The Gift of Java Joe

And the Universe said, "Here is a small and fragile being. If you show compassion, open your heart and give what needs to be given, you'll be rewarded with a gift like no other".

Ripping My Heart Out

I love animals. 

I have a dog and a cat and my brother's cat lives with us too. I keep them safe and healthy and wish I could do that for all. I can't but what I can do is give to organizations that further my cause in a bigger way. My company matches my donations so all the better.

So yesterday I am in the kitchen and I start to open my mail. I have a letter from one of the local organizations that I donate to. They have sent me a picture of this very cute little dog with big, beautiful eyes. As I look at the picture I noticed something written at the bottom that reads something like "The biggest contributor to the death of companion animals is not disease but euthanasia". I then look closer at the picture and see there is someone putting a needle in the little leg of this beautiful pup.  I'm looking at his very last minute of life. I start to cry.

I then get angry. Pretty pissed off. I do not need an organization to rip my heart out and play on my emotions to get me to send them money. I sent them a donation last year simply because I think they do such important work in our community.  I made a decision when I moved to Asheville to contribute all my donations to our local organizations. I like local in pretty much everything I do, buy, eat, drink... Now I see that this organization has subscribe to the same belief that I have seen with alot of the national organizations. If you can shock your donors, prey on their love of animals, they will send you money. I use to get and still do, envelopes with pictures of starving and abused horses, chained dogs, and malnourished kittens. My husband, being the wonderful person he is, intercepts these mailings before I see them and puts them in the recycle bin. At least this local organization was kind enough to enclose the picture INSIDE the envelope. 

So my first reaction is to tell them I don't appreciate their tactics and stop my donations. Why give to an organization that has offended me. There's lots of really worthwhile organizations here in Asheville that I could help. But I really believe in this organization's work. It aligns with my beliefs, and my dollar makes a big difference. Maybe I should just suck it up and send in my donation. I don't know. What would you do? I'd really like to know.

Thank You Asheville 2008

Well here it is the last day of 2008. This was my first full year of living in Asheville. It was an ubergreat year for me and I would like to say "Thanks!" to everyone and everything here in Asheville that made my year so wonderful.

To John for sharing this great place with me.
To Christine Kane for writing such a beautiful song.
To Asheville for showing me how to be real.
To Terry, Zach, Kelcie, Jake and everyone at the Rootbar for soooo many great memories and taking in 2 escapees from Fla (yikes!).
To all the breweries in Asheville for putting out great beer.
To Pisgah Brewing for your Endless Summer. I LOVE your beer.
To the farmers in our area for providing us with tasty, organic, wholesome food.

To Asheville for voting Obama and helping in turning North Carolina blue!
To all those that spent countless hours standing up against Parkside. You are what makes Asheville so special.
To all the Asheville bloggers for keeping me up on current events and happenings in Asheville.

To Now You See Them for always putting on a great show. I love your energy and your music and Diesel!
To Nikki Talley for playing 3 straight hours at The Beacon Pub.
To bus 29, for all the rides into and back from town.

To the waitresses at Cornerstones (especially Megan) who make our Sunday morning breakfasts so enjoyable.
To East Village Grill for your food and being so great with my Mom.
To Newbridge produce stand. Thank you for your great selection and always friendly welcome.
To Asheville Pizza and Brew for providing such a great place to see a movie.

To The Fine Arts Theatre, ditto.
To the mountains, woods and rivers for providing us with so much beauty.

To the turkeys roaming around who always make me smile.

To the black bear. You were awesome.

To our house (a very, very, very fine house!) for taking in all our friends and family over the year who have come to visit us and play some Rootball.

 

To Asheville, I love you.

Peace.

C.A.R.P. - A shout out for The Rootbar

Over at BlogAsheville, they came up with C.A.R.P. (Crappy Assets Relief Program). In doing my part as an Asheville blogger, I am going to showcase The Rootbar. It is my favorite place to go and hang out. I think that between dealing with this mess of an economy and the holiday season, everyone could use a break and listen to some good music while drinking a brew.

The Rootbar is located on Tunnel Road just off exit 55 on I-40. Most nights there is live music from our great local bands. The Rootbar serves only beer but their selection is fantastic and you can get many of our great local brews on tap. Out back are the Rootball courts. Ahh, rootball! If you have never heard of rootball, it is a game played on sand courts with a plastic disk, called the root and a plastic spikey ball. Like horseshoes, but better. The courts are always open, although this time of year it is a bit chilly out there, and you can always find someone willing to explain the rules. This place is full of friendly people. 

So if you're in the east Asheville area, bring your dog and have a brew. Terri (the owner) and Vinnie (her ubercool dog!)  will be happy to have you come and hang out.

Buy Local

To those of you who live here in Asheville, I'm sure you have seen the "Buy Local" bumper stickers. Buying local is a big part of this town. We have so many great artists, shops, restaurants and breweries. The good people of Asheville know the importance of buying local. Two great articles in Mountain Xpress by Dan Clere, "Why Buy Local?" and Edgy Mama, "Buying local for your kids" highlight the positives of buying local. So before you head out to the mall for all that holiday shopping,  think instead of finding those great local shops. 

