Appalachia is kind of cool these days. Of course, I’ve been thinking it’s pretty fantastic for quite some time now. Guess I was ahead of the curve. Or maybe just incredibly blessed to grow up there!
If you, too, want to be Appalachian-chic, I thought I’d suggest a few things you could try in the new year.
- Grow a garden. It’ll be a few more months before you can start seed flats in a sunny window, but it’s prime season for garden catalogs. And if nothing else, they brighten gloomy winter days. Dig in and plan those rows of corn, beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.
- Learn to quilt. Start with something small like a placemat or wall hanging. Stitch your project by hand and if nothing else you’ll appreciate the incredible talent, patience, and persistence that goes into a full-size specimen.
- Attend a dinner on the grounds. Find a country church and ask when they have homecoming–even if they eat the meal indoors, this will be the spirit of a dinner on the grounds. Eat a little bit of everything and ask for at least one recipe if you want to get on their good side.
- Listen to live bluegrass music. The best way to do this is to find some out-of-the-way place that holds regular jams. Hopefully someone will dance. If you play an instrument, bring it along!
- Catch, cook, and eat something yourself. You can use a weapon, a trap, or a hook and line. Whatever it is, appreciate the process that starts with a living creature and ends with nourishment for you. It makes food so much more REAL. If you’re a vegetarian start with wild food (nuts, berries, etc.).
- Learn shape-note singing. I grew up with Heavenly Highway Hymns shape-note hymnals. I didn’t realize there was anything special about it until I saw the movie Cold Mountain with its shape-note singing. Different notes are represented by different shapes, simplifying the notation for folks who don’t read music.
- Go Sunday visiting. It’s just what you do after church and dinner on a Sunday afternoon. We spent many a Sunday at my great aunt and uncle’s or grandmother’s. You don’t go for a meal or for a purpose any more than just being together. A fine tradition to carry into the new year.
What great memories! We would go to town to see my grandparents on Sunday afternoons. We’d sit out on their big covered porch in metal chairs. Granny would tell stories and sometimes Gonka would go in the house and come back out with a small glass bottle of Coca Cola for each of us. I can still see it all and hear my Granny’s laugh. Those were “the good ole days”.
Gonka! I love that! And I love this memory. We need to spend less time running around and more on the porch with family drinking soda from glass bottles.
Well, you just might start an awareness trend of Appalachia Chic. BtW: I sent Sound of Rain to my mom for her 91st birthday and she called to say how much she enjoyed both the story and how it is written. She is so enthused she is flagging down neighbors, men and women to read the book. So there might be a fan club starting up in Arizona—Happy New Year!
Ladies in their 80s and 90s are my sweet spot in terms of target audience! Granny-chic? Thanks for sharing The Sound of Rain!!