by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 28, 2017 | Appalachian, Friends, Hiking, History, Nature, Writing
I love it when I describe something in one of my novels that I can clearly picture and THEN find that what I described actually exists. In Miracle in a Dry Season Casewell cleans out an old spring with a catch basin. Guess what my husband found in the woods on the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 21, 2017 | Appalachian, Family, holidays, Love, Memories
It’s the first day of winter. The darkest day of the year. Which, of course, has me thinking about LIGHT and all it’s sources. Even on dark days, there was lots of light on the family farm come December and not always electric. CANDLE LIGHT – We...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 14, 2017 | Appalachian, dogs, Family, Memories, Nature
Last Friday’s forecast of 1-3 inches of snow morphed into almost a foot. Suddenly, we had a full-blown snow day on our hands. Schools closed, there was a run on bread and milk, and a few unlucky folks ended up in the ditch. I went home and took my dog out into...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Dec 7, 2017 | Appalachian, Family, Food, holidays, Memories
Once upon a time Christmas was simpler. Preparations didn’t start before Halloween, presents were homemade, food was based on what was in season, and decorations came from nature. Or so I hear. All of that could be me romanticizing a simpler, POORER time in the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Nov 30, 2017 | Appalachian, Family, Love, Memories
Not long ago I posted a list of things Appalachian mothers and daughters should do together in response to a similar on-line list that I thought was a bit silly (spa trip, yoga, and a trip to NYC). Since then, I’ve been thinking I need to write the same kind of...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Nov 16, 2017 | Appalachian, Family, Food, Friends, holidays, Memories, Reading
It’s almost holiday time in West Virginia. Oh, sure, there’s Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the REAL festivities begin on Monday. The first day of deer season. Many schools are out all week because, well, no one would come if they were open. Teachers, students,...