In the last few weeks I’ve received some very nice validation for my efforts of celebrating and preserving Appalachian culture and heritage.
I almost didn’t know about the first one.
Ron Roach sent me a message of congratulations for winning one of the Appalachian Studies Association awards. I sent back “Good to hear from you, hope you are well! But I didn’t win any award to my knowledge.”
I figured Ron got me mixed up with someone else.
He went back and checked and sent me back proof that I had indeed won.
Their award ceremony was online because of the pandemic and Ron graciously figured out how I could watch it. Neither Ron nor I know why they didn’t contact me, but I’m just glad Ron did!
Another validation came in the form of a comment on one of my videos.
“I live in Australia and my impression of Appalachia based on media and cultural narratives that make it down here has honestly been pretty negative. Your videos have really opened up a whole new world and highlighted to me the real richness and depth of this culture that I had no real familiarity with before. Do you have any book recommendations about Appalachian culture and history?”
🙂 The comment shows I’m succeeding at what I set out to do—showing the goodness that abounds in Appalachia!
The last validation came from my hometown newspaper. I was honored to be featured in a long article highlighting the recent 13 year Anniversary of Blind Pig & The Acorn.
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Congratulations, Tipper! A well deserved honor!
Congratulations and thanks for letting us know. I also cannot imagine doing all you do. You definitely should be recognized. Thanks to Mr Casada for nominating you as well. I just wonder how many people you actually reach and where they are located.
Congratulations Tipper and thank you for your work and perseverance in sharing our Appalachian culture.
Joining in to say congratulations to you , what wonderful validations❣️…. you are truly gifted at what you do…and loving and passionate in why you do it ….. what a benefit to so many ….thank you for all you do and share❤️
I certainly appreciate all your efforts… Congratulations!! Well deserved..!!!
Validated. Confirmed. Affirmed. I add my congratulations!
Congratulations!
I look forward to your blog everyday wondering what I’ll hear or learn about next.
I live in Southern California but was born and raised in a very rural area. How I miss the home of my roots. It certainly wasn’t like Appalachia, but reading about it brings me a sense of peace and calm as I remember the days of my grandparent’s farm. The daily milking of the cows. My grandfather would bring the bucket of milk in the kitchen and grandma would wait for the cream to rise to the top and skim it off. She would pour the milk into huge glass jars. There was nothing like ice cold fresh milk. She would save the cream from the top and make homemade butter in an old churn that had belonged to her mother. Canning anything and everything plus baking and cooking was ongoing much as you describe. The singing around my grandpa’s guitar of silly old folk songs and old time gospel sung in three part harmony is a cherished memory. I am 67 now and in these chaotic times my memories and your blog brings joy to my soul. Keep up the good work. You are providing so many of us with a precious gift.
Congratulations! I’m so glad that you do what you do, the way some folks are trying to destroy our heritage you are trying to preserve it. We need to know our culture and the old ways. I enjoy and appreciate all of your posts.
I have recently started following your blog and looking back on your older posts. I look forward to reading/ watching everyday. Some things that you mention, I haven’t thought of in years (such as saying “scat there, your tails on fire” when someone sneezes. Other things are so commonplace here in the mountains of East Tennessee , I didn’t realize how remarkable they might be for “flatlanders”. Congratulations on being recognized but rest assured your validation is in those of us that look forward to your daily dose of our heritage.
Well done!
Congratulations Tipper. Job well done . Great to be recognized.
Nobody is more deserving than you! This is only the beginning!
Congratulations, Tipper – very well deserved! Validation is an energizing thing 🙂
Congratulations . Well deserved. You’re so appreciated for showing Appalachia to all of us.
Well done!!! Our culture is complex, like all cultures. We have so much to be proud of, to celebrate, to perpetuate….but many negative stereotypes also are based on some things that are somewhat true . We must work hard to say to the world that we are more than those stereotypes. You do this every day , Tipper . Thank you so much. As a traveling Appalachian storyteller for over 30 years, I was constantly asked for recommendations of what was good and true about our people . I often gave copies of the Foxfire books to my audiences ….. I only found you a couple years ago….and if I was still working, you would be my first recommendation!
You deserve all the kudos. You work at a job, you cook, garden, and can, and yet find time to enlighten us every single day on your blog. My relatives on my dad’s side might as well have been born in Appalachia; they used so many of the same words and phrases that you mention. I am retired, and I blog. It sometimes takes me an hour or more to do a blog entry. A lot more if I’m adding several pictures, because we have slow internet here in the boonies. And my blog doesn’t take nearly as much effort as yours does.
I salute you! By the way, that ring I won here in December has never been off Cliff’s ring finger, so far as I know. I believe he’s glad to have it.
Congratulations. It has been a long time coming. Keep going. We love you.
