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.

barry's buds endorses obama

this is a fantastic newsletter from Barry Cooper, the ex-Texas trooper who now does "Never Get Busted" DVDs and lectures all over the country about legalizing marijuana, and how ineffective the drug war has been, and how so many people's lives are ruined getting busted for herb.

i think he's funny and honest and i like his straightforward style and he wholeheartedly believes what he's saying.

the newsletter starts:

Candi and I often use the phrase, “these Americans are crazy!” We use this term when referencing the Americans who support McCain and Palin and the right wing conservatives of our country. We see McCain as a fake, old, mean, power hungry, little man with crazy dark eyes that dart around looking for approval. I remember facing McCain in an elevator regarding our current marijuana laws only to see him dart away as I was shoved by some of his security. The entire incident was captured by a freelancer who placed it on you tube here:...

gnarly footage of Barry Cooper try to confront McCain on an elevator with Cindy McCain and some shady bodyguards about marijuana harming people when it really helps people.

the newsletter also features such gems as:

"I have no respect for McCain and wish we were all on an anarchist island together so I could kick his ass…he deserves it!"


and

"So vote for Obama. He is half black and half white and totally opposes the crazy Bush and McCain generation of government. "


check it out here.

humpy brownie

peanut butter time 3, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

henry has a stuffed dog friend about half his size named humpy, so named because henry used to or still likes to hump him. when the neighbor's girl comes over to play with henry, humpy's name turns to brownie.

8 legged demon

how exciting is it to find a black widow the size of a quarter up between the shower curtain liner and the shower curtain while taking a shower?

extremely!

flicking and crushing it with a slippery conditioner bottle is a surefire way to get the blood pumping in the morning!

and then to find another one in the same place 2 weeks later - exhilirating!

kitch

kitch, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

my refrigerator is from the 70s, and so is the wallpaper