Granny’s having tree work done around her house so the sounds of chainsaws and machinery have filled the holler.
Tree cutting always reminds me of Pap and his father, Wade, who was a logger for most of his life. He was also a Baptist preacher. Because of Papaw when Pap was younger he did a lot of logging too.
I’d sit in his lap when he come in from work and play with the little piles of sawdust that had accumulated in his pockets and cuffs. My uncles and cousins also logged here and there over the years.
Whenever I smell fresh cut wood I immediately think of Papaw and his twinkling eyes.
Back in 2015 Matt and one of his friends who was a tree faller for the forest service cut the huge pines that grew above our house. It was a major undertaking that took many days since the only time they had for the job was evenings when they got in from work.
I remember Pap telling the girls “You two better pay attention to those smaller white pines. Because before you know it they’ll be as big as those they just cut and you’ll be the ones worrying about it.” White pines grow very fast and aren’t the most stable of trees so there’s always a worry about them coming down in a bad storm.
Corie recorded Pap talking about how many times the family land that surrounds us had been logged.
Hope you enjoyed hearing Pap’s voice as much as I do.
Last night’s video: The Best Mixed Grits and Easy Peasy Plum Tarts for Breakfast – So Good!
Tipper
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Priceless.❤️ aren’t you glad you are leaving so many recordings for your family? What a treasure. Pap is proud of you. Almost reminds me of Matt a little bit, talking. They say we look for qualities in our fathers.. that’s a compliment. Thank you for sharing.
Ive been very busy. Finally sat down in the swing on the porch, in the cool of the evening. Listening to your recording – makes my heart proud, as if you’re my own family. It speaks volumes for all of us. We’ve all had our own Pap and Granny. You’re very fortunate to have had them with you and carrying on … go get em, Tipper and Matt!!!!
Oh Tipper, what a precious treasure to have this recording of your daddy talking to Corie.
Oh my, hearing Pap talk is like being at the homeplace sitting on the porch. Tears leaked down my face. His voice is so familiar to my mind and heart. Thank you so very much for sharing this. One day there will be a wonderful reunion never to say goodbye again. Praise the Lord!
It’s wondrous to me that your Pap, in Appalachia, sounded exactly like my great grandpa and great uncles from the Kiamichi mountains in Eastern Oklahoma. Our folks came from Tennessee in the mid 1800’s and retained the dialect. We learn to speak like those around us. Boy howdy I miss hearing them.
Logging in the mountains involves a lot of hand cutting even to this day. There is still good hardwood timber way back on the steep mountainsides where modern machinery simply cannot go. A dozer with a long winch cable is about all they can use. Of course I’ll get some argument so I will apologize in advance. I just don’t have the credentials to back up my knowledge. Or maybe I’m just delusional.
I listened to the recording and it was very sweet to hear your daddy’s gentle voice talking to Corie—and she was so genuinely interested in what he had to say. When I smell fresh cut wood it brings back so many memories too. It makes me think of my own dad cutting firewood and all of us kids and mama helping load up his truck. It makes me think of my hubby clearing the trees off our land and building our log cabin almost forty years ago. He used a chainsaw to cut out the doors. Our cabin smelled like fresh cut wood for a long, long time. We have an outdoor wood furnace, so the smell of fresh cut wood will also forever make me think of my hubby cutting up logs into firewood and splitting it. He likes to slab logs and cut boards from them—so he smells like sawdust on most days—and I love that.
Years ago when I made the decision to heat my old farm house up in NH I had available to me almost three acres if land my then father-in-law wanted cleared. in the Spring on my days off I would travel the 40 miles to get to his land. I learned so much about felling trees during those years. it is very dangerous work. one time I chain sawed a good sized tree down and it fell where I didn’t want it to. It landed against another tree. So I carefully cut the second tree down and the two trees landed on a third. Talk about being a pickle. I worked my way under those three trees and finally cut that one correctly and all three landed with an enormous boom. Learned a couple of things that day. Plan better how to cut the tree so it falls where you need it too. I also learned that I needed to pray before I starting cutting. Another time after cutting a tree into three foot sections I started throwing them into a pile to season for the next year. After six or seven logs had hit the ground I started to feel sharp pains on my back. I thought I had backed into a thorn bush but no. My logs that I had thrown had hit a ground hornets nest. I must have ran the two minute mile to get away. A local neighbor applied ammonia to my bites and it felt better. The last time I cut on that property I had felled the tree so that it was on a slope. The upper branches keep part of the tree about three off the ground. I decided to cut the branches and as I did this the fell tree rolled towards me. I dripped to the ground and it rolled completely over me never touching me. I was so shaken that I picked up my saw, gas, and wedges and walked away from my father-in-law’s property never to return. I believe by my praying before cutting saved my life. I love the smell of cut wood and a good wood burning stove. Again thank you for a beautiful memory.
