It's snowing again

Can you imagine. It just won't stop but tomorrow is suppose to be spring again. Can you spell schizophrenic???

Boogey Down for an Asheville Christmas

Christmas at the Biltmore is bigger and more beautiful than ever. Being America's largest home it is all aglow for it's candlelight evenings. Enjoy the majesty until Jan 3.

Downtown Asheville takes such pride in its independent shops and galleries. I just bet you will find that special present for that special person. Make a day of your shopping adventure and enjoy the many coffee shops and restaurants.

Fireworks will bring your downtown Asheville shopping adventure to a close at 7 PM on December 5, 12 and 19.

Gingerbread Houses at Grove Park Inn from the National Gingerbread House Competition are not to be missed this year. They will be on display until January 3. Just a little fyi...If not a guest of the hotel you can only visit Monday through Thursday.

Biltmore Village is so charming that I often wonder if it is the home of Santa's workshop. In walking distance to the estate this historic district of original architecture and tree lined streets boasts of 40 unique shops and 10 cafes and restaurants.

Antiques can be found in the many antique stores and barns within one mile of the Biltmore Estate.

Hiking is spectacular at this time of the year. In fact we fell in love with Ponder Cove in Winter without a leaf on a tree. The air is crisp and the views are long in WNC. Let us send you on one of our favorite hikes.

Christmas Trees you will find at our favorite Family Farm.Pick up your Cartner Frasir Fir. The Cartners will take special care of you and on your way you can stop at Linville Falls. We make a day of it every year.

Welcome SaraBella

Sometimes it is just worth the effort. My friends Faye and Ken Prewitt drove all the way from NYC to Ponder Cove, spent the night, got up the next morning and drove to Telluhoma, Tennessee to pick up their new Brittany puppy SaraBella. Then back to Ponder Cove for SaraBella to meet and bond with her godparents (that's me and Gary) and back the next day to NYC. (Ken, you may know as the financial reporter from Bloomberg Radio and you can follow him on Facebook) As you can see she got home in time for the big game and is rooting all the way for one more Yankee win. It was sad to see them come and go so quickly but worth the visit and just look at this babe.

HAPPY WEDDING

Congrats to Rachel and Zachary. Now, this is the way to start a marriage...with good humor and lots of love. We had such a good afternoon watching these two say their "I Do's" right here at Ponder Cove. This job is the best I must say. Good luck kids! xxoom

Grandfather Mountain

Ablaze in color already. Check out this photo that Mark File from Romantic Asheville took yesterday...awesome. xxoom

FALL FOLIAGE ASHEVILLE and SURROUNDS

The best part about fall color in the Asheville area is the range of elevation in close proximity. Fall color begins at the highest elevations, then gradually works its way down the mountains into the lower valleys. At 6684 feet above sea level, Mount Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River and the leaves at its summit are at peak color. Right now you'll find beautiful fall foliage at areas above 6000'.

Although Fall color at Ponder Cove is around the corner you can still find color within a short drive to nearby mountains such as Mount Pisgah or Craggy Gardens. So, know it is going to be beautiful any time from now until mid November. The season is going to be long and gorgeous. We wait in anticipation the changes here at PC.

HER BAGS ARE PACKED

And she is ready to go. Little Miss Sara is a Brittany Spaniel hailing from Tullahoma, Tennesse and is soon to be picked up by two of my oldest friends Faye and Ken Prewitt. Then off she goes to the Big Apple where she will certainly be turning some heads. Faye and Ken are just popping to get their hands on her. Lucky for me Ponder Cove will be their stop over to and from NYC and we all can be properly introduced. Heck...I am as excited as they are.

RESCUE SUCCESS

Friends of Madison County Animals and the Madison County Animal Shelter showed up in true form at Saturday's Heritage Festival.

Of course they brought along the cutest puppies and dogs of various sizes and breeds hoping to find new homes for each and every one. Thanks goes out to the volunteers who spend countless hours giving all they can to these animals. And special thanks for letting me take a shift in time to see this little bugger land in the arms of his new found mom.

Welcome Algadore

We were pleased to welcome this last weekend Algadore and mom, Donna. Algadore won our contest on Dogster.com for a free weekend at Ponder Cove. As you can see from this photo taken on his hike to Max Patch he is divine. Algadore submitted an essay on why he deserved a holiday at PC. His writing style was impeccable but it was his heart warming content that won me over. As he explained mom over time has rescued many a dog. Each time Algadore scoots over selflessly making room for another less fortunate in his house. So, this was his chance to have mom all to himself. He immediately made himself at home and we agreed Algadore deserved his time away with mom.

Hope to see you again soon Algadore, m

PONDER COVE DOGS CAN STAY!

OK, that is a bit of an exaggeration. Because of course they were going to stay. But Dollie Mae, Buck and Ponder were in serious need of an attitude adjustment. Well, I am happy to say help is here. We just finished our first session with Kim Brophy. Kim is a certified animal behaviorist and I can not tell you what a help she was.

