The Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour’s upcoming Asheville visit had its genesis in Cecil Bothwell’s e-mail box, back in June of 2002. “Two people told me about it on the same day last June,” he recalls. “One sent me a Web link, and the other passed on a news story.” At the time, Bothwell was … Read more
Imagine the devil chasing George W. Bush through a silent movie. As a writer, I’d tackle this assignment by first considering the genre, setting, characters, tone and plot — and then I’d carefully produce a detailed, expository description of my vision. But local improvisational-comedy group the Oxy Morons doesn’t have that luxury. In a genre … Read more
In this edition of our continuing search for the area’s best coffees, we bring you two very different cafe experiences. The first comes from one of Asheville’s newest cafes, a cozy, eclectic coffee shop in Montford; the other from one of the most established downtown java havens. The two cafes’ signature drinks provoke completely different … Read more
At this point, the weeds seem innocuous enough — just so much green confetti scattered among the flowers and the veggies. Yet by late spring/early summer, their vigor and swelling numbers can be enough to make the couch and TV more appealing than the garden. This column is about how to prevent or eradicate weeds. … Read more
Every devoted gardener is under the spell of one botanical or another. My friend Molly in California has a garden full of roses and strawberries. Plums and potatoes attracted Luther Burbank, while peanuts inspired George Washington Carver. And according to legend, Johnny Appleseed had a one-track mind. But lettuces are the belles of the ball … Read more
A public market represents free enterprise at its grassroots best. One of the oldest and most widespread forms of retail trade, it cuts out the middleman, directly connecting producer and consumer. A fellow from M.I.T. recently analyzed about 3,000 clay tablets written between the fifth and the first centuries B.C. by scribes employed by city … Read more
A science-fiction television series called Babylon 5 (still in reruns) included in its gigantic, eight-mile-long outer-space platform a Japanese stone garden where Earthlings and aliens could seek spiritual enlightenment and relax from the challenges of navigating deep space. That is, perhaps, a testimony to the popularity of Japanese gardens. And indeed, the Japanese islands themselves … Read more
Ever wonder what would happen if you stopped mowing the grass or weeding the garden and just let nature take its course? Would the neighbors complain first, or would the bittersweet take over? Sometimes, when the work seems overwhelming or my need to dominate suddenly surrenders to the natural flow of things, I find it … Read more
Whenever I see a calla lily, I’m reminded of a classic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie scene: In a darkened theater, they effortlessly dance to a Gershwin tune, feet lightly tripping on a polished marble floor as they float past floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the fabled Manhattan skyline of the ’30s. That’s flower power! When … Read more
“There were people running slower than me, and that’s always good!” — Asheville Mayor Charles Worley The little girl was silent as she was lowered into the kayak. As the boat sloshed around in the tank, her eyes looked as big as Bambi’s in that classic Disney cartoon. A man stood in the tank with … Read more
