Tag Archives: small town

Coutts Days come and gone.

Coutts Days is this weekend and Jim and I have become engulfed in the process of getting ready for it. I’m not sure how it happened , but we have become very involved, very quickly in this little town. Every Coutts Days starts out the same, and has for years, as I mentioned in the last post. They have the Pancake Breakfast and then the parade. This years theme for the parade is Peace, Love and Tie Dye.

One group we somehow got very active in, is the seniors club, and I’m not even a senior. Jim got elected as president, he is a senior, but just barely. We do as much as we can for the group. Some of those people are very senior and often it is much like visiting “the home” when you attend meetings or pot luck suppers. The theme of the parade is basically the 60’s, but this is rural Alberta. Peace, Love and Tie Dye never did make it this deep into ranch country. During the 60’s, the seniors we are working with, were not aware of that culture, so trying to remind them about the sex and drugs and rock and roll is kinda cute. We are helping them build a float for the parade where they all will be Flower Children, they never saw listening and dancing to music they never heard. Should be fun.  Neither Jim or I can be apart of the float. I have the trade show and Jim is taking pictures and video of the parade. We are building the float Wednesday, but Jim and I will make all the signs today. We have the truck and trailer lined up, so the ladies just need to decorate.

Now skip ahead to Tuesday after Coutts Days. Or was that daze.

The decorating went okay. The day we said we could help, the other ladies couldn’t, didn’t or forgot to come. They decorated on Thursday. Jim had the music all lined up and working. They won first prize in the parade and as soon as they won, there was a glitch, it got unplugged, they didn’t see that it was unplugged so for the parade, it was quiet. It was the day the music died.  Here is the parade. 

The trade show went fairly well. Saturday was good and Sunday was a bust. At this point I would love to add pictures of the parade, the breakfast, the show, vendors, but we didn’t take any pictures??? I don’t know where our heads were, but not behind a camera.

The show was a fund raiser for the school, and the fund raising part didn’t do that well. We raised about 75% of what we did last year. People didn’t buy the raffle tickets or bid up the silent auction items. It is what it is, or was what it was. We worked hard and did our best. We will try something new for next year. Like the farmers that surround us, next year will be a good one.

Until next time,

Cindy

 

“A Change Is Gonna Come”

Every third weekend in June, Coutts has their Coutts Days. The Coutts Grass Rodeo takes comes t town and a large home coming slow pitch baseball tournament takes place.

Hold on to more than your hat.
Hold on to more than your hat.
The pitch, the ballet. It is all in the technique.
The pitch, the ballet. It is all in the technique.
The line up for pancake breakfast. .
The line up for pancake breakfast.

The town has their parade and pancake breakfast. It’s a pretty big deal for this little town and has been for forty plus years without change.

The gym during the show. We had a great a turnout.
The gym during the show. We had a great a turnout.
The first year of vendors in tents.
The first year of vendors in tents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been working on putting together the Second Annual Coutts Days Art, Craft and Trade Show. Except for last year, there has never been summer craft show here in Coutts. Last year was our first year and it was a hit. Now this year, we are expanding the show  That’s where the rub is . This is a small town, 275 people small. There are people who have been here their entire lives and don’t handle change well. So when we come in, bring in new ideas and then doing something about them, it upsets some of the locals. I don’t know how many times I have been told that they never did that before, or  that’s not the way we always do it, why should we change now. I also hear that the new people, us, don’t understand what Coutts Days is all about. The idea behind Coutts Days is only about the rodeo, baseball and fun. Tell that to the vendors that are coming down, with their products, hotel rooms, travel costs, 3 days away from home. I have been working to get pots together to sell not just to show them locals. The vendors and I hope to make some money. Making money is a part of idea behind Coutts Days, it’s fun! Also the show gives those people in town something else to do. I am hoping and planning to have a good show.

This town is slowly getting smaller and smaller. Granted, 275 is already pretty small. What some people  need to understand is that, doing nothing is still change. People have been doing nothing since they changed  the border approach, and long but that’s another blog,and it has gradually gotten smaller  and smaller.  It has changed and still is, changing. This little town is teetering on the brink. We need all the help we can get, and a trade show that brings in people can’t hurt. Jim, my husband,  and I plan to make some changes in this town. If Coutts is teetering on the brink, we want to help push the town over to the productive and growing side.  We hope to make changes and change is good.

Until next time,

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A day at the Post Office

I have dropped the video and blogging ball. It has almost been a year. Life here in Coutts is busy and I am a little scattered and unorganized, but having fun. Last blog I posted said I was going to video blog, well……. But I am here again.

