Vol 6, Issue 1

     Hope you had a romantic Valentine's day.  We are now over halfway through winter and the country has seen dramatic swings in the weather.  We hope you have "weathered" it well.  Here in Asheville we have had mild temps with a lot of rain.  Of course we have had several bright sunny jewels of days in the high 60's as well. As we have come to expect, business slowed down and visitors enjoyed great deals, smaller crowds, and spectacular sunrises.  This was from our back deck in December.   Here at the lodge our low winter rates will continue through the end of March so there is still time to save big and check out the winter events in the next article.  

     We have been busy sprucing things up for the coming season, refinishing floors, adding lights to the stairway, a display table to the foyer, and deep cleaning everything.  But our biggest project this year has been in our quarters; moving walls and making room for a small kitchen.  We are putting in cabinets and appliances next week.  Jodee has pushed hard for a place to cook our meals so that all of you don't have to enjoy the aroma if we have sauerkraut for dinner.  The sheet rock dust nearly drove her and the dogs crazy but Jodee swears it will be worth it and she will cook me a homemade dinner every night!!!!!  

     We had a pleasant reminder of summer a while back when Judy Williams sent us an email of this watercolor.  She stayed last summer with her friend Joyce Buffalo from Galveston.  Joyce took a photo of the lower deck and then made the painting from it. Doesn't it give you a warm, cheerful feeling?  We look forward to seeing the trees leaf out and the perennials sprout but in the mean time the deck is still a pleasant retreat even if our propane heater is needed for a little extra heat.  The trails and waterfalls are there to explore and the fireplace waits for you back at the lodge.  

I highly recommend the Small Plate Crawl, the Comedy shows and the Festival of Flowers or the Orchid Show.  I hit the big six-0 last week.  Even at the wise old age of 60 I may not know what makes a woman happy but I do know that feeding her well, making her laugh and giving her flowers doesn't hurt.  

Arts & Crafts Conference at Grove Park Inn

Friday, March 8 - Cy Amundson, Al Jackson, Julie Scoggins, David Crowe and Tom Cotter, $45/person,    Saturday, March 9 - Headliner Caroline Rhea, Don Friesen, Nick Griffin and Rocky LaPorte, $50/person

March 8-11, 2013: Catch an exciting game at the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament in Asheville.  Read more.

March 21-May 19, 2013: Stunning floral displays across the estate as spring unfolds.
See the Biltmore Festival of Flowers Guide.

March 23, 2013: The first ever duathlon event held at Biltmore with a 5k road run, off-road 10.75-mile bike and then another 5k run through packed dirt and single track challenges both mind and body.

March 23-24, 2013: This popular show at the NC Arboretum features hundreds of orchids, education classes, plant and supply vendors. See the Orchid Show Guide.

March 31, 2013: Celebrate Easter by watching the sun rise over Hickory Nut Gorge.
See the Chimney Rock Sunrise Service Guide.

All of you that have visited us know that the squirrels have become

The Eliminator

the primary beneficiary of our bird feeder.  I have tried everything, even resorting to the Daisy Red Rider occasionally, to discourage them, all to no avail.  They finally twisted the feeder off the hook, making it fall so many times that it could no longer be banged back into shape.  That is how "buy a new bird feeder" ended up on our list of things to do when I drove by Wild Birds Unlimited and saw their sign for SQUIRREL-PROOF FEEDERS.  With just a moment of hesitation I whipped my truck around and pulled into the store.  After explaining my dilemma, the English accented, professorial salesman confidently led me to the WBU "Eliminator" Squirrel Proof Feeder on sale for a mere $113.  He explained the optimal design, the quality materials and the life time warranty for everything except bear attacks.  I was impressed but still had him show me the other squirrel proof feeders right down to the basic $39.99 feeder which he assured me would last until I got it put together. Mostly for fear of hearing once again, "I told you so" I bought the Eliminator unbeknown  to Jodee who stopped in to the same store 3 hours later while on her errands.  It took her only about 5 seconds to decide on the Eliminator.  As she was checking out the salesman noticed the same last names and asked if there was a chance her husband may have bought the same feeder earlier that day.  She burst into laughter and declared there was no way her penny pinching husband would ever spend $113 on a bird feeder, it must have been someone else.  That got the attention of everyone in the store.  But as the credit card number, address, and email address continued to also match she could no longer deny that indeed her penny pinching husband had purchased the top end, Wild Birds Unlimited squirrel proof feeder. That is when she brought down the house with laughter by announcing to the clerk that he must be the "Best Damn Salesman in Asheville" to sell Doug Sellers a $113 bird feeder.  

     The follow up to the story; we hung the feeder on the deck hook where the humming bird feeder usually hangs.  It did its job well against the squirrels.  We actually witnessed one attempt to get on it and fall all the way to the ground.  However, the very first night a bear pulled it down and broke the plastic tube so now the repaired Eliminator has cost me $137. It now hangs on our cable and the squirrel have totally given up.  Sometimes I must admit I miss the entertainment and the chance to test my aim with the old Daisy BB gun those little varmints provided.  

It seems that another new restaurant becomes the hot place to be in Asheville about every other month.  The frequency of the change is only surpassed by the next best Brewery to open.  The Wicked Weed on Biltmore Avenue has now taken the lead in both categories.  Even in the dead of winter, on a Tuesday night, on mine and Jodee's old folks early dining schedule, it is not unusual to have to wait in line to get in.  It may have something to do with being a beautiful place, with great food, great prices and great beer.  Their name is based on Henry the VIII's declaration that hops is a wicked and pernicious weed destined to ruin beer, not the other wick weed notorious in Asheville.  Wicked Weed is hosting it's first beer dinner March 11th! Only 50 tickets available so don't wait! Check out the details by visiting their website here.   

Sincerly,