AMARYLLIS

 An Arctic Blast socks

the Southeast, wildfires

consume the "City of Angels."

On the coldest day

of winter, an amaryllis

bursts forth in my kitchen.

Divine order of the universe

is turned upside down,

Mother Nature confused.

When the frost sparkles

like gems on needle-like-grass,

a blood-red flower shoots

from a bulb reposing on gravel,

and lifts a cup of grape juice

to toast the golden light.

          --Brenda Kay Ledford

I hope my blogger friends are staying warm and safe.

I am enjoying my amaryllis blooming in my kitchen. On a cold, snowy day, I sip a cup of hot apple cider, gaze at the beautiful flower and count my blessings.

  May we remember our neighbors in California who have lost their homes due to the wildfires.  One man who was a resident of our county, lives in California.  The fire is now five miles from his home.  May we remember Greg and thousands of other people who have lost their homes.  Also, please keep the firefighters, National Guard members, and first responders in our thoughts and prayers.

Happy New Year

 

Nobody knows what the new year will hold, but I choose to face 2025 with hope and faith in my heart that according to the Holy Bible, "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord."

I was blessed in 2024. I faced some trouble, some disappointments, some sickness, but through it all; I was never alone.  The Lord brought me through.  We discussed in our Sunday school class on Sunday if anyone had made any resolutions for 2025.

Every person in our class reflected that they just wanted to be kind to people, spread a little love in this sometimes very harsh world.  This is my desire, too.  I think if everyone did his or her part spreading kindness, it would be a better place to live.

So what are my plans for New Year's Day?  First of all, a little country church in my community holds a watch service.  This is an old time mountain tradition where people gather on New Year's Eve at the church.  They hold a singing, prayer meeting, until midnight.  They herald the new year praying and giving thanks for another year.  Then we gather in the fellowship hall for refreshments.  This is a joyful celebration and faith that God will be with us and take care of us no matter what we may face in 2025.

On New Year's Day I plan to have the traditional meal:  collard greens, corn bread, and black-eyed peas.  Some folks include hog jaw with their celebration.  The old saying goes black-eyed peas represent round coins, collard greens bring paper money, and cornbread brings gold.  Most folks wouldn't take a chance messing up any dreams of good fortune for the new year.  As for myself, I could just take the cornbread and a glass of ice cold buttermilk.

However you choose to observe New Year's Day, I wish all my blogger friends a:

          Joyful &

Blessed New Year

Jolly Librarian Technician

 Our wonderful computer technician at Moss Memorial Library delights the patrons with his fantastic festive costumes at Christmas.  He's original and fills our local library with jolly, holly, celebrations.  I just go to the library often during the holidays to see what wonderful costume he's wearing.  Ben is a brilliant young man who is very creative and makes the season merry and bright!

Light of the World

 The Star of Bethlehem shone

over the nativity scene,

the little Lord Jesus was

born on a cold winter's night.

The Son of God 

left the portals of heaven

to bring light and love

to the souls of weary ones.

Doubts and fears cease

at the foot of the cross,

Christ was born to die

and to redeem the lost.

He gives hope to troubled hearts.

And as the hosts of heaven

sing praises to the

King of Kings, eternal

light shines in the land

where there is no night.

Rejoice with the angelic beings,

our Savior has come to earth.

            --Brenda Kay Ledford

I wish all my blogger friends: 

A Blessed Christmas and Joyful New Year!

A Mountain Christmas

 Blanche and her siblings walked miles from the head of the Trout Cove over a dirt road to Ogden School in the 1930s.  The Blue Ridge Mountains were locked in the jaws of the Great Depression.

Mrs. Lucy Hyatt was Blanche's teacher.  She decided her students would have a happy holiday.  "Who wants to make paper chains to decorate our classroom?" she asked.  The students clapped their hands and rushed to the worktable.  They cut strips from construction paper and pasted them together.

The teacher also asked if anyone would like to help the janitor cut a cedar in the woods.  Blanche and her brother, George, volunteered.  They selected a white pine and dragged it into the classroom.  The pupils made decorations for the Christmas tree.  For several days they cut bells, stars, and ornaments.  Some children brought silver foil from chewing gum wrappers to design an angel to top the tree.  They threaded strings of popcorn and put them on the tree.

