Hand Job

I went to physiotherapy before Christmas to see if they could do anything with my left hand that is starting to curl up on me. It wasn’t bothering me and it didn’t seem to affect my work but cosmetically it felt weird.  It appears to have gotten worse in the last 7 months.

I always ask people at a workshop if they all know how to roll a coil. Their eyes roll and then I show them you roll from a dry surface to a damp surface so the coil doesn’t dry out and that you roll from the tips of your fingers to the palm of your hand using as much surface area as you can.

Well I can no longer roll a coil with my left hand. I can’t lay it flat on the table. My friend Shirley’s husband Dr. John said I could have it operated on but I’d be out of commission for 6 weeks.  The first problem with that is that I would go nuts not making pots for 6 weeks and the second problem is that my hands are my pension. I need them to live in the life style I am accustomed to. I also hate hospitals.

I open clay mostly with my left hand and I think it is the repetition of opening mountains of clay over the years that has had it’s final say.  A while ago I was a mudslinger for hire. They ain’t making us repetition throwers anymore and I would hire myself out to potters that had more demand than supply. I charged 25% of retail – thrown, trimmed and handled. I always tried to make $500 a day so that meant throw $4000 worth of pots Day 1 and trim and handle them the next day.  So my 25% of $4000 or $1000 yielded me $500 a day. I could really make money on bowls, wine coolers, open casseroles and stuff with no additions.

That kind of repetition has taken it’s toll. I have some arthritic pain which I take Curcumin and garlic pills to help. It has worked for the most part.

Age doesn’t always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.