LOVE...Need I Say More?

A nearly unbelievable thing happened last week!  We, with the help of two talented people, finally launched the on-line store.  Swear to God, it was like giving birth or marrying the third and (one might assume) final time.  I believe this little caper will be a whole lot more fun than another marriage and maybe less work than a new infant.  I hope each of you visit the store a time or two…let me know what you might be longing to see/buy or dream to buy.  The products will shift and change like the weather and with luck, I will learn to navigate this baby myself!

Provincetown... Race Point Beach... January 2, 2012

Is there anything a gal loves more than handsome company for New Years Eve?  We headed off to P.Town (we being Rita Rose, Dino and I) for a few days with John in his remarkable house.  The two pugs loved the beach.  I loved the white sofa that sits just under the big side window at the far end of John’s dining room.  I loved the bed on the second floor with its blue Kantha cover and I didn’t find the beach half bad either!  We dined exceedingly well for three days.   On New Years Eve, John and I went to three (count them!) parties.  Each one a delicious experience and I don’t “do” parties easily.   I looked at a small cottage for sale that would require deep pockets of bucks  for its restoration.  I toy always with a move to just such a cottage (totally restored, of course) with the dunes at my back and a small sliver of that blue water at my front.  Dino insists that I buy the two of them a little “something,” but he doesn’t seem to be coming up with the down-payment!

This wonderful old block of ancient wood has been the support of many a fine meal at John’s.  One hot summer evening, John’s friend Bill prepared a salmon for grilling and then like magic he fried up a black skillet of capers to toss over the salmon.  I have watched John do wonders with the prep of an organic chicken on this fine block of a table.  There have been glasses of wine poured while we all stand around and eat cheese and olives from dishes placed on its worn surface.  I love this table!  If I bought that cottage in P.Town,  this table and I could become quite bonded!

The Ninth and Final Pajama Party!

This is it my darlings… our final pajama party.  We have had a long and wonderful run with this event, and it is time to find another adventure.  I have a plan that will treat all of you who have supported my little shop throughout the year.  It is a doozie of a plan (no, I am not taking you all on a cruise nor are we heading off to Venice, and it isn’t even a fine meal out at some fancy dive).  I will keep it secret while working out the pesky details.  Trust that you shan’t wear your pajamas for the next caper!

Maizey, First in Line!

Last Thursday evening the whole store went to the dogs!  We had Jessie, Rudy, Duncan, Biff, Maizey and let’s not forget Rita Rose all lined up for a sample treat of Mosscuits.  The treats were a sell-out!   We just received a second delivery of these handmade, good- for-dog or master treats…stop in before they are scooped up by dogs carrying shopping bags and wee little leather wallets filled with dog-treat money.

Tonight we will host Elaine and Catharine, the creators of EHChocolatier.  Now, I can tell you for certain this is the BEST bit of sweet you might get this season.  We are honored to carry their chocolates and to have them visit the store.  If you live anywhere near 6 Birch Street…you would be a durn fool not to pop in for a sample.  If you don’t, maybe it’s time to consider moving!

Some Trees Just Know How to Dress Up!

Was it Thanksgiving that a woman wandered into one of those big box stores for that insane just-after-midnight-opening, packing her pepper spray?  One does wonder what in the world she was thinking and why she or anyone else would camp out on the asphalt  parking lot for such madness.  While all that nonsense was going on, the date trees at China Ranch in Tecopa, California were wearing their best cotton shirts to keep the sun from scorching the tender dates.  This will be my next wander west to suss out this date farm.  My daughter, Andrea, sent me a one-pound bundle of dates from there, and I assure you those dates were the most delicious “date” I have had in years…and that includes both male and female!

Desert Spirits From Death Valley, California

It was my intention to go all Christmas with you and to feature all the gift items we are currently selling at 6 Birch Street.  I had intended to show you the interior of the store all tarted up with bobbles and what-nots.  What I can tell you is the store is stuffed with delicious goodies (even more delicious than those dates I spoke of moments ago).  I can tell you also that the first Holiday Wander of this season was a terrific success.  I can tell you that Rita Rose took over the cash register and ran the charges through with nary a mishap.  That little pug vixen is all set for the rush of holiday shoppers!  Dino has taken to the road again…he has a group of unsavory types, among them, a pit bull called Winky and a French poodle named Sassy.  They like to spend the first week of December in Las Vegas, and when they head west, it is Winky who does most of the driving. I worry a whole lot less knowing Dino is in the back seat handing out the roast beef sandwiches packed just for the adventure.

One Image Says It All...

