A little surprise visitor this morning… waiting for me on my third-floor deck when I returned from my morning bike ride! Looks like he’s waiting to get into my neighbor’s place… even though he doesn’t live there?! He was friendly enough… but I think he’s one floor too high. I believe he lives on the second floor and might have gotten locked out overnight???

Making friends along the lakefront. Stopped my bike to dip my feet in the lake… and along came this family of geese. Cute little goslings, feet paddling a-mile-a-minute! Adorable… until Dad hopped out of the water and started hissing at me!!!

“Hey Buddy, I was sitting there first!!!”

And then THIS happened!!!

This little cutie was a brave soldier and came over to say hello! He just sauntered over while the other deer stayed a good “social-distance” away. This guy didn’t care… he just wanted a little human interaction… much like the rest of us these days!

While biking through the forest preserves yesterday, it’s always fun to try to spot the deer along the way. It was a little tougher than normal yesterday as everything is BROWN still!!! But still a great game… and I counted a total of twenty-eight! Another good day!!!

Yesterday afternoon I made it out for a beautiful bike ride up to the Chicago Botanic Garden and through the Skokie Lagoons. I found this wonderful area that has become a rookery for Great Blue Herons!!! There were at least 35 nests up there… many of them with a heron perched on top!

The beautiful old facade of the Medinah Temple downtown. I remember being a little kid and going down there every year to see some Russian Circus performing in this beautiful building… back when circuses were circuses… with overly-trained dancing bears in human clothing that even way back then I knew wasn’t quite right!

Made a few friends along the way too! Always fun exploring & getting out of the City once & awhile! They looked happy for a nice Spring day too. Still huddled together but enjoying the blue skies!

I mean, c’mon…. could these two rascals BE any cuter?!
Best buddies & playmates. Hanging-out playing with my niece Taylor’s two puppies Riley & Shadow!

Kinda diggin’ how the afternoon sun is streaming in through the blinds in Lisa’s studio next to mine… and the sun dots making their way through are lining up just perfectly on the cool skull on her wall.

So it’s Day Twelve of my TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS POTTERY SALE… and we’re celebrating with one last surprise!!! Today we’re doing a SILENT AUCTION only on my Fire When Ready Pottery Facebook page for this large lidded jar with a cardinal on top… not quite a partridge, but close enough for me!

Many of you have followed the story of this piece, and now it’s time for me to release one into the wild!!! It is totally handmade, stamped & soda-fired, approximately 11.5″h, with a tenmoku glazed interior. The opening bid is $100 by my friend Nancy Wheeler… and we’ll do increases in $10 increments. The bid price includes packing & shipping within the contiguous USA. Simply leave your bid in the Comments Section only on my Fire When Ready Pottery Facebook page… the highest bid at midnight (Central time) tonight WINS!!!

Click HERE for my Fire When Ready Pottery Facebook page!

And as always, Thank You for following my pottery adventures. The holiday season will be “different” in so many ways this year… but I hope that these past TWELVE DAYS OF POTTERY have made it a little brighter for everyone.

Thanks again!