by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Oct 22, 2015 | Appalachian, dogs, Love, Nature
I recently turned in the latest round of edits on my third novel–A Tapestry of Secrets–due out in August 2016. The book has gone through several drafts, one of which included a stray dog. In the end, he didn’t fit the story, so he got cut. But I kind...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Oct 8, 2015 | Appalachian, dogs, Nature
It’s October–my favorite month. I realize the first day of fall was back in September, but October is when I KNOW the seasons are changing in these Appalachian mountains. Leaves are just starting to color, the mornings require a jacket, and the sky is getting...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Sep 24, 2015 | Appalachian, dogs, Nature, Thistle
Thistle and I often hike in the national forest near our house. I never know who we’ll run into up there–hikers, hunters, cyclists, foragers–there’s quite a variety of folks. Yesterday, though, was unique. We pulled into the gravel lot and I...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 16, 2015 | Appalachian, dogs, Nature, Thistle
The black bear is the state animal of West Virginia, therefore I’m a fan. And yet, in all my 18 years of living on the family farm, I never saw one. There was a big, rolly-polly bear at the Game Farm who loved to drink soda through the bars of his cage, but he...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 14, 2015 | Appalachian, dogs, Family, Nature, Thistle
I just spent a spontaneous weekend at the farm because my Dad is having some health issues. It’s tough, seeing my once invincible father age and face challenges that I’d give almost anything to spare him. But I was blessed to be able to go home and put my...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jan 29, 2015 | Appalachian, dogs, Love, Nature
Thistle is four now, which means my sweet Sammy has been gone for more than six years. But like any good, mountain dog, he’s taken on a certain mythological quality. That’s what we do with our dogs in Appalachia–we mourn them and then we tell their...
