by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Oct 24, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, Food, Memories, Nature
The apples have fallen, the pumpkins are getting carved, and the leaves are turning orange and yellow and red. Must be time for the nut harvest! Of course, if we don’t hurry, the critters will beat us to it. Growing up on the farm, we had walnuts, chestnuts, and...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Oct 14, 2019 | Nature, Waiting
This happened last year, too. Summer lingered so long that the fall color didn’t really show up until November. I’m hoping that’s what happens this year because right now we’re still seeing lots of green with just a few hints of color. And I...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Oct 10, 2019 | Appalachian, Nature
Fairy Diddles are alternately real woodland creatures or mythical rodents depending on who you ask. In West Virginia, they probably refer to small red squirrels but in North Carolina they’re more likely a Carolina northern flying squirrel. Regardless,...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Sep 12, 2019 | Appalachian, Hiking, Nature, superstition
It definitely feels like summer today in the mountains of Western NC. But even as I sweat, I’m noticing signs pointing toward a rough winter. Last week I saw my first wooly worm. All black. This morning I saw another just the same. Acorns are already falling and...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Sep 5, 2019 | Appalachian, Family, Memories, Nature, Waiting
When my brothers and I were little we had a “play-house” inside a HUGE rotted out stump. The tree had fallen long ago, but the shell of the stump remained and it was big enough for all three of us to get inside. It was cool and mossy and taller than I was....
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Sep 2, 2019 | Food, Nature
I recently read an article suggesting that it’s harder to lose weight today than it was in the 1980s. Yeah. Made me do a double take, too. Here’s the sub-headline: “A new study finds that people today who eat and exercise the same amount as people 20...
