Clay day at windy ridge

We finally got around to mixing up a batch of clay for the first firing. This is probably something we should have done two weeks ago. Hopefully we'll have some good drying days. For the record it's best not to leave your clay to dry out in the sun. It dries fast but unevenly, but we're in a hurry and didn't get around to covering them. We bought some premixed clay so we can start making pots even if this clay doesn't dry out quickly enough. We're hoping to make several batches of various blends so we can see what they look like in our kiln (all clays seem to look the same coming out of our little gas kiln)We also got a load of local red clay. We had talked to the local construction company and they said they would bring some from one of their local quarries as it's a considered a by-product by them. I don't think we'll be able to use this in our clay body as it has very small particles of limestone in it. A trait that seems to be shared by all clay around here. If anybody knows of a good way to remove small particles of limestone I'm all ears, I imagine the best way is to slake it down and then sieve it. Maybe we'll give that a try in the future. For now though we will ball mill it and use it in slips and glazes.
Joe