Category Archives: Big Stone Gap

Oor (cat)Hoos is a very very very Fine Hoos

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house-aff-004Well, we’ve done it. Appalachian Feline Friends bought a house. Hoos, as my husband calls it. And now we’re fixing it up so we can start using it. We hope to be in by Valentine’s Day. It seems appropriate.

The house has some needs. Like many of the cats we serve, it’s been ignored, neglected, and left to fend for itself over a few cold days.

  • The pipes are busted; we have an AFF member who is a plumber. Life is good.
  • The heat pump needs its ducts replaced and we’re not sure what else. We may need some help with this, so if you are a heating guy and want to help the homeless kitties, please get in touch. Our guy is replacing the stuff we can see is bad, but if that doesn’t work, we’re stumped.
  • We have a cleaning crew. We have a plan. We have been loaned a bushwhacking weed eater of epic power dimensions for taking care of the garden. Life is very good indeed.
  • We will need plywood, a screen door, a front door, and some other stuff. But for now, we are just celebrating the fact that we have the best Little Cathouse of Big Stone Gap.

If you’d like to help, please get in touch. Or donate stuff: paper towels, paint, a bed, a chest of drawers, kitchen stuff, sheets, you know. Stuff. Or money, which will help us do all the repairs.

Meanwhile, we’d like to thank Sabrina, the realtor who worked so hard to help us find the place, the closing lawyer who donated their fee when we did, and the AFF volunteers who are fixing the pipes and wiring. And the donor who bought the house for us.

We have a house, y’all. Hazel House is a reality.

hazel in shelterIts name is Hazel House in honor of a senior cat who was dumped at the shelter, age 21. She was adopted by a volunteer and lived another happy year in a loving home. Inside Hazel House is the Pogo Playroom for kittens. And the Blackstone Suite, where our staff member will live. And The Laurells, a rest room for senior kitties. All named after cats who came to us needy, and got what they needed.

We have a house. Hazel House is real. And getting fixed up. And we are so very, very happy that this much-needed thing has finally come to our town.

If you feel like helping, hop over to the Appalachian Feline Friends page and donate.

We have a house, y’all. WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!!!

Friends and Fellow Travelers

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 Jack’s Wednesday guest post is actually on Wednesday again – – –

Last night Wendy and I were the guests of an informal book group in Abingdon VA.

As we followed one of the members along the winding road to the house where they were meeting we passed more and more exceedingly imposing residencies and speculated on what might be awaiting us.

However any fears we had were quickly allayed as the rest of the members trickled in. We had forgotten that the group had visited the bookstore earlier in the year, had all bought copies of ‘The Little Bookstore’ and were very well versed in our adventures.

They all came in clutching their copies of the book – each copy with post-it notes sticking out from favorite pages and passages. We were among old friends!

We have often remarked upon how completely different these occasions tend to be. Of course there are book clubs, reading groups, friends of the library groups and writing clubs and they are each bound to have a different focus. We certainly never know exactly what to expect, which is why we tend to be a bit nervous of them. what’s interesting is that I see similarities to my singing career over the years – gigs were often like that too.

Whenever we attend an event we start off by trying to judge what folk want to hear. Will it be writing advice, getting an agent advice, finding a publisher advice, more about Big Stone Gap?

But this was close to being unique – a whole group who had already read the book and visited us in the bookstore. We proceeded to have a really great evening of personal stories, reminiscences, parallel experiences and our own continuing adventures beyond ‘the book’. Unusually, we were even able to open up a bit on some less happy things that were hinted at in ‘The Little Bookstore’ or followed on from its publication. That’s something we would definitely only do in the company of old friends!

To finish, I should say that the evening started with me as the only man in the room, but we were eventually joined by our host’s husband and his name is Moffat – and that’s also the name of a town in Scotland that I visit every two years on my group tour.

Oh – and we ended with some songs!