happy halloween from 1983

ah the good old days! the floor was linoleum and plaid.

the ashtrays were on every table.

the toaster was full of muffins.

i was strawberry shortcake.

my breath was condensing inside this mask.

my brother was "a warlock."

complete with broom.



happy halloween everybody!

ruff time for pups

since the passing of nacho just 2 months ago, 4 of my good friends and family's dogs have gone to join him in doggie heaven.

betsy had to say goodbye to tally.

kid D had to say goodbye to baxter.

sargentina had to say goodbye to baron von sleevenstein, aka steve the dog.

and then my parents had to say goodbye to henry.

it's been ruff! i would like to extend my sincerest sympathy to these 4 families - losing a beloved pet is traumatic and takes a lot of time to heal from that loss. 

the only thing that i know of to speed the healing has four legs and rhymes with fluppy.

good night, henry

a little spark of joy in this world was snuffed yesterday as my parents had to say goodbye to their almost 9 year old cavalier king charles spaniel, Henry.



henry was my fluffy little brother.

he loved to ride in the car.



he loved to eat cookies.



he loved to sit on laps.



he loved to prewash dishes.



he came to visit asheville and had a ball strolling down kimberly ave.



he loved going to the bank.



mostly he loved sitting around looking regal and sweet.



he was a happy go lucky puppy and we will all miss him.

WTF Wednesday: Flower Friends, Bathroom Bunnies, Pegleg Stuyvesant

Just like that, it's Wednesday again. Where my WTF at? 

In olden days, this is how kids washed their hair. 

WTF?!

If friends were flowers...

 ...then you would die in a vase on my table.  

How about a dreamy dog portrait? Maybe a Samoyed or some kind of fluffy Greyhound/wolf hybrid?  Tongue out Tuesday!

Another wonderful craft - two big scallop shells, plus two big conch shells, plus googly eyes equals one WTF duck:

What is this? A kinder, gentler Snakes on a Plane?

WTF?

Who would display this in their house? 

Scowling, Peter Stuyvesant the peg leg figurine.  Okay!

Lastly, here's a WTF wonder of Asheville - a chair affixed to the front of a house. 

  As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

•  80s Grumpy Teddy Bear 3D Sweater
• Back Door Friends Are Best Wooden Duck
• 80's Caricature Faces Sweatshirt

daily sugarhoney: sugarroll

sugarhoney is not the most svelte puppy i've ever seen.



the extra skin on her back forms a sugarroll. a veritable dorsal fin of chub.

there was a sitcom called E/R from 1983-84 with elliott gould and george clooney. there was an overweight nurse whose husband sang her a song. i cannot find it on video, but it went like this:

i want a woman with loooooove handles
something i can hold on to
skinny girls just don't hooooold a candle
to my sweet meat mama, that's you!

this song reminds me of sugarhoney.
 

 

daily sugarhoney: sugarfoliage

USA Today has just named Asheville one of the top 10 brightest fall foliage destinations in the US.

i must say it's pretty spectacular.

sugarhoney had some fun in the leaves this weekend.

more than leaf peeping, she enjoys leaf eating.

 she also likes leaf sniffing.

and don't forget leaf snuggling.

avett brother in SHV

Hey, I recognize that t-shirt!

via Crackerfarm instagram

Here it is closer:

via avettbabes Instagram

Scott Avett in a Central Park 4 seasons 70s t-shirt.

I am not the most well-versed Avett Brothers fan, but I could listen to their album  I and Love and You on repeat for months. 

WTF Wednesday: Jimmy Swaggart, Puppies with Jeans, Valentine Clouds

Good day, Wednesday! Good day, WTF!

Again the vintage gods have presented us with some fine record albums to ponder. 

 
 Jimmy Swaggart - I've Got Nothing to Lose. Oh yeah? Well then go right ahead meeting hookers at parkway motels, Mr. Swaggart! 

WTF?!

This is not so much WTF as I want to hang out with these people. 

Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band. Awesome outfits! Awesome faces!

I can't get enough of these family gospel singers. The dad in this one is especially cool.

The Hansel Hensley Singers. Do they go as a group to buy suits? Were they instructed not to touch each other? Why is the kid standing on the bench?

Next up, Marshall Henson, Over the Next Hill.

I'm not sure about mountain climbing in those white snakeskin boots, but you go for it, Marshall!

Let's move on to doggie items. How about a framed photo of a Lhasa Apso with glowing eyes stuffed in a Christmas stocking?

Hello K-9.

What cute German Shepherd puppies. What do they have there?

Jeans? They brought you your jeans and belt.

WTF?!

Last but not least, how about a giant, i mean giant, plug-in, whirring, wheezing, glowing HAPPY VALENTINE hearts and clouds installation? Just one Valentine's day i'd like to wake up and find this in my kitchen.

 it's really huge, like 6 feet tall, 10 feet wide.

