "Color Me Mine" in Utah.  You pick a piece to paint and just go.  I got a "Super Mug" which is, well, super big.  I decided to put a few quotes on it.  Here they are:

(Kintsukuroi - the Japanese tradition of fixing a broken 

piece by putting gold in the cracks.  It reminds me that 

our imperfections make us unique, make us beautiful.)

It took a ridiculous amount of time.  Seriously.  Things needed at the Art Garden:  artistic ideas and an amazingly steady hand.  After you finish, you turn it in so they can treat it and glaze it and put it in a kiln to burn and be reborn from the ashes. (Phoenix like, but that probably isn't what happens.)  And I get to pick up the finished product in a little over a week.  It'll be microwave, dishwasher and food safe, too!  When I gave it to the nice girl behind the counter, she was very impressed with my handwriting.  I don't really like my handwriting, but apparently I did pretty good for my first time ever painting a ceramic.  After the Art Garden, we stopped by Rocktop for a burger.

By then it was about 4pm, so I came home and took a little rest.  No, I don't think you understand.  Painting that was not necessarily hard, but it was very focus intense.  And that was probably the most productive part of my day.  I had a really good time, especially talking with Mary.