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Appalachian Thursday – Van Sion Daffodils
It was a scramble, when we were kids, to be the first one to pick the mop-headed daffodils growing at the crest of the hill above the house. I always wanted to take them to church as a present for Aunt Bess. I can still feel the cold and smell the rough fragrance of...
An Easter Reflection
I love most every holiday. Food, friends (most years!), decorations–it’s all wonderful. But my favorite holiday is Easter. And my favorite part of Easter is the Sunrise Service. It’s a disappointment to me when the service gets moved inside because of the weather (too...
April Fool in Appalachia!
Tuesday evening I sat at my desk by an open window listening to the peepers sing. This morning, the temperature is in the 20s and I'm hoping my peonies aren't goners. This seems to be Appalachia's favorite April Fools trick. Lull us into thinking spring is well and...
Happy Holy Week?
My goodness. Here it is, Holy Week already. Which means Easter is practically upon us. If I don’t pause and consider the coming of a special day, I tend to feel like I’m missing out. What if you just woke up and someone told you it was your birthday? Sure, it might be...
Appalachian Thursday – Lost Buttons
One of my favorite things to do when I was a kid was to get out Mom's button tin. It was a round tin chock full of random buttons. The colors! The textures! Some were plain while others were glossy and glitzy. I remember sparkly jet buttons and big, flat buttons. It...
Celebrating World Poetry Day
World Poetry Day was actually yesterday, but I thought we'd go ahead and keep the poetry party going with a post today! (See how I used alliteration there? That's a poetic device.) Some of my favorite poets are Wendell Berry, Ron Rash, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Marc...
Appalachian Thursday – The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell
Several of my stories have been set in 1930s West Virginia. And there's LOTS of great history from that era to draw from for ideas. But some history I won't attempt to spin into one of my tales. And that goes for the Bluebeard of Quiet Dell who was hanged on this date...
Feeling Nostalgic at the Grocery Store
The other day I'd made it all the way to the self checkout when I was suddenly steamrolled by a wave of nostalgia for my high school days. I couldn't stop thinking about who my friends were, the guys I had crushes on, the awkward school dances . . . I couldn't think...
Meet Sarah
