Are They Kidding?

I just got my copy of the Yancey Common Times Journal and above the fold reads the headline: Council calls for alcohol vote. Can you believe it? The article goes on to say that grocery sales in Yancey County are down 6 1/2 % since Spruce Pine started alcohol sales. Duh.

Sounds like Yancey County wants a piece of that action. Burnsville is one of only three WNC towns, and Yancey is one of only two dry counties in NC where the sale of alcohol is illegal. Perhaps soon, we'll be joining the rest of the state on what some fear is a fast ride to hell. I'll drink to that!

Jay Needs a Blog Title Please...

Heading off May 2008

Some of you know that my husband is an adventure motorcyclist. He and a friend rode part of the Trans-America Trail in 2008. They started in Jellico, TN and made it just over the Oklahoma border. We had just moved, and Jay's job did not afford him enough time off to go any further.

Home after 2 weeks away

Last summer, he was put in charge of a pretty big project which involved him being away from home for some time as well as working lots of long hours. He was rewarded with an extra week of vacation as well as some comp time. So he and his riding buddy have been contemplating finishing up the trail. They would take up where they left off and ride to the coast of Oregon.

In no way do we feel the need to ask each other for permission to do the things we want, but he did me the courtesy of explaining that if he were to go, he would be gone for 4 weeks, from the last week of May through the third week of June. That means, he'd be gone for all the end-of-year school programs. And he'll be gone for the TRAC Studio Tour and the frenzied couple of weeks leading up to the Tour. I'm a capable woman. I can do it alone. I might need a mini-vacation afterwards.

I told him to go for it. On one condition. He must blog about the trip. He's all for it. He appreciates the community of artists that I have found through blogging. Although we know it's not a requirement, he is a good writer, and he is passionate about riding. He's so excited that it's going to be 50 degrees on Friday so he can ride his motorcycle to work, no matter that the day will start in the 20's.

The KLR's winter home

He needs a blog title. Any ideas?

Bad Kitty

All in all, Tinkerbell is a pretty cool cat. She's the stray that we've adopted from our neighbor, who has been away for some time.

The pros:

She is extremely affectionate

No litter box

She requires minimal care and attention

The cons:

The *snacks* she brings into the basement

The undesirable *bits* leftover from said snacks left here and there

As is her custom, she meowed yesterday morning to be let upstairs. Once we saw her, we immediately noticed that the right side of her face was very swollen, and she did not want to be held and petted. We suspected an abcess of some sort, but had to wait until this morning to get her to the vet. Sure enough, she had gotten into a tussle with another animal, got bit and developed an infection. Since we weren't sure exactly when her last round of shots was, they just gave her boosters for everything and dewormed her as well. $218 later, she is on the mend, but definitely looks worse for the wear. Poor kitty.

What I've Been Up To When I Haven't Been Shovelling

I seem to have an unhealthy obsession with this driveway and all this damn snow and ice. I have been hauling groceries, luggage and pottery up the hill and forcing the kids to walk down the hill to ride to school (on those few days that they have actually gone to school). I'm not allowed to use the pickaxe, so Jay suggested the sledge hammer. It does and adequate job, but is not quite as satisfying to swing. Hopefully, the warmer temps later this week will assist me in my endeavors. Then I will gripe no more.

I wanted to post a couple of pictures from our holiday vacation. My father-in-law occasionally sings with some folks at a place called Sarge's Shack. They convinced Allison to get up in front and sing a few songs with them. She did a fine job and made her Grandpa very proud.

He's practicing on some new songs so they can sing some together the next time we visit.

Clay and Blogs: Telling a Story

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Meredith Heywood of Whynot Pottery inviting me to join an exhibit she was trying to put together about potters who are also bloggers. Please read her latest blog entry describing the journey she's been on and how the idea for this show came about.

I'm excited to be involved in this exhibit. Keep reading for updates.

Clay and Blogs: Telling a Story
Opening reception will be held at the Campbell House in Moore county
from 6-8 pm
October 1st, 2010
Exhibition comes down on November 1st, 2010

Working Harder, Not Smarter

A week after the December 18 snowstorm, Christmas Eve brought sleet and freezing rain. We decided to leave a day early to visit the in-laws in Tennessee. We thought that surely the snow and ice would be gone by the time we returned 5 days later.

We we half right. The snow on the driveway was indeed mostly gone, however the ice was now 3-4" thick in places. Jay had thrown his back out shovelling on Christmas Eve, and was still sleeping on a heating pad and swallowing handfuls of Ibuprofen. I decided to take matters into my own hands.My tool of choice was one of my favorites, and one I thought would be perfect for chipping the accumulated ice: my pickaxe. It did the trick, but after a couple of hours, my arms were so sore that I thought I'd need a straw to enjoy my New Year's Eve beverages. The pickaxe also left little chinks in the asphalt driveway, about which Jay was not pleased.

Jay is able to get the vehicles up and down the driveway, but I am not. So I threw a tantrum, insisting we park at the bottom whenever the forecast called for snow, so as not to pack down any more frozen precipitation, thus making it easier to clear and giving us a snowball's chance in Hell of ever parking at the house this winter. I got my way but am feeling pretty guilty, as Tuesday's snow never materialized, and Jay has had to walk both ways in the dark and beastly cold.

At least it's not uphill both ways.

Knoxville Arts and Culture Alliance Exhibit

The reception for the Exhibit is Friday January 8 from 5-8 pm. The weather forecast is calling for more frigid weather and snow, so chances are that I cannot make it. I'm bummed out since this is the first juried show I've entered in a very long time, and I'm pretty excited about my work these days.

If you're in Knoxville, check out the show!