Freezing temperatures have continued in Brasstown. The cold spell has us staying close to the woodstove.
As I heard folks talk about the cold over the weekend I was reminded of a John Parris piece.
Sylva
Folks complaining about the bitter cold now gripping the mountain region will get little sympathy from the Old Man. “Why, this here is only a fairly middlin’ cold spell,” he said. “Talk about freezin’ weather, now we had it back 60 to 80 years ago.”
“I’ve seen it so cold the chickens’ combs turned black and dropped off. Even the birds froze to death in their nests. All the rivers iced over so thick you could drive a wagon team across ’em. Tags of ice two and three foot long hung down from the eaves of the houses.”
The Old Man paused to light his pipe and there was a twinkle in his blue eyes. He puffed it into life, then grinned at his grandson. “Maybe you ain’t believin’ this, but it’s a fact as pure as Scripture. Back then we had cold weather and it was a calamity, but folks never complained much. Why, we even had baptisms when we had to chop holes in the ice on the river to put folks under.
—My Mountain My People written by John Parris
The article continues with the Old Man telling of winters so cold that he had to chop ice out of the road to make it to the mill and of men’s shoes freezing to their stirrups as they road their horses.
The Old Man’s memories and the cold weather here make me very thankful for our warm house.
Tipper
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Happy New Year Everyone! We’re heading into a weekend here on the TN/VA border where it is going to be COLD, and we’re expecting a foot or so of snow. What a blessing! I grew up in a 3rd world country where everyone had a job to do (the natives), and it took everyone doing their job to make it work. And that was EVERY day; with nothing left over; each day was new. They are beautiful people, very family and community-minded. That’s because they depended on, NEEDED each other. I’m not minimizing the struggle this coming weather will surely bring to many. What I DO hope is that wherever there is a need, that someone will be sensitive and meet that need. That’s better than just being comfortable all the time. To know others care. I’m thankful for family and friends. I hope I can help even 1 person. If I do, I will have had a GOOD day! I wish each of You the VERY BEST in the New Year 2026. Keep looking UP!
Here in NW PA, it was -2 this morning, and the upper Allegheny river is starting to fill with large chunks. Sometimes the river will freeze over and then the thaw is worse because the ice piles up agin bridges and side banks and pushes up, closing roads and threatening to crush stuff. Sure miss being home down south – especially this time of year.
hope you all can keep warm. Prayers…
All the talk of cold weather reminded me of my first trip to Finland. It was winter and the company had an outing for us to snow mobile and sauna. It was snowing like a blizzard. We stripped and went to the sauna through the snow. After the sauna we had to go back through the snow to get our clothes. Believe me you didn’t tarry in getting out of the snow.
Glad I was young then.
Here in middle WI, it was -15 this morning, high of 10. This coming weekend will be the coldest, highs of -25, and lows of -30, with wind chills of -35 to -45! I remember years back, this would be normal for the month of January and snow banks almost as high as the telephone wires. Stay warm everyone
Here in the Blue Ridge we are suppose to get snow and cold beginning this weekend and continuing all week. Last time we had heavy winds and cold we had power throughout the whole event. I hope we have it this time. It makes it much more pleasant. We are stocking up on extra groceries on Thursday in case we get snowed in for a day or two up here on the hill. When our driveway going down the hill gets slick it stays for several weeks that way since it is in the shade. I hope that no one has a power outage with such cold temperatures. It makes it dangerous. Be sure to get a generator and some sort of heat source. Tipper, your wood stove is perfect. For some reason we haven’t put ours up and the winter will be over in a few months. Take care and stay warm. Kathy Patterson
I especially enjoyed all of the comments left today. The history of fair to middlin’ was very interesting. I have found myself answering that when someone asked me how I’m doing. I learned this from your channel and blog,Tipper! I just think that is the most wonderful and colorful expression. It is very cold here in my neck of the woods as well. Going to be cold all week. I appreciated reading all of the comments with wisdom on how to prepare for such a cold snap. One can never be too prepared. I’m going to carry in lots of extra wood for the weekend as one of the days our actual temperature is near -20. God bless each and every one of you!
Okay, now that’s funny! Oklahoma is supposed to get lots of snow this weekend, we’ll see!
As always praying for Granny.
