Olives Make Me Happy...

A dozen or so unreach-ables at the top!

THE tree

...They truly do! Don't know what it is, but popping a couple of these guys puts a little pep in my step. Eight years ago when we planted a hypo-allergenic olive tree in our Arizona backyard, who would've thought that in year seven I would be standing under that supposed non-fruit producing tree, staring up at OLIVES!? As luck would have it, that same year I made a pilgrimage to Italy & Greece: pretty much the olive capitals of the world. It was here that I learned from an old Greek how a newbie like me can cure these little gems... cuz if you've ever stumbled upon a ripe olive tree, you know what I'm talking about. You can't just pick-and-eat like apples! They are steeped in oleuropein, a bitter principle that needs to be leached out through the proper steps.

Fresh picked olives! Black are considered 'ripe olives'

Washing & sorting black from green

Catching this year's crop just in the knick of time, I picked, washed, cut, soaked, changed soaking water daily for a month, waited, jarred in brine, refrigerated and waited some more. Before they are ready for eating, it will be 2+ months since I began the lengthy, but                                                                                              worthwhile process. 

A couple weeks into soaking: they acquire their true olive color

Time for the brine: vinegar, kosher salt & water

Five decades of gardening has earned my mom the title "Tomato Lady". I will keep you posted, but  "Olive Lady" does have a nice ring to it :o)

Bay leaf, garlic & peppercorn added for flavor

They will spend another month+ refrigerated in the brine.

Each jar is topped off with EVOO for a seal

Ta-dah! Swing by come November for a taste!

Please enjoy my latest demo video on butter crocks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIBQl6RyjqI

Power Turquoise

Glaze day.

Potters across time face a certain level of uneasiness with this critical step in finishing our clay creations. A flawlessly formed piece could morph into mishap if just one glaze layer fails the perfect measure & application. I myself have experienced this dreadful kiln opening, only to find pools of glaze cementing my once glorious, now-ravaged pottery.

Trailing much experimentation, I have come to know trusty Power Turquoise as my ever-consistent, stable base for my captivating blues. I can count on this bright glaze to bind without pitting, flow without running, finish without crazing: a flawless foundation for beautiful pots!                          


Submerging my vessels into this chalky mud, I'm struck by the parallel: A trusty, consistent-in-love, stable-in-faith youngest sister. My Power Turquoise: Monica. Her love light is the bright base that I build upon. Layered with just the right amount of craziness, it is through her support and encouragement that I persevere in devotion to my roles as wife, mother (now grandmother) and artist.

January 2017

ANOTHER rainy day. 2017 has delivered a steady dose of cold and gloom. I've employed the usual tricks: a good sweat at the gym, 80s tunes in the studio, and a hot mug of Earl Grey to top it off. Nothing. Even God has gone quiet.  I can't seem to shake the wet blanket that has come to rest on my shoulders.

I retreat to my couch, wrap myself in the closest throw and begin thumbing through relationships for sour hints… my oldest, preparing to embark on a 2-year Costa Rica assignment with the Peace Corps; a second son, making his way through undergraduate school 150 miles from home; an over-committed high school junior who is seldom around; a husband of a quarter-century facing his own demons; and a daughter about to become a mother. Here I sit, chewing this slice of reality, detecting the bitter-sweet taste of change, trying to swallow.

Enter Robin. Friend of a dozen+ years & a couple shakes more seasoned in the game of life: a big sister without the baggage. Be it a text, phone call or visit, she faithfully arrives in God's perfect timing; a messenger of hope, patience, courage. "Sometimes you just need to pull in," she'll say, "Look back at all the challenges God has brought you through!" 

Her words find a corner to settle in my soul, "Let go and Let God, Dain- We do our best and the Holy Spirit fills in the gaps." With a humor that only two Catholic girls from nutty midwest families could share, her laughter grabs hold of my boot straps, yanking me out of my concocted pit. And once again, this angel who has seen her share of cloudy days, has lead me out of the fog.

And as if on cue, the weather suddenly breaks...

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." -Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

CLICK BELOW TO HEAR MY FIRST RADIO INTERVEW!

https://soundcloud.com/kyesradio/guest-daina-meyer

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Happy St Nicholas Day!

My latest video: Raku Wine Glasses!
Copy/paste link below to my Etsy homepage. Scroll down to "About" on the left, and enjoy the video!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Potterybydaina