We have settled and enjoying this small town of only 277 people. The studio is doing well. I have ended the Tuesday night classes for the summer and I have as many clients as I want, four. I have taken part times jobs at the local Post Office, here in Coutts and Milk River, the town 18 kilometers north. The office here is small, meaning, that there is only one person in the office at a time. It is a great way to learn all  the jobs at the PO and get to know your neighbours. I was sorting mail yesterday, when I heard a voice from the other side of the boxes. “My names is Bud, what is my box number?” he hollered out. I hollered back, “Hi Bud,  you are 172 and you don’t have any mail today.”  Only in a small town.

Coutts Post Office
Coutts Post Office

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are working on our Second Annual Coutts Days Art, Craft and Trade Show. Everyone says , Bigger and Better, well we are. We have vendors coming from St. Albert, Calgary Lethbridge and all in between. We will have about 40 vendors. OOHHH I hope the people attend and the vendors do well.

Harvey Coulee Harvey Coulee Harvey Coulee

Today, I will walk the dog Harvey for a walk in his coulee. We live near this beautiful valley with water, birds, wild life and flowers. We are the only ones we know of that take advantage of the wonder 2 mile walk along the valley. We named the coulee Harvey Coulee because he simply loves it there. We may walk only a couple of miles, but he runs all over and does a whole lot more than that.  We try to walk him there every morning. What a great way to start your day. I have a bunch of pots to glaze and then load. I will work the lunch hour at the Post Office and tonight we have to mow the lawn. We have double lot and that is a lot …. well two lots…. of grass.

It will be a day.

Until next time,

Cindy

 

 

 

 

Cindy-Lou, Cindy-Lee and more videos.

Coutts AB is a village of about 250 people. Last week a customer wanted to mail me a cheque to pay for a bowl and she asked for my address. I sent her the address, but what I didn’t tell her was that she could just send it to ” Pottery Cindy, Coutts AB” and I would get it. There are only two Cindy’s living in Coutts. I am Cindy-Lee and the other is Cindy-Lou. We are both friends with the lady in the Post Office and Tracey, the post office lady,  would know which one is Pottery Cindy.  If for some reason Cindy-Lou got mail for Cindy-Lee, she would walk over to my house and give it me. There are only about 15 streets and avenues in total in Coutts, so walking all the way across town to deliver a letter is not a problem. Being new town, everyone knows where the new people live.

We have been busy in the studio making pots and making videos. Here are the next two episodes in the saga of Studio Life in Coutts.

 

 

 

Winter has returned. Last week we were out walking in our shirtsleeves and this morning I woke to -18C with a nasty wind. Dang….. I am looking forward to spring. I am hoping for a cloudy start to the day tomorrow and that little smelly groundhog does not see his shadow. Fingers crossed! No more winter.

Until next time.

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AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

Casseroles, wine coolers, fast cars and big city.

The video blog is so much easier and quicker than writing a blog. When I write the blog, I will write, and then go back and read, change a few things, and then think about it a bit more and maybe do a rewrite.  It can take me long time to get to the point where I hit “Publish”. The video blog is completely off the cuff. After I am done, I often forget what I have said. It is fun, fast and then finished.

Here is Episode 9.

Yesterday we were in Lethbridge selling raffle tickets for a shiny red Corvette. It is a local fund raiser organized by the Milk River Kinsmen Club. Towns that participate get a portion of the money the car raises. Coutts will use their share for community events. We like to do our part.

For more videos, please check out The Clay Teacher on YouTube.

Until next time.

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AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

I’ve been shot.

Jim posted the first few videos we shot and I have let a few days slip by and I a few videos behind. Here are episodes 5 and 6. Please keep in mind, I am much taller, slimmer and younger than I am in real life.

 

For more information about the library, here is a link. We have episode 7 waiting in the wings. I will post that soon with pictures of the gnomes the kids made Friday afternoon.

Until next time.

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AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

 

 

 

 

Friday Video Blog – Reclaiming Clay

It’s Friday which is kid’s day at the studio. Wow were they wound up today! After a couple of weeks of cold weather it has warmed up a bit and they all found a new well of enthusiasm to tap. We made polar bears and I’ll add some pictures later. Here is today’s video blog which shows a little bit about reclaiming clay.

Hope you are finding these interesting! The next one will be Sunday.
Bye for Now

No clay and time to play.

Last week we had planned a clay run to Medicine Hat, but the weather was so miserable we stayed home. It has been around minus 20 with a lot of wind making it a good time to stay home. I have pots I should be making, but  I am almost out of clay, so I took some  time to play.

 

Face Vase profile.
Face Vase profile.
Front view of Face Vase
Front view of Face Vase

 

 

His eyes still need a little work.

I will rip his eyebrows off in the morning, I don’t like them. I will give him his pupils and add a bit more “meat” to the area. It is good to see a picture of what you are doing and get a different perspective. I don’t like his eyes, but I think the changes will help. I enjoyed playing with his face and it doesn’t matter, at this point, if I like his eyes or not. I like playing with them. It was a nice day of working with face while  talking to my daughter on the phone.