To confirm my understanding that the phrase “fair to middlin'” comes from agricultural grading in the 19th Century, I asked Claude AI and got this response:
“Let me search for the origins of that phrase.The phrase “fair to middlin'” comes from **agricultural grading systems** used in the 1700s and 1800s, particularly for cotton.
**The Grading System:**
Farmers and merchants classified agricultural products using a quality scale that typically went: fine → good → fair → middling → ordinary → poor/inferior. The phrase begins to appear in print in the early 1820s, first seen in 1821 in the New England Galaxy, and by 1822 was being used to grade rice and cotton.
**Cotton Connection:**
The phrase became especially associated with the cotton trade, where “fair” and “middling” were specific quality grades. Cotton buyers and sellers would reference “fair to middling” grade cotton when discussing intermediate qualities. This usage was so common in the cotton business that it escaped into everyday language.
**Modern Usage:**
By the mid-1800s, people began using “fair to middling” figuratively to describe anything of acceptable but unremarkable quality. It became a common response to “How are you?”—meaning basically “doing okay, nothing special.”
**”Fair to Middlin'” vs “Fair to Midland”:**
The dropped “g” (middlin’) is just the colloquial way Americans, especially in the South and Texas, pronounce it. “Fair to Midland” is actually a separate variation—possibly a humorous mispronunciation or a deliberate play on words referring to Midland, Texas, though this is debated.
So when someone says they’re “fair to middlin’,” they’re literally saying they’re somewhere between “fair” and “middling” quality—basically, pretty average!”
And here I thought the “middlin” part of the phrase was referring to middlins from a hog. Middlins from a hog sure ain’t just passable to me. I’d sure take a mouthful of middlin meat over a mouthful of cotton.
Good morning! This has nothing to do with cold weather or snow, but I am responding to Ed Ammons question about ‘Bannock’ in yesterday’s soup post – and sorry, but will be a bit long. 🙁 Ed Ammons – Bannock is a common ‘bread’ used among first nations native people – and often called ‘fried bread.’ My people on my mama’s side were First Nations here on the west coast of Canada. Every tribe has its own way to make it, but they are all pretty common. They can be savory depending on the herbs added or sweet depending on sugar or of adding berries or raisins while making the dough. They can be fried in about 2 inches of a cooking oil or baked in a 400-450*F oven. It can have yeast or baking powder or a bit of both for the rising agent. And the size of a batch depends on amount of flour one starts with. it is good either hot or cold – served with butter, cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, or topping/s of choice, split in half and made into a mini sandwich, or rolled in powdered sugar or white sugar and cinnamon. It is a very versatile ‘bread’ and very similar to a baking powder biscuit. There are lots of videos and recipes if do a google search. Here is one recipe for a fried version from an elderly aunt is: 3 cups flour – 3 tablespoons baking powder – 1 tablespoons baking soda – 1 egg and about 1 & 3/4 cup water or milk to make a soft type of dough that is not too sticky to handle. adding a little more liquid or flour as needed. Heat about 2 inches cooking oil of choice in a cast iron skillet till a tiny dab of dough bubbles when dropped in. Not too hot so as to burn or smoke! Take a handful of the dough and form into a patty or oblong shape anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick – and drop in the hot oil. Cook about 1-3 minutes on each side, or until golden in color. The dough may bubble up in spots – that is normal. Drain on paper towel to soak up excess grease from the bread. These can be rolled out and cut like a regular biscuit and baked in hot oven and be just as good. The more one makes this, you get the ‘feel’ of how to make and cook this bread to how you like it. As I live alone, I make a yeast-based version that I ‘fry’ consisting of a scant less than 1 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, (one can add 1/4 tsp salt but I add no salt due to health) 1/2 teaspoon yeast and enough water – a little less than 1/3 cup – to make a pliable dough I can handle without it ticking to hands. I pat it onto a bout a 4 inch round and let rise about 1/2 hour or so, then gently lift it, without compressing the dough, place it into heated frying pan with just enough oil to cover bottom of pan (as for a pancake) that is set on a medium heat and cook a good 5 or more minutes on each side – or until browned to my likeness and sounds ‘hollow’ when tapped so to be ‘cooked through’ and has a bit of a crunchy crust. I hope I covered this clearly enough, or as I said there are lots of recipes and videos on how to make this ‘Bannock’ or often called ‘fried bread.’
