Buy Local

We experienced two new (to us) Chapel Hill/Carrboro institutions last week. On Saturday, we dropped by Phydeaux (get it? say it out loud) pet store in Carrboro, since Stanley's old retractable leash finally gave up the ghost (i.e., became non-retractable, thus defeating the purpose). From the outside, it looks like it might be one of those "pet boutiques" that carries mostly shi-shi crapola, like little rhinestone t-shirts for your poodle. But we were pleasantly surprised; it wasn't like that at all. The store is huge, and has all kinds of pet stuff, from toys to food to dog-shaped soap, and yes, a big selection of leashes (mission accomplished!)

While we were in Carrboro, we ran into our friend Keith, and we wandered over to the music store, one of Mike's favorite places. Alas, to Mike's great disappointment, the store had sold out of the amazing guitars made by a local luthier. (Isn't luthier the greatest word ever? They never talked about that during Career Day!) The guitars have a very rich sound and wonderful feel, and Mike couldn't wait to have Keith play one. (If you ever win the lottery and want to get Mike a gift -- but don't want to spring for the Carribean vacation home -- one of these guitars would be a good choice.) So, if Mike needed an excuse to go back to the music store, now he has one, since the new batch of guitars is due in soon.

Earlier in the week, we went to dinner at Mama Dip's, known for their Southern cuisine. (Their sign has a picture of a big bubbling pot, and to me it always looks like it ought to be a fondue place. But noooo.....) They have a marvelous big porch out front, but it was just a touch too chilly to eat out there. They lived up to their reputation -- the fried green tomatoes were excellent! And the sweet tea is addictive. (That's why Southerners are so sweet, y'all.) The rest of the food was yummy, too, although it reminded me why I don't eat fried chicken more often. The part of the fried chicken that I love is the crispy outside part, but afterwards, it's a bit of a grease overload.