Congratulations Tipper! A Well Deserved acknowledgement for your very well delivered information on your Deep Cultural Appalachian Heritage! Please continue to keep it Alive! And Happy Easter!⛪
Congratulations Tipper for work well done. There will be much recognition in the future for your work day after day showing the true Appalachia. I do not recognize the Appalachia painted by some authors. It has so much more to it than the stereotyping done by those who actually cannot begin to understand the complexity of those who proudly call themselves Appalachians. You leave no stone unturned. Each morning I can learn more about the simple flowers in our fields or read about soldiers from the Civil War. It keeps us grounded as we go face the sometimes stressful days. So proud to be a BP reader.
I enjoy reading your blog. As a retiree to WNC from Indiana, I am enjoying learning about Appalachian literature, having compiled one course at ICL at Young Harris College. Part 2 of the course will be held in May. I just referred your blog to my instructor. Is author Ron Rash one of your followers? I’m sure he would enjoy it!
Thanks to Jim for nominating Tipper for this wonderful award from the Appalachian Studies Association and hearty congratulations to Tipper herself for putting the heart and soul of herself and her family into this very worthy endeavor. I’ve seen many things on the internet about Appalachian culture, but didn’t know about this one until Tipper and Jim mentioned it. As a person who has been schooled in foreign languages, I can attest to the value of not only studying a language, but to also immerse ones self with the music, food, and history of the people speaking it. Tipper and her family have succeeded on all fronts, and that’s why the followers of the Blind Pig activities are so grateful.
Tipper, I have been receiving your blogs for a few months now. It has been a delight to get a blog each day. I grew up in east Tennessee not far from the Hiwassee River. I spent the biggest part of my life in the Cherokee National Forest. I love Appalachia. I lived in the Rocky Mountain area Montana for several years and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. They have certain characteristics that set them apart from the Appalachian Mountains but I missed the mountains of east Tennessee and western North Carolina. I presently live north of the Atlanta metro area and get to the north Georgia mountains once or twice month. There is something about being in rhe Appalachian mountains that changes a person. My aunt who lives in Etowah, Tennessee grew up in the Tellico Plains area of Tennessee. She is full of
Appalachian knowledge. Her familly lived off of the land in the mountains. When we get together, it is full day of discussion of gardening, cooking, preserving, folklore, religious life, and of course her big spread for lunch.
I know I have written too much but I could go on forever about Appalachia.
Thanks again.
Congratulations, I really appreciate your videos and blog.
Congratulations, Tipper! Wonderful to see you being acknowledged for all the hard work you do to put out your blog daily. God Bless!
Congratulations! Well-deserved.
Congratulations, Tipper! You deserve all the awards. Thank you for preserving Appalachia and educating the rest of the country about our beautiful heritage.
Congratulations Tipper. I am very happy to hear that all the hard work you do is getting some much deserved recognition.
Congratulation’s for well deserved honors! Keep up the good work!
Tipper–I can solve at least a portion of the mystery. I nominated you and Blind Pig & the Acorn for the Appalachian Studies Association award. I’m not a member of the Association but follow their laudable activities from time to time and when I came across their awards program I immediately realized Blind Pig & the Acorn was an ideal candidate for their Outstanding Media Source recognition. Accordingly, I filled out the paperwork and made the submission, intentionally keeping a secret from you figuring that if you did indeed garner the recognition it would come as a nice surprise. I guess it turned out to be a bigger surprise than I expected, because other than a confirmation of the entry, I hadn’t heard anything and wouldn’t have known had I not read today’s post.
Never mind all of that, I am delighted for you and congratulations.
Jim Casada
Thank you, Jim!
Yes! That’s wonderful and about time for you to receive some validation for all the effort you put into the world seeing Appalachia as it really is! We are not all illiterate moonshines! You have put untold hours into presenting us to the world as we really are.
A big CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU!
You keep going, girl!
Congratulations Tipper, your blog brings me a lot of joy each day. I’m one of the newer ones on the blog but I have found out that my life and my ancestors life was similar to a lot of what you write about. I hope you will continue to be successful with your blog.
I’m glad for you. Your “bread on the waters” is coming back to you. But I think you consider some share of the credit goes to us – your readers. That is part of what makes BP&A so good, the sharing. I for one say all the credit is rightfully yours.
I reckon the negative view of Appalachianers is because we are a safe target in media. We don’t have powerful interest groups ready to defend us from every perceived slight. We have to rely on what we know about ourselves. And that is what you do in large measure. It’s good to be friends with oneself but even better for others to value the same things.
Tipper,
Congratulations on receiving your well deserved honors for your efforts in preserving the history of the Appalachian people’s goodness and their seemingly unbounded resourcefulness. A labor of love, I am sure!
Well, I’ll be dadgummed! Did I not just say something about Ken Burns?!?! All of your readers are proud, especially those of us who are Southern Appalachian. That you do this day after day and year after year is somethin’ else…
Congratulations, Tipper!
Congratulations TIpper!!!! That is super wonderful awesomeness! You deserve every accolade.
Congratulations! Well deserved. Thank you for everything you do
Congratulations, Tipper! You’ve earned the wonderful recognition. We’re fairly new to your blog and videos, but we love them. Please keep up the great work!
Congratulations! You work hard to preserve our heritage!!