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’d like to visit any of the posts click on the colored word link.
January
My favorite post for the first month of 2022 is Matt’s Hands. The human hand is an amazing miracle. The way it moves and works is truly miraculous. I’ve often seen things written about the love one can see and feel in a mother’s hands—and all of those things are true. But as I said in the post I wrote, I wish I had words to describe or to encapsulate all the brute force physical gritty determined resilient work that has been completed by The Deer Hunter’s hands and by the hands of other men in my life. Work-worn hands that are tough as leather are somehow every bit as precious as the soft gentleness of a mother’s hand.
February
Tipper too backward to smile
Missing Home and Being Backward is my choice for February. I truly was a backward little girl. And in many ways I still am backward. The juxtaposition of a woman who makes videos that millions of people watch saying she is backward is something that makes me smile, but its true.
March
When choosing my favorite post for the month of March I ran into trouble. There was at least five or six posts competing for the top spot. I finally narrowed it down to three. Although each are about different subjects and one wasn’t even written by me, there is a common thread of lonesomeness that ties them together.
- Hiraeth. I’m blessed to have lived a life that makes me feel lonesome for good times and people that are long since gone.
- I Haven’t Seen Mama in Years. Paul wrote this post. All these months later I still haven’t gotten over the lines of the song nor the lonesome sound Paul and Chitter share when singing it.
- The World is a Big Place. It is a big place! And the older I get the more grateful I am for the mountain holler I live in. Very insignificant in the grand scheme of things but paradise to me.
April
For the month of April my favorite post is Changing Appalachian Stereotypes. It’s beyond rewarding to know that my endeavor of celebrating and preserving Appalachian culture and heritage is helping folks see the real Appalachia.
May
Granny in the garden – notice Pap’s boot on the left bottom of the photo
During the month of May Granny taught me to look beyond what needs doing to see the beauty that’s evident everywhere. My favorite post for the fifth month is Always Looking Ahead.
June
Making Do in Appalachia is my favorite post for the month of June. I’m so glad Granny and Pap taught me to make do with what I have. Making do is a great skill. It helps you save money and encourages creativity and critical thinking.
July
Blue Beans and Mamaw is my favorite post for July. I love it when something as simple as a blue bean triggers a memory buried deep within the filing cabinets of my brain.
August
During the eighth month of the year I wrote about something that happens pretty much on a weekly if not daily basis: The Deer Hunter saving the day in some large or small way. Holding on to Things You Might Need is a post I wrote about The Deer Hunter having to leave work and come home to rescue the mail lady who was stuck in our ditch.
September
Granny holding Paul and Tipper
Granny Loves to Take Pictures is my choice for September. I’m so thankful Granny took so many photos of us all through the years! For Christmas I gave the girls a photo from Granny that was taken when they were about five or six. As I was helping Granny clean out one day I found it and knew the girls had likely never seen it since I didn’t recall seeing it myself.
October
One of the best things about living in Appalachia is the stunning landscape. Each season has a beauty that will take your breathe away with its loveliness. Misty Mornings in Appalachia is a post I wrote about the changing of the seasons from summer to fall. It’s my favorite for this month.
November
Thankful November – Food Brings Us Together is my favorite post from November. I’ve long recognized food shared with others brings joy and happiness. As I’ve gotten older and studied on the phenomenon, I see clearly how our need and love of food truly does bring us together—in intimate family settings and in larger community settings too.
December
My choice for the last month of the year really goes along with November’s choice. Favorite Time of the Year to Cook is a post I wrote about the coziness of cooking for those you love when it’s cold outside.
I hope you enjoyed looking back through 2022 with me and I hope you continue to drop back by often for my 2023 offerings.
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I love looking back at these posts. It makes me smile and I am thankful for you and your willingness to share your life and the history of Appalachia.
“Daddy’s Hands” by Holly Dunn was one of the all time songs that went straight through me. So-o-o-o many lines in that song that flooded me. Another was “These Hands” by Tex Ritter. “Dear Lord, hear my plea; When it’s time to judge me; Take a look at these hard workin’ hands”. That’s one of the songs i wish they would have done at Daddy’s funeral. Thank you for recognizing what a father’s hands mean & all they do.
The photo accompanying your September pick shows just how much you favor your mother. Both of you are very lovely women.
The photo accompanying your October pick is stunning. I want to build a house on that spot with a shaded porch looking out over the valley to that mountain.
But, I have to take exception to your (and the common Appalachian) usage of the word ‘backward’ to describe shyness. For me, backward has always had a very different meaning. To be shy is nowhere close to being backwards.
Thank you for the past year’s posts and YouTube’s, Tipper.
I look forward to every day this coming year.
Blessings to all.
