The Kiln is firing.  I should be unloading on Monday evening or Tuesday morning.  This is the first kiln of mugs for which I have used my new Diiamond Core carving tools.  I go through tools pretty quickly even though I don't carve the mugs when they are bone dry because of the dust .  They make pretty nice lines and are easier to control that my usual tools

Here is a picture of the 3 new (and already dusty) tools next to my normal carving tool.  You can see that each has a different sized point.  I still use the other tools for larger areas.  I am hoping the new tools stay sharp for a much longer time.. We'll see.

I haven't been able to make as many pots recently.  I have a really heavy teaching load this term which includes a Shakespeare class, and I am pulling together a trip to England in May so students can watch live Shakespeare performances.  We have been canceled by Covid for 2 years now.  But we have plane tickets and we are working on theatre tickets.  A number of seniors are joining the trip.  This group missed much of their college experience due to the pandemic, so we will be optimistic for a diminished plague and world peace.. Yesterday one of my seniors said that she was really looking forward to the trip, adding "But it is really hard to hope for nice things after the last two years" .  Pretty heartbreaking