Ikkyus' Poems, Earth Clock, Tilt-O-Wheel

A sixteenth century zen monk named Ikkyu used to write a poem a day, and throw it away. Complex stuff, classic chinese rhymes full of inuendo-with his exquisite brushed calligraphy. A thousand poems were collected by his "followers'...(was he a 16th century blogger?) and he is thought to be the instigator of tea wabi-sabi aesthetics-Rikkyu was one he influenced.
Rikkyu is the one given credit, but I think Ikkyu is so fascinating- could be a Hollywood movie!
Tomorrow I am making pots with my daughters first grade class, might be fun time!...get their pots fired by the gift season.
In the studio, my" TILT-O-WHEEL " turns and tumbles a tea bowl,taking off the roughness of the ash. Can't see it in a photo, but it can be felt with the hands. I will post some photos of the "gizmo" in a day or two.
Years ago, in a sleepless night-(1975 ) I concieved a "clock" that consisted of a night and day, always lit image of the earth from space,with the North Pole at the center and the earth turning counter-clockwise once every 24 hours. I thought this ,with it showing them the seasonally varied sunlit and darkened sphere of the earth much like it is ,would give such a wonderfull intuitive understanding of what time and season and night and day and dawn and sunset and...etc
Anyway,I always collected little pieces of the prototype, and talked to friends about the idea in an attempt to make one...until recently when I saw Google Earth coming so close... and then yesterday I found Google Earth had added the exact thing I was trying to create, the sun and the shadow on the earth!
Without the countries borders it would be hard to see where ones town is, I wanted to have a little light that went around...perhaps I can get it set up like that in a bit. It also helps every one see what time of the day or night it is in other parts of the world-where friends and family and news is happening....when it is getting light or dark-check it out, I think it is an upgrade available for free now. I still would like one on the wall, like a digital photo frame with the earth turning in real time...a frame could alternate with pictures of friends and family and places...
I loaded some file folders today, and shuffed a few decades of National Geographics into rubbermaids in the back of the trailer to take to the cabin,
Tidying up!