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.

Raku Pottery

Just in case you wanted to see yet again... Pottery...! =========================================

Raku Ruffled Platter using 2 coats each of Copper Sand & Luster Duster Glaze. Everyone voted this piece the best of the day! =========================================

White Crackle Glaze Raku with Dragon design. =========================================

Copper Sand & Luster Duster Glaze Raku Vase

UNR Graduation - December 4, 2010

Today I am recovering from surgery from a torn meniscus. It is the same right knee that I had surgery on when we lived in Minnesota. Because I have much time on my hands, I thought that I might blog about my December 4, 2010 graduation from University of Nevada, Reno. ==================================================================================

This picture is taken in front of the Lawlor Events Center looking back over the new Library and Student center that were built during my years at the college. What great fun to watch those huge holes grow into these magnificent buildings. My degree is in Psychology and my Minor is in Art/Ceramics. =============================================== What an incredible journey! ======================================================= Many of the family were able to attend my graduation... Anthony & Rachel's family, Geneva & Jared's family, & Kandra; plus. my brother Doyle & Norma surprised me. -- They all made my day so special.

========================================= Shirl, my companion, was my support, cook and bottle washer. Most of the time he was able to maintain his patience with my late hours and my last two semester schedules that were enough to kill an ox in the myre!

The Grand-kids with Grandma:

My beautiful Daughters & Me: =========================================

My Queen's Wave as taught to me by George Brown, Shirl's cousin from England: ========================================= The Graduation Party:

======================================= Below read my: Ending Essay: Incredible Long Journey ====================================================================================================================================================================== I finish this, my last essay, on my incredible long and even arduous journey to obtain a Psychology Degree, with a Minor in Art-Ceramics, at the University of Nevada, Reno. My last semester to finish requirements, ended up as 19 credit hours, as well as teaching 2 classes for the first half of the semester @ TMCC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is just a small run down of what was required in my classes: ----------------------- 4 - 2 page Sociology Essays - 1 the Final Test -------------------------------------- 2 - 5 page Essays - 1 Sociology / 1 Psychology ----------------- 1 - 15 page Sociology Research Paper --------- 4 - Essay Tests 3 - SOC / 1- PSY 1- Lectora Art Portfolio ------- 15 Art Projects with Reflections -------------- 4 - 3 page Art Critiques --------------- 1 - 5 page Art Artist Paper --------------------- 20 Sketches -------------------- 13 Pieces of Pottery - Including ------------------------------------------------- 3 - 16 - 22 inch cylinders (2 high fire - 1 Raku) ----- 2 - Obelisks ----- 1 - 18" Medieval Lady - 1 Plate & 2 bowls, ----- 5 - small Vases ------- 6 - Slip Poured Vases -------- 1- 12" Foot 4 - Week-end Classes --- In class Worksheets of "Tahoe Experience" --------------------- 1 - 5 page paper - Virginia City and Mark Twain Experience ----------------------------- 1 - 3 page paper - Wellness Class --- In class Worksheets - Art of Encouragement --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I completed my last test on Tuesday, Dec. 14,2010. No more 1 am, 2am and even 3am study nights! A real relief! I made it! I'm grad-ge-ated! I'm Grannie Graduate! Come see Me in My Tent in the Backyard @ Grannie's Psych Place! ======================================================================================================================================================================

Grand-kids cheering me in my new Backyard Psych Place:

This posting is a testimony of the great joy that I feel to have been able to accomplish this feat in my 68th year. Who would have thought that a dream started while in high school would be able to be accomplished lo these many years later. I Thank You all in helping me attain this goal. More especially, I thank my Heavenly Father for it was only through his help that I was able to overcome the doubts and difficulties and have the strength to work for and fight for the end goal. The certificate of graduation made all those hours of meetings with advisers to receive credit for work accomplished in Mount Hood Community College worthwhile. To my Family and especially my Grandchildren... Please keep your eye on the goal, the work will be hard but the end results will be well worth the fight. You are the greatest and I love to call you my own. You make we the happiest Mom and Grand-mom in the world!

Horse Hair Series Potter – October 2011

Below find my latest pottery I wanted to share in my continuing learning of the Horse Hair Process.

In this Pottery process, actual horse hair is used to make the vivid black lines. The three vases were burnished when the pottery was in the green ware stage which means firm but still damp clay. Burnishing is accomplished by a metal rib, a spoon, a smooth rock or nylon and gives the finished piece a sheen. The piece is then bisque fired which is the first firing. Before burnishing, I applied Terra Sigilata which gives the piece a whitest look. The decorative bowls were not burnished.

Bisque ware is heated to 1100 and then strands of taunt horse hair are applied quickly before the piece cools down. Scant sprinkles of sugar can then be applied if desired. The next part of the process is spraying on the Ferris Oxide. The piece is cooled. The Final step in the process is spraying with Polyurethane clear satin finish or you may use high gloss.

