answers to all your questions

I am never really sure how to deal with questions that I get in the comments. Do I answer them right there? Do I email the asker a reply? So I have decided to just go ahead and answer them all in a post. So here goes...


1) You can fire glass in a ceramic kiln, but not ceramic in a glass kiln. A glass kiln does not get hot enough for clay.

2) As far as how I find time to do this stuff…I just take advantage of little pockets of time when I can get them. However, Sara is now entering a whole new much more active time so I have a feeling my pockets will be getting fewer and farther apart. Then when and if #2 comes along, I am sure they will disappear completely! By the way, no recent progress has been made on the quilt.


3) The kiln has yet to empty my pockets on the electric bill front. I did a little test once where I monitored the kilowatt usage for four hours on a typical day and four hours while the kiln was running. The kiln only used a few extra hours. I would say our bill last month was appropriately higher considering that we had the AC on almost everyday.

4) Glass is sliced with a diamond coated blade.

5) Sara was 3# 5oz when she was born 2 months early due to my preeclampsia and signs of encroaching HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets) syndrome, I only had the elevated liver enzymes. A public service announcement to all you readers that may be thinking about being pregnant…preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome are bad news! Excessive swelling, high blood pressures, vision changes, pain in the upper right quadrant, headaches all merit a visit to the doctor. The only real cure is delivery of the baby. I would guess that preeclampsia is the number 1 reason for premature babies, though I don’t know that for a fact, for sure it’s right up there. Also I read somewhere in my research on the topic that HELLP syndrome can have a 25% mortality rate for the mother if left untreated. I am fortunate that my doctors recognized it early and nipped it in the butt before it got bad. As far as chances of recurrence, only time will tell if I will get it again, which will kind of put a damper on the excitement during a next pregnancy, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. That is also why I am absolutely stopping at two. I know that mentally I can only make it through one more pregnancy.
Ok, I’m off my soapbox now.

6) The skunk aroma was quite successfully removed by a hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dish soap concoction. However, the dogs apparently didn’t learn anything from their encounter because there was a skunk in the front yard last night that they were going crazy barking at.

7) Yes, we are in Big Bend now. So long GUMO. We’ve been here for almost exactly a year now. Iffy’s last day at Guadalupe was 08/04/07.

8) I too was amazed at the quickness to hand out Vicodin. I could have been an idiot parent who would have breastfed my baby with it still in my system. That could have turned out not too good. I mean of course I am not an idiot parent, but they didn’t know that!

hope that answers all your questions!
joanne