Beth Durham's Blog, page 12

Its spring and Im wanting to plant things, loving seeing...

Its spring and Im wanting to plant things, loving seeing the green trees and getting ambitious.  This often happens to me in the spring and I sometimes bite off more than I can chew.

Weve been working hard to clean up a field we let get to close to overgrown and now with some dead trees down and scrub brush cut back, I suggested to my husband, We could do something with this.  Why, we could grow a crop of green beans here!

Of course for a girl raised in the bean field, thats the first thing...

The Demise of William Riley Hatfield

The following blog is re-posted from Backwoods Adventures blog.

As a backcountry guide I love researching the rich history some happy and some not so happy of this area and sharing it with my clients. Im going to pass along this story as it was told to me.

My 9th cousin William Riley Hatfield also known as WR Hatfield. Born 1824- died from a gunshot wound January 22, 1892. He passed away on the banks of Station Camp Creek in what is now inside the boundary of the Big South Fork NRRA.

On...

Bounty from the Fields, Woods, Hollers and Hills

Weve been talking for the last couple of weeks about foods the land offers us like fresh greens.  How opportune that its open season on Dry Land Fish.  Okay, technically you can gather these wild mushrooms anytime of year, but the early spring  is the only time they pop out.  So the delicacy must at least be gathered at this time, if not enjoyed.

I kind of assumed that only mountain folk would even know about this delicacy at least by that name but surprisingly a Google search found a...

Huntin’ and Cookin’ Creases

Spring is such a wonderful time of the year.  As the trees set on new leaves, early flowers bloom and grasses break through the ground, there is promise in the air.  After long, cold winter days the sun stays up longer, warming the soil as we make the first preparations for planting.

Creasy Plant - It may not be the prettiest picture, but things have been pretty muddy this spring.

A couple of years ago, I shared with you an article here which Callie Melton had written about sallet...

Homesteading in 2020

Donna Crisp on Facebook page: WIlder, TN

Welcome to Spring 2020.  Here I am homeschooling my children, baking my own sandwich bread and grinding cornmeal because the stores shelves are bare.  While I know a lot of history and frankly have learned a lot of homesteading skills from grandparents that always feared wed have to go back to those early ways Im feeling sorely ill-prepared. There are a bunch of places on the web where you can read all about modern-day homesteading and Im...

From Navajo Nation to Uganda, Africa

I recently met a young family from the Navajo Nation who are headed to Uganda, Africa to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  So much of their life is very different from my Plateau beginnings, and yet a lot is the same.

Now, why would I want to tell yuns about these Native Americans on Tennessee Mountain Stories?  Im so glad you asked!

Because many of us in Appalachia have Cherokee roots, and weve talked here before about how those first inhabitants of our mountains shaped our lives even today,...

Rag Shoes

Last week I posted a picture of my 93 year old Grandma Livesay with her walking stick, wearing her rag shoes.  Just about any time you see Granny shell be wearing these familiar shoes, unless you see her at church.  Shes worn them my whole life.  In fact, we all wore rag shoes.  Now my little girl has a pair.

This classic oxford shoe is very old dating back to Prince Albert in the mid-19th century.  Its not surprising to learn that fabric shoes were not subject to rationing in the 1940s ...

A Sturdy Walking Stick

I’ve been spending a lot of time in nursing homes of late and I’m seeing so many folks aided by walkers. Whether it’s the four straight legs, stop-and-go model or the wheeled “Rollator”, they allow those with trouble walking to maintain some level of independence. In years past you would’ve carried a walking stick.

I suppose the modern, lightweight, aluminum devices are a great advance, but they just don’t have the character of the old wooden sticks. A cane used to be something of a symbol...

Grandma’s Kitchen

House plans are always changing, from multiple small rooms in Victorian homes to open-plan modern houses, the way we live in an era is often reflected in the houses we’re building. In days gone by feeding a family was an essential role for the woman of the house – now that statement may draw ire from today’s women’s movement but history is history.

Before frozen foods and microwaves, meals – I mean the kind of meals you have to eat if you spend your days in the field or working stock –...

Shopping in the Dark

I was in the grocery store this week when the lights went off and suddenly the room was flooded with darkness. Having my cell phone in hand – because that’s where my grocery list resides – my first thought was that I could turn on the flashlight function and easily finish my shopping. Then I realized that the registers would not be working so there would be no way to scan and tally the cost, much less pay for the food with my handy-dandy debit card.

Well the blackout was very short, I turned...