Saturday, September 30, 2006
Catching Up
I was asked the other day how come I haven’t updated my blog in a while, and well, I’ve been busy and otherwise unable to get to it. I tried one day last week but Blogspot was down for maintenance, and then I just couldn’t get to it later. We only have one computer these days because if we plug in the other one, all the circuits blow. This house just wasn’t wired for modern technology :-p And James got himself a new computer game, and when I get home from work he’s usually playing. Until well into the wee smalls. I’m a Warcraft widow :-p
Well, last weekend I went to Boone Pagan Pride Day. Alone because James had to work. He’s been working Saturday’s now since I started working full time Monday to Friday. So, anyway, it was a nice day, tho it starts rather early for my liking. 9am to 6pm, because its held on the ASU grounds and they want us cleared out by 7pm I think er summat. I’ve suggested, (again!) that a pot luck feast and big fire would be fun, like I was spoiled with in Toronto, but I’m not sure there’s anywhere we could do that around here. Except possibly a state park, but I dunno if they’d allow that. I think the organizers like to have it at ASU because its partly hosted by the ASU Pagan Students Association, so who knows. But feasting and big fires can add so much to an event, doncha think?
I took some pumpkin bread, apple spice bread, and shortbread cookies to share. I guess some habits are hard to break. It’s the Celt in me. Part ritual means feast! ;-)
This evening is another open ritual in Hickory. This one is specifically to celebrate Mabon, and apparently attendance is usually somewhere around a couple hundred people. Why we can’t get that many to Pride Day is beyond me. Mabon is held at one person’s home, and everyone brings food to share. Which is proper for a harvest celebration! I plan to make a pasta dish, and take some bread and maybe an apple spice bread for dessert.
We had a wicked storm the other day. We lost a dogwood tree. James went out to try and move it closer to the street so the city would pick it up next time they come by (there’s a yard waste removal service that comes by on a regular schedule, like garbage pick up). He couldn’t move it tho, so we’ll have to take the chainsaw to it. He did notice that the trunk is mostly rotted somehow, so it was weakened and just couldn’t stand up to the winds we had. It was raining so hard, that at work we couldn’t even see out the windows for a while, and the wind was so hard that it was pulling the front doors open, and blowing rain under the other doors. It was pretty harsh. I was looking for the greenage, because the winds and rain were hard enough to make me think tornadoes.
The dogs were home alone, both of us at work. I had left the back door open for them so they could come and go, and I was afraid the door would be blown off the hinges! Luckily it wasn’t, and the dogs had the sense to stay in the house while it was storming. James said they were cowering when he got home, and Bruno never left his side, even when he tried to go to the bathroom!
The temperatures have finally fallen too. Our heat actually came on last night and this morning. Temp in the house was down to about 65F, and was expected to be down into the 40s outside at night time. Bruno loves it now, and won’t stay in during the night. Which for some reason drives James batty, and he keeps trying to keep Bruno in, which results in Bruno whining and then he gets put outside. I say if he wants out, let him out. He’s got a fur coat, he’s not gonna freeze!
This is my favourite time of year. During the day time the temperatures are comfortable enough to go play or work outside, and nighttimes now require a light blanket on the bed. Or a heavy Saint Bernard, depending on the dog’s mood! ;-) I love autumn, the air seems clearer and cleaner, the colours on the trees are inspiring, and we all seem to have a bit more energy somehow. I wish it could be like this all the time. I hate the summer heat, and the winter blahs. Spring is ok, but its just not the same. At least not here, there’s just not the same noticeable difference of the seasons here as back home. Except autumn. The heat breaks, the pumpkins are harvested, and we see more and more people out walking about and enjoying the outdoors. And the Halloween stuff is out in every store! It’s crazy, it’s not even Canadian Thanksgiving and there’s Halloween stuff everywhere! I’ve got myself a few new items to decorate the house, which hopefully we’ll be moved before Halloween!
We’re also still looking around at the mountain towns to find somewhere favourable to move to. Last Sunday we went up to Black Mountain, and it’s a nice little town. There used to be a Domino’s there until the city declared that no franchise operations could be within the historical downtown, so the guy picked up and left, rather than find another spout outside the downtown area. So we went to see if there was a building available, and if it was a friendly place.
Turns out there’s pretty much everything there that I wanted. There’s a dog park, there’s a proper coffee shop (NOT a Starbucks!), there’s a pub or two, and there’s a pet food store that allows the dogs to go in shopping too. It’s VERY small, but we went in to see what George could knock around. LOL. It’s a dog friendly town, and also seems to be “alternative lifestyle” friendly, so perhaps I wouldn’t feel as out of place there as I do here in Morganton. PLUS, its only about 15 minutes to downtown Asheville, where there’s even more to do, and more freaks to hang out with, say at the Pirate bar Jolie Rouge, or the Celtic pub Jack o’ the Wood. It’s an artsy fartsy town, with some nice independent shops due to the no franchise ordinance.
My only question is how well would a franchise do just outside the ordinance area? There’s a couple of pizza franchises already, Pizza Hut and some other one I can’t remember. Meh…I dunno, but I like the town, so maybe James can figure out something else he can do :-p Maybe an independent pizza place in the downtown area?
