Every January I take a look back at what I’ve written during the course of the year. The task helps put things in perspective for me. I’m always surprised at 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-just click on the colored word link).
January
My favorite post for the first month of 2017 is Bad to… I love it that folks are still using some of the same descriptive terms, words, and phrases that they did when Pap was a boy.
February
I couldn’t just pick one favorite for February, I had to pick two. The first was Little Debbies and The Pressley Girls. I’m still laughing over the Jolene spoof about Little Debbies the girls came up with. I sent it to Little Debbie by several different methods, but never heard a word back from them. Maybe they didn’t think it was funny!
My second favorite post for the month wasn’t even written by me: The Angel of Brasstown by Jim Casada. I still can’t believe there was a feature story about me in a magazine. Just wow!
March
My favorite post for the third month of 2017 was Appalachia Through My Eyes – The Maker Faire. I’m still excited about knowing there’s a school right here in my very own county of Appalachia teaching children and community the importance of being a maker…a maker of any and all things!
April
My favorite post for April was The Day Pap Died. It’s without a doubt the hardest post I’ve ever written, but I’m so glad I documented my feelings and memories about the day he died. Lots of sorrow in the words, but lots of hope and joy too.
May
For the fifth month I chose Grateful in Appalachia as my favorite post. I’m a firm believer that being grateful for the smallest pleasures and blessings makes life ever so much richer.
June
The Rosebud Orchid in my Backyard – WOW! is my favorite post for the month of June. I still can’t believe I found the rare flower growing in my woods when I’ve never seen it growing in this area before.
July
For the month of July my favorite post is How Bad a Liar is He? I love the colorful language of Appalachia and the liar sayings within the post highlight the common Appalachian technique of saying the exact same thing in a variety of ways. The photo is among my favorites for the entire year, it captures the real camaraderie of the four Appalachian men.
August
How could The Solar Eclipse not be my favorite post for the month of August? Seeing the eclipse was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced and doing it with my three favorites made it even better.
September
Finding A Place To Quit In Junaluska – Cherokee County NC is my favorite post for September. Alvin passed away a few days back. He fell and broke his hip a month or so ago and never quite recovered from the surgery. I’ll never forget the twinkle in his eyes as he told me about growing up in the Junaluska portion of Cherokee County and I’ll think of how handsome he was in his overalls when I plant his Yonce beans in the garden every year.
October
For the month of October my favorite post is Way Up In The Middle Of The Night. The post offers a perfect example of the descriptive word usage found in Appalachia.
November
Another language post is my favorite for the eleventh month of 2017 Don’t be so ill! A phrase that I hear at least once a week in some form or fashion.
December
December’s favorite post was Spreading Christmas Cheer. I’m still studying on Granny and her sister spreading Christmas cheer to their family with holly and empty nails when they were just girls.
2017 was a great year for the Blind Pig & The Acorn.
I’m very thankful for each person who reads the Blind Pig & The Acorn-for without you there’d be no reason to write.
Tipper
Sorry to hear of Mr. Yonce’s passing, but imagine those beans going on year after year after year…that’s a kind of immortality right there, isn’t it?
I don’t generally make a list of last year and next year things, but maybe I should. Might get more accomplished if I had a list of goals? Although that system does not improve my housework, I’ve noticed.
A-Men all good post, and Wow, the time gets away seems like yesterday I was reading some of these.
Tipper,
I heard Ray and Pap singing “Cabin by the Side of the Road” and “Working on a Building” by Chitter, Chatter, and Paul on our Christian Radio Station today. Those are some of my Favorites.
Boy, it’s Cold! I don’t ever remember it staying this Cold for so long. …Ken
You wrote that many of the posts had fallen through the cracks of your mind. Have you heard, “His mind works like lightening – a bright flash, a lot of noise and its gone”? That’s how mine woeks many days now.
I may have told you this funny about Little Debbie–can’t remember. My brother in law had heart problems and the doctor was talking about changes he needed to make. One of them was changing to a healthier diet. My sister in law was with him and she said, “I guess that means you’ll have to give up Little Debbie”. The doctor looked embarrassed and said, “You will have to work that out between you.” Can you believe hle didn’t know about Little Debbie cakes? Anyway they laughed and told him what they were talking about. My sister in law was never sure if he believed them or not!
I truly feel like yall are all old friends. One of the first things I do in the morning is read the Blind Pig. Have my coffee with you every day. I hope the coming year is full of happiness for you & your family.
Beautiful! Thank you for a year of delight for your readers!
What a pleasant surprise your post was as I step into this new year with a mix of anticipation and some slight fear of the unknown. I had missed many of these, and I don’t know how. I try to start my day with The Blind Pig. Whatever type of post I read it is always insightful.
One of my worst character flaws I have dealt with is to try to understand shallow people and frivolous things. You have such a gift, Tipper, with the ability to peer own under the outer wrappings of anything that on the surface may seem unimportant. You bring a depth to even the most trivial matter. This brings to mind, “Everything is beautiful in its own way.” Keep up the great work so your readers can stay in touch with an Appalachia we love.
What a great family, Tipper! You’re an inspiration to us all. We love the picture of your grassy meadow and the distant mountains. Happy New Year from Shelton, Connecticut, far from Brasstown but close to Appalachia in our hearts.
Good for you. Too few of us look backwards and re-assess to guide going forward.
There is so much for me to like in your posts for so many reasons that I can’t pick a single favorite. Among those you reviewed here, the picture of the four guys is classic. It tells a story all by itself. And the rainbow in a sad time was a consolation for you and us.
Congratulations on your award. It is fairly won and richly deserved.
It was a good year, and a hard year, and an eventful year, and a happy year, and a full year, it was full of all the things that make life. Thanks to the Blind Pig it is a noted life!
Happy New Year!
Thanks for all the pleasure you bring! Happy New Year. May God continue to bless y’all.
Love the memories, I believe I read every one of them. Thank You so much