by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jun 28, 2018 | Appalachian, bears, Hiking, Miracles, Nature, Thistle
There are people who have never seen an animal in the wild. Oh, maybe a city squirrel or some pigeons, but I’d argue they’re not really wild. My mountains are a veritable zoo of wildlife. Just yesterday Thistle and I encountered a teenage bear on our...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jun 11, 2018 | dogs, Hiking, Nature, Thistle
Ah, June. Those days of complaining about how cold it is are well behind us. Mild spring days have wound down. Some afternoon it’s even getting . . . hot. While the first true day of summer may not be until June 21, school is out this week, I’m going...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jun 4, 2018 | Hiking, Nature, Thistle, Writing
We’ve all read those novels. You know the ones. The heroine has been riding in a covered wagon for two months when she meets the dashing cowboy who saves the wagon train. He finds her lovely in spite of the fact that she hasn’t washed her hair since late...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 17, 2018 | Appalachian, Family, History, Thistle
We just returned from spending several days at The Farm in West Virginia. My niece is the eighth generation of my family to grow up on that land. The house we stay in is just a few months older than I am since my parents built it while Mom was pregnant with me....
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jan 8, 2018 | bears, Hiking, Thistle
In The Sound of Rain my hero, Judd, is shown a 1950s poster of Smokey Bear. His boss–who is also my heroine’s father–wants Judd to serve as a sort of liaison with the forest service in their efforts to preserve forests. Although I only mention the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Oct 5, 2017 | Appalachian, Hiking, Nature, Thistle
Mud boots, gum boots, rain boots, rubbers, wellies, or, you know, plain ole rubber boots. I don’t suppose they’re uniquely Appalachian, but they certainly are ubiquitous to every mountain farm I’ve ever set foot upon. Some evenings, when I’m...
