by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 20, 2020 | Nature, Poetry
April is National Poetry Month, which seems particularly fitting this April. I’ve been reading a fair amount of Wendell Berry’s poetry lately. Always a favorite, his work is a particularly welcome refuge these strange days. And, reading his poetry usually...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Mar 23, 2020 | Nature, Poetry
I’ve pretty much given up watching the news. Or reading it. I have a few, trusted sources I check in with–but not too often. Instead, I’ve been reading Wendell Berry’s poetry. It’s been my go-to antidote for all sorts of challenges over...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Feb 20, 2020 | Appalachian, Nature, Thistle
Spring approaches in the mountains in fits and starts. Days in February alternate between bone-chilling cold and balmy. Sunday was in the 60s and sunny, Thursday in the 30s with snow. But the signs are here trying to trick us! Our neighbors’ yard is dotted with...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jan 30, 2020 | Appalachian, History, Nature
When we visit the farm in West Virginia we ALWAYS see deer. Lots of deer. But elk? Well, there are some at the Wildlife Center we drive past on our way in. And yes, I did try to trick my husband by pointing one out the first time we drove by as if seeing elk along the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jan 24, 2020 | Appalachian, History, Nature
Ever have one of those weeks when you can’t keep track of what day it is? Yeah, me too. Wild azalea (often called honeysuckle bythe old timers) with mountain laurel inthe background. On January 23, 1903–117 years ago–the Legislature of West Virginia passed a...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Nov 14, 2019 | Nature, Poetry
A while back I wrote about the blight that eradicated the American chestnut in Appalachia. There’s a new blight happening now–the wooly adeligid. These non-native, invasive insects are doing their best to wipe out all the hemlock trees. While measures are...
