With apologies to Sandra Boyton who had a card years ago w/ cartoons of a Hippo, a Gnu & a Deer-- i'd like to wish you a

Hippo Gnu Deer!

(say this out loud and it might make more sense. Then again, maybe not. Whatever.)

from all of us here at Hearth Hill!

I've got a few New Year's resolutions: to eat more & exercise less & i'm pleased to report a resounding success so far! OK, that's not totally true: I have managed to actually exercise 3 of the past 4 days. Dang! Another resolution blowed! A 3rd resolution is to update this dang blog once a week. We'll see how long my good intentions last with that, but at least know that i'm thinking good thoughts and occasionally putting fingers to keyboard and getting them up here for y'all.

Another aside: the reason i'm writing Dang and blowed up so much is cause my best Christmas present this year (and yes, i'm including the awesome iPod in this statement)(& my plane ticket to Colorado to bother my niece and nephew) came from my sister, who gave me the awesome game REDNECK LIFE. This is a board game, not unlike the old school game of LIFE, but in this much improved version, the goal is to get to the day of reckonin' with the most teeth, the fewest younguns and the smallest debt. You have to get married, divorced, remarried & pay to have your tattoo of your first spouse removed and replaced with the name of your 2nd (discount if they have one or more names in common or if you sleep with your divorce attorney) When you remarry, you roll dice to see how many redheaded stepchildren (i am NOT making this us) named Darrell you end up with. It's pretty funny & silly and very unpolitically correct & if you ever come visit me i'm gonna sit you down on the porch couch and make you play the game with us! Dang! One of you Darrells get me another beer from the yard fridge!

So, here's how i spent my holidays: AT HOME! This is an awesome and unusual feat! I've even managed to clean alot of clutter out of my house and studio. This was in part an attempt to get more organized but mostly motivated by a severe lack of money. Yep, we're broke. AGAIN.

This has driven Darrell back to his roots. Or maybe it was playing REDNECK LIFE. Either way, he's taking all of our cast off clutter and some leather and a bit of pottery down to a flea market in Charleston to make some money for dog food and the cable bill, so we can limp through this month and next. Last weekend he didn't do so good, but the theory is that even though the weather was warm, folks were spending their money on New Year's parties (around here New Year's Eve is a special party night. You get Budweiser longnecks rather than Old Milwaulkie in a can. And Jagermister too!) rather than clutter from the flea market. Just like a craft show, the next one/weekend is always going to be better!

Anyway, if you find yourself in Charleston, WV of a January weekend, come on out to the Capital Flea Market. You can score some cheap used DVDs or pig paraphernalia
(if i'd only known that picking the name Dancing Pig meant i was going to get pig stuff as presents for the rest of my life i might have reconsidered. And then where would we all be?) and a few good stories from Darrell and his pal Three Bears!

Meanwhile, i've actually managed to clean up the studio and i even scored a studio couch at the Goodwill! This beauty cost me all of $10 and it's a great place for the dogs to lounge about while i work. Or, that's the theory anyway. I haven't actually gotten any work done, since i'm having an holiday extension: my friends Ceit and Storm (who we visited in Canada three weeks ago) are here for a quick Christmas break visit (Storm is a teacher in Ontario so she gets extra time to goof off over the holidays. A whole week after New Years. How cool is that?!)

With Ceit and Storm have come their bad dogs, Ashe (a malamute mix) and his big sister Daemon (a sweet fawn colored Great Dane). Daemon is Spike's girlfriend. Or, rather, Spike wants Daemon to be his girlfriend. Daemon is mostly indifferent to Spike's advances.
Ashe is Budgth's mentor in the trouble making department. (like she needed any help!) Between the four of them, our house is all romper room all the time. It's fur filled chaos & we're all really enjoying ourselves. But we have only one more day of slack and dog centered domestic goofing off and then it's back to real life for us: Ceit and Storm and their bad dogs go back to Ontario, Darrell heads to the flea market, and i will have run out of excuses and it's back to the studio for me.

