Anniversary Number 32

Came out the front door day of our anniversary and this is what I found.

Love the tag, but no big deal, just the pair of loppers I asked for so I could trim bushes, right?

WRONG!  Ended up being a telephoto lens for my camera the size of a bazooka!  How will I hike and carry this thing?  The small box is my engagement ring that needed to be re-sized.  Yes, as we hit 60 our fingers swell and knuckles get arthritis.  Haven't worn my ring in years, it's like getting brand new bling!

We went to Asheville to eat at the Taco Temple, which did not disappoint.

I have finally found a decent margarita, it only took three years!  Yummy, interesting tacos.

Bob's plate.  Designated driver.

We walked around Biltmore Village to finish up the last of the Christmas gifts.  This church was so beautiful I took many photos.

I wanted a bag of these pinecones off this tree, huge!

Bob tipped the girl playing Christmas songs on her flute for shoppers.

Today is the coldest day yet, won't get out of the 30s tomorrow, but back to the 60s on Saturday, so I'm doing my lizards a favor and brought them in for the night.  They are enjoying being inside.

This is the latest ever for getting tree and decorations up because of rescue.  This is Czar from an NC shelter.  My friend Debra (you would remember her holding the snake as big as her) helped get him out of the shelter and I set up a volunteer transport to get him to Michigan, no easy chore.

The following weekend my friend Cathy in Arkansas asked for help finding a rescue and setting up a transport for a 7 month old husky pup named Waha (Indian meaning little wolf).  My friend Kathy at Free Spirit Husky Rescue took him in as long as I could get him to Harvard, Illinois.  That was tricky.  Run started at 8 am and ended 10 pm because of a major snow storm.  Everyone was safe and Waha is now with his rescue.  He is the black husky looking freaked out lol!

I get to meet many new friends through rescue.  Amy and Frank may come to Asheville this summer to stay at the boathouse and bring their own huskies!

Patty wanted to keep Waha, she fell in love.

Bob and Ashley had a good time, too, but looks like Waha is worn out!  Arkansas to Illinois is a long trip.  Working this week on an NC blind senior chow, trying to get him to my friend Marcia in PA, but shelter is giving us trouble.  May have to pull a PETA on xmas eve when no one is around and spring him.  I already have a handful of people wanting to help.  Mom, get the bail money ready!!

Thanksgiving and Beyond

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is approaching too quickly.  With all that has been going on with the house construction and rescue, I have yet to get my tree up.  This was the Thanksgiving mantle.

The Japanese maple has now lost its leaves with the rain that has finally come our way, but it was beautiful while it lasted.

I actually cooked a Trader Joe's organic brined turkey this year, and I have to say it was worth the $$!

Pumpkin flan with whipped cream and Kahlua for dessert.

The workers did take off for Thanksgiving, but they were here the rest of the holiday weekend putting up the sheetrock. 

Purple would not be a color choice for a room!

I do love the old brick foundation taking the place of wood baseboard . . . 

. . . and the old beam that goes across the wall is a favorite detail.

The old primitive mantle will hold the Dusenbury art piece.

The man cave is not even finished, and Roman is in there smoking a cigar!

So since this is Bob's room, he got to choose the color.  Of course, it is the same color he had in his last library, Dash of Curry by Benjamin Moore.  I wanted to go very neutral with a dark khaki color, but he wasn't having it.

I have to say this color looks great with the wood and the Dusenbury painting.

One wall finished, three more to go.

Another tag sale put on by the Frog & Swan.  I didn't even know what the big glass "thing" was, but bought it any way because it was so pretty and definitely old.

Found out it is a Deco period floor lamp shade.  It is 16 inches across, and they sell for quite a bit of money on Ebay.  I didn't like spending $10 on something I didn't know what it was or if I could sell, but I will list it today and see what happens!

Also slipped away for a visit to see Linda's tree, a cedar she got in KY.  Cedars are so light and airy and very pretty with just lights and icicles.

Linda is way ahead of me!  Her place looked fabulous, as always, and ready for the holidays.

She named her cat Annabelle Fern.  I told her with that name, she could have named my brother's girls!

Time to get home and put up that tree!  I have not been excited about my everlastings this year.  I am definitely going to have a live tree next year, and will make a day's outing out of it, travel to the mountains and cut it at a tree farm.  Maybe the town of Boone!

Bob's 60th

The big six-0! Lots of gifts for the new office/man cave.  I spent a few days trying to put this all together, didn't have much luck with the chair arms, but aside from that, the computer table and chair from IKEA were ready and an art display bin from Dick Blick to hold Bob's artwork will all go into the new room Thanksgiving weekend. 

Wrapping all of this was not an option, so since I have been working on getting some x-mas lights working, why not?!

With all the workers here, painters, switching our internet provider, and everything so crazy, baking a cake was not going to happen, so a cupcake will do!

I did, however, find the time to make the Pioneer Women's potato au gratin recipe, cheese, cream and potato heart attack!  Hopefully a nice bottle of red will counteract some of that!

Beautiful Ginko in town.

Since Bob's birthday was on a Wednesday, we planned to have lunch in Asheville on Saturday as a birthday extension.  As you can see, the smoke is still heavy, and they expect it to be here until March.  Still no rain and lots of wind.  We actually had a 20-acre fire down the road from us, which they contained.  The ban on burning includes fires in the fireplace.  One day of rain, that's all we need!

Gan Shan Station has been on our list of restaurants to try and it did not disappoint.  I wish I could make healthy food taste like this!  Next on the list is Taco Temple across the street. Gan Shan Station is close to the Grove Park Inn.  Gan Shan means Sunset Mountain.

Rice bowls with marinated veggies and tofu.  Best rice I've ever had!

Our thinking was that we would go to Asheville for lunch, Christmas shop since no one would be there like after Thanksgiving . . . WRONG!! Who would have thought they would be having a Christmas parade the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving??  No place to park, crowded streets and stores.  Looks like I'll be shopping online this year.

Had to laugh, someone was dressed as a bear, but I didn't have my camera ready.

I have to admit, I did like the parade, though, some really cute characters.

Popped into a few stores that were dressed for Christmas just to look, not to shop.

Mushrooms at Anthropologie

Back on the homefront . . . 

. . . my antique lights are on the front of the man cave, and I love them.

Inside the man cave, the insulation is up and the spotlights in the peak of the ceiling adding a lot of much-needed light.  

I love how empty it is!  That won't last long.  The guys just laugh at me wanting to get Bob and his "stuff" out of the house and into his own room.

The ceiling fan was replaced with a WWII plane propeller fan, which all the guys liked.  It's definitely a "guy fan" and looks so neat in this room with all the exposed wood and goes with the era of the house.  Found at Lowes!

Jake is doing a great job with everything, very much a detail guy.

Struck gold at an estate sale, so will be putting items up on Ebay and in my Etsy shop while the crew comes with the sheetrock for the walls.  This is a four-day process, so I may have a Mexican crew here for Thanksgiving.  That could be fun!