I love it when I discover something wonderfully Appalachian that I didn’t know about! I was researching Appalachian funeral traditions for my 2021 story (oops, I think I just gave away that someone dies–well, several someone’s actually!). I knew about cooling boards, sitting up with the dead, hand-digging graves, silver dollars on the eyes (penniesContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Coffin Quilts”
Category Archives: Family
Appalachian Thursday – 187 Years of History
When my husband and I took on the family farm in West Virginia, a big part of the reason was to preserve family history. Turns out I’m pretty sentimental and I’m fascinated with history–especially my own. I’ve known for years that my brothers and I are the seventh generation to live on that particular parcelContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – 187 Years of History”
The First Father’s Day . . .
Dad’s been gone for almost two months now. And I’m well into the year that will be marked by firsts. The first Father’s Day, the first birthday, the first Christmas, the first . . . well there will be all sorts of firsts without him. And apparently plenty of seconds and thirds as well sinceContinue reading “The First Father’s Day . . .”
Monday Meanderings – Almost Heaven
Today I’m in WV spending the day with my nine-year-old niece. Which means my meanderings are a little more, well, meandering! But I still got some gorgeous photos to share!
Appalachian Thursday – Porch Swings
I enjoy looking at historic homes on-line and recently realized that porch swings are much more common to the rural south–including Appalachia. It finally hit me that northern homes don’t have as many swings–or porches for that matter–because the season for sitting outside is so much shorter. In the mountains of NC we’ve hit primeContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Porch Swings”
Appalachian Thursday – Haying Season
Thistle and I have been walking through a neighbor’s pasture lately. There’s a critter trail we take and I can’t walk through the waist high grasses without thinking about my father telling us to stay out of the hayfield lest we mash down the grasses ahead of hay season. When I was a kid, theContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Haying Season”
Is closure even a THING?
It’s been three weeks since Dad died. I’m getting used to the idea. But not really. Maybe that’s the catch. I don’t actually want to be less sad about losing my father. It feels right to me that I’ll be sad not to have him around until I die and we’re together again. I hopeContinue reading “Is closure even a THING?”
Farewell for now . . .
It’s been a tough week, but also one filled with blessings. We had a small, family only service for my Dad at the farm in West Virginia. It was a terrible, wonderful day. A pastor Dad’s known since high school delivered the service on the deck at the farm house. Then we trooped out throughContinue reading “Farewell for now . . .”
Appalachian Thursday – Saying Goodbye to Dad
If you follow my blog you know Monday was my anniversary. It was also the day my Dad died. He’s the one who passed the storytelling gene on to me. So many of his stories are woven into my novels. He fought for a long time. Parkinson’s Disease. Congestive heart failure. A hip replacement. Dentures.Continue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Saying Goodbye to Dad”
What Happened to That Wedding Gift?
Today is my 24th wedding anniversary. And thankfully we’re not only still in love, we also still like each other enough to stand being quarantined together. Two decades plus somehow feels like both a lifetime and maybe two weeks. Time is slippery that way. Adding to the sense that we just got married is theContinue reading “What Happened to That Wedding Gift?”