I really look forward to receiving and reading your posts! It is so hard to think about choosing the best one for each month. The things you focus on help define the Appalachian history and culture of Appalachia. Keep up the good work. Wishing you and your family all the best in 2023!
I loved seeing your monthly pictures, I love driving to North Carolina and on the Smokies. I live in southern Indiana and this area reminds me of the Smokies. Thanks for sharing your life with us. Maggie
I have to say I never intended to click on all the posts you mentioned, but after I did for Jan I loved the reading so much I decided to click on Feb‘s too and before I knew it, I was revisiting you blog for all 12 months! We’re just enjoying a lazy day at home, since I’m not babysitting bc my daughter inlaw is off work with our new granddaughter. It’s warm, record high temps in the 60’s and near 70* today (when it was just record cold a doz days ago near 60 below.) Your blog fit right into my peaceful relaxing day!
What a wonderful way to take a look back. A year in review… You make me want to at the very least journal every day. My grandfather saved every single checkbook register from the time he got his first bank account. He used it as a way to take a look back and it helped him remember dates & key events. I remember when he showed me the day he brought my mother home from the hospital using one of those old registers.
Tipper I so enjoy everything you write or talk about on YouTube. Even though I have lived in Pennsylvania all of my 73 years there are so many similarities and you remind me of the joy to be found in simple things of life❤️ Just love your family too. I pictured my dad’s hands. He was a welder and grew the best beefsteak tomatoes ever and was a gentle soul
I stumbled across your blog back in 2008 and have so enjoyed reading it daily. It brings back so many treasured memories of my families’ traditions and ways of preserving and cooking food. I loved hearing Pap and Paul’s beautiful harmony singing together and watching Katie and Corie develop into beautiful talented young ladies who love their family and God. Looking back at some older blogs I must have missed, Katie did a fantastic job singing Country Roads on a kitchen jam session. Usually, you don’t see Tipper playing base even though you hear the base, but in that jam session you get to see her along with Paul and Corie. Thanks for all your steadfast dedication, Tipper, to shine the light.
Thank you for taking me down memory lane this morning. I love all your posts and I look forward to them every day and the pictures just make the posts even more special. Thanks for all you do!!!
Tipper, you make all the difference in people’s lives…Thank You, Thank You…for keeping this Appalachian Culture alive. You give people hope and understanding of what it’s like to grow up and be a part of this region. I know you work so hard at this. I see where you start every morning at or around 6 AM. That takes dedication. Thank you for sharing about our families and your family’s ideas and traditions. We are all looking forward to another year of your great work.
Tipper I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Celebrating Appalachia. I look forward to your 2023 content and the Blind Pig & the Acorn blog. I’m looking forward to videos about growing your garden and your delicious home cooking recipes. I have made some of your recipes : biscuits, cornbread, peach cobbler ( I did substitute strawberries my husband prefers strawberries). My husband grew up in the South so he taught me a former New Englander how to cook soup beans , but I like watching how you cook your beans. I’m a knowledge seeker and I have gained knowledge from your videos,and blog posts. I did fall behind on some videos because of the hurricanes we experienced where I live in Florida. Thankfully no long lasting damage from the storms but my street was flooded as was my backyard. First time experiencing flooding in the 26 years living in my home( I don’t live near water). I also fell behind on my reading of Fishing for Chickens. I was enjoying the first few chapters about Mr. Casada’s life in the Smokies and food memories, then I got side tracked . Time to get back on track on my quest for knowledge .
Hiareth is a word I am unfamiliar with, but I love how it explains all the feelings I sometimes have that are almost spiritual in nature. Memories catch you unaware sometimes, and they bring back so much you once took for granted. I loved my parents, but some of my dearest and best friends were aunts and uncles my age. Back in those days of large families, it was common for grandchildren to be the same age as the grandparent’s younger children. The slightest thing can trigger those memories of laughing at each other’s shenanigans; lots of laughing so much we sometimes got in a heap o’ trouble. I must remember the new generation deserves fun and not to get caught up in today’s bleak outlook. I try hard help make their children and mine always know how to laugh and be silly. I keep in touch always, because valuing and having fun with family is an Appalachian trait I never want them to lose. Love the one about Matt’s hands, because I can remember how hard my dad and others in the family worked. You outdone yourself, Tipper, and you are a rising star for sure.
