The hit country song “Mountain Music” by the band Alabama may recount fond memories of many Alabamians growing up in a rural mountainous area where life is simple and family bonds are strong. “Oh, play me some mountain music; Like grandma and grandpa used to play.” While a similar ...
Our old Miller barn, with its hand-hewn timbers and oak floors, has seen a lot in its 171 years, but this will be a first, for sure. The barn swallows that for generations have attached their mud nests to its massive log floor joists, to which some bark and whitewash still attach, will be very surprised at the goings-on about a month from now. When Busy Bee first broached the idea of staging the wedding reception for her and Worshrag in our old barn, my instant reaction was: impossible, absolutely impossible. “Oh, Busy Bee,” I said, “the barn’s so dirty.” In my mind’s ...
Dear Annie: My son is soon to be 23 years old. He was two courses short of earning his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science when something bad happened. He would not tell me what. He fell apart and did not graduate. That was two years ago. We got him into counseling, and he saw several different counselors; he was in group therapy, and they tried different combinations of antidepressants. They’ve tried something called transcranial magnetic stimulation, which really seemed to work, but then it stopped working. Now he is considering electroconvulsive therapy. He tells me ...
With a low cost and high quality of living, it’s no surprise that more than 1.7 million North Carolinians call the Appalachia home. The 29 North Carolina counties that are a part of it offer great opportunities to families living in the region — welcoming communities, a strong small ...
Kate got down from the tractor. She was helping to bale hay when she suddenly didn’t feel so well. She hadn’t thought it was excessively warm, just a nice summer day. Still, she had been drinking a sports drink to keep herself hydrated. She looked at the house, unsure whether she could make it that far, but she kept telling herself, “One more step. One more step.” And then she was inside the cool house. She let cold water run down her arms, wiped her face and neck several times, drank water and sat in front of the fan. In a while she began to feel better. There are multiple ...
This is a column I was afraid I’d never get to write. Worshrag’s getting married!!! Yowzers! Huzzah! Boffo! Whoopee! Our joy is not just over the fact he’s getting married; it’s the wonderful “who” he’s getting married to. Honey and I have only known Busy Bee for a year, but she’s already like a third daughter to us. (One daughter by birth, one by marriage to our eldest.) We could not be more delighted over the young woman our son has chosen – or more honestly, who chose him. And we owe it all to the pandemic. OK, OK, you need some back story. OUR YOUNGEST ...