Burnished White Terra Sigilata Horse Hair Vase with two Vases Burnished White Terra Sigilata Horse Hair with Ferris Oxide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Burnished White Terra Sigilata Horse Hair Vase

Bisque Horse Hair Bowls with Ferris Oxide

The Fall Harvest

Fall Harvest time is one of my most favorite times of the year. This year we marked Harvest with three small ripe tomatoes (picked when just a show of red), five small green tomatoes and thirty tiny green tomatoes (before the frost) four small yellow summer squash, twelve serrano peppers, four small cucumbers, one cucumber (large enough to make a boat), six small green peppers, and two small green pumpkins (just larger than a baseball). Now you might think, that is not much, but, we were grateful. You see, we have rabbits that sneak in our yard, and now quail and worse yet, we have squirrels. So, you see that it was us racing to get the small veggies, before they were all gobbled up by the critters

Although our roses bloomed a little less this year, at least, they did not get eaten by the critters! They were late blooming, but in September, we were able to enjoy theses and a few other.

Race for the Cure

General Conference Sunday, October 2, 2011, I was able to “Walk” in the Race for the Cure. I have been able to Run-Walk the Race for the Cure since 1996 – so – this is my 16th year. My first race was when we lived in Bettendorf, Iowa where I Ran-Walked the Race on Arsenal Island in Davenport, Iowa. My finish time was 36 minutes for the 5K Race. This year my time was about that for the two miles that I walked – I am babying my torn meniscus.

My inspiration is my sister, Suzan Morrell, who fought Breast Cancer that year so I am glad to Celebrate her life. Another Celebration in the Race is for one of my former Seminary students, Jaycee Taylor.

I also remember others that have any type of Cancer. I look forward each year to this worthwhile event!

School Daze, School Daze…!

I love this time of the year when everyone goes off to school. Education is such an important part of our lives. I love the learning process, the acquiring of new and different knowledge. In fact, my whole life I have loved learning and school. As you know, I finally finished my Psychology Degree at University of Nevada, Reno on December 4,2010. At that time, I also finished an Art – Ceramics Minor at University of Nevada, Reno and earlier in the spring 2010 I finished an Art – Ceramics Associates at Truckee Meadows Community College where I have taught Computer Classes to Senior Citizens for the past ten years. In 1988, I finished and Associates Degree in General Studies at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. Earlier, much earlier, I finished grades one through twelve.

One of the great things that happened at the Grimmett Reunion this July is I received a very neat picture of the Moreland School House which has since been torn down. It is the school house that I went to when I was in the First Grade. This school was the Moreland High School but the first and second grades went here. Our room was downstairs and right in the front on the left. We could get to the classroom two ways: going down the stairs outside the building or going up the front stairs and then down a set of stairs just inside the door. How excited I was for that first day of school. Mrs. Anderson, my teacher, was a grandmotherly type lady so I felt right at home. We did like recess and especially the swing which was tied to the very tall trees at the back of the school. You could swing so high that you just thought that you would go over the top bar.

The Second Grade..... We moved over to Riverside Grade school where I stayed for through sixth grade. Mrs. Parrish, our Second Grade teacher was a young tall beautiful auburn hair lady. We all thought that she was or should be a movie star. One thing she liked to do is check to see if we all had a clean handkerchief, I’m not sure if I forgot mine or I just did not have one, so Della Erickson, the girl across the aisle, let me use hers. In those days girls did not wear Levi’s, but every day we wore dresses. In the winter, and even late into the spring, we, girls, liked to wear the leggings to our snowsuits under our dresses so that we could wrestle around on the playground and play on the tricky bars. One of the fun things that we did during recess was play kiss tag out under the big tall trees at the end of the school yard.

In Third Grade... We had the scariest and grouchiest teacher named Mrs. Jolley. She wasn’t as pretty as Mrs. Parrish or even as tall and she certainly was not to be mistaken for a movie star. One day she left the classroom, and of course, we all started to talk and act up and thought we were pretty safe as we had posted a guard. Pretty soon we heard the guard say here she comes, and we all scrambled to our seats. Mrs. Jolley came and said, “Here’s she come!” Although a grouchy person, she was a good teacher and I learned a lot from her teaching.

< In Fourth Grade... Our teacher was named Mrs. Harris. She was a very nice lady and as pretty as Mrs. Parrish but older and a mother to children. Right after lunch she would read to us to settle us down. In particular, I remember her reading to us from Black Beauty. Mrs. Harris was going to have a baby and during the summer time when the baby was due, we learned that she had died in childbirth. Our hearts were broken, our beautiful teacher had gone to heaven, leaving her family and the new born baby.

Tune in later for more on school daze….!

This is September 5, 2011... This Blog needs some new posts...!

Guess who? What Year of Grade School?