Interesting! Your recipe uses wheat flour if I’m reading right. Did your First Nations people grow wheat?
Our beloved Cherokee (Principal People/Ani-Yunwiya) only had bread made from maize and sometimes beans. Theirs was a flatbread made with no leavening agents.
10 degrees at our back porch this morning! Glad I don’t have to get out and go to work anymore! We’re in SW Ohio. We’ve heard all kinds of predictions the last couple days. Guess we’ll just wait and see! Hope you see your sledding snow at least once this winter Tipper. Blessings to your family.
Oh Gracey thanks for your comment as I was trying to remember what my daddy and granddaddy said when using the word middlin and it was “fair to middlin” if asked how they were doing:) Extremely cold here in south central PA. We got a coating of snow Sunday which closed our church services and others too and today with winds it is to be in subzero temp. My phone says it’s 18 in my area but the wind chill takes it way down. Only suppose to get up to 20 degrees today. Staying in yesterday, today and maybe tomorrow. Actually, I have been able to get a lot of cleaning done and I’m sure thankful for that. Stay warm and safe ya all. Praying for Granny and tell Paul loved his singing of “Where Would We Go But To The Lord.” We used to sing that a lot down south and it is still one of my favorites.
Morning everyone. It is 16 degrees here in NE Arkansas. Our snow will be Saturday and going East thru Tennessee towards Tipper. This might be your sledding weekend. I have a newish wood stove and one year old heater, but things happen. I hope everyone has more than one way to heat their house. I can’t help but worry about the older people who may not be well. When I was younger, 15yrs ago. I didn’t worry about all this. We dragged extra wood, extra food and waited for the blizzard (California mountains). Some neighbors put chairs outside and watched the tourists slide all over and drive into peoples yards. I never did that. OK, I slid into someones yard. So I never laughed at them. Now all I do is worry what could go wrong. I’m turning into my mother. Everyone stay safe. Wrap up Granny. Anna from Arkansas.
Greetings Tipper, Matt and all you Acorns. I’m sorry for all you who suffer being cold. I was brought up in the north and learned how to take care. Right now its -2°. They say it’ll be at least a high of -5° on Friday. Tomorrow there’ll be a heat wave of over 20° so I’ll get out and get some minor groceries, as its always better to prepare “just in case”. This past weekend I topped off the car gas because it’s a good thing to have a full tank when it’s bitter cold. Our winters have been getting much warmer for which I’m grateful. I do have a little propane heater called Little Buddy which is safe to use indoors. I highly recommend you all get at least one and a dozen little propane canisters if you don’t have a wood stove or enough wood. The heater can be readjusted to accommodate a larger propane tank. Like Matt, I truly suffer in the heat and humidity. I do enjoy staying in the house and wearing heavier clothing when it’s cold. The house is filled with good cooking smells, and I can enjoy reading, cooking, and working on refinishing furniture. I send loving thoughts for y’all and prayers for your good health and safety.
I seem to remember an old Leave It To Beaver episode where Ward had just given the boys a lecture (as he was often wont to do) about how it wasn’t easy to grow up during the Depression (or something like that), and after he goes, Beaver cheekily tells Wally, “Hey Wally, y’ever notice that every time he tells that kinda story, the snow gets deeper and the distance to school gets farther?”
Mr. Parris’s words are not fantasy, at least not them all.
I’ve see the chickens combs freeze and fall off like that. I’ve seen the Little Tennessee frozen all the way across. I have seen the road banks frozen solid in sheets of ice that lasted up into June. I’ve seen icicles hanging from the eave that were two or three feet long. I’ve even seen them hanging from the ceiling inside the house. I can remember cutting firewood when the thermometer said -15ºF.
Folks who are interested in reading more about my young life can find it here. https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/life-on-wiggins-creek/
its really funny but i remember them breaking ice on the rivers to do a baptizing when i was a kid…i remember thinking they were nuts…ain’t no way i’d go in that river with ice on it…yet i’d happily sit in the ice caves along the cliff that were created from the icicles that were touching the ground.. and this was in the mtns of SW virginia
I’d take my chances that the Lord would forgive me and postpone my baptism if they had to break the ice to put me under. The new trend among athletes is to get out of a 135-degree sauna and jump into a tub filled with ice water. That makes me freeze just to think about it.
