Every January I take a look back at what I’ve written during the course of the previous year. I’m always surprised by the various subjects I wrote about, many of which have completely fallen through the cracks of my mind by year end.
I’ve listed my favorite posts for each of the last 12 months below (if you want to revisit any of the posts click on the colored word link).
January
My favorite post from the first month of 2021 is Sitting in History. Going up the creek as a family is one my favorite things to do in the entire world. It was something I enjoyed doing as a child as well. There’s so much history from my family to be found along the familiar trails and I’m pleased knowing the girls have gotten to experience it all just as I and my brothers did.
February
My choice for the month of love is Same Old Me. I’m still enjoying the girls’ cover of the old country song and I’m still positive the type of love I wrote about in the post is one of the most wonderful things in this old world.
March
Tipper
For the month of March I chose The Year I Turned Nine. In the post I shared an old recording of J. Roy Stalcup that was made just down the road from Pap and Granny’s house when I was nine years old. I love the permanence of the recording—of how I can listen to it and be amazed that J. Roy’s legacy lives on. I love the knowledge that perhaps I’m leaving the same type of legacy with my writings and videos.
April
God Be With You Till We Meet Again is my favorite post from the fourth month of the year even though I didn’t write it, Paul did. The recording of Pap singing the old song is one of the treasures we have from his musical endeavors. Hearing him sing the words gives me a great sense of solace.
May
For the fifth month of 2021 I especially liked the post Equinoctial Storms. I was inspired to write the it after Granny told me a story about her grandpa that I had never heard before. I’m beyond thankful that 2021 allowed me to spend more time with Granny.
June
Hands down my favorite post for June was A Big Change For Me And The Blind Pig & The Acorn. In fact it is likely one the favorite posts I’ve ever written since I started blogging back in 2008. It was the culmination of many many hard years of work as well as an overflowing load of blessings from the Good Lord. I’ve not regretted my decision to leave my full time position of employment to celebrate Appalachian in a full time manner one single time.
July
Granny and Tipper
My Other Nickname-Doggie is my choice for this month. It was mostly Pap who called me doggie. All these years later I can see the twinkle in his eye as he said the word. Even though he would never approve of me hurting Granny’s feelings I do think his micheiveous side enjoyed the memory of me saying her new hair style looked like a dog.
August
Watching Westerns With Granny is one of the highlights of being self-employed. In August I wrote about getting sucked in by the old shows as well as what COVID taught me.
September
How could I not pick The Golden Birthday for this month. I still can’t believe I’m old enough to have 25 year old daughters. I’m so pleased with the girls. They are true gifts from God and I can’t imagine my life without them no matter how old that makes me 🙂
October
One of the highlights of 2021 was the publication of the Dictionary of Appalachian English. The cherry on top of the new book is the fact that it validates the work I’ve done here on Blind Pig and The Acorn. Getting to Know the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English is my favorite post for October.
November
For the eleventh month of the year I’m picking another post that Paul wrote Riding On That Midnight Train. I think I chose the post because the memory of us making music and laughter in the kitchen is still fresh in my mind. We had such a good time that day.
December
For the last month of 2021 I chose another guest post, this one written by Garland Davis. The post A Different Type of Christmas Story shared Garland’s memories of a Christmas long ago that was made memorable by one of his outlaw uncles. As I shared at the end of Garland’s guest post, Pap’s side of our family was notorious for aggravating kids. Not in a truly mean way, yet Wilson kids did have to learn to maneuverer through the minefield they often set up for us.
Garland’s writing took me down memory lane and caused me to remember many incidents that made me smile.
We always caught the bus at my uncle Henry’s house. If it was cold we were always welcome to come inside and wait because his children, our cousins, needed to catch the bus too. I can’t recall what Henry teased me about but it was something that really made me mad. For the next several weeks I refused to go inside where it was warm…and I forced Paul who is four years younger than me to stand in the cold with me. In my mind’s eye I can see the white of Henry’s teeth standing out against his dark beard as he stood in the doorway laughing while telling me we needed to come in or we’d freeze to death, telling me there was no reason to be so sore and toucheous over a little aggravating. I can’t remember how long it took for me to get over being mad but I know it was a long cold winter. Interesting that something which caused me, and by extension, Paul, an uncomfortable period of cold and angst is now one of my favorite memories of uncle Henry.
I hope you enjoyed looking back through 2021 with me and I hope you continue to drop back by often for my 2022 offerings.
Last night’s video: Eating Cabbage Patch Stew in the Mountains of Appalachia.
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What an excellent blog!!! Thank you, Tipper! (or is it ‘doggie’?)
In seeing the photo of you and your mother and then the pic of Grannie Gazzie and you mother, I was struck by the resemblance you have to both of them. Your girls have some of their features but don’t resemble them as much as you do. Those outfits you and Granny are wearing date to the early ’70s if I’m not mistaken.
Following those links, I was very pleasantly surprised to find where Puddin’ Tame came from. I’ve heard it all my life but never knew the source.
Reading the Christmas story by Garland Davis reminded me that my Pa’s sister married a Davis in Swain County. I wonder if Garland might be from the same family.