This Saturday, with the bones of Thanksgiving dinner sinking into soup, you, my dear friends, will be out visiting all of us small business folks with your American Express card in hand.  Oh, we accept Visa, Master Card, Discover, personal checks, and that rare item cash… but it is American Express that has launched, for the second year, the Shop Small mantra.  For me, I rarely shop the malls, I try my best to support other small business owners, and I know for certain many of my clients do just the same.  We want to thank you for the years of shopping with us…we want to thank American Express for this novel concept.  We will be holding court, plenty of change in the cash register, more mouth-watering merchandise than I have ever seen in the store.  It will be our pleasure to make this holiday season a joyful shopping experience.  Rita Rose will be on hand and writing up a few of her own sales so come on by….

Found on Facebook!

Diane Hanna's Our Guest!

It must have been a lifetime ago when Diane Hanna showed up at the store with her basket of picture poems.  Now, mind you, I had no intention of buying them, but she sounded so nice on the phone when booking her appointment that I felt more than a slight obligation to see her.  Perhaps, I thought, I could direct her to a more suitable store.  Dream on!  She arrived wearing a couple hundred layers of tulle and a pair of heavy, black Maytag shoes with laces of sheer ribbon (and that was only a small bit of the day’s outfit).  It took about twenty-two seconds to adore her…and her work…and as they say in the real world, the rest is history.  Come see her latest work, meet her if you haven’t already, and if you’re new to Diane Hanna and the wonder she brings into all our lives…get ready for a swoon!  See you on Saturday 10-5PM.

Dino! The Other Pug in My life

Now this is a damn shame featuring Dino on the same bill as Diane!  So many of you have met the adorable Miss Rita Rose and think I lie when I speak of Dino who NEVER comes to the store.  Well, take a look at that dog…does he look like a shopkeeper?  Like our new state senator, he drives a pickup truck…the very truck he drove to Beebee, Arkansas to fetch Miss Rita a year ago.  When he isn’t hanging out in a pack of four- legged friends, he can be found at home, smoking a cigar, drinking my single malt scotch, and humping the sofa pillows.  What a guy!

This amazing photo of a rather difficult pug was taken by Robin M Flynn-Roberts. Robin’s tag line is “Good Pictures with a Cheap Camera” which is almost as delicious a line as the photo is an image.  Thank you Robin!

Wegmans Has Arrived!

A week ago, on a cold, wet, and windy Wednesday evening, I drove to hell and gone for a hit of Wegmans splendor!  Last August, I discovered Wegmans on one of those capers to upstate New York.  I was gob-smacked by the place and nearly fainted when I found they were coming to our neck of the woods.  Well, Darlings…make your market list, fire up the auto, and head out for shopping the likes of which you have never experienced.

First, may I start with the service…something, by the way, our local rather large chain market (that will remain nameless) could use a wee bit of help with!  I stopped into said nameless market a few weeks back for something called “Pickling Lime” to make my green tomato pickles, which were rapidly turning red while I waited at the “Service” desk for the young man to return with same…instead he brought back a packet of French Onion soup.  The response at the “Service” counter was “No one pickles anymore.”  That would NEVER happen at Wegmans!

The prices are terrific and the veggies are still-life inspirations suitable for an Italian master’s brush.  There was a table of white cauliflower so sharply white that it reminded me of one of my wedding dresses!  Head out the Mass Pike to 495 West, go a short distance to Rt. 9 West, and bingo you’re almost there!

Fifty Miles Into a Nevada Road Trip

Nine days and fifteen hundred miles of sagebrush whipping past my driver side window. Nevada has the most liberal speed limits of any state I know…but one must always slow down to capture the local flavor.

Highway 50...A Must For Anyone's Bucket List

For this bit of madness, I had books on tape and assorted CD’s of wild music to play. Outside my rental car were wide open spaces unlike anything we get to experience here in the East.  If you haven’t traveled Highway 50 between Fernley, Nevada and Eureka, Nevada you just haven’t lived!

A Kind Warning Outside Austin, Nevada

The story goes that a local city council member lettered this for all of us who whip through Austin and in so doing miss all the local color.

Tuscarora, Nevada

One of the adventures on this nine-day caper was to attend a weekend writers workshop with Nancy McLelland at the Tuscarora Writers Workshop.  What a place Tuscarora is with its twelve residents…mostly artists and writers.  Once a thriving mining camp, it now offers just plain delicious photo opportunities wherever you aimed the Brownie Hawkeye!

Tuscarora Fence of Glass Bottle Necks

Talk about recycling!  This fence was a gem, which made me wish for an acre or two for my very own bottle neck embellishment.  The only bottleneck in my part of the world is on Route 128 during the morning commute.