Oh goodness, it makes me thankful for my little warm cabin too…and especially for my dear hubby… who cuts the wood and feeds the stove. It’s up to 6 degrees right now but the wind is making it feel colder. We are expecting a big snow storm this weekend. I just love winter, as I do all the seasons. I am working on cleaning out kitchen cabinets this week. It’s amazing how many things get accumulated that we don’t use or need anymore. Hopefully someone else can use them. Have a great day and keep warm.
It looks like you might get your wish…..Snow in Brasstown! Here in south east Pa we’ve had our share. There is about 5 to 6 inches here on the top of our hill. The farmer that plants crops on our land came by on Sunday and plowed open our lane and driveway. My husband and his 2 brothers built on the family farm, sort of like you granny and Paul, living close to one another. It was 5 degrees here this morning when I got up. It’s predicted to be in the minus numbers tonight with the wind chill. We are now watching the weather reports to see how far north or south this next weather system tracks.
We don’t want to hog all the snow so we wouldn’t be upset if you got our portion..LOL
Stay warm…..praying for Granny.
I went swimming at midnight on New Year’s Eve several times as a youngster. The water was warmer than the air most of the time. We built a fire before going in so we could get dressed by it afterwards. When I lived in Kentucky I saw photos of horses and wagons on the ice on the Ohio River. Men were cutting blocks of ice to store for the Summer. In one photo the ice appeared to be close to two feet thick.
I live on a farm and if we don’t have some really cold weather, the bugs are relentless! I’m hot natured which is both a blessing and a curse living in the South. Last winter it was so warm that I never got either of my winter coats out. Yes, the bugs were awful last year! I do feel sorry for the homeless. I asked one lady why she didn’t use the shelter more and she said there are predators among the homeless too. So sad. I pray for them to be safe. My Dad used to say that a lot of people are just one paycheck away from being homeless. That made me think about things differently. When I was little we would take stuff down under the trestle and give to people with no home. That kindness stuck with me my whole life. I hope you stay warm but go for a little walk and breathe in some fresh cold mountain air! My grandmother said fresh air was a cure all in her mind. And I loved that old woman more than anything. So I still practice the fresh air breathing.
Here in North Mississippi, the forecast is for rain Wednesday & Thursday & Friday through Sunday, they are predicting dangerously cold temperatures with freezing rain, sleet & possible snow. I don’t mind the snow, but it scares me to get freezing rain & ice because my house is all electric & if the electricity goes out, I don’t have a way to stay warm. I’m 74 & live alone. Tipper, I hope you get a nice snow. Prayers for Granny.
Great story!!! That would have been some baptizing service!!!!
Winter precipitation of some sort is headed our way!!! May it come and go quickly!!!!
Praying Granny has a good day today. It is hard to watch as our precious Momma’s slowly wilt. I am going through the same. Praying for you Tipper.
Diana, thank you! I will pray for you!
It’s 40 here in central Florida. I guess most of you would consider that a heat wave! After living here so long my blood must of thinned cause I’M COLD! I hope everyone keeps warm and safe. Prayers of comfort to you all!
It’s cold here in my neck of the woods of NC, 20 degrees this morning with a very heavy frost. It was about the same yesterday morning but the frost was so heavy it looked like a layer of snow. Our back porch was so slick our dogs slid when they stepped out the door. I like we have the four seasons here, but I prefer the warmer months now that I’m older.
This morning we are in the mid-20s. We are trying to make some preparations for the “Winter Storm” that the folks who sell the milk and bread say we will probably get this weekend only to be followed by an Artic blast with windchills below zero to follow. Yesterday, I saw a model that predicted Huntsville could possibly get 18″. Then again, the storm could simply be rainmaker with a few degrees on the thermometer one way or the other making the difference. Naturally, everyone is excited. My wife is and the grandkids are “bouncing off the walls”. We are usually in pretty good shape but I will be making sure gas cans/gas tanks, are topped off and the generators are at the ready should we lose electricity. Most people who live in remote and/or rural areas as do we know relying on someone else is not the way. We have neighbors who would help in a tight, but I’d rather be on the giving end of help than the receiving end of that. Luckily, most of them think the same way. That in itself is a huge blessing. Stay warm and safe.