I’ve always thought of my mind as a filing cabinet, too. There are times when so much is piled in front of the cabinet I can’t reach it to get information out. Then there are times when I’m in the files going through the alphabetized folders searching for something – right on the tip of my tongue. Usually, by going through the folders, I can remember what the first letter is and go straight to that folder searching for the lost name, song, etc. I’ve read that we depend on sleep time to go through all the activities of the day and file new ones, discard things that happen so frequently they don’t need to be remembered (washing your hands, climbing stairs, etc.), then there are things that happen that are more memorable and our brain files them for future use. It is during that filing process that we dream. As the new ‘things’ are filed it tries to build a reason for them and turns the random things into a story/dream/nightmare. I’ve heard that scientists tried to prove this long ago but couldn’t even though they thought it was really the reason for dreams. They did find out that without sleep, we go crazy and sleep deprivation was used as a torture during the war. Sleep and brain power certainly do have some connection. Also, I usually look up in the air to the right while searching for a thought or memory. I’ve suspected that is where my brain’s filing cabinet is found. At least that is how I put it together and seeing that you referenced a file cabinet, maybe you think the same.
Enjoyed every one of these. I am so grateful you have taught me so much. I live in central NC, but my heart has always been in the mountains. Every chance I get, I heard for those mountains! Looking forward to you sharing more of you and your family in 2023. Take care and God bless ❣️
I understand why it was hard for you to pick just one post for each month, they were all so good.
You definitely have a treasure trove in your 14-years-and-counting posts and comments to them. While a monumental job, it would be intriguing and educational to “distill” it all for the top common themes. One striking thing to me is that there is clearly a commonality of values that unites folks here independently of whether they have ever even lived in Appalachia. Before it became a ‘thing’ you “crowd-sourced” Appalachia in the 21rst century. BP&A being cited in the Dictionary of Appalachian Regional English is just one proof of it. Winning the “Best Appalachian Blog” is another. I think BP&A needs to be archived with the Smithsonian.
Amen!
It is indeed a national treasure as is its author.
I look forward to reading the post each morning. It would be hard to pick a favorite but the one about “hands” would have to be close. It would be safe to say nearly everyone that I have shared my life with made their living by working with their hands on what is known as blue collar jobs. Like someone else said the song “Daddy’s Hands” or maybe that is a verse in the song “Silver Hair Daddy of Mine”, I am confused, but either way carry a lot of sentiment for me and also did for my wife.
I’m in strong agreement with Miss Cindy and have a hard time deciding which of your posts I like best because they’re all thought provoking and conversation inducing! A lot of days I ponder over what was “discussed” over morning coffee. Once I asked to join a prayer group online and was denied. Social media has in many ways hurt my “feelers” and made me feel like a kid trying to fit in a crowd who’d never accept me no matter what. (Thank God I know the Lord was rejected too so I didn’t feel too bad.) When I happened across your blog on happenstance and read about the pet crow who hid mama’s shiny things in a closet only to be found long after he went back to his kind, I knew I had found my home. Yesterday I ordered seed from EDEN BROTHERS. They got Cherokee purple tomato seed and they seem like real businessmen (not a bunch of crazy new age death wish man hating witches.)
Miss Sadie Belle, I always figured that any group that would have me is one I wouldn’t want to belong in. 🙂
My hiraeth is definitely strongest on Sunday evenings and when the season is changing from summer to fall. Mom and I were sitting on the porch at her house back on one of the last warm evenings in September, talking about that very thing, and she said, “It’s a bittersweet time of year.”
Love these and will click and look deeper now at the past posts. ‘Daddy’s Hands’ is a song that I just can’t get through without tearing up and your post absolutely does the same thing on ‘Matt’s Hands’. Beautiful and poignant, and Matt saving the day – the RESPECT and LOVE that you two and your girls show to you and to others is of a much higher vibration than much of the world. Something to work toward – absolutely. THANK YOU and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.
Dear Tipper,
I read your post everyday and find great joy in your observations. Everything is lifted up with the love of family. God bless you in your writings.
Starr
Hi…..loved all your favorites for the year….bring memories back. Enjoy your site and wishing Love and Happiness in 2023!
Tipper, all your posts are treasures! Every one IS the heart and teachings of Appalachia and the heart and teachings of Pap! I thank you for all you do to preserve this wonderful heritage!
Who would have guessed that the Blind Pig would have grown and is still growing. I know Pap is so proud of what you have created!
I love feeling as though I am a part of your family…God Bless
So many of your posts have stayed in my mind over the last fourteen years. Something will happen, or someone will say something – and instantly it will trigger the memory of a post you have written that my heart echos on that particular subject. Every year I look back over the past year of my life – evaluating where I have grown, new things I have learned and integrated into my routines, or quietly let go of what is no longer relevant or needed in my life. I slowly make changes in the new year, ever adapting, expanding, or moving away from. Reflection centers us. It makes us happy with who we are. It helps us to hold onto traditions, and it challenges us to become more of what God wants us to be. Thank you for fourteen years of memories!!!
Donna. : )