JPPENS

The Latest... As another sun sets over our beloved western North Carolina mountains rest, we are reminded that it seems like forever since inches of unrelenting rain layered our county while Hurricane Helene announced her arrival. In truth, three months is but a heartbeat compared to the time, strength and resources it will eventually take to get us somewhat healed. Most of the mud has been plowed, scooped, pushed and shoveled around, through and into the never ending mounds of debris, some already hauled off but much remains; in neighborhoods, city streets, riverbanks, parking lots...it just goes on an on. Dust and dirt now mix with the stillness of the chaff while the lack of room to house it all continues to slow the process. The downtown city of Asheville looks like it always did minus the hundreds of daily tourists playing in our city. The street corners are quiet as the popular Buskers remain silent. Hotels, restaurants and galleries are open for business, the water flows, the l...

  It's all about the bubbles!  Simply said, Carbon dioxide from the second fermentation of wine creates the bubbles in a French style sparkling wine. Champagne is a place, a region in France where the grapes used in making sparkling wine grow. It is not a grape and yes the old French Monk (Dom Perignon) is credited with inventing it quite by accident but in truth sparkling wine was done by the English years before the monk did it. Typical grapes used in making French style sparkling wine (often referred to as Champagne) are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier but other less known varietals are sometimes used.  Labels of French style sparkling wine may also say "Blanc de blanc" which means it is made with mostly Chardonnay grapes. "Blanc de noir" means it is made with more Pinot Noir grapes and gives a beautiful rose color to the wine and happens to be my favorite! A label that says "Brut" means it is dry (sugar fermented out) vs a label that says ...

Back then ... Tourtiere pie scent engulfing all like incense rising from the burn...fish chowdah resting on the stove...nuts cracked open leaving their dredges behind... Mom's chocolate walnut fudge cut into mouth size cubes ...a sleigh of decorated cookies adorned in silver sprinkles...the fir tree dressed in shimmering tinsel topped with an aging yellowish angel...candles lit in windows framed by a frosty glow...opening a gift before bed only to find it was new pajamas to sleep in so that we would all look great for those morning  pictures...hanging hollow stockings each bearing our names... Dad singing carols in French...struggling at bedtime to sleep and giving way to maniacal laughter with siblings...parents pleading unsuccessfully to quiet the antics with "If you make too much noise Santa won't stop here" or some other pointless statement.  Young adulthood recollections of coming "home" from your little apartment excited to tell how life is going or no...

Just a reminder ...we do not have to "own" the chaos and negativity around us, speaking up allows us to do just that... ...it gives us strength ...it gives us a path forward to adapt but never accept ...it gives us the ability to believe there is hope We won't ever "own" it...

  This has been in my homes and offices my entire adult life.  I see it and read it frequently... Silence is never ever an option when things are wrong; it will not make things correct, it will not make things go away, it will never be okay to be silent when you know things are wrong.

Please know and understand what the word MARGINALIZED means... living our lives as marginalized people in this world gives us the right to speak out and therefore stand out in order to live. Those of you who have never been placed in that arena really have no idea of our fight. You can educate yourself to support those you say you care about... We will not be quiet, we will not disappear, we will not go away...we will be walking the planet as long as humanity survives. Wake up women...this is you...some don't even know how marginalized they are...we have forever been quiet and looked over in the world of business, politics, religion, etc. We didn't get promotions because we just didn't ask, we didn't fight, we just accepted... what will it take for women to realize their worth...