Blog
Writings & Rants
Anxious and Depressed?
Earrings by VK recent grad of Warren Wilson! Recently I went to the doctor for my annual physical. Doctors are required to ask people receiving Medicare a series of questions including “Are you anxious or depressed?” I answered, “Of course I am! If you aren’t, you are...
Motherhood the Myth
Mom deserves a crown for putting up with you This morning I was catching up on news in the Times, but skipped over anything devastating, such as war, famine, and politics. All that was left were a series of articles and editorials about motherhood which I read with...
Celebrate Your Mother!
Mother’s Day Mom deserves a crown for putting up with you My mother was a rebel on the surface but a traditionalist at heart. She called Mother’s Day a Hallmark Holiday and said she refused to participate in an event that was a capitalist invention. One year my sister...
My Grandbaby is Growing Up!
Al won the title of fastest skier in her age group in the West Abby and I are getting excited about our upcoming trip to Flagstaff for my grandchild’s high school graduation. Aliza, who now goes by Al as she has come out as nonbinary, is the apple of my eye. They are...
Good Parenting?
Our Cherry Street window. Carp wind socks. Last night as I listened to the radio in the car on my way home, I heard an interview with a couple of sisters who have a band. Each sister writes independently and sends her work to the other for response. When asked what...
Back home and scared!
This has been a big week for craziness involving guns and gun violence. A sixteen year old boy arriving at the wrong address to pick up his siblings was shot in the head through the screen door by an 85 year old man and was then turned away at three houses where he...
Are we in a funk?
Flowery penii I can get in a funk when I start listing my problems, but given a moment to think about these, I realize that they are not only First World problems, but they are First World/United States/ Western North Carolina specific problems. Some of them can be...
Nightmares about WWII
I am wearing my Trade Cloth skirt today in the first day of warm weather so far this year I have to stop reading books about WWII in Europe. I am having vivid dreams of hiding and being hunted by Nazis, or in the case of my latest nightmare, chased by Chinese Youth...
Women Talking About Me!
Painted Old Wood Bowl I watched the film Women Talking the other night and thoughts about it are swirling in my head. In a strict, conservative religious community, women are being regularly drugged and raped, but they are assured that in spite of their bruises and...
Fan Letter to Hasan Minaj
This is Hasan Minaj This is a fan letter to Hasan Minaj! I don’t watch much television, and certainly not late-night tv (I don’t stay up that late), but I have been enjoying the snippets of The Daily Show I get on Instagram. I loved Trevor Noah, and I imagine he is a...
Tinkers
Here I am at the Marquee! “An old man lies dying. Confined to bed in his living room, he sees the walls around him begin to collapse, the windows come loose from their sashes, and the ceiling plaster fall off in great chunks, showering him with a lifetime of...
A Deep Breath
Impressive large turned bowls by Glenn Schmidt We watch Antique Roadshow every bloody Monday night without fail, and it’s a cause for celebration by Ron if there is more than one episode scheduled that night. I never make it to the end of the show, however, but have...
A Sneak Peek at the work of the artist I wrote about last week!
African items John collected Beautifully arranged items in the studio The small case John carries at all times: mechanical pencils Drawing of the parts of the ear One of the many portraits in the studio. She looks mean! Look at the chacter in this face! Clothes line...
The Local Artist Whose Work You Will Never See
It’s strange when you have known someone for years and suddenly realize that you didn’t know him at all. That happened to me this week when I interviewed my friend John, who does not want me to share his last name. Recently while at their home his wife showed me out...
Saying Goodbye to Johnny B
John Bresnan I lost a good friend this week. I first met John Bresnan in the nineties when he and his family moved to Charlotte, and even though we could not be more different, we became close right away. Julie has runway model good looks and exquisite taste, and John...
Liar, Liar!
The most recent Dutch Amaryllis to bloom at Chifferobe Lying seems to be all the rage. We are used to politicians telling lies, and we are in fact surprised when they tell the truth, but this guy from Long Island, George Santos, is such a liar that his lies are making...
Grinding into a lower gear
At the risk of mixing metaphors, I have gone, seemingly overnight, from being the Energizer Bunny to being The Little Engine That Could. Within the past few days I lost my voice and have felt my life shift into low gear. Not only have I lost the vigor to do everything...
What is the worst part of the holidays?
Taking down Christmas decorations is like unpacking your bags after a much anticipated trip.There has been so much build-up, so much anticipation, and like a flash both are gone in seconds. They combine a sense of exhaustion with sadness and regret. I am slowly...
Another chance for a fresh start!
Even though I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, I love the idea of a fresh start. I want to erase all the big mistakes I have ever made, and begin all over again. To do this I would have to start when I was a little kid. I did something really awful in second grade...
Advent Reflections
Warm Flap Hats lined in fleece just$25 When my children were growing up, I thought that it would be smart to ban television from our home. I thought that instead of watching a lot of mindless tv, they would use their imaginations and play creatively. I thought it...
Gluttony
This large ceiling tile is decorated with a painting by the talented Lucy Miller. About 2' square. $200 I am a Quaker, but I fail at the Simplicity Testimony. Quakers uphold certain ideals and work to live lives imbued with these. Simplicity is the first, followed by...
Demon
Yeti ornament: handmade felt I just finished reading the last pages of Demon Copperhead through tears. Barbara Kingsolver wrote this novel emulating Charles Dickens’s renowned David Copperfield. Dickens wrote that novel in the 1800’s to expose the mistreatment...
Manifesting Christmas
Saturday Seemi will be back to give you an intuitive reading with a henna tattoo. Free compliments of Chifferobe! A few years ago a friend invited me to go with her to a meeting about how to Manifest. You want a new love? More money? A better job? Just Manifest them!...
No, I’m Not From Here!
Turkish cotton hand towels, just $15s If you missed the Saturday event at Chifferobe, you are not out of luck. You have another chance to get a henna tattoo with a reading from the amazing Seemi Rizvi! She will be back for one more event Saturday, November 19,...
November is the Month for Metaphysics
This is a perfect month for metaphysical exploration! The beginning of November is when the boundary between the everyday world and the spirit world is at its most translucent, so it’s a good time to explore the occult. We kicked off the month with an evening of Tarot...
I’m The Queen of Cups
Queen of Cups Keywords Upright KeywordsReversed Keywordscompassion, warmth, kindness, intuition, healer, counsellor, supportiveinsecurity, giving too much, overly-sensitive, needy, fragile, dependence, martyrdomSkip to Upright MeaningSkip to Reversed Meaning Queen of...
Tarot: Reality or Fantasy?
I am enjoying Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami, loaned to me by Jerry Pope. It is a strange and interesting read. On the surface it is about a young man whose wife surprises him with a divorce. He is an artist who has felt confined by his work, painting...
Exercise is Harmful to My Health
Here is my little hand swathed in a massive bandage So here’s what happened: i was at my exercise class for senior citizens and had wrapped the blue resistance band tightly around my hands. As i do everything, i put all i had into the best possible stretch. As I...
Grace, not necessarily graceful
Kathy and me on the beach before the dancing began Grace: the divine influence operating in individuals for their regeneration and sanctification. Being in Mexico is always magical. I love the colors, the warm temperatures, the wide sugary beach, the turquoise water,...
Chifferobe is Profitable AF
I have the world’s greatest accountant. I bring her sloppy folders with my month’s receipts and she makes sense of them. Without her I would have to close the store because I would not know when or how much to send the government in sales tax, and I would probably be...
Hours
Every Day
10:30am - 5pm
Location
132 Cherry St
Black Mountain, NC 28711
Phone
(828) 669-2743