no wire hangers!

we have an awesome view from the deck of this house.

up top are blue ridge mountains, down below is the mighty swannanoa river.

betwixt both are 2 big black hanging dangling wires - one power, one cable.

blocking up the scenery breaking my mind.

the cables don't even serve our house, but are the connection for our neighbors.

after many many months of phone calls, engineer visits, arm twisting, scheduling, rescheduling, tree removal, sweet neighbor approval, and heavy machinery - we buried those bitches!

a backhoe dug a 4 foot trench through the yards.

i'd like to ski down this.

they buried the cable in PVC pipe underground.

voila!

first day of puppy kindergarten!

pouncey went to his first puppy school class last night.

he was the best dog there. 

his classmates include:

• lola - a 2 lb black dustmop with separation anxiety and potty training problems

• curious - a cute fluffy collie with separation anxiety and potty training problems

• tony - a jack russell puppy who throws up in the car, chases cats and has potty training problems

• king - a full grown pit bull with 'gnawing chewing' and 'charging out the door, taking off' problems

kevin thinks king is going to murder one of the other dogs

the teacher seemed to know what he was doing. we learned 'watch me' and 'sit.'

the other dogs were barking and crying throughout the class

pouncey sat on the floor, did all his tricks and SLEPT for the last 15 minutes. i had to wake him up to go home. 

 

happy birthday nacho

today nacho turns 9. 

he is the gentlest dog with the softest fur in the world. 

since we moved to the river in march, his fur has never been completely dry. 

 

i love you clowndog!

animated conversation

the outdoor stage at pisgah brewing is awesome. it's like a permanent festival. with great beer and food trucks. what a jewel.

the hunch, the pounce and the kill

pouncey interpreting the new york times sunday business headline which features his name

the hunch 

the pounce 

and the kill 

pouncey in a hurricane

day lily day

this is a day lily. 

it is not a tiger lily. 

the bloom of a tiger lily faces downward.

this is a day lily in the color of a tiger.

this day lily is also called a ditch lily.

today is day lily day in the yard. they are blooming like locos. 

(information about tiger lily vs. day lily came from this site.)

RIP doc watson

Let it rain, let it pour, 

Let it rain a whole lot more, 

'Cause I got them deep river blues, 

Let the rain drive right on, 

Let the waves sweep along, 

'Cause I got them deep river blues

RIP grace haley

grace was the black lab bitch of my friends jimmy and betsy in san diego. 

it's because of grace that i even have those wonderful friends from san diego. she lived across the street, and of course was so cute that she was irresistible, and in a crazy tiny world coincidence, we realized she had lived in chapel hill the same time that i had, i remembered seeing her outside jimmy's house in chapel hill, and she had been bred with a dog from holden's very kennel in raleigh.

grace was so eager to please. also eager to eat, eager to swim, eager to snore, eager to ride in the car, eager to dive for koozies, really just eager to please.

she was the only dog deemed well-behaved enough to be the kitshicker's mascot. she came to all the games and practices, wore a t-shirt, and never chased and popped a ball, unlike nacho and holden.

she wore a mini sombrero.

she checked to make sure friends were alive after wine tours. 

 

rest in peace sweet doggie!

journey to looking glass falls

memorial day white squirrel festival

thank you for your service

white squirrel crap

brevard white squirrel festival 

no sign of sugar

we did see pisgah pete though

nuzzles

14 year old rose, 10 week old pouncey 

may - december romance

pouncey at the insane asylum

dandelion pouncey

vintage furniture for sale - asheville

my good friend audra is moving to texas next week and has many pieces of high quality vintage furniture in good condition that must be sold.

sofa, tables, dressers, secretary desk, chairs, lamps, outdoor dining set, hand carved steamer trunk - and more!  all really cool and from a smoke free home.

photos are here. craigslist postings here. prices negotiable. must pick up from asheville in the next week or so. contact audraklein at gmail if interested!

pouncey under the couch

i seeee youuuuuu

climbing a stump

i think i can, i think i can

bastard pouncey

as a reward for his incredibly sweet behavior in the face of non-stop punk-ass puppy onslaught, nacho is going straight to heaven. not passing go. pay no mind to the fact that he is missing half his teeth. nacho a good boy.

best weekend ever

ALO came to town on friday armed with a new album and ready to liberate the animals of asheville for the first time with california beach funk love.

it was keyboardist zach gill's birthday. i happily provided some balloons and cakes in the shape of dogs, straight from ingles. they all made it to the stage of the orange peel later.

also 2 of 4 members wore skippy haha vintage shirts on stage. if it's free i'll take it!

go to their site. buy their new (awesome) album. (sounds like this) and go see them live if they come to your town! you will smile. and dance. and feel one with humanity. and happy to be alive. and smile some more.

livin in a plastic bubble and it's GOOD!

time lapse video of the making of their backdrop. 

next night was jack white. guitar master. rock god. hotel yorba sing-a-long. all girl band. no photos allowed.

believe the hype.

love hate

take me to your drum circle

pouncey at the vet

pouncey went to the vet yesterday.

it was a new vet and has an incredibly better vibe than the ice palace of cheez whiz nacho & eli have been going to. i won't name names right now, but there's a vet in asheville that charges 3 times more than they should and the care is worse.

anyway! pouncey is getting off on the right paw with a new vet on this side of town.

adjectives the vet used to describe him were: smart, great coat, awesome puppy.

he is estimated to grow to 85 lbs. this is 15 lbs bigger than his dad and 30 lbs bigger than his mom, so i hope it's not accurate, but if it is, it is.

we were told to feed him whenever he's hungry, every 3-4 hours. especially since he's pouncing up and down a hill. we can't feed him too much. ignore the guidelines on the bag of kibbles, feed him as much as he wants. pouncey likes this advice.

he had round worms but that is normal. they gave him shots and dewormer and flea and tick medicine. he was not feeling too great last night but woke up this morning his usual pouncey self.

let the counter surfing begin

pouncey has figured out food. i put hot water on his kibbles, so now anytime i am at the sink he thinks he's getting kibbles and sits expectantly next to me. he learned quickly from his brothers nacho and eli that the sound of wrappers usually means crumbs. he put his face right in this bowl of snacks on the coffee table.

what...did i do something wrong?

pouncey in the park

pouncey had a big day today. he took a ride in the car for the second time. walked on a leash for the first time. went to the park for the first time. he did great.

sharp and pointy

...and not afraid to use them. 

honestly, he's better already. he's learning not to bite. though he's punctured my nose twice. we're working on it.

hongray

when pouncey is hungry, he goes and hangs out by himself next to his bowl. and generally tries to look as pathetic and tiny as possible. this strategy is effective.

a journey of a thousand miles

...begins with a single pounce. 

he wants to follow his big brothers, but pouncey is still too leeeetle. so he stands on the edge of the river and barks at them like a little punk.

swimsuit tragedy

my sweet friend gave me this incredible 70's swimsuit for my birthday.

like a complete idiot, i put it in the microwave for 60 seconds to try and kill any germs one might find in a second-hand swimsuit.

before the 60 seconds were up, an awful burning rubber smell filled the room.

swimsuit = destroyed. stuck together, giant holes, toxic mess.

moral: soap and water will kill germs, you don't have to nuclear radiate them.

hey everybody!

it's me! pounceydoggy!

that little skunk fits right in here

pouncey plays with

penn 4 tennis balls

so many sticks

so much time

pouncey sleeping on flappy