Well, I have to go start cooking for this outing tonight. We have to leave by 4.
Catch ya later!
OH! And for your viewing enjoyment, check out these pics from space ¶ 12:04 PM
Well, last weekend I went to Boone Pagan Pride Day. Alone because James had to work. He’s been working Saturday’s now since I started working full time Monday to Friday. So, anyway, it was a nice day, tho it starts rather early for my liking. 9am to 6pm, because its held on the ASU grounds and they want us cleared out by 7pm I think er summat. I’ve suggested, (again!) that a pot luck feast and big fire would be fun, like I was spoiled with in Toronto, but I’m not sure there’s anywhere we could do that around here. Except possibly a state park, but I dunno if they’d allow that. I think the organizers like to have it at ASU because its partly hosted by the ASU Pagan Students Association, so who knows. But feasting and big fires can add so much to an event, doncha think?
I took some pumpkin bread, apple spice bread, and shortbread cookies to share. I guess some habits are hard to break. It’s the Celt in me. Part ritual means feast! ;-)
This evening is another open ritual in Hickory. This one is specifically to celebrate Mabon, and apparently attendance is usually somewhere around a couple hundred people. Why we can’t get that many to Pride Day is beyond me. Mabon is held at one person’s home, and everyone brings food to share. Which is proper for a harvest celebration! I plan to make a pasta dish, and take some bread and maybe an apple spice bread for dessert.
We had a wicked storm the other day. We lost a dogwood tree. James went out to try and move it closer to the street so the city would pick it up next time they come by (there’s a yard waste removal service that comes by on a regular schedule, like garbage pick up). He couldn’t move it tho, so we’ll have to take the chainsaw to it. He did notice that the trunk is mostly rotted somehow, so it was weakened and just couldn’t stand up to the winds we had. It was raining so hard, that at work we couldn’t even see out the windows for a while, and the wind was so hard that it was pulling the front doors open, and blowing rain under the other doors. It was pretty harsh. I was looking for the greenage, because the winds and rain were hard enough to make me think tornadoes.
The dogs were home alone, both of us at work. I had left the back door open for them so they could come and go, and I was afraid the door would be blown off the hinges! Luckily it wasn’t, and the dogs had the sense to stay in the house while it was storming. James said they were cowering when he got home, and Bruno never left his side, even when he tried to go to the bathroom!
The temperatures have finally fallen too. Our heat actually came on last night and this morning. Temp in the house was down to about 65F, and was expected to be down into the 40s outside at night time. Bruno loves it now, and won’t stay in during the night. Which for some reason drives James batty, and he keeps trying to keep Bruno in, which results in Bruno whining and then he gets put outside. I say if he wants out, let him out. He’s got a fur coat, he’s not gonna freeze!
This is my favourite time of year. During the day time the temperatures are comfortable enough to go play or work outside, and nighttimes now require a light blanket on the bed. Or a heavy Saint Bernard, depending on the dog’s mood! ;-) I love autumn, the air seems clearer and cleaner, the colours on the trees are inspiring, and we all seem to have a bit more energy somehow. I wish it could be like this all the time. I hate the summer heat, and the winter blahs. Spring is ok, but its just not the same. At least not here, there’s just not the same noticeable difference of the seasons here as back home. Except autumn. The heat breaks, the pumpkins are harvested, and we see more and more people out walking about and enjoying the outdoors. And the Halloween stuff is out in every store! It’s crazy, it’s not even Canadian Thanksgiving and there’s Halloween stuff everywhere! I’ve got myself a few new items to decorate the house, which hopefully we’ll be moved before Halloween!
We’re also still looking around at the mountain towns to find somewhere favourable to move to. Last Sunday we went up to Black Mountain, and it’s a nice little town. There used to be a Domino’s there until the city declared that no franchise operations could be within the historical downtown, so the guy picked up and left, rather than find another spout outside the downtown area. So we went to see if there was a building available, and if it was a friendly place.
Turns out there’s pretty much everything there that I wanted. There’s a dog park, there’s a proper coffee shop (NOT a Starbucks!), there’s a pub or two, and there’s a pet food store that allows the dogs to go in shopping too. It’s VERY small, but we went in to see what George could knock around. LOL. It’s a dog friendly town, and also seems to be “alternative lifestyle” friendly, so perhaps I wouldn’t feel as out of place there as I do here in Morganton. PLUS, its only about 15 minutes to downtown Asheville, where there’s even more to do, and more freaks to hang out with, say at the Pirate bar Jolie Rouge, or the Celtic pub Jack o’ the Wood. It’s an artsy fartsy town, with some nice independent shops due to the no franchise ordinance.
My only question is how well would a franchise do just outside the ordinance area? There’s a couple of pizza franchises already, Pizza Hut and some other one I can’t remember. Meh…I dunno, but I like the town, so maybe James can figure out something else he can do :-p Maybe an independent pizza place in the downtown area?
Well, I have to go start cooking for this outing tonight. We have to leave by 4.
Catch ya later!
OH! And for your viewing enjoyment, check out these pics from space ¶ 12:04 PM