While the kids made decorations, Mrs. Hyatt made hot cocoa on the pot-bellied woodstove that stood in the middle of the room.  She poured cans of Carnation condensed milk, water, sugar, and cocoa into a pan.  The teacher baked gingerbread and served it to the students with the drink.  The children loved the treats.

A highlight of the holiday celebration was a program given by the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Danish dancers and musicians entertained the mountain children.  Blanche enjoyed the lively show that introduced her to the arts and culture.

Although times were hard during the Great Depression, one dedicated teacher brought a lot of joy into the lives of her students.  She was a God Send during the time when many kids wouldn't have much for Christmas.  This is a true story about my mother, Blanche.

by:  Brenda Kay Ledford

I wish all my blogger friends:

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Turkey Hunting

 Way back in the Trout Cove during the 1930s, my mama and her siblings decided to go turkey hunting.  Blanche, brother George, and sister, Oma headed up the mountain trail the day before Thanksgiving.

They decided to stop at Hazel Henson's house and invite her to go turkey hunting with them.  Blanche and Oma wore feed sack dresses.  Patches dotted George's overalls.  

Night fell and they still hadn't spied a turkey.  A Full Harvest Moon ricocheted through the pine trees and an owl screeched in the holler.  Blanche grabbed Oma's arm and they screamed at the same time.

George laughed and slapped his knee.  "What's wrong with you chickens?  I was just mocking a hoot owl."

Blanche and Oma tried to hit George, but he took off like a racehorse through the woods.  He reached Hazel's house before they could catch him.  Hazel joined them on the turkey hunt.

Since they didn't have any weapon, Oma suggested that they stop at Jim Power's log cabin.  They stepped on the rickety porch and knocked on the door.

"What brings you younguns out on this fine night?  Ought you be home getting ready for Thanksgiving?"

"We wanted you to bring your shotgun and join us turkey hunting," said George.

"All right.  I'll be glad to go.  Just let me finish my supper."  The old gentleman crumbled cornbread into a glass of buttermilk and wolfed it down.

He grabbed his shotgun, put on his cap and got a lantern.  He whistled for the hound dogs and they headed up the mountain.  Oma, Hazel, and Blanche followed the guys.  Old Blue, Spot, and Buck spied a squirrel and chased him through Greasky Creek.  Their howls resounded across Brasstown.

They came to Pauline Payne's house and stopped to ask the family if she was still in the hospital.  Her daughter invited them into the house.  She said Pauline was feeling better, but still in the hospital at Murphy, North Carolina.

Oma asked Mr. Payne if he still owned a fiddle.  He got the instrument and asked Jim Powers to play it.  Jim started making music and they danced all night long.  They never got around to turkey hunting.

by:  Brenda Kay Ledford

I hope all my blogger friends will have a

Happy Thanksgiving!

NATIONAL APPLE MONTH

 October 1-31 is NATIONAL APPLE MONTH

Great-Grandpa Dallas Matheson owned 300 acres in the Matheson Cove in the early 1900s.  He grew an apple orchard above the frost line on Shewbird Mountain.

He and the boys would take a sled up the mountain in the fall and haul apples down to the log cabin and store them in the cellar.  They were some of the most delicious apples you could ever eat.

One was the black beauty.  It was such a deep red that it was almost black.  There was the "Ben Davis" that was a light color with small streaks and white inside.  

Many other apples came from the seeds of other trees and this gave a mixed flavor and all were very delicious.  Those included the horse apples, the hog sweet, red June, striped May, pumpkin apple, queen pippin, pound apple, and others with no names.

Grandpa made long trays with light weight lumber for drying the apples.  The family peeled and sliced the apples and spread them on the trays to dry in the sun.  At night they brought the trays in on the porch, then out on the racks the next day.  

Dried apples are delicious, especially when made into fried apple pies or a stack cake.  The stack cake is made with five or six thin layers made from a cookie recipe.  The fruit is cooked with a little sugar and cinnamon  then spread between the layers.  It is best if left to soak for a few days.

Finally, this month is National Apple Month.  Maybe the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," is true.  Enjoy October with the mountains putting on a colorful show as the leaves deck out in colorful garments and the little trick -or -treaters fill their bags with goodies on Halloween.