It was so cold this morning that the fallen leaves were lightly frosted along the lakefront… yet quick to melt as the sun continued to rise.

This morning we strolled through an incredible 8-block long Farmers Market in downtown Minneapolis. So many wonderful fruits, veggies, flowers, colors & textures!

Along the way, we tripped upon a statue commemorating Mary Tyler Moore… and that momentus occasion when she made it to Minneapolis and celebrated by throwing her hat up in the air. Of course we had to recreate it… but all we had was Pam’s stalk of brussel sprouts!

Apparently Pam really likes brussell sprouts?!… who knew?

They’ve been under wraps for quite awhile now. A new Monster in the mix!
But tonight they finally came out of the the final glaze firing. Yeah!!!
So now these little Monsters are wrapped up, and then wrapped up again in packing materials, and getting ready for their journey to “Art In The Barn” this weekend. This year’s addition to “The Ghouls Collection.” The Mummy.

And he’s got friends… there are more than a dozen of these Mummies… but not two dozen.
Quantities are limited. And once they’re gone, they’re gone! These and the other Monsters – Pumpkins, Skulls, Frankensteins & Vampires!!! And like most “collectibles”… some of these may be “RETIRED” soon! Get ’em quick!!!

This morning was another cloud-free ride. Nothing too exciting. Just a beautiful ride on a beautiful day. The weather has been incredible this week!!!

But here’s the real shocker…
They’re already putting up Winter fencing along the lakefront bike trail.
What?… It’s STILL September!!! Not a good sign…

The pumpkins were finally harvested today!

I unloaded my kiln today full of Jack O’Lanterns! Lots of smiling faces looking back at me as I took them out of the kiln. Always a fun kiln to unload. And now these cute little guys are headed to “Art In The Barn” this coming weekend in Barrington!!! Here’s a quick look at just a few of them…

Over the past few years, I’ve introduced “The Ghouls Collection” during “Art In The Barn.” The first year, I did it pretty much just for my own amusement. Why not make some whimsical Halloween decorations just for the fun of it? And to my surprise, the were received VERY well my my wonderful customers! The first year, I started with Pumpkins, Skulls and Frankensteins.

Then of course, the questions started… “What character are you adding next year?”
So the following year, I added a Vampire into the monster mix.

Last year kind of got away from me. I didn’t have enough time and I didn’t think it would really matter if I didn’t have a new Monster. Well it did. I got a lot of questions from people who were looking to add another Monster to their collection. I apologized for skipping a year… and learned from that experience.

Limited Quantities Available!!!
I will be bringing all of these Monsters I have left in stock to “Art In The Barn.”.
But going forward, I’m thinking that some of these characters might be “RETIRED” from the collection to make room for the new ones. So if you’re looking to fill out your collection, or start a new Ghoul addiction… now’s the time. Before they disappear back into the crypt!

So this year, there will definitely be a new Monster for “The Ghouls Collection.”
What will it be?… well, I’m keeping it “under wraps” for just a few more days!

With a little colored underglaze, my little pumpkins really came to life tonight. With green stems and orange warts, these Jack O’Lanterns are ready to start drying.

Resting on an elevated plastic grate to help dry them quicker and more evenly, it’s always fun to see the whole batch of pumpkins smiling back at you!

Next up?…. a quick coat of clear glaze and then a trip into the kiln!
Once fired, all of these pumpkins will be coming with me to “Art In The Barn”
in a couple weeks… September 28th & 29th in Barrington.

Along with all of the wonderful pots on the Tour, it was also a beautiful Spring weekend.
With a little chill in the air there were great signs of Spring everywhere we went.

And some great milkweed pods bursting open to fee the seeds.

When I got home tonight, I found out that a friend of mine had posted a beautiful picture of two ikebana vases with beautiful spring flowers on her Facebook page! Your daffodils make my vases look so much better Mary Pat. Thanks again for sharing!

It was still a little chilly, and quite windy, as the breeze was blowing in off the lake. Which kind of made it feel like a headwind going in both directions! But it was still well worth the extra effort. As the flooding rains have stopped, as have the snow showers. With a lot of sunshine, it feels like Spring might actually be on its way… to stay this time!

Another sign of Spring… precious, little purple flowers popping up along the bike path.

Not to mention the leaves that are finally bursting out to greet the sun.
Guess all of that rain earlier in the week really paid off!