What is History?

Today, I am thinking... about History? What it is? Is History important? Why? Is it necessary? Does History change our lives? Can we change History? Are we molded into the person we become, by our active part as we participate in the passing of History?

In spite of it all, I am in the process of thinking, compiling and striving to put "pen to paper" to jot down a thing or two about my life.

Fluted Bowls & Plates

Some of the fun in interesting projects I am doing in Ceramics are my Fluted Bowls & Plates. They are hand-built by slab rolling and shaping over a plaster mold. They are pinched and torn to make the ragged edges. Some of the bowls are completed with Cone 5 Clay and some with Cone 10 clay. I am just learning to us a Cone 10 clay called DSO which I like very much as it is a softer clay and mold more easily.

This Plate is a brown-blue color and is Turkish Amber/Black Mix with Castle Blue Cone 5 High Fire Glaze. = = = = =

This Plate as also Turkish Amber and Castle Blue Cone 5 High Fire Glaze but it had no black in the mix.

This Series of Plates are Crystal fired Glazed. They are a Brown base (on the outside) and Turquoise Crystal in the inside. Most interesting is that the lighter glazed pieces are the same glaze as the more Turquoise ones.

Many factors play into the why they turned out different. The glaze itself... may have had some different qualities at the different times the pieces were glazed. The amount of glaze put on each piece. The amount of heat that reached the glaze within the kiln. One of the most fun things about glazing is the the surprise effect - the potter is always prepared for the unexpected and then takes joy in whatever their piece may bring. Potters are just happy that their piece make it through the whole process of becoming a piece of pottery.

The Plate is the first one I made in this series, it was completed in late 2009. I used Turkish Amber with Castle Blue on the Edges. It fits really nicely with a Wired-Vase that I bought from Dale Pappas, a professional potter here in Reno.

The next Plate is Copper Sand and Luster Duster Raku Glazed. It was a fun firing that day as my piece was classed as the "Best In Show". It is always fun to get recognition for your work. The colors: reds, blues, golds came out so vibrant and clear.

The final piece displayed is also Copper Sand and Luster Duster Raku Glazed. The difference is the prior plate was place right-side up in the smoking can and this one was place face-down. Here again, many factors play a part: depth of glaze, mix of colors in the glazes, the heat in the kiln and just the plain ole' "Pottery God".

Pottery Project UNR

One of the assignments for a Ceramics Class at UNR was designing a Plaster Mold and then making Slip cast pieces of pottery. I designed a "Slanted Vase" and carved various Sgrafitto designs.

It was a leaning process with the hardest part being the idea for the design. I first molded the shape of the vase, set it in board molds, poured plaster on half of in and set it to dry. Then turned over the vase and repeated the process for the other half. When both molds were dry, the slip was poured into the mold for the desire thickness and set to dry. When the vase is dried and remove from the mold, it is designed and bisque fired. Glaze is applied to the bisqued piece and it is high fired.

It was a fun project.

More By-Gone Days

In more of those By-gone days.... The following pictures brings special meaning to the quote "A picture that speaks a 1,000 words". The pictures in this post are from those old brown strip negatives that are over 60 years old. When Grandpa Jackson died, Shirl received a small wood treasure box with old cards in it that his parents had received. Mixed among the card were these negatives. ===================================================================================

Shirl Stacy Jackson as a toddler on a crisp spring day enjoying the much longed for rays of wonderful sunshine. Shirl and his cousin Carol Walters.

Carol lived with Shirl and his family. Carol's Mom had mental problems to the point that she was non-functioning and her Dad was in the Service protecting our country. This picture is taken on the steps to the front porch of the Jackson residence in Pingree, Idaho, the home where LaMar now lives.

LaMar Jackson on his horse. ================================================================================== Grandma Geneva Jackson and her sister Delores Warren

Colleen, Erma & a Friend on the Jackson Home Front steps. "Girls" ready for a fun time on the town.

Dennis, Todd, Bonnie, Doug sittin' under the Christmas tree.

When one can have "memories come to life" or just be touched by the "sweetness" of these old pictures, then we can say, that our lives have been truly blessed on this day.

By-Gone Days

I have always liked reading and learning about History. This type of studying brings to the table those things that make life what it is.

=================================================== Especially am I interested in what makes people become the person they are as they live the complexities that make up life. =================================================== Lately, been thinking about writing my history, which stirs up many memories of by-gone days.This is a picture that I shared today on Facebook. It was taken shortly after graduating from high school as my graduation pictures were such a disappointment to me. At the time, I was living with three other young ladies in an apartment in Blackfoot, Idaho. I was working at the Anderson Lumber Company as a Secretary during the week and at the Charm Beauty Salon on Saturdays as a Cosmetologist. ==================================================== It was a great time of my life being young, working and have fun with roommates and friends.

Wanted to share Harvest Decorations.....

======================================== The Decorative Pumpkin is slowly matching the small varmint eaten pumpkins from the garden - it now has a big hole in it's side. Those pesky varmints!

The Bounteous Harvest

Fall is Here….

With the beautiful turning of the leaves also comes the Harvest. == Shown is our bounteous harvest... this was the sum total with a couple small squirrel chewed pumpkins, a few extra tomatoes and a few more tiny summer squash. We were kind this year and shared our garden with any varmint that wanted to taste of its good abundance. We spotted squirrels, rabbits, mice and quail enjoying the feast. And... I'm not so sure that our lizards were not in on the taking!

== Harvest is a special time of the year. As a young girl even though it meant a lot of work picking potatoes and bringing in the harvest, it also meant those hours spent cutting potatoes, weeding beets and potatoes, helping Dad with the irrigating would finally bring those crops to harvest. Bringing in the crops ended the harvest year. It was hard to believe that those seeds were now a crop in full bloom. Amongst the beautiful turning of leaves, we would be able to get this life giving harvest of crops. === Early on we children helped in the crops. My sister and I would fill 50 pound basket of potatoes and dump them into 100 pound sacks, that had to be shaked down, so they would stand up in the field ready for the haulers to come by and pick them up. Later we worked on a potato harvester, and I remember clearly the hard work and the cold weather. But, we were glad of the work as we were able to buy all our clothes for the school year. ==

Part of harvest was the process of canning food for the winter. Hours were spent helping Mom can peaches, pears, string beans, tomatoes and many more life sustaining food. Part of my time this year has been spent renewing that canning process, as I have not canned anything since 2002 and really canned since Portland which was from 1972-1989. ================================================================================ Salsa Cooling on the Counter

================================================================================== List of the bounteous harvest Water Bath Canned this 2011 year: ================================================================================== 24 Quarts Peaches --------------------- 14 Quarts Pears ------------------------ 3 Pints Applesauce ---------------------- 3 Quarts Salsa ----------------------- 18 Pints Salsa --------------------- ================================================================================= Frozen Fruits & Vegetables ================================================================================= 10 Bottles Strawberry Jam -------------------------- 7 Bottles Raspberry Jam ------ 10 Bottles Peach Jam ------------------------------- 6 Bottles Peach Butter ------- 6 Bottles Pear Butter ----------------------------- 10 Bottles Salsa----- - - ================================================================================== My Canned Harvest...!

======================================== I am so grateful for the bounteous harvest of this land and for the opportunity to partake of it's bounties.