I enjoyed hearing Pap talk with Corie about logging. My husband and his family lived near a sawmill, and I remember how wonderful it smelled. Loggers have a hard and dangerous job and one quick turn on a truck and if the logs shift, you have a real problem. My friend’s husband was a trucker, and it can get scarry.
That was so great! I’ve always wondered what he sounded like. I wish you had some interviews with him to share. I wish I had my dad’s voice on tape I would love to hear it again. I know you treasure that tape. Always praying for granny.
Dear Tipper,
What a lovely treasure listening to your dad speak today. The only thing I can say is you and family are so lucky to have that recording. I remember my dad so vividly talking to his grandchildren. Explaining and teaching just like your dad, but of course I don’t have a recording of it. I just think that’s the most special thing in the whole world. I know you have lots of him singing and playing guitar but an actual moment of three generations in the conversation is a lifetime treasure. It was a joy to finally put a voice to your dad’s pictures. Thank you for sharing this with all the readers and subscribers on your channel I know they will feel the same way I did.
Warmly, Esme’
“Esme” is that pronounced like our hillbilly version of “it’s me”? I like it! I wish had thought of it. Guess I’ll have to be something else.
Aunt Me, That is so sweet of you to say. It’s said like, Ezmae.I think that’s the best phonetic spelling I could do. But you can say it any way you want. As my mom used to say call Me anything you want, “but don’t call me late for dinner” Have a fantastic day!
Thanks Tipper,
I enjoyed hearing Pap.
Hearing Pap talk with Corie took me back to sitting around listening to grandparents, aunts, and uncles discuss all sorts of things. The knowledge and wisdom they had and passed along was (and is) so valuable. What a treasure to have that recorded!
What a blessing that Corie recorded Pap. I truly enjoyed listening to him talk about the land, who bought it, who and when it had been cut. Corie did a good job asking him questions to keep his conversation going. Thank you for sharing her recording of Pap talking. I even heard Granny talk a little at the beginning. What a treasure you have in this recording and great memories of the day it was recorded.
So sweet to hear Pap’s voice talking about tree cutting. My Haynes line in Waterloo, AL was in the lumber business. My Grandfather would buy so many acres of land and take his men in, which at that time used mules to pull out the timber. They would bring in their sawmill and cut it into lumber. That was a tough, tough job! I can remember my one uncle saying he wouldn’t let a white pine grow by his house. When we bought our last house it had little white pines by one side of the house. He and Pap were right, they grow fast and are weak trees even though beautiful to look at and smell:) We had them cut down and the tree cutters just ground them all up. I thought my Great-Grandfather and Grandfather would have loved to have had the newer equipment they have today to cut down trees. Pin Hook is a unusual town name and there is a Pin Hook, Al too:)
Pap’s voice seems so familiar but I can’t say just why. Partly the subject (Dad was a logger for awhile), partly just because it sounds ‘right’ (like home folks). I could also follow the course of it because it was a recap of what I found through aging trees during my years in the woods and also from reading about Appalachian forest history. About every twenty years there will be more timber products to be sold. Owning timberland was a financial reserve against the hard times.
Thanks for sharing this recording of Pap’s voice. What a treasure this and other recordings are for the family. Now and future generations.
I grew up on an ATFS certified tree farm.
All I can manage to say is “TIMBERRRRRR!!!!!!” After I had all the hickory trees from Helene blow over and mess up my roof, driveway and yard and I am not done yet getting it all back like it was, I don’t blame you in the least for getting those trees taken care of. I think wood smells wonderful too. I like a crackling campfire too with hot coffee on. Yall be safe out there and my prayers go with you cause that is highly dangerous work!!!! I looked up the Folk school you worked at and it really IS a big deal, Tipper. That’s a world famous place…. God bless you fine folks! Lord watch over granny and them babies!!!
I wish I could afford to get some trees cut down here near the house, it scares me to death every time it comes with big storm, there’s no way to escape one if it falls, Big tall pines, God bless Granny Wilson
What a treasure to be able to hear Pap’s voice. it’s so smooth and soothing. He has the familiar cadence of voices I grew up hearing. Thanks for sharing this. You made my day start of with a peaceful feeling and a smile of enjoyment. Much love, Jane
I ran a chain saw for many years cutting both firewood and pulpwood when it was cut in 5ft lengths and loaded crossways across the frame behind the cab of a beat up pulpwood truck. Your clothes would smell not only from the sawdust, but also from the gas/oil exhaust fumes from the two stroke chainsaw engine. Nowadays, a chainsaw it not used as much with the modern day equipment used for logging, a person seldom leaves the cab of the equipment from the time the tree is cut until it is loaded on a transfer truck and carried to the mill.
Sunday morning, I mentioned the bad thunderstorm we had Saturday night. I had to get out and do a little bit of “ running around” yesterday and saw trees blown over and one home with the front porch crushed by a large oak tree. It brought back memories of Helene. My power was off for about 10 hours after the storm. Seems like the storms have been worse this year, especially the wind, after today, more predicted for rest of the week on through the weekend.