I know here in Asheville anything I could get at a mall store I can find at a locally owned business. Clothes, jewelry, chocolates, books, computers, you name it. I have friends and family that love getting "anything Asheville". Not only can I get something unique to Asheville, my dollars stay in Asheville, I'm helping out a neighbor and I get to meet new people who will remember me when I come back in. 

So think local. Support your community and neighbors.  

A Reformed Miller-Lite Drinker in Asheville

I confess. I grew up drinking Miller-Lite. Its just what my friends and I drank. That is up until a year and a half ago when I moved to Asheville. I am born again. Not in the religious sense although I think beer drinking here in Asheville is rather spiritual and moving. Nope, I have discovered the local Asheville beer scene. Between the local music scene and the local breweries, I think I have died and gone to heaven.
My husband and I are into all things local. We love everything Asheville has to offer. Especially the breweries. Asheville has become one of the premier spots in the south for craft brews. So we started to sample the beers. Being from an American Pilsner background, I have gravitated towards the Goldens/Blondes/Pilsners. First it was French Broad's Goldenrod Pilsner, then Pisgah's Endless Summer, the Asheville Pizza and Brew's Rocket Girl and the Wedge's Pilsner. All great beers but I CRAVE Pisgah's Endless Summer. My drink of choice every Saturday night when we go out.
I was thinking the other day that although I love the local brews, I have pretty much stuck with these beers. What kind of fan of the breweries am I if I don't expand my horizons and try the other styles of beer? So Saturday night I had my first Cold Mountain from Highland Brewing. Pretty good stuff. Not a beer I could drink all night but I found myself ordering another one Sunday evening. My husband has been trying the IPA's and they are very tasty indeed.
I have known people who are wine connoisseurs. I think I would someday like to be an Asheville beer connoisseur. That would be pretty cool. So I am starting my Asheville Beer education. Every week I will try a different brew from one of the local breweries. Anybody have any suggestions of what I should try next?

Oh How I Love Asheville!

My Dog Rocks!

This is Jack.

Yes, he rocks. JJ Big Paws has 4 new designs for the dog and cat lover. I'll update this blog with the new designs but you can see them now at JJ Big Paws.

Vote

Its the day before election day. If you haven't voted yet, maybe this will make you get to that voting booth:

Peace Asheville

Peace Asheville. JJ Big Paws.

Awareness

This is close to my heart.

Awareness.

How many people do you know that are on that "track" and can't stop just for a few minutes to take the time to make informed decisions? Society is fast moving. People don't have time to read the newspaper, read a book, enjoy a home cooked meal, talk with friends. We're too busy putting in extra hours at work to make more money, completing all those home projects, trying to get enough sleep. So that lifestyle makes it real easy to go along with everyone else, believe what we're told instead of thinking for ourselves. Not being aware of what is happening around us, to us and because of us. To make our own decisions requires time to study and look into our own beliefs.

There is a pretty big election coming up. You'll hear colorful sound bites from both parties. Some true, some not so true. But repeated enough and it seems to become truth even if it isn't.   Although I could give you my informed opinion on who I think should be the next president, more importantly, YOU should take the time to understand the issues, how do they align with your beliefs, research the canidates, find objective information. 

Because on the night of November 4th, wouldn't you rather know that the next president was elected because we took the time to objectively look at the facts and based our vote on our own beliefs other than basing our vote on sound bites?

Its That Time Again

So we used to live in Florida. Yes I know, we are "those" people who moved up here to torment you long standing citizens of Asheville. Trust me, we're not all bad. Actually we have several people here in Asheville that really like us. We sure like Asheville. Anyways, I still work for the same company I did when I lived in Florida. A friend of mine at work, who we call the company meteorologist, sends out hurricane updates. She's a hoot. So for the past week I have been getting updates on Gustav and Hanna. Oh the memories...
The year before we moved we were hit with Hurricane Wilma. Category 3 when it hit us. Not fun and quite scary. We didn't have power for 12 days. We actually came up here to Asheville a week into it just to get away and remember how nice it is to turn on a switch and have light. I don't miss hurricane season in Florida. It used to be kinda neat when hurricane season came around and you watched the tracks of hurricanes and hoped that the company would shut down for a day or two just on the threat of one coming close. But then Florida had 5 in one season, and it wasn't neat anymore.
So now I sit up here in these beautiful mountains of North Carolina and read the emails with the latest hurricane and its latest track. "T" (as I will call her) has a way of presenting the information on these storms in an entertaining manner and I really look forward to her updates. (She should blog, she'd be really good at it.) So now instead of wondering when I should start bringing in everything from the outside and pull close those shutters, I send my greetings and actually hope we get a little piece of the storm to relieve us from this drought. Oh the joys of Asheville!

