Feb. 1



A new visitor to our feeder this week, Cassin's finches...  The bright topknot often stands up a bit like a mohawk...


Here's a more natural photo I got today...



And here is a female purple finch.  We're keeping track of species visible from our yard this year.  We're up to 16...

Feb. 4

Yesterday I replaced a couple heating elements in my older kiln and had to struggle with reattaching the new element in the space provided because every time you put new elements in you have to snip off a bit of wire  that connected the old ones, so it was very short from many element changes.  I inadvertantly pulled out  the thermocouple that tells the temperature in the kiln, so on the next firing the kiln over heated and destroyed itself and the pottery inside. I circled in red the little thermocouple which I pushed back into place this morning.   (the cracks in the kiln walls are nearly all new. the kiln shelves slumped and the pots all have bulges) Fortunately business has been very good the last year... I'd been thinking I needed another new kiln, and now I have occasion to buy one...

Speaking of Covid, my mother has recovered fully and is back in her old routine at Millstream Common, and we are all happy about that...

Looking down in the rain barrel today was a nice 6 sided ice crystal forming on top.