Jeffery
PS: Does anyone know where I can get an ol’ car hood? LOL
Jeffery, try the junkyard, I am just messing with you. When growing up my neighbors had an old car hood we would use to slid down a steep hill right in the middle of the old country road in front of our homes. Going down was fun, dragging it back up to the top not so much fun.
Been a lot of folks through the years that endured terrible weather of all kinds for the sake of love and duty; Valley Forge, Inchon, Battle of the Bulge, George Rogers Clark and his men in the Midwest. Then there are the linemen in the snow and ice storms. All underline what has already been said, gratitude for the warm and all that makes it possible. I know the folks here are just that sort. Whoever gets white stuff, hope you get to enjoy it through the window if being in it is not a thing to do.
I thought of the real cold times back in the 1300’s to 1850’s “The Little Ice Age”. Now that was cold. I know it is 14 degrees on my porch thermometer but is sure seems warm compared to what folks went thru back then. We are getting ready to go to Virginia, only an hour drive, for Ed’s tests today. It will be a big argument to get him to leave the house. Please pray for him. The anxiety is intense sometimes. I keep y’all in my prayers. I love y’all.
Barbara, I’m praying. I hope it is a good trip and a good productive visit with the doctor.
TY Tipper. We got some results from the 5 hours of tests. We finally got another piece of the puzzle of this strange illness solved. Dumping Syndrome. It is something wrong with the way his stomach empties. Whew. On to the next set of symptoms. I’m fixin to make your favorite potato soup and a cake of cornbread (my mamas was just like cake, not sweet but high and soft with that toothsome crust ) later when we get back home from the Dr today. I’m praying that Granny Wilson is comfortable and eased from pain. I love ya.
good morning, I’m not liking the weather, I hope it gets warmer soon, I hope we don’t get all the ice and snow they are talking about, may the good Lord bless us and protect us and keep us safe and well in Jesus name, God bless everybody, Amen
When someone would ask my dad how are you doing ,he would reply fair to middlin.
Gracey, in answer to that I sometimes say, “Fine, thanks. I’m hanging on like a friendly tumor.” My dad would say, “Well, I’m still upright, above ground, and still taking nourishment.”
I still do that, Gracey. Most folks these days have no clue what that means. If they look puzzled, I just change it to “Fair to partly cloudy!”
As I type this, it’s 45°F outside and cloudy. Our weather forecasters are stirring the pot saying that we might get winter precipitation here this coming weekend. Most often that means we get nothing because they forecast it; but if we do get any, it’s likely to be freezing rain and sleet. You can bet, though, that there will be no bread or milk in the grocery stores come Friday evening. 🙂
Tracey, now with this arthritis, I tell people I am doing ok, everything is hurting, I reckon that means it is still working.
I’m cold all the time, but I do like the four seasons.
We moved two months ago today. It was hard to leave our home again, but this home has a wood stove. We just got it all checked out and we’ve had a few fires. I think of you when I grab a chair and sit near the stove. I just love the smell of the wood and the warmth it brings me.
I’m continuing to pray for Granny. God love her!
oh Tipper, we have a chance for snow on Saturday…..if it comes thru Chattanooga area I will send it your way! FINGERS CROSSED
Yes, cold weather is back. If the forecast holds true, there will some type of frozen precipitation this weekend. I have been laying here thinking about this. 35 years (1991) ago at 1:17 this morning while working the grave yard shift at Michelin, two coworkers came to get me and tell me to go to the supervisors office. I told them there was no need, somehow I knew what they wanted. They came to tell me my Daddy had died. It was a Sunday morning and I still remember exactly what I was doing when they came to tell me. Fast forward 20 years (2011) and my mother died today at noon time. I am saying both of my parents died on January 20th, 20 years apart from one another.
Baptizing in cold icy water. I have read in a book “Fetch It Up Rusty” by A O Harrell, Bakersville, NC about their church having a baptism in early spring and the creek water still being cold. It was their custom to put you under three times. While baptizing one older man they had been praying for to be saved, broke away from the preacher and ran after being put down twice and later told them he had had all the religion he could stand on that cold day!