More next week, when i hope to actually have mud under my fingernails!
muddy blessings & wishes for a prosperous New Year for us all!
~Virginia

PS i almost forgot to tell y'all about the real live episode of REDNECK LIFE that happened last week. I was up late, goofing off on the computer when i heard a skid and thud. I peered out, but didn't see anything. Turned on my porch light, just in case anyone needed some help and sure enough about 20 minutes later, i had 3 wet, muddy, slightly stunned and more than a little drunk, teenagers on my front porch. The called for a ride (no ambulance or cops, thanks) and we all waited for someone's Mom to come get them. It turned out that they had put a brand new, bought it that afternoon, F-150 crew cab sunroof 40K pickup truck into the river. If they hadn't caught a rear tire on a tree branch, i think they wouldn't have gotten out of the river alive!
I took some pics of the debacle the following morning before the three wreckers that ended up on the job managed to haul the truck out of the river.

Happy Holidaze y'all!

We're settling in for our "long winter nap" here in the hills of Arnoldsburg!
After being away from home for most of November and December, we've managed to make it to our winter break. The picture above is what i look like when i'm actually writing this blog... just in case you were curious!
We get to stay home for a whole month! Unless, of course, we get an offer we can't refuse... we've heard rumors about a great show in Florida in January that sounds pretty appealing (then again, anything in Florida in January sounds pretty good). But i'm going out to Colorado to help my Mom and bro-in-law wrangle my niece and nephew while my sister goes on a business trip. This means that the road trip to Florida is less likely, both in terms of time and stock (as in, i can't make pots while i'm in Colorado)
And anyway, i need to get to work on both a) the new pots to replace the newgrange line and b) my new project. More about that later.
First, some pics:

Above, all of my sweeties snuggling on the couch at my friends house in Hamilton,ON

Below, the dogs wrasslin with our doggie host: (they're just playing. No, really!)


Below, Budgth is trying to sleep on our drive back home from Canada:


and here's Spike actually napping on the way home: Cool sweater, huh?


Oh, and in case you were wondering, Spike got his name from our friend Ceit, who is her sleep deprived state on our first night in her house in Canada, called him that cause she couldn't remember an of his other names. It sort of stuck, cause he's small, has light coloring, is a bit scruffy, would have a British accent and is ambivalent about whether to use his powers for good or evil. These are all traits he has in common with Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Thus, the name has stuck. (though the sweater was subsequently destroyed in a wild rampage with Budgth).
So, that's what's going on here in Dancing Pig Land over the holidaze. Have a cool Yule and a enjoy the return of the strengthening Sun!
Bright Solstice Blessings
~Virginia

Good Dog News!

Here's the latest dog news from Dancing Pig! We have 2 new dogs, both rescues from our local shelter, Roane County Animal Shelter in Spencer WV.

First up is our Budgth (we do iron age Celtic re-enactment and believe in superfluous letters whenever we can fit them in-- it's a very Gaelic way of spelling. We also have a Hemingway cat named Pthumbh). Budgth joined our family a month ago, on November 1st. She was listed on Petfinder as a Boston Terrier mix, and she looked spookily like our beloved Ani. Ani was our first little dog love, allegedly a JRT/Cocker Spaniel mix. We got Ani as a 4 week old puppy from a flea market parking lot last February and she lived with us for 7 wonderful, joy filled months. We loved her so much. Ani was hit by a car and killed instantly in late September. (see earlier blog entries below)

We found Budgth on Petfinder. She was at our local shelter. They do their best there, but it's a high kill shelter-- that's the reality of life in poor, rural communities. Too many animals, not enough money or motivation to get them spayed and neutered. I try not to be too judgmental-- it's hard to pay for your dog's elective surgery when you can't afford health care for yourself or your children (we're not gonnat go into the flat screen tvs and fancy ATVs parked in front of falling down derelict trailers with 5 scrawny dogs chained outside) (well, i said i TRY not to be judgmental-- in never said i achieved that state of grace very often)





Anyway, we went in to meet the Ani lookalike & fell instantly in love. While we were meeting her, i noticed a JRT mix in a cage off in a corner. His front leg was swollen at the 'elbow' and he was obviously in pain, but also obviously sweet and gentle and desperate for a home. We were leaving for a business trip in Florida in a week and would be gone for 2 weeks and he couldn't travel. And we still had our big dog, Barnaby to consider. Still, i couldn't walk away from him. So, i sponsored him: i paid for his vet visit, x-rays and antibiotics and pain meds and promised to stay in touch with them. We took a joy-full Budgth home and had two and half wonderful days with her and Barnaby. We came up with her name because a) she's totally a cuddle bug and b) she reminds us of the character on Crossing Jordan called Bug; like him, our girl is sweet and earnest and a bit undersized, dark skinned and a bit socially awkward, and that's all part of her charm. We figured the TV Bug wouldn't object to having a girl as a namesake.