Thanks, again for all the effort and the wonderful results.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post your year in review. I have spent this afternoon reading it and it’s wonderful! Once again, I’m so blessed and thankful I found your blog. God Bless you and your family!
It was an eventful year at the Blind Pig House, the top of the list is your leaving employment to work full time on the Blog. It was a great decision that took a lot of courage, and it has certainly been for the better. You now have time to bring your ideas and dreams to fruition. …and wow have you blossomed!
A great big CONGRATULATION to you for having the faith to leap!
Last year had its “Ups and Downs.” I was declared Cancer Free after completing CHEMO and Radiation therapies. Tipper graciously published some of my stories and I am grateful for the reception they received from you, her readers. My Parkinson’s worsened and I fell fracturing a kneecap and dislocating and fracturing my ring finger resulting in the Medics having to cut off the wedding ring I have worn for 56 years. A goldsmith repaired it like new and it once again is in its place on my left hand. Looking forward to BP&A with my morning coffee throughout 2022.
Lot of good memories you have shared and we have enjoyed reading them. Thank you for sharing!
I only had time to read “Sitting in history” this morning, but as the majority of the time I can relate. I was a daddy’s girl when I was little, so I did a lot of following Daddy as he hunted squirrels in the woods and crossed a lot of little streams. About 23 years ago on a very cold but sunny day in NE MS, I took the last walk through the forest following Daddy, his hair was snow white. I was then a daughter, wife, and mother of grown children, but it was still a delight to follow Daddy along a tiny creek that ran through the old place where he grew up. Daddy had a walking stick and I did too to help navigate through the sticker bushes that we encountered, but as always, it was a treasure to me to once again follow Daddy on an adventure and to have these wonderful memories.
Tipper, you will never know what your videos and Blind Pig & The Acorn means to me. About 9 months ago my husband and I moved to a Senior Living Apartment. It was a huge change for us. We had lived the last eight years as a family with our youngest son and his family. We loved living together and being blessed to see our two grandsons every day. As we became more feeble – we needed a place to live that suited our mobility. It was just the right time. BUT….a major emotional change. We sold our home to our son and are very happy to do so. You and your family have helped me to adjust to our new living arrangement. The Lord knew what I needed and he provided you and your family. Looking forward to our friendship for many years to come. Take care and God bless!
Tipper, your blog has become as much a part of my mornings as breakfast and a good cup of coffee. God bless you!
I celebrate wuth you and for you that 2021 saw you home full time. And I am especially glad you wrote you had not regretted it one single time. I think we here are a community that want the very best for each other. And we know only the good Lord truly knows just what that is. So we ask him to bless our friends because he is “able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think”. As you wrote, you are blessed and we are blessed in your blessings. Does it get any better than that? There is one way I know of, to be thankful. As Johnny Jett says on “Barnwood Builders”, “Thank you, Lord.”
Looking back over the past year, Tipper, really brings your blog home to me. Over the year, some things you’ve thought about, a few you forgot, and just how time changes things- like how you felt about your uncle Henry. I enjoy your blogs just about every morning. Some things I can relate to, some I cannot, but I learn a lot, hear a lot, and it’s like a pig in a poke- one never knows what’s next! Love and blessings in this New Year and even a new son in law to add to your family this year!!! I’m excited to ride shotgun as we forge ahead into what’s next.
I really loved “Sitting in History.” Your best gift it stimulating some of our minds to remember and value our roots. Nothing is quite like sitting or walking in the history of your life. Unfortunately, with the old homeplaces sold or grown over I can only find this contentment in the old cemeteries where generations of my family rest. This is always a brief but memorable experience. Endless hours are spent scanning the documents and pictures that made up their stories. What a treasure the sounds of Chitter’s violin must have been in that serene setting that holds the footprints of all the generations that have gone before. This story was very touching!
I’m so glad to have discovered your blog and videos! We really enjoy them. Keep on doing what you are doing, it’s an important work!
I was raised to fear storms like granny and still till this day go by lightning rules just like she does. Thank God for people with good sense ❤
I enjoyed reading your year in review here. As I clicked on each of the links to go back to the posts you highlighted, I also clicked on many of the “You Might Also Like” links given for each past post. I enjoyed reading them all! I can’t say it enough – thank you for following your heart and beginning the Blind Pig and the Acorn blog in 2008. I remember searching on google for something like this the day I found you. You only had 2 posts written so far. I remember feeling happy I had found your blog! I also craved so many more posts to read and felt frustrated there were only two. I hoped you would continue writing, and now thirteen, almost fourteen, years later I am still faithfully reading. In December 2020, I finally started commenting. I wish had started in 2008, but I was so very shy. I didn’t think I had anything interesting to contribute, but I sure have always loved reading the comments of all your other readers. You have all had such a rich life, and everyone has so much knowledge concerning the topics you choose to write about. I have lived vicariously through each post and comment all these years. Thank you all!! And especially thank you, Tipper, for such a fantastic blog!
Donna. : )
Donna, how great to read your comments here about being blessed since the ‘almost beginning’ of this terrific blog about Celebrating Appalachia. I must admit, I’m a bit jealous!