poetry cups

My heart, in hiding, stirred for a bird.
gerard manly hopkins
(Now thats poetry for you)

I've been making poetry cups over Christmas. Its really because of those car trips back to Milwaukee to see my grandparents. After a group sing- a- thon of every song in the family canon my dad would lean back, settle in, and begin to recite poetry. He was fond of Carl Sandburg , Edgar Allen Poe, and Robert Service. Sometimes the words floated around the inside of the car like butterfly wings, but then when Dad started 'Chicago! Hog butcher for the world! City of the big shoulders!' I'd have to roll the window down and let those words hurtle outside and clomp off down the highway.

Sitting there and listening to dad's beautiful , animated voice, as farm houses , cornfields and masses of birds passed by, I mostly felt jubilant about the world and its possibilities. But sometimes the poems were about loss.

I shall never see you run

through the orchard anymore,

or hear the scratching of your paws

in early morning at my door.
I shall never watch your tail

saying you are glad of me,

Or know at meals your eyes are turned

Upon my plate reproachfully

I shall never see you sleep

like a ball curled in the sun

Or feel your nose pressed in my hands

Now all your dear dog days are done.

rachel field

reverse of cups

The whole world was a vast moving screen of snow

but even now it said peace;

It said remoteness,

It said cold,

It said sleep.

conrad aiken

Over Christmas I had a momentary sink-me-down, so I crept off to the bedroom and laid on the blue flowered spread and pulled out this book. I was thinking about how people I loved were either in transit, or out of touch, some under a blanket of earth covered by an inch of snow. But by the third poem an inchworm of promise began crawl inside me. I picked myself back up , combed my hair and decided to make butterballs. They are a family tradition. Along with the lopsided angel at the top of the Christmas tree, a drive around town to see the lights shine against all those pine trees, and the best one of all, poetry on car trips.

Happy New Year dear readers!

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Donkey Christmas

I mean that in a good way. Donkeys play a big part at Christmas here at our house in the pines
Here is one destined for the Christmas tree

And a friend from Sweden on the mantle. A photo by the wonderful Becky at Vintage Fairy Tales. If you haven't visited her blog, you should. Its a very happy place ~

Http://beckybus.se/wordpress

Here is a donkey clomping through suburban neighborhoods, dining on thier lush lawns.

And on the hutch with his friends, waiting for Santa.

Can you see him in the forest of pines?

After all, a donkey attended the very first Christmas.

"I" said the donkey , shaggy and brown,

"I carried His mother uphill and down,

I carried her safely to Bethlemen town,"

"I" said the donkey, shaggy and brown.

From the Christmas carol, 'The Friendly Beasts' with a little spun donkey from Russia.

Happiest of holidays from the donkeys in the pines!

xxx

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Snowman has an annoucement

Thank you for your comments for the drawing. I wrote names on slips of notebook paper and asked my friend, Snowman to pick one. No peeking. Snowman reached in the bowl with a mittened hand and drew out the name Lori, from Lori times five, for the ornament set. Then owl piped up.
"Don't I get to draw a name too?" so Snowman and I obliged, and owl pulled out the name
Christine, from A Mermaids Tale.

So Christine, (all because of Owl) will be receiving the two little cups above. Bluebird and farmhouse in the snow. I will email you both ladies, as
Snowman wants to send these two parcels off on Monday.

I've made a baker's dozen of spoons. Some are long , for deep mixing bowls, and others shorter for serving at the table. There are both oval shaped bowls and rounded bowls.

There are mice with pies, foxes with vegegables for their stews and hedgehogs all set to make strawberry jam.

There is even a cornish rabbit with a cornishware bowl.

All can be hung from a hook, as there is a hole and I've strung through waxed linen thread, durable and sensible too. Listing this weekend. And I hope yours is a lovely one.

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Christmas give-a-way, ornament starter set.

All for you. An ornament starter set including a mushroom house, a grey kitty with a red holiday bow, rabbit's cup to hang from the tree, a rabbit with a toadstool, chicken on a silver nest and there has to be a bluebird flying by spreading happiness over your holidays.
just leave a way for me to find you if I draw your name with your comment. And don't be shy now. I'd love to send these to you no matter where you live, that means from Greenland to Sydney and back again.

'Trixie'. An oil on board by Laura Ferrara. Every time I look at this (I've only had it one day, but still) it lifts my heart. Gentle and moving, quirky and endearing. Laura's beautiful spirit eminates from her works.