Tuscorara Fence With Local Bones

Tuscarora Pottery School

This little gem of a place sits dead center in this community of wonderful artists.  It is, I am told, about the finest pottery school around.  If the studio work, kilns and books published by the directors are any example…I must agree!

From Tuscarora to Eureka, Nevada

Dry desert air can do wonders to a fine paint job.  This was but one of the many trucks that begged to be photographed.  Hell, this blog could go on for days with this sort of shot!

Austin, Nevada

What could be better than one lone tree along a side road embellished with character? Because Nevada is my tribe, I totally understand the need for this sort of thing and relish every trip I make when returning to my roots.  Nothing and everything makes sense in Nevada!

A Favorite Grave Site in Eureka, Nevada

Just tell me you wouldn’t give the earth for this chain link and its forged iron tassel surrounding your own little plot of land.  Victorian detail knocks me silly with wonder.

Angel With Finger Raised!

The above nonsense could go on forever but at the risk of losing you with this lengthy post, I will leave you here in Eureka.  Trust me…this is not the end.

Lodgings and Red High Heels

Just when we thought September might be the “normal” month…I am off for a nine day adventure!  You can be certain there will be tales to tell about this caper.  Soon I will fly into Reno, Nevada, rent a car, see my wonderful Aunt Roma, who cared for my difficult, challenging and also wonderful mother at the end of her days.  I more than owe Roma for that one!  Then I will head out Highway 50 (considered “America’s Loneliest Road” by Life magazine years ago) for what promises to be quite a road trip!  My end destination…once I have traveled through two small towns and gone nearly 300 miles…is Eureka, Nevada, a town established in its boom years of 1870-85 where all the gold, silver, and lead was dug out of Eureka’s limestone from the Ruby Hill shafts just outside of town.  I am not opening up a Joanne Rossman shop on Eureka’s main street…I am there to visit my daughter, Andrea, and to take a weekend writers retreat with Nancy McLelland, who runs the Tuscarora Writers Retreats.  I can barely wait!  I nicked this divine shot of a well used workman’s trailer off Nancy’s website and I thank her for that.  Stay tuned Loves….for what promises to be high desert adventures!

Decoupage Dreams in il Buco's Wine Cellar

Have I told you about the evenings spent after days at the Javits?  Of course I have!  I must have mentioned a time or two about the dinners out, right?  Well, this was a magical night hosted by John Derian at Il Buco.  Sadly, the photograph is a tad dark but the food was divine, the company splendid…I had as my main course Pappardelle, which is a dish of fresh ribbon pasta, beef cheek sugo (when was the last time you had beef cheek?!), mint, and ricotta salata.  It was truly worth the risk…beef cheek is not something I would tend to order.  There were assorted plates to start the adventure and a light red wine to sip while surrounded by cellar walls of old brick holding endless bottles of wine…all of it lit by candlelight.  HEAVEN!

The Magical Host...John Derian

It seems a fine time to chat about the goods ordered.  First of all,  if you have never been to the Javits Center, you have missed nothing!  The place is beyond huge, the air is forced in through some odd filtering system, the booths are too many to count, and the choices make one dizzy with decision.  I walk this show twice a year, and I am amazed by the wonder of it all and sometimes the why of it all.  Along with all our old favorites, I have added several new artists and designers, a number of new book publishers, more wonderful paper products, a new baby line, some amazing teas, and two new jewelry designers…the list could go on and on.  Good things are in store for us all!

Dog Does the Javits in Style!

This little pooch was all tarted up for the Javits, as was her owner!

Paletas Vendor on the High Line

The last day in New York City, I walked the new section of the High Line.  What a way to view the city!  I bought from this vendor a paletas which I have never eaten before.  I nearly ordered the paletas book for the store, and now I am sorry I didn’t.  The flavor I had was mango and jalapeno pepper…icy cold and delicious!

One last word on food in New York City before you all doze off!  You must eat sometime in The Red Cat on tenth avenue near twenty-third.  The last night I was in the city, I went unfashionably early to dinner and stayed unreasonably late!  I loved my waiter (Brazilian and handsome).  I loved my little table where I could watch the comings and goings of the room, but most of all I loved the food!  I ordered three small plates…lime Cesar salad, gazpacho soup made with heirloom tomatoes, soft shelled crab on a bed of thinly sliced celery root with fried capers scattered about…if that wasn’t enough I ordered dessert!  A coconut panacotta with carmelized pineapple and spiced macadamia nut crunch over the top!  Add to this a glass of wine, coffee to finish, and I was a happy camper.