by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 19, 2021 | Appalachian, Church, Family, Memories
We’ve gone from winter to grass-mowing season here in Western North Carolina. Lawns are suddenly lush and thick and green . . . and in need of maintenance. Let me just say, I’m not a fan of cutting the grass and thankfully my husband is the Head of Lawn Maintenance at...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 15, 2021 | Appalachian, Food, Nature, West Virginia
Yup, it’s April. And that means ramp season in Appalachia–second only to deer season in November. I’m fortunate to have access to a beautiful patch on a neighbor’s property here in NC. We’ve eaten them twice so far–once with sauteed...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 1, 2021 | Appalachian, Farming, Nature
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...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Mar 8, 2021 | Appalachian, books, Reading
I’ve written before about my mixed feelings regarding novel contests. And yet, here we are again, with awards season kicking off and yes, I have entered a few contests. Including the Selah Awards at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. I like...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jan 28, 2021 | Appalachian, West Virginia
One thing about roads in Appalachia–they’re not boring. They’re often curvy, rutted, precipitous, narrow, and dirt. When giving directions to someone in Appalachia, we often include the phrase, “turn off the paved road.” At our farm, we...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jan 21, 2021 | Appalachian, Farming, Nature
We had chickens when I was kid. But the neighbors had chickens, turkeys, and guinea fowl. Recently, neighbors on our road added guinea fowl to their flock. I had forgotten about the funny, little, black-and-white speckled birds. Not to mention the racket they make!...