WTF?!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

•  80s Unicorn on the Beach T-shirt
• 80's Tennis 3-D applique sweater
• 80's Rabbits Sweater Stripe Sweatshirt 

east asheville pet care

east asheville may not have the bustle, buskers, award winning dining, and hippie vibe of downtown, or the creative grit and cat head biscuits of west asheville, or the gingerbread craftsmen and prestige of north asheville, but it DOES have a fantastic vet and a wonderful petsitter!  don't call it least asheville!

having had a string terrible, awful, no good experiences at the crystal palace of doggy dental care in north asheville, we were thrilled to try a new vet when we moved the the east side 2.5 years ago.

redwood animal hospital is a freakin godsend. it's like stepping back in time 30 years - picture the anti-banfield - they even have a counter cat - big fluffy black cat named Buddha. the vets are smart and kind-hearted and get on the floor with the dogs and really, really seem to like them. the vet techs are so friendly and knowledgeable and just sweet and kind with the animals. the prices are unbelievably low. i mean like half what they charged in north asheville. for better, more personalized attention. they are not open past 5 or on weekends, but we have had a few emergencies and they had no trouble fitting us in during the day. when nacho's kidneys failed they were so patient and kind and compassionate, walking us through the terrible process with the minimum of stress. the vet tech hugged me.  they always consider cost and do not make you feel like a heartless ogre for doing so. dr. elledge and dr. reason are both smart and have huge hearts. we love going to this vet!

here's a link to redwood animal hospital.

the BEST dogsitter we have ever had is rhonda turpin at sit, stay, bark & play. she is also a dog behavior expert and trainer, so unlike previous dogsitters, she really can handle the energy of 3 big dogs at once. she posts videos of the pups playing while we are gone!  she leaves detailed funny notes about what they were doing. she is extremely flexible and even came over 3 times a day when we had to leave sugarhoney in her crate overnight. she has completely relieved us of worry about the dogs when we travel. she covers the east asheville - black mountain area, and is just wonderful to work with.

here's a link to sit, stay, bark & play.

here's a video rhonda took of sugarhoney stealing the tennis ball.

so, you see, there may not be a music venue or an arts district, but east asheville is not a bad place to raise some dogs. 

sugarhoney agrees.

highest puppy on the eastern seaboard (6692 ft)

sugarhoney broke a record this morning, becoming the highest puppy (i think) on the eastern seaboard.

she summitted* mount mitchell (6684 ft).

plus kevin is 6 ft. 3 inches.

plus they are standing on a 2 ft. bench.

6692 ft puppy. 

mark it dude!

 

*all but the last 25 ft or so were summitted via motorcar.

happy birthday, BOBBY BARRAMUNDI!

today is my dad's birthday!

here he was looking like clark griswold circa 1983.

he is a great lover of chocolate malted milk balls, golf, and seafood.

if you ever see barramundi on a menu or in your grocer's freezer, try it! you'll like it!

WTF Wednesday: Fallen Tree, Crouching Unicorn

Good morning, Wednesday! Good morning, WTF-ery! Let's scratch our heads. 

First here are some weather-related WTF's. 

A major storm blew through here and knocked a neighbor's white pine tree across our driveway yesterday. 



The rain gauge had a field day - 2.25 inches in 24 hours! 

WTF!?

Now a couple more vintage record albums:

Looks like a normal 60's religious singing record, but with an Indian twist. Her dress is slightly Bollywood, and the scene is definitely Eastern, but her hair is 100% Mississippi Gospel. Barbara Maharaj.

WTF?

This lovely family donned matching rodeo gear, sat in a pasture, and looked longingly at roses. JL and the Country Squires - Living in the Present and Loving (roses) in the Past. 

WTF?!

Here's a nice example of rustic native art:

Koko the coco gorilla?  WTF?!

Finally here's a ceramic unicorn. What is he doing? Dying? Kneeling? Sharpening his horn?

WTF?!


As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

•  1974 Male Chauvinist Desk Organizer Jewelry Box
• 80's Fox Hunt 3-D applique sweater
• 70's Teddy Bear in Floppy Hat Short Sleeve Sweatshirt 

 

daily sugarhoney: sugartricks

we had a stormy, rainy columbus day weekend. 

sugarhoney took this opportunity to work on her tricks. 

 she has known "sit" for a couple of weeks. we didn't teach her this, she just picked it up.

  

and now she knows "lie down!"

she will do anything to get a treat, which makes her easy to train. i've never successfully trained a dog to roll over, but i might try with sugarhoney. 

we took every break in the rain that we could to enjoy the fall colors outside. 



golden gold gold.

sugarhoney likes sitting on laps. she is awesome at ipad scrabble. 



i'd like to thank the wonderful, honest people of asheville. i dropped a leash in a parking lot last week, went back 4 days later and - voila! thank you honest people!

here's a picture of pouncey and me under a red tree. 

happy fall!