December seems to be the month that Americans try to get into the holiday spirit. As well it should be because it is the season we recognize the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christmas and holiday movies are playing on TV. Cities and towns are displaying holiday décor along their streets and squares, while stores have their show windows...
Read MoreA Taste of Southern Tradition
In 1781, our young country was at war with one of the strongest countries in the world. England was trying their best to keep America under their control. In 1780, the British won a decisive victory in Charlestown SC, and thus shifted their war strategy to the southern theater to help win the war. After the victory, British sympathizers, known as Tories,...
Read MoreThe Breaking of Bread
During this Thanksgiving season, I’m sure that besides the turkey, there will be breaded dressing and probably other types of bread on the table. Humans have been baking bread for over ten thousand years. Most humans gave up their nomadic way of life, settled down, and began farming. Over the years they took many wild grains and transformed them into a...
Read MoreA Bumper Crop of Nuts
This year was probably a very bad year for most of the human race with the pandemic, yet nut trees of all kinds produced bumper crops. The pecan trees in my grandmother’s yard are at least eighty to a hundred years old. They have seen a lot of sunrises and, of course, a lot of storms. Humans, animals, and birds alike have enjoyed their shade and the...
Read MoreBe Quiet As Billy Walks By
William (Billy) Bryant was born in the rolling hills of the North Carolina Piedmont in 1918. As a boy, he helped his parents on a small two-horse farm raising cows, hogs, and grain. Billy, being an only child, loved to roam the beautiful Uwharrie Mountains that surrounded their farm. On Sundays, Billy and his family attended a small country church that was...
Read MoreDon’t Forget Your Hat!
Growing up on a farm in Richmond County, I didn’t think twice about wearing a hat. Being out in the hot sun or cold wind, people are advised to wear some type of head covering. In my granddad’s time and before that, hats were something of a fashion statement. Why, ladies wouldn’t leave home without their hats or bonnets on. They would wear them to work...
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