Thank goodness as she explained...My dogs are doing nothing wrong (in their eyes). I just didn't have any tools to handle the situation. Between the three of them they are jockeying for the alpha position at all times. That is usually between Buck and Ponder. Then when guests' dogs show up Dollie Mae being the third man around here tries to dominate them. I was all concerned about my anxiety level but what she made me realize was Mom is not suffering half as much as my sweeties. That hit my heart and I want life to be better for them. So, with some great behavioral modifications for Gary and I and a dose of Melatonin (for them not us... but check with you vet as Kim insisted) I have a new situation on my hands.

Ponder is our aging dude and she made me realize it is our job to insure his position as alpha as he ages. It was a brilliant session and after Kim winning International APDT
2009 Outstanding Trainer of the Year we can't believe our luck that she is in Asheville.

So, come on down and stay at Ponder Cove and make your appointment with Kim. You will be glad you did.

xxoo
martha and her happy pups

Biltmore Set for Spectacular Season

Economy crunch or no economy crunch. The Biltmore House will be as spectacular as ever. And if you ever wondered.......note the "by the numbers" report.

50 decorated Frazier firs from 4-34 feet in the main house.
50 more at other estate facilities
1 55’ Norway spruce on the front lawn surrounded by 8 “islands”
300 poinsettias
500 other plants
1,600 bloomers
340 fresh wreaths
60 artificial
100 kissing balls made of white pine and Fraser fir
10,000 feet of garland
1,200 feet in the House and around 1,000 feet in other areas.
500 Bows
30,000 lights in the main house
125 candles
150,000 mini lights
500 gift boxes
500 ornaments
500 electric lights on the Banquet Hall Tree
12,000 on the trees inside the house
25,000 + on the estate.

There will be a quiz later. m

FASHION WEEK NC

Don't you agree....I think the search is over for Ponder Cove's new Fashion Editor. In this video you will find a behind the scenes moment before this divine Diva hits the catwalk. Meet Ms.Zoester

READY SET GO

One of my greatest pleasures is coming up the drive and watching the dogs get all excited. "Mom is home! Mom is home!" They bark. Up they run as fast as they can and then plop faster than I can get out of the car, exhausted from the climb, spent from such a burst of energy...but they took it on without a second's hesitation...just because they are glad I am home.

I was reading Raquel Wynn's book today STRETCH YOUR DOG HEALTHY and ran across a great passage. "The life of a dog is high-impact. Hours are spent playing in yards, chasing critters, sleeping on hard floors, hanging out, leading family walks and just trying to get the most out of life. They are ready at a moment's notice, they greet us with complete enthusiasm every time we come home, and they loyally support us--this takes a lot of energy." We can learn a lot from our dogs...but today I learned my dogs deserve a massage for that outpouring of enthusiasm much to the chagrin of their joints.

PUPPY LOVE

How lucky are these two amazing pups? One minute their future unknown as they lounged within the walls of a shelter. But as only fate could determine in walk my friends Gary and Frank to the rescue. Obviously it took no time at all for these kids to adjust to their new home perched on top of their very own mountain. Life is good in Sandy Mush.

RAQUEL WYNN ROCKS

Let me introduce you to Raquel Wynn, one of our favorite guests along with her husband Philip. Raquel is the author of STRETCH YOUR DOG HEALTHY, a brilliant book which not only makes you aware but teaches techniques for keeping your dog healthy and happy. Raquel is now featured on Pet Life Radio. Tune in and become a fan.

Fall Foliage Asheville

Time to think about your upcoming visit to the mountains. We are thrilled to announce that we have had normal rainfall after years of drought. The trees are gloriously full of foliage. Adding to this wonderment we are now experiencing very crisp nights. So, what does that mean?....... A SUPER LEAF SEASON!!!!! It is suppose to be slow and long. So, when looking at your schedule consider early November as well. See you soon. m

Quilt Trail Road Rally

Does everyone know about the upcoming road rally? It is going to be toooo much fun. The challenge is to track down 15 barn quilts. Its not about speed but about discovering our mountains ablaze with fall color. November 7. Ponder Cove highly recommends it. Call 828-682-7331 for more information.

Welcome to FOODIE FRIDAY

One of my very best friends and fellow dog lover Faye from New York City turned me on to this site just this morning. We are always looking for more GREAT dog-friendly B & B's to share with our guests. So, it looks like Faye has found us one in the Berkshires and look at their foodie blog. An innkeeper after my own heart. I will be spending time there today seeing what I can borrow. http://www.birchwood-inn.com/blog/

Dollie Mae Featured on Dog Pearls

Note Dollie Mae made the cut...her first big movie role. Go to http://www.littlepearls.org/ourdogstars.html and read about a new film by Little Pearls: "tiny films" that open hearts & minds.

Barn Quilt at Ponder Cove

I must bring everyone's attention to Suzi Parron's new quilt trail project. So many of you have admired our quilt square and wanted to know the significance. Soon it will be all too clear when Suzi's book is published. In the meantime keep up with Suzi at americanquilttrail.blogspot.com.