Stories of Appalachia

In the movie Jerimiah Johnson, the old man said, “I loves the Wimmen, I shorely do.” I will... Read More

I pushed thru the trumpet vines and underbrush and poison oak to get thru the opening into the... Read More

“Sleep, elusive in the weary, waiting silence of the nightHe speaks to me, silently, softly, gently and I... Read More

The memories that I write about are not only in my mind but they flow in my bloodstream.... Read More

I awoke at 3AM one morning and had taken an allergy pill before bedtime to help sleeplessness and... Read More

Perhaps for many of us old folks, the late 40’s and 50’s were the golden years. One of... Read More

Our rented house was at least one-quarter mile from the blacktop in Upper South Hominy right underneath Mount... Read More

My kinfolks in East Tennessee made molasses almost every year. One of my uncles or cousins would raise... Read More

Sunday morning meant Church. Period. I was going to church unless some kind of sickness or something came... Read More

I knew he wasn’t all that good a fellow when I saw him. Gray, stringy hair all scraggly... Read More

I have a great sense of thankfulness for being born in the Appalachian Mountains, born in an area... Read More

I got up early to watch the sun paint the skies. There was a coolness in the air... Read More

I long for the mountains wild and free and the gift to stand on a ridge and count... Read More

I could write a story on girls I have known. But in reality, I’ve only given all I... Read More

When I climb into my old imaginary canoe I never know where my “remembering” are going to take... Read More

I will always cherish and remember those happy carefree days when I visited Grandpa’s farm in Madison county,... Read More

In the mountains at the turn of the century, things began to change. Not in a hurry but... Read More

One thing that has stuck in my small mind is to finish what you start. If I heard... Read More

Sometimes I have the best times just minding my business and following up on promises made. Maybe not... Read More

I wont wear shoes again but to church and such till school starts back in August. Its summer... Read More

Someone asked me one time what my folks hobbies were. I just looked at them. Kinda like a... Read More

One morning in early spring I bolted out of bed with joy in my soul. I was in... Read More

Something has been on my mind awhile now and with two foster children, I haven’t had the time... Read More

I would take a straight pin and bend the head around into a circle. Then with a pair... Read More

We owe much to those who came a long way back yonder. To the American soldier for sure-fearless... Read More

There’s a fire softly burning, suppers on the stove, but it’s the light in your eyes that makes... Read More

In the late ’40s and early ’50s under the shadow of Mt. Pisgah, boys made slingshots or bean... Read More

I’ve said so many times that our people came from everywhere. They came to America to start anew.... Read More

Life’s evening sun is sinking low A few more days and I must go To meet the deed... Read More

The cemetery was up on a hill there in Shelton Laurel. Most burial grounds were in places not... Read More

Her mother, Hannah, died at 32 years old. She had eight children, and one child died. Her father,... Read More

I remember her standing over the old, white wood stove with the water warmer and the biscuit warmers.... Read More

The old man and me met on a dirt road. He got out of his old Chevy truck... Read More

Another time, another vital way of life for mountain folk. Green gold. You were allotted how much tobacco... Read More

The old barn has a story. I closed my eyes and could feel the barn “talking” to me…... Read More

The porch was wide with white columns and a plain tongue-and-groove floor. The house was a blue house... Read More

They came across these hills from everywhere. Scotch-Irish, German, and European, and all parts in between. They saw... Read More

This is my dog, Butch. The cat was Boots. The chickens were eventually Sunday dinner; and I got... Read More

The garden was down the hill in front of the house. But for me, at six or so... Read More

Our forefathers settled this country with an axe and a long rifle. They came from all over the... Read More

I have this canoe. When I was a young man, it was bright red. It was seldom ever... Read More