Blog
Another Crisis!! Just what we need!
My friend Suzie Hughes made this fabulous garland. Isn't it great! Every day we hear about some new shortage. Everyone knows there is a shortage of workers in every field. (Poor Natty has almost 300 reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at Milton’s and hardly any help...
Turning Red, Green, and Gold
Some of the handmade ornaments at Chifferobe On Monday, my day off, I drove over to Sloane Simmons’s pottery studio to pick up more of her fabulous cuss-word pieces. It was a gorgeous sunny, warmish day which felt like late summer, but it was also the day after...
Holiday Switcheroo
Baby Max stole a piece of pizza off his mom's plate and stole off to a corner to devour it. His first pizza, and it seems he really likes it! Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s the time when we have to decide when to make the shift from Fall to...
Beware of Bears! They’re Hungry.
We waited for our son Seth and his family to come to Black Mountain before we scheduled a small reception for Natty and Kate at Abby’s little farm. Their flight out here from Flagstaff took way longer than they anticipated because the temperature was only 20 degrees...
Black Mountain is Heating Up!
6X8 Handmade rug from Morocco As the fall weather brings cooler days, the temperature in town is heating up with the Leaf Lookers coming to town. Foot traffic has increased tremendously. Many folks schedule their mountain visits from one year to the next, returning on...
Getting Advice from Homer
Grrrr! It's Max! An old friend and former Black Mountain resident came by Chifferobe yesterday. I was delighted to see him and we settled in for a chat. He was not wearing a mask, and I instructed him to mask up, which he did grudgingly. “Well, I suppose you are...
I’m No Fun to Travel With!
Adorable mismatched socks for kids and adults So, we just got back from our trip to Mexico. When people ask me, “How was your vacation?”, I always answer “Amazing,” for “Fabulous,” or something similar, because nobody likes a whiner. Truth is, I love traveling, but I...
Something is Rotten in the State of Cackalacky
44 Cherry Street continues: Lorraine woke up with a start on Wednesday night when a loud clap of thunder rattled the windows of 44 Cherry Street. Rain was pounding on the roof so hard Lorraine was afraid it would cave in on her and Frederick, asleep in their small...
I know, It’s Hard to Believe!
Lorraine was walking downstairs at 44 Cherry Street with her spoiled little dog, Suki, when she bumped into someone she didn’t know coming up. Suki began barking like a maniac and the stranger bent down closer to the dog rather than backing away in terror as one...
Excitement on Cherry Street
Stephanie barely recognized Lorraine when she waltzed into Chifferobe and plopped down in Ron’s big leather chair. Her cloud of jet black hair, usually a trademark of Lorraine’s, had turned a lovely Covid-gray. Still it was coiffed into a helmet as always, and she...
What happens at Sourwood…
Stays at Sourwood Handblown glass tumblers I carried in my arms from Flagstaff. $50 each Sourwood Festival has ended with a loud splash. The annual event (except for last year, of course) always attracts crowds, but this year people in a “post-Covid-oops-here comes...
Egg-Sighting Changes at Chifferobe
Natty and Max ready for the sunshine Two big changes are coming up!!! My family seems to thrive on change. Kate and Max: ready for the wedding First, this weekend my son Natty will be marrying Kate Grey. Kate’s son Lucas and their baby Max will be witnesses. We will...
What’s that smell?
Scary doll with uncertain roots. The newly renovated four-plex apartment building at 44 Cherry Street was still vacant in two units, one upstairs across the hall from longtime tenants Lorraine and Frederick, and one downstairs across from new tenant Susan from LA. The...
Who Are All These People?
And what are they doing here? Chain saw created crow 44 Cherry Street: A fictional account of real life (and imaginary) happenings in Black Mountain. Find previous episodes on my website. Susan was excited about renting an apartment in the newly renovated building at...
So you think it’s hot here?
It is full-on, high-season in Black Mountain, and the town is bustling with life. Youth retreats have resumed in Montreat and the young campers bring their youthful angst to town every Wednesday afternoon. I ache for the girls who flutter around the lone boy in their...