Three nights later, my husband was walking Budgth on the leash while Barnaby was running free. Barnaby was hit by a truck that didn't even stop. It was an unbelievable loss for both of us. We took ourselves and Budgth down to Florida and sold pottery on the weekends and sat on the beach and cried during the week. Budgth was a wonderful comfort for both of us. She's an awesome being and such a cuddler. A very sweet girl. An awesome 'consolation' prize.



We came home to Hearth Hill on Thanksgiving Day. On Friday, we went over to the shelter and met our next new dog. His current name is Sage, though that might change. We're thinking maybe Feegle (after the MacNacFeegle aka the Wee Free Men of Terry Pratchett's books) or maybe Albert, after Burt from Sesame Steet (i wanted to change Budgth's name to Ernestine/Ernie so we'd have Burt and Ernie, but my husband isn't having it. He's insisting on keeping Budgth's name as is). Sage looks like a tall JRT mix. Someone docked his tail, but didn't bother to get him fixed. He's a really thirsty guy, he drinks water all the time. We think that his previous owners might have been fed up with his constantly peeing to mark his territory, and instead of getting him fixed, they just denied him access to water. It's a typical redneck solution. (opps, that's the judgmental side showing up again).





He was brought into the shelter as a stray in late October/early November, severely beaten up, either by coyotes or a pack of dogs. He was throughly worked over, bitten on his head, ears, back and chest. The bite on his front leg seems to have gone into his joint & gotten infected. His tongue has a hole in it that seems like it might be permant. Maybe we should get him a tongue stud! He's painfully skinny and a bit worried about new situations. But despite all of this, he's also gentle, loving and very desperate to cuddle. He's also a talker-- very vocal, lots of barks and singing, especially when he catches sight of our big orange cat. He's not quite yet acclimated to indoor living and our new tile floor-- so he sees the cat, starts yowling and tries to lunge for him, but inevitably he spins out on the tile floor and ends up slipping and skidding around, looking very put out by it all. If he weren't re-injuring his leg when this happens, it would be even funnier than we currently think it is.



Sage is also the smelliest dog i've ever met. I'm talking room clearing farts. I hope this is a side effect of the antibiotics, cause if it's not, we're gonna have to make some serious dietary changes. Phew! Even Darrell, who thinks a good ripping fart is the highlight of his day, even big D has been offended by the stink this guy produces!



So, that's the latest dog update from Dancing Pig. Come on out to the Open House this weekend or next and meet the new dogs. You can even vote for a new name for the broken up & very smelly JRT. Hope to see you then!

For reasons that are not at all clear to me, i am unable to update the events section of my website. So, here's the latest info:
We are doing the Countryside Artisans Studio Tour at the Art of Fire in Laytonsville, Maryland.
We'll be there, with lots of pottery and leathergoods and wonderful Celtic art, cards, jewelry, stained glass and much more from our pals TUATHA

DECEMBER 1, 2 & 3 and again DECEMBER 7, 8 & 9
FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY from 10 till 5 each day

We're taking over an outbuilding at the Art of Fire's World Headquarters. Lots of room, lots of pots, lots to see. All in a relaxed atmosphere, as far from the maddening crowds at the mall(maul?!) as you can get.

Come see us & get gifts for everyone on your list. And of course, lots of necessary luxuries for yourself as well!

For directions to Art of Fire:http://www.artoffire.com
For information about the Studio Tour: http://www.countrysideartisans.com
For information about Tuatha: http://www.tuathagallery.com

if you need to know more about Dancing Pig, drop me an email: pigatsymboldancingpigdotcom

& remember, shop early, shop often and always add some integrity to your gifts.
Give handmade crafts!

