The 1974 Winter Edition of the Foxfire Magazine contains a compilation of newspaper articles written by Harvey Miller. At the time of the magazine’s publication Miller’s weekly column had been around for sixty years and was still being published in the Tri-County News located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
Here are a few of the February excerpts from the magazine.
Be sure to jump over to the Foxfire website and poke around. They are still publishing the magazine and those wonderful Foxfire Books too.
1959
“Ole Ern” came back to the Carolina mountain area Monday, Feb. 2, not as a hitch-hiker again but in search of a man who befriended him some 25 years ago.
The famous singer, Tennessee Ernie Ford, now of California, made a fruitless search at Bee Log in Yancey County for Sam Peak who took him in and put him up for the night those many years ago. Ford said for breakfast, the man gave him “fried pumpkin pie and fatback.”
After an extensive search “Ole Ern” found the man on that hitch-hiked trip who gave him something to eat and a bed to sleep in. He now lives in Tennessee just outside Erwin in Banner Hill section. He had a long chat with Mr. and Mrs. Peak, now very aged, but who recalled his visit and still recognized him as an old country boy.
Ford was accompanied on the trip by his father and traveling secretary.
H.J. Miller and family observed supposedly a large weather balloon drifting over the Pigeon Roost section in a northward direction on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 5. No one else besides the Miller family as we know of saw the object slowly floating ever onward as far as the eyes could see. The object was in shape and color of a long hornet nest.
Blaine Ray, who resides here at Pigeon Roost, and is an employee of the U.S. Forest Service, reported that the bluebird has already taken up abode in his bird house. Ray said the bluebird is always the first migrant of spring.
2/19/59
1961
Mrs. Senia Ray, a resident of the Pigeon Roost area, reported that she has a “pet” redbird that she has seen about every day this winter.
The redbird first alights on her clothes line wire stretched near her home, where it makes a noisy call, and when Mrs. Ray puts more food on the feeding board, the beautiful bird then promptly comes to the feeding station which is nearer her doorsill to eat.
There is an old saying that is still going the rounds here about the redbird—when you hear its noisy song during a dry weather spell, it’s a good sign of it going to rain.
There is another saying used about the redbird by the unmarried girls. When they see a redbird sitting far up on a limb of a tree and making its noisy chat and these young girls will begin to quote out loud, “Redbird, redbird, fly to my right hand and I will see my sweetheart by next Saturday night.”
I have learned of a family in the Pigeon Roost area who has in their family Bible that has been handed down from generation to generation a feather from a wing of a redbird that is believed to be about 75 years old. The feather is always kept at a certain passage in the Bible where the scripture reads about birds.
2/23/61
I love the story of Tennessee Ernie Ford going back to find the Peaks. That breakfast of fried pumpkin pie and fatback must have really been some good eating 🙂 I’m sure the kindness and generosity of the couple helped make a lasting impression too.
I’ve never heard either of the redbird sayings. Have you?
Tipper
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Always enjoy hearing about what was going on in Pigeon Roost. It sure was nice that back in the day you could take in strangers and not think twice about it. Unfortunately, times are so different these days that it would be way too dangerous to take in strangers and that is sad.
I have never heard of those redbird sayings, but I thought the family that kept the feather of a redbird in their Bible all those years was really special.
I am not normally a name-dropper, but I got to meet Mr. Ford once, at a National Wild Turkey Federation convention in Charleston, SC, and photographed him with lots of people. He was so patient with everyone, and signed lots of autographs. He was nice, easy-going, and still a country boy to the bone. My best shot was of him in a chair, completely surrounded by Citadel cadets.
I love the story about how the old country boy never forgot the kindness of a stranger even after he became famous. I read a story about a lady making small talk with a man who had a somewhat unkept appearance behind her in line at a local grocery store. She offered to pay for his few items as she thought that was all he could afford. It turns out he was a famous actor whose name I can’t remember who ended up paying for her groceries. Just be kind to everyone and you will be repaid by them or the Lord. Bluebirds have taken over the field in front of my house. I hope they are predicting spring but with our winter storm warning, it’s hard to imagine warm weather anytime soon.
yes I have heard the one about the red bird flying to the right–my mother use to say it but there was another part as to what happened if bird flew to the left unfortunately I do not remember what it was–the cardinal was my mom’s favorite bird although i think if she had ever seen a painted bunting she might have been persuaded to add it for a tie of which was her favorite. It has the feel of single digit temperatures today and we are due to have precipitation (snow rain sleet) which I pray either does not come or if it does that it will not cause power outages. Stay safe and warm
#1. Fancy “Tennessee” Ernie looking them up after 25 years. Good of them first and of him second. Clearly he never “got above his raisin”. #2.About your question , Randy, I had the thought this past Sunday that we are now cocooned in so many protections they have weakened our faith. And I would say they have weakened our connectedness to. We don’t expect to have to depend on one another for much of anything anymore. #3. Had not heard the red bird sayings. Always lifts ones’ spirits to see and/or hear them. I recall those men’s Sunday straw hats often had a small feather accent in the band. A redbird feather would have been a good one. #4. I’ll wish you an early Happy You-You, Randy (our toddler son’s fondly-remembered rendition of ” birthday”) in case I miss Thursday. I’ll ask that you have an unexpected blessing.