Asheville Paws

JJ Big Paws wants to take a look at all his neighbors.
We have a group set up on Flickr for anyone who lives in Asheville and wants to post a picture or pictures of their buddys. Although its titled "Asheville Paws", we loved to see paws, wings, slithering types, etc.
Check it out at Asheville Paws.

Asheville Music

We had a very close friend in town last week. On Saturday, we headed over to the Biltmore Art Festival. Between our indecision on which painting to buy and the heat, we decided the best decision was to head over to the French Broad Brewery to cool off. We were lucky enough to catch Nikki Talley. Another in a long list of great musicians in the Asheville area.
My first introduction to the Asheville music scene was Christine Kane. I actually found her before moving here through her website. She is still my favorite. But since arriving, I have been fortunate to see alot of great bands and singers. Chuck Beattie has introduced me to the Blues. Rafe Hollister jams with an eclectic mix of bluegrass, country and rock and Nikki's lyrics and voice just mesmerize. What is great about the music scene here is all the original music. Cover songs are ok for background music but give me someone that has the guts to get up on stage and open themselves and their thoughts up to strangers.  I'll listen every time.
I can't wait for another Saturday night out in Asheville. So much music, so many venues.

Our Most Popular Design...

The winner for the last 3 months. "It Is What It Is" is part of the Inspire Me line of design.
Check out all the great designs at JJ Big Paws.

          Swannanoa River, east Asheville.

Redneck Hummingbird

We just put a hummingbird feeder right outside our sunroom windows. 

We did have the traditional bird feeder hanging there for about 2 months with no visitors. Maybe I bought the wrong kind of bird seed? Didn't think that was possible but something is amiss. Anyway, the hummingbirds seem quite appreciative. Especially our redneck hummingbird. I have learned that he is actually a Ruby-throated hummingbird. Very territorial. He sits in the maple tree watching for any invaders to the feeder. When there is a breach of security around the feeder, he dive bombs the invader. Very effective. He is also quite the piggy. Sucks that nectar down like its a Pisgah Pale Ale.

JJ Big Paws has yet to witness our new little friends but when he does I'm sure he'll greet them with that weird eee-eeing sound he makes when trying to communicate with other inferior species.

The Good and Bad of Customer Service

Within 1 week we have experienced both exceptional customer service and the kind of service that makes you feel unappreciated and pretty much used.

I have worked in the customer service industry for over 20 years and have received some pretty extensive training. I know great customer service when I see it. It is a pet peeve of mine. It takes so little to provide great customer service and the benefits to a business can be huge.

Last week we had our front yard landscaped by a very well known company here in town. Long story short, it took 1 email to get a response back on how to pay them and it took 2 emails and 2 phone calls to get someone to tell us when we were scheduled. The designer never came out to check the plants or handle the placement of the plants as originally discussed. I had to check the plants to make sure I got what was listed on the original design. One of the plants was substituted with a smaller size plant from Lowes (it still had the tag). No one mentioned it and I had to bring it up to the foreman. I wonder what they will charge me for. The landscape is now completed and I have not yet been contacted by the company to see if everything went ok, how are the plants, etc.

Also last week, John and I attended an Asheville Tourist game on Friday night. We previously purchased a “flex pack” which are basically vouchers which we turn in for seats at any game we wish to see. Seems there was a mix up when they gave us our seats for the game as those seats had already been sold. They not only handled the problem immediately, they gave us seats in the dugout suites section. This entitled us to all you can eat and drink and the seats are located on the field behind the batter’s box. We were blown away.

There you have it. Not only did the Tourists go above and beyond to make sure their customers were satisfied, but they have empowered their employees to make decisions that exceed expectations.

The nursery/landscaping company on the other hand paid little attention to their customer once they secured the job. By not following up shows that they have little interest in their customer’s satisfaction. Needless to say, I won’t be doing business with them and how many people will ask me about my landscaping? How many potential customers have they lost? Who knows, but if they only would have made a couple different decisions, they would have kept 1 customer and maybe gained many more.

• Followup on emails/phone calls
  
• Follow through on what you promise
  
• Solicit feedback from your customers so that you can improve and identify what works and doesn’t work. 
  
• Determine your cost for providing exceptional customer service. The Tourists obviously believed that our business and loyalty was worth more in the long run than giving away those 2 dugout suite seats.  
  

Guess I’ll be going to more baseball games than I will be buying plants.

And Then There Were 2

You can also see this blog on LivinAsheville.com. LivinAsheville.com. has not only this blog but tons of information on Asheville, NC. The best music venues, coffee shops and restaurants. Plus all the quirky things that make Asheville such a cool place!

Back From Vacation

Java Joe is back.

Although we didn't really go anywhere, we have had vacationers galore here at home. We were told this would happen when we moved to Asheville.

In the meantime, JJ Big Paws has added 2 new designs to the Inspire Me design line. Check them out:

Live Nice.

Play nice. Live nice. When you were little, it was play nice with others. Now that we are older, maybe we should live nice in the world?

Opt Out.

Get off the track. Stop listening to Corporate America telling you what to eat, drink, wear and buy. Un-join!