don't be denied

don't be denied, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

having a good time...here today

panicsgiving is almost over & it's been grand seeing everybody and listening to everything

i got some squishy earplugs that take off the top part of what i can hear but what a difference today, no ringing. highly recommend.

leaf collectors beware

leaf collectors beware, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i think this is a very kind and thoughtful and conscientious sign to hang - warning leaf collectors and passers-by that there is a black widow in the leaves. i am sure there are black widows in ALL asheville's leaf piles, but i applaud the neighborly effort here.

just ask an indian

just ask an indian, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

sure you can trust the government...just ask an indian

blinds

blinds, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

safe travels and chewing to all this holiday weekend

pilgrims killing indians aside, there's always something to be thankful for

get him

get him, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

early morning dog hopping, fun for the whole family

holden is back to prime form.

skewing a poll

please vote for your favorite vintage t-shirt seller on ebay:

Vintage Aficionado poll

hint: the best one is
VINTAGE VANTAGE!

stuck behind the eyeball

do all the eyelashes that get in your eye come out the sides? do any go behind your eyeball and disintegrate there? it seems like many more eyelashes would fall in my eye than i remember coming out the sides. same goes for gnats.

tangles

tangles, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

for the past few years i've attached an extra long elastic camera strap on my digital camera so i hang it around my neck and it will never fall on the floor.

nacho's tail caught that strap yesterday and wagged the camera off the edge of the desk and the camera is no longer with us.

i was pretty furious and sour about it for a while. i dug out my box of cast-off appliances and found a camera from 3 years ago that works okay. the screen is dim and it's slow to click and some photos have spots, but it's better than nothing.

my friend just had intense knee surgery last week & a couple girls went to her house yesterday to nurse her while her husband was at work. we had a ball. strawberry rhubarb pie, kettle corn, the science of sleep, and lots of laughs. her leg is numb but in a machine that is constantly bending and straightening up and down all day and all night, it's pretty wild. and gael garcia bernal is extremely cute.

cellophane windows

cellophane windows, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i've hung cellophane on 7 windows so far, and i think it is working to cut down drafts. this is the first time i've tried the cellophane - double-sided tape trick and it's been a challenge with the high ceilings (means dragging ladder around/balancing on the arms of a la-z-boy rocking chair/etc.) and tension curtain rods that no longer fit with the cellophane there.
and, it's snowing! the dogs just went out and got frisky like nitwits.
everybody stay toasty.

trevor garrod in wall street journal

trevor dials, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

* ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
* NOVEMBER 18, 2008

"Older Singers Should Give the Young a Hand" by Jim Fusilli

...As for 21st-century writers whose songs are worth exploring, let's begin with Peter Bradley Adams, Eef Barzelay, A.A. Bondy, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, Kathleen Edwards, Geoff Farina, Trevor Garrod of Tea Leaf Green,...

article here - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122696707696335397.html

trevor's site: trevorgarrod.com

lyrics: dgold.info/green

check out: "all of your cigarettes," "forgivin," "kali-yuga" and "chenoa" (every song can be heard mp3 with the blue arrow at the top)

relentless pursuit of socks

relentless pursuit of socks, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

what a curious sight - a sock halfway pulled through the inch-wide slot in the hamper. who ever could have done such a thing.

Sugar the two-legged dog!

auto industry bailouts

until they are seriously serious about R&D for solar-powered dune buggies, i don't want them to get a penny.

slippersock thermostat

slippersock thermostat, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

the thermostat in this house does not have an 'off' switch - i can set it at the lowest - 50 degrees Fahrenheit- but if the system is on and the temperature drops below 50, it automatically comes on to heat the house up to 50.

i have myself contained to one room with a space heater, and don't want to oil heat to kick on even if it's below 50.

i bought a bunch of handwarmers for 50 cents and put one on top of the thermostat under the slipper sock so the thermostat stays warm and does not trigger the oil heat.

click the sock to see the handwarmer.

the only real danger is if the slipper sock falls off and gets eaten by this terrible dog.