Friday was the first day back for the kids class. We had a good turnout and they made some Arctic Scenes. They did a wonderful job, even the little ones. I thought we might as well celebrate the winter as we certainly have been having our share.

One little boy thought that if a few extras on the piece were nice, more had to be better.  We are still working on, less is more. TCTInushuk6

I got the few pots trimmed that I made last week,

Trimmed and ready for the drying shelf.
Trimmed and ready for the drying shelf.

But then I had to clean all over again.

So much for tidy.
So much for tidy.

Tuesday we are planning the clay run. We have to drive to Medicine Hat, about 2 hours away. We will make it pay trip with a Costco shop, a stop at Super Store and a few more stops. After a couple of stores, I am more than ready to head back home. The longer we live in this small town, the more I prefer it to the city, even a small city like Medicine Hat or Lethbridge.

Until next time,

Cindy

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

 

Wow, next year already!

Another year bites the dust and we are in the first week of 2015. Where does time go? When my daughter was about 3, I said that , and she told me “behind the clouds”. I never understood what that meant. My son, being a pilot, should be able to get me some time back…… Jim and I  have gone through a number of changes in the past year and I look forward to more in 2015. I often got melancholy on New Year’s Eve, sad to see one year go and other start. Not this year “Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades“. New Year’s Eve was a good one. We went to visits friends for a while. Friends we didn’t know this time last year. Then back home for midnight.

Every year at this time, a lot of people start making New Year resolutions. Next year I will be thinner, eat less, exercise more, and so one. They all talk about change and the changes they want to  make in their lives. The changes I want to make are the same ones I have wanted for years, all the ones I listed above. I have “battled the bulge” my entire life. Living here is different than most places. People accept you for who you are. It doesn’t matter what you look like. There are  of people all sizes and they accept me, themselves and everyone else, for who they are. If I want to loose any weight, it is only for me. The only Coutone’s opinion that should matter. This year I plan to be healthier. I feel much better when I eat properly and exercise. Healthy food and exercise, it is not as easy as it sounds.

The holidays are over. We ate, drank, stayed up late and watched way too much TV. Spent time with family and friends. It was a great holiday and a good break, but it is time to get to work.

I wish everyone all the best in 2015. May it be a year of health and happiness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Until next time.

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AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

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Out of the Fire Studio

New rug and our Christmas Tree.

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of ………Christmas….???

Christmas time, and the livin’  is easy                                                                                                              the snow is dumpin’                                                                                                                                           and the drifts are high …….

This is the first year since for…..ever….. I am ready for Christmas. The house is clean, well as clean as it is gonna get. The baking is done, again, as done as I am going to be. I’m just waiting for Christmas. Oh don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, it just feels weird. This time of year is usually so crazy busy. Last year we were working on the house here and overwhelmed by the size of the job. We had to drive back 600 K to Edmonton on the 23rd, 450 K to Grande Prairie on the 24th. Then back to Edmonton Christmas Day to finish packing up the house to move out by year end. The years before we were working right up to Christmas and then I had all the prep to do. The kid or kids were home. This year is so nice.

We celebrated Christmas this past week with the community here in Coutts.  We  went to the seniors Christmas party, a pot luck and gift exchange. That was a HOOT.

Me at dinner with a Santa hat.

We had a fun gift exchange of Rob Your Neighbour.  On you turn, you can take a new gift from the table, or if you like someone else’s gift, you can take theirs. It was a lot of laughs. We almost had to take home an old and re-gifted box of very smelly men’s stuff, but at the last moment, some one surprising took it. The box of chocolates Jim ended up with was much better.    Table of gifts at the dinner.

Next we had the ladies Clay Class party. We had some food , drinks and another fun gift exchange.  The girls made some wonderful pieces for their first time working with clay.

Friday we had the kids clay class party, but we didn’t get any pictures. We had 13 kids after their last day at school, just before the ski-doo party. We fed them some sugar, supplied the with all kids of paints and for some reason, we got busy and forgot to take pictures. It wasn’t until they had left in a flurry of parents, hugs and  goodbyes, that we looked at the mess in the studio and thought ….. shudda taken some pics. Next thought was just leave the mess and close the door. It will be there next year. We did just that.

My son arrives tomorrow for a few days of doing nothing and taking the entire time to finish. We plan to visit the neighbours for Christmas Eve and then just us three for Christmas and Boxing Day.  We will eat, drink and binge watch Netflix for a few days and then he goes back to Edmonton Saturday or Sunday.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and best of the season. I hope you all have a very happy, healthy, wealthy and wise New Year.

Relax and enjoy!

Until next time,

Cindy

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

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Out of the Fire Studio