Live from Anna Maria Island!

it's the Dancing Pig Road Show!
That's right folks, we've slunk off to the Gulf Coast of Florida to lick our wounds in sunnier climes. We're bruised, burnt out and heartsore but we're still trying to carry on.
We'd planned this sojourn in early September, when both of our beloved dogs were still alive and well and we couldn't back out. How does the song go? "Can't turn back and you can't stand still and if the thunder don't get you the lightning will" Well, we decided to run away from the thunder and lightning. At least for two weeks.
We came down here to do the Sarasota Medieval Faire. It's a two weekend, 2nd year show that we knew practically nothing about other than it was in Florida & we had been pre-approved as crafters. It was pretty cheap fee wise and came at a time when we could use a vacation, so we went for it.

We booked ourselves into a great hotel that we'd found when we crashed a family reunion two years ago (long story condensed: my brother in law's family live down here, we came down and stayed with sis, bro-in-law, niece and nephew when they were down for Grandpa's 60th or 70th birthday). The hotel is only a block from the beach on an awesome island and best of all, they welcome pets. So, we figured, hey, tax deductible vacation. Come down, do the show on the weekends, lounge on the beach during the week, what's not to like?!

Then, dog tragedy stuck, twice in 6 weeks. We were stunned and numb, but carried on. We loaded ourselves and our new and now only dog up and hit the road, in search of money and healing on the beach.

Lucky for us, our new dog, Budgth, is very much a road hound. Here she is, the queen of our caravan:







Not so much with the money. The show was full of great folks and we made some new friends and good contacts, but not very much money. No alcohol at the show made for lots of "Looky Lous" and not so much with the "wrap it up i'll take its"

The first weekend, we set up under some beautiful trees, covered in spanish moss. It was very picturesque, but also very much out of the way. Here's a snap of the booth on the first weekend:

Great neighbors. Beautiful scenery. No customers. Or at least, hardly any foot traffic.
We moved our tent from the back end of the faire into a more central spot for the 2nd weekend and that helped, but it was still a marginal show for us money wise.

Still, we've had a conversion experience and are currently-- not sure if you'd call it brainstorming or daydreaming, but either way, spending alot of time scheming about ways to become snowbirds & spend most of February and March down here on the gulf coast, selling pottery and leather and hiding out from the cold and rain. We even went window shopping for a new trailer: a 'toy box' which is basically an RV and cargo trailer combined. We figure it would save us on the hotel bills... that's our story anyway. Wouldn't it be cool to have all the comforts of an RV and still be able to haul our stock and setup with us?!? And the one we looked at was only 23K! A bargain at half the price! OK, so it'll be awhile before we can afford one of those suckers, but it was fun to dream...

I think we're a little young to become snowbirds, but heck, if youth is wasted on the young i guess the opposite applies: retirement is wasted on the old. We're thinking you don't have to be 70 and wealthy to be a snowbird. I'm even toying with the idea of taking up a supplemental craft that i can do 'on the road' so i don't have to come back to the studio and kilns to make more stock. I'm thinking either knitted wool socks &/or maybe funky painted chairs and tables and beaded jewelry... or cool/ funky dog leashes and collars-- that would combine D's leatherwork and my general weirdness... anyway, that's what happens to me when i spend the better part of two weeks goofing off in the sub-tropical sun.

When i got here last week, i was all mocking about the folks down here: "They're either old or drunk or both. And litterbugs. These people are filthy!" (there is alot more trash down here than i see in either WVa or Maryland). "And weather wimps! Everyone has their panties in a bunch and their winter woollies on because it's going down to 50 degrees tonight!"

In my defense, it did get colder this second week. And downright windy. There were even some respectable waves. Here's a cool pic of the sunset on a very blustery day:


Well, you can guess what happened. This week i'm in Walmart looking for long sleeved shirts and warm socks cause it's getting COLD at night. Heck, it's gonna be 50 tonight! How quickly we adjust. I just hope i can adjust back, cause we're going home to my valley tomorrow morning and the projected high for Thursday is 43 degrees. That's the HIGH! Wailee, wailee wailee! How will i manage?!