if you seek amy

britney spears has a new cd coming out with a song 'if you seek amy'

i think that's a cute way of saying FUCKme

dr. bronner's

the magic soap in the individual bottles has a stronger, longer-lasting smell than the same flavor soap you pump yourself from the bulk jugs at the store.

i suspect dilution of the bulk jugs.

tar heels opening day

there's a great article - "Depleted Tar Heels Ready For Opener( Carolina could be without four of its seniors on Saturday)"- about UNC's injury problems, which quotes Roy Williams telling the team: 'quit being a bunch of little wimps.'

santa barbara tea fire

there's a wild fire raging in the hills above santa barbara, since last evening. our friend sh32, aka phil, lives exactly right in the middle of it.

i heard that the eucalyptus and palm trees in the area are literally exploding when the oil inside them gets too hot - and that sends flying more flaming shrapnel.

so join me in sending phil some good thoughts and keep your paws crossed that his house survives.


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sidewalk fail

see more fail blog

who would do this?

asheville airport

asheville, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

flying out of these mountains for a weekend in the isle of long. first stop, america's finest city- newark new jersey.

arctic tiki hut

ice tiki hut, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

having a bedtime, i remember being awake in bed a lot growing up. i hung upside down over the edge of the bed and would imagine an alternate universe where everybody was barbie-sized and would use the fans and lights and molding and tiles on the ceiling as ball rooms and tiki huts.

knock knock

little old lady

the civic center

the civic center, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

this is a 45 minute walk from my house, up paths paved for cars, though we could count on one hand the cars we saw.

a view of the north end of downtown asheville from the east.

scenic roots show tonight

brian's band scenic roots will be rocking the door off the garage tonight.

they were possibly going to play some seger (NIGHT MOVES!), but there wasn't enough time to learn it all.

nacho siesta

nacho siesta, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

he always finds the sunny spots

holden health saga - part a million

i walked into my bedroom and holden was sitting next to the laundry basket, looking at it and repeatedly swallowing.

he looked suspicious.

i looked in the laundry basket and saw only one sock of a pair of thick knee socks.

i freaked the hell out.

stamping my feet, crying, hand wringing, yelling at holden "WHY! GODDAMN IT! YOU FUCKING DOG! THIS IS IT!"

i have a broken CD alarm clock that for some reason goes off every day at noon and midnight (since daylight savings it's 11am and 11pm) and plays the josh phillips folk festival CD in there, which is an upbeat, soulful CD. i yelled at the clock, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" and punched it off.

i pried open his teeth and stuck my hand as far down his throat as it would go.

i turned the laundry basket upside down looking for the other sock.

i thought about waiting to see if he would throw it up, or he would poop it out, but then i started thinking if i wait longer than 2 hours and it moved into his intestines, it could get stuck in the kinks where he's had 2 surgeries in the past, and would require another risky surgery for thousands of doghairs.

so i called the vet to see about the shot to make him throw up. i was crying & said i can't take it anymore, i have spent close to $10,000 on him this year. if he needs surgery, i can't do it.

i brought him in and they x-rayed him, saw the sock in his stomach, and gave him a shot of amorphine to make him throw it up.

now he's back home, on the dog bed resting and slightly gagging, and i'm right next to him slightly gagging too.

kisses for the president

kisses for the president, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i said 'give the president kisses' and they do this.

has nothing to do with putting peanut butter on obama's ears.

cautious optimism

tick

tock

tick

tock

can't wait to see if we get to CHANGE or not

i volunteered last night at the local obama office with my friend michelle. they sent us to candler's finest trailer parks to hang obama signs printed with the hours and voting locations on a few very specific doors.

we knocked every time, but only one man opened up after burping heartily and told us his wife was going to vote today.

so there's that.

bobbin

bobbin, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

it had been 20 years since i've seen bobbing for apples, but like riding a bike, it comes right back.

picnic

picnic, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i climbed up Looking Glass Rock this weekend with some friends and dogs.

the views were truly spectacular. the rock falls off at a sharp angle and you're faced with a canyonish bowl of trees at the height of the fall color change.

it's like being at the end of the world.