Hi, Folks. Meet Ealy Franklin Banks. She was the oldest child of William Duckworth Franklin & Nancy Bowman Franklin, having been born on January 17, 1827 in the Shelton Laurel Community of Madison County, North Carolina. I’ve heard that she was actually fathered by legendary silver counterfeiter Duck Shelton but…
My mother’s family never had a Christmas tree. Momma would tell me about how she used to see them in the stores in town and that she often wished for one. Her first tree was the year she got married, 1947. She told me that one day Daddy came home…
In the very center of my grateful heart, an empty spot reveals itself from time to time. Today is one of those times. This Thanksgiving Day, I find my heart longing for my mountain home and the family I held so dear. I imagine most of you know that feeling…
It was my Mother’s fault and it was, I believe, intentional–she made Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. When you grow up in a world where family is everything and you have to work year-around, taking time out to thank God for your blessings in the presence of that family becomes the…
It’s summer in Ashe County. The little girl is up early, her blond hair in a rat’s nest from snuggling up to her mother while soundly sleeping. Mommy is already up and in the kitchen. The little girl hates that she missed helping her mother wind up her brown hair.…
We awakened that Thanksgiving morning to a world drained of color. Steamed up windows with frost around the edges told Libby and me that we now lived in a world of pure white. The excitement of what lay outside pulled us right out from under our electric blanket to run…
Hi, Folks! There are a ton of tales and legends to be told about our history & culture. However, this week I have decided to do something simple. As the old saying goes, “The tales they could tell if these mountains could talk”. I’ve decided to let them speak for…
Wiping the sleep out of my still half-closed eyes, I stumbled down into the den already aware that no electricity meant something had gone wrong during the night. My eyes lit on Daddy, who sat in his big recliner, and immediately, my stomach sank, and my heart jammed into my…
Hi, Folks! Last week I told y’all of my Uncle Obery Tweed’s challenge that was met by future North Carolina Speaker Liston B. Ramsey. I promised a follow up. To be honest, I have racked my brain on how to write the story. Here is what I came up with……….…
Hello Friends, Monday was Halloween, and despite living in a community full of children, we had no trick-or-treaters. For several years, we turned on our porch light, ready to answer that unmistakable call to deliver various nuggets of almost pure sugar into bags held out by bright-eyed, eager kids. But…