Is Black Mountain the new LA?
44 Cherry Street On-going saga of a fictional address in a magical town. Handmade Suzani Pillow Covers $25 The apartments at 44 Cherry Street were still vacant, and the renovations were almost completed. The painters had applied gallons of pale grey paint, the dark...
Is the Circus Coming to Cherry Street?
Japanese style wrapping cloth $15 44 Cherry Street is an on-going tale of fictional characters at a fictional address in Black Mountain. Quite often the events reflect changes going on in our town, but sometimes they are notions from my twisted imagination. New batch...
A Surprise Visit!
I was walking up to the Dripolator to get a mocha frappe yesterday afternoon, when I spotted Lorraine sitting on the porch of 44 Cherry Street with a frown on her face and a sign clutched in her hands. The sign read, “ Hell No, Wackos! I won’t go!! Find another...
Guess Who’s Coming to Black Mountain?
Tripp bade me goodbye and said he would return to Black Mountain when the construction on 44 Cherry Street was more complete and the Town Pump had become more “suitable.” He said when he heard “fine bars”, he expected something more like Selwyn Pub in Charlotte. ...
Charlotte Invasion
Potted Coleus I passed by 44 Cherry Street on my way to the bank and wasn’t surprised to see troops of workmen digging up the yard and tearing appliances and sheetrock out of the building. Lorraine had told me that the owner wanted to renovate so he could attract a...
New Tempest in Black Mountain
I was in the shop arranging the incredibly fragrant essential oils soaps I just got it when I I was surprised by a phone calk from Lorraine this week. She was up in arms about the Black Mountain Public Library. “Stephanie, have you heard what’s going on? It’s...
Crazy Changes at 44 Cherry Street
I had a few minutes between customers, so I called Lorraine back to ask about the rest of the crew at 44 Cherry St. Once again it took several calls before she called me back. She was in a crabby mood, too, so I asked her what was making her so mad. Crow...
What’s Lorraine Up to Now?
Someone asked me the other day about the folks at 44 Cherry Street, and I realized I hadn’t spoken with any of them in a while, so I gave Lorraine a call. It took a few attempts before she called me back. She is one of those people who hardly ever answers her phone...
Julie’s Dreamy Home
Looking towards the backdoor from the entrance. A Handmade Home is not necessarily rustic or filled with objects handmade by the owner. To me, the Handmade Home is one designed by a person with a distinct sense of style. This home could belong to no one else because...
Getting Pissed Off
Nothing bugs me more than a whiner. I want to run screaming for the hills when someone with seemingly nothing in the world to complain about comes into the shop and starts whining. So, what am I about to do? I’m going to whine. Feel free to take off running. Cloth...
Get a Load of This!
Sheila repaired these beaded heads from Africa Sheila Martin has what people call “A Good Eye.” She has a divvie’s ability to suss out folk art gold whether she is in an upscale shop or a down-at-the-heels Goodwill. When she finds treasure, she gets her patient...
Sheila’s House: Drop Dead Gorgeous
Sheila and Bill's log cabin I can’t remember how I first met Sheila Martin because she is someone I feel as if I have known forever. She Is one of those creatives who has no choice but to create all the time. She is a collector of beautiful things, some of which she...
So What’s Next?
If there’s one thing computers have taught us, it’s that when the device goes haywire, you turn it off, wait a bit, and then turn it back on. Nine times out of ten, your computer glitch has disappeared. My hope is that the same technique will have worked for us flawed...
Mama’s Cooking
I have been working on a memoir throughout the pandemic, and I’m not sure at this point if I am more tired of face masks or of writing about myself. I have been ruminating about my past, my horrible father, and his influence on my life for too long, and so I have laid...
So What’s Next?
Baby Max smiling at his Grandpa Ron! I have been thinking lately about my take-away from this past year. Even though my life has been mercifully untouched by tragedy, I empathize with fellow humans whose lives have been torn apart. The virus has killed over half a...
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10:30am - 5pm
Location
132 Cherry St
Black Mountain, NC 28711
Phone
(828) 669-2743