by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Aug 14, 2017 | bears, dogs, Hiking, Miracles, Nature, Thistle
You know it’s a doozy of a hike when the least scary thing to happen is a bear thundering off through the brambles. That’s how my hike with Thistle started one evening last week. And we weren’t much alarmed. After all, the bear was leaving. Then...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Sep 28, 2015 | bears, Nature, Thistle
I like to make plans. I like for things to fit neatly together–preferably in an attractive pattern. For example, over the weekend I bought fried chicken at a deli for a church event. I really, really, REALLY wanted to suggest to the clerk that he should put the...
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 | Apr 23, 2015 | Appalachian, Miracles, Nature, Thistle
While autumn has long been my favorite season, spring is a close runner-up. Those first days of open windows, greening trees, peepers, and even the smell of freshly cut grass just make me HAPPY. My husband will attest to the fact that hiking with me this time of year...
