A week or so ago I ran into my pal Debra Roberts, who squealed as she rushed by on her way to somewhere. “My queens are piping, my queens are piping!” she said. I didn’t have a chance to ask her what the heck she was so excited about, though I knew it had something … Read more
My reading habits have been ridiculed for featuring lightweight magazines, but let it be known I recently perused a medical journal called Cerebral Cortex. In the February issue, I found a complex study confirming what legions of people in Western North Carolina and elsewhere already know: Running makes you feel good. And they’re off: Last … Read more
According to the magazine Smart Shopper, the cost of eggs rose about 30 percent in the past year. Dog food and juice inched up 15 percent. With the rising cost of fuel tacked onto to grocery bills, shoppers are finding their budgets stretched thinner and thinner—all the more reason to seek out cost-cutting tips and … Read more
A piece of the Rock: Chimney Rock Park will celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 7. The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include guided hikes, rock climbing, a “trail challenge” and special exhibits. There is no additional fee for the programs, but regular admission to the park does apply. … Read more
Even those eaters who can’t abide gluten can still enjoy pizza, quesadillas and beer—or so goes the moral of dietician Laurie Steenwyck’s lecture on gluten-free dining, scheduled to coincide with the South Asheville Earth Fare‘s Gluten-Free Fair on May 31. Steenwyck is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. and noon on May 31, while samples … Read more
Get you some: If you’re wild about local food, it’s time to turn your thoughts to the Mountain Farm & Garden Tour, which returns for its 13th year on Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29. Billed as “an opportunity to reconnect with where food comes from and with the farmers who grow it,” the … Read more
I really miss reading Cecil Bothwell in the pages of the Mountain Xpress. Dismissing him from the paper was a real loss to our community. I hope the Mountain Xpress has enough sense to hang on to Jason Sandford, because he is doing excellent work. I want to comment on the shape of downtown Asheville. … Read more
I had a dream that all the controversial hotels downtown were built—and about the aftermath of what happened next. It started with me walking down the street [when] distant jackhammering caused a gargoyle from the last-remaining art-deco building to rattle loose and shatter in front of my feet. There was gridlock traffic, with every other … Read more
While North Carolinians are busy worrying about the rising price of food and gas, our legislators in Raleigh are entertaining some counterproductive ways to balance the budget. A recent legislative study recommended closing seven of North Carolina’s Agricultural Research Centers—most of which are located in WNC—and selling off the land. This caused a storm among … Read more
As a corn-fed Ohio woman, I enjoyed Margaret Williams’ article on growing corn. It’s been 15 years since I have had land to grow corn on, but I remember fondly the days of my childhood: going out to the cornfields at 5 p.m. to pick our Golden Bantam ears for supper that night, husking them … Read more