More of Laura's wonderful works. I think I might be a collector. Blog and links here:

www.larabeeandliza.com

Listing update this weekend.....

A new spoon design with a fox looking down on a snow scene in the country

and a dog who is hoping someone will invite him in. He's yearning to show off his new hat.

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Mushroom Town

Trek far to the north,
lope uphill, then down;
When the woods turn thick
You're in Mushroom Town.

In winter there's a feast,

to mark the Christmas time;

Each creature brings a gift,

of food or song, or wine.

Mr. Leif Green

a culinarious fox

brings watercress soup,

and a silver snuffbox.

He loudly recites

a Shakespeare sonnet,

as he sips the soup

and pours sherry on it.

He gulps, he slurps,

his eyes shine green,

he's the shockingest diner

you've ever seen.

Tawny rabbits

in vest and pants

sing Christmas carols

and Gregorian chants

Greyish Wolf

will bring a pie,

if you like chicken,

please stop by.

Greyish ventures

out by night

and shops for fowl

by lantern light.

I'm quite appaled

that wolf has crashed,

(he wasn't asked)

There is a chair

saved just for you,

Please bring more tarts

and acorns too.

Squirrel will seat you

in a chair of green,

There's badger and donkey

and you in between.

The table's brimming

the candle's bright

O Merry Christmas

O Holy Night.

Update this weekend

xx

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Woodland visitor

I walked right up to a moose once. Being ten years old, I didn't have the sense to be scared, only amazed at the size of his gargantuan head and horns. How did those spindly legs hold them up? A few days ago, that would be a couple of great strides into fall, I had another woodland encounter. Only this time he wasn't in a parking lot in Montana, he was right in my front yard.

He blends in so well to the earth, it took a moment for me to become aware of him. He stood so close, I expected him to rear up, and braced myself to react if he charged. But he just stared steadily at me. That thatch of fur between his ears is the prettiest brown I've ever seen.

I slowly walked away and went back upstairs for my camera. I wanted you to see him too.

See how nicely he posed?

After twenty minutes and lots of clicking he stood

turned

and sauntered away. Good-bye Mister Magnificent.

Update as promised .

Lots of woodland things. I bet you can guess why.

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Pot de Terre

I inherited my grandparents four poster bed and its under a blue flowered quilt in that bed that I used to dream of throwing clay while I waited for sleep. I had a setback a couple years ago and haven't been at the wheel since. But we've set it up again, repaired frayed cords and I'm back in the batter's box. When I first stared my pottery in the nineties, I called it Pot de Terre.(Pots of Earth)
Carolyn, Kary, Sue, do you remember that?

Throwing again means olive oil bottles, cups and pitchers,

and teapots. Here's one with Hedgehog setting out a pie for a tea party. Fox is bringing an egg, neighbor hedgie a rosemary tree and rabbit is flying in just in time. The teapot has a stand or trivet to rest on too, so the table won't get a mark on it.

To celebrate , we took a trip to the apple orchard.

We picked Gopher Glen , its got the very best cider and twenty seven different apple varieties
After awhile your jaws get tired from chewing all the samples!

plums, pears, and fresh picked zuchinni and squash too.

The first thing I did when we got home with our bounty was to pour a glass of cider and cut up an apple. A limbertwig. In the bowl are spitzenbergs too, seckle pears and Santa Rosa plums.

** I want to here and now say that you, my treasured friends and customers never said a word about the lack of thrown things, you have been steadfast and kept me in business and I am

a lucky potter girl to have such loyalty. That I know.

xx

Julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Early fall on the pumpkin farm

Who could possibly live in an acorn? A gnat for one. Imagine how tiny it's bed would be. It's cup and spoon would be naked to the human eye. But the acorn would be as roomy as well,
an acorn.

Some diligent farmers are already tilling the soil for new seeds next spring. While bothersome crows wait for lunch.

Owls are busy filling thier burrows with herbs and the last of the wild asters.

Interlopers are tiptoeing about with golden treasure, ready to bolt if need be.

Some unruly mice are so thrilled at the prospect of fresh pumpkin seeds, they are dancing by moonlight with very little decorum.

And this potter girl is going to put new things in her shop tomorrow.

Happy early fall from me and all the farm peeps.

xx

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com