Redbirds were my mother’s favorite bird. A verrry long time ago she introduced me to the books of Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924). Porter grew up in the beautiful wilderness area of Limberlost Swamp in northern Indiana near where my mother was from. Sadly, it is now a developed tourist area and I have visited Porter’s lodge. Porter wrote many books, including “Girl of the Limberlost”. A movie was made from that book. Porter wrote “Song of the Cardinal”, as a love story between two cardinals and described what each song meant. The original book had beautifully colored art of the birds.
Sorry to say this, I’m looking at the weather it’s dropped to 16, wind chill -2…. February of 2021 was a bad ice storm that took down 50 year old trees, which they got the pruning of a life time.
Come on spring…you can do it!!
Good morning from Central Oklahoma!! Well, I just opened the door to let the fur babies out. Oh dear we have a problem Houston!! It’s 18 feels like 2, currently sleeting and the wind is so strong from the north, it would blow Glenda the good witch off her broom!! I do believe the northern has hit!! Burrrrr
I pray for all those that went through Helene, recent flooding, tornadoes, fires….all those that have lost everything!! The farmers and ranchers that have cattle…God Bless you and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for growing the food that we so enjoy! Just watching them putting cattle cubes and 3-4 round bales of hay out everyday ,breaking the ice.
It is brutal out there!
Please stay warm and keep your fur babies inside!!
Prayers for Granny and all the prayer requests..love to All.
Thank you Tipper and family for all that you do.
I love the story of Tennessee Ernie Ford—so heartwarming to know he appreciated the Peaks kindness so much—even after he was famous. Every year we had cardinals nesting in a huge forsythia bush beside our house. I love the old saying that says “cardinals appear when angels are near.” I am not sure where they will go now. We took the giant bush out to make way for a garage we hope to build this spring. I will miss seeing them out my window. I have been hearing birds—not sure what kind—singing in the mornings. Spring must be right around the corner. It’s 12 degrees, so it’s not here yet.
When I read the saying by the girls wanting to have a sweetheart, J thought that it sounded like something Charline Darling would have said! lol. Always loved TEF!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UORNKJ8x1M
Redbirds are here year round, along with the sparrows and several other birds. I’ve been seeing bluebirds for the past few weeks and I always think of my father-in-law as they were his favorite. Mine has long been the little Carolina Wrens but I am really enjoying the Northern Mockingbirds lately.
Melanie, I am sorry to say I did this when I was a young boy with a BB gun. All birds were fair targets as long as it was not a red bird or mockingbird. My Granddaddy would have beat my hind end to a fair thee well if I had shot one of them, it wouldn’t have held shucks when he finished with it! Those two birds were his favorites.
Never heard the sayings about the redbirds before either. I too enjoyed the part about Tennessee Ernie Ford.
I’ve never heard of the redbird sayings. I wonder what type of bird they’re calling a “redbird”? A cardinal? We used to have an older man who wrote a column like this in a local newspaper until he passed away about 2.5 years ago. I feel we lost a real gem. I really looked forward to his column every month and I miss it.
A redbird is a cardinal. The males are bright red with a crest, and the females are brownish red with a crest. They are at my feeder all the time and are very territorial. They will chase the other birds off the feeder.
Mr. Ford looking up the people that had once helped him makes me think of how it was at one time. People helped out one another, even strangers, and didn’t worry about being harmed. Nowadays, there is a good chance you would be robbed or killed if you took a stranger in like that.I don’t know if this is true, but have heard this story about a restaurant no longer in business at Anderson, SC, named Katerine’s Kitchen, the original was located at the Gainesville, Ga exit off of I 85. It was started by a family that would take travelers into the home over night and be fed ham biscuits for breakfast. The ham was from the families own hogs and cured by them. They were some of the best I have ever ate. One of the travelers suggested they open a restaurant. In two days, I will be 71 years old, I do not understand why or what has changed the characters or attitudes of so many of the American people in my lifetime.
The bluebirds are now being seen and daffodils are coming up. I have been feeding Redbirds all winter and have a yard full of them.
I think the problem with people is that they do not have God in their lives.
Cynthia, I think that is very large part of the problem. To me, a large part of America and it’s people have turned their backs to God and His teachings.