Have any of you read the Foxfire books? They are fascinating!! My dad bought me my first one, and I have accumulated a few over the years. I have found them at yard sales. I need to finish the set.
There was a Foxfire newsletter/newspaper run by a high school in Georgia. The advisor and many of his journalism students over the years, went out and interviewed the folks of Appalachia.
Many of these people relayed stories of their childhood and their memories of growing up in the area.
Some parts are hard to understand - as it is written in quotes, just as they say things!
I have no plans on ever butchering a hog or milking goats - but there is so much to learn from these books. These people had hootspa!!!!!! They never waiver and they worked their bums off. They had fun, they had great families and they worked.
We complain about the price of beef or that chicken is in short supply at the store - well, they didn't have to worry about that. They ate what they caught. Not just deer and maybe a rabbit or squirrel as we would think. They ate opossum, groundhog, racoon, wild birds, beaver, wild hogs, snake, bear, or whatever they could get!!!!! Fishing was huge.
They foraged for all kinds of plants. Sure, they grew gardens when and where they could - but they ate lots of things. Tons of wild plants. Cattails, wild herbs, mushrooms, berries, roots......you name it, they found it and used it.
Many communities had a small general store - but big stores were a CITY thing. If you needed things your made them. Baskets, buckets, crates, brooms, clothes (flour sacks used a lot), musical instruments, bedding, many medicines and even alcohol!
Creative minds were the norm! They may not have had a lot of book education back in the mountains, but these people were smart beyond smart. They survived and could do and figure out just about anything.
If you get the chance, take a journey to the deep mountains and get ready to be entertained. I would have loved to have been one of those students that went out to do the interviews! What an experience that would have been.
I have always been interested in the old ways, the rural areas of America, and just those who live a simpler (not easier) life.
I think these books should be mandatory reading material for students. I know that would never happen, as not many have any interest in the ways of old.
I guess it just amazes me how 'soft' life has become in general. We have bright and shiny stores that are filled with all kinds of goods - yet we complain if supplies are low, or our favorite "treat" is not in stock. We complain about prices and choices. We drive our fancy cars that are air conditioned to get there. We store our stuff in our nicely cooled or heated homes in fancy refrigerators. We flip a switch and have lights and water and heat. Such luxuries were not had or experienced by many of these people. We are just blessed so much more than we can fathom.
So, if you ever need something different to read, look these books up (hopefully libraries carry) and take a journey to another place and way of life. It is very humbling, to be sure.
I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!
Oh, I'm an admitted WIMP when it comes to that harsh life! Remember those reality type shows that PBS did like Pioneer House and such? No question I would've signed right up in my younger days. I watched the show and wondered why the producers picked the whiny spoiled families they picked! I would have much preferred to see people who truly wanted to*be* those pioneers for that time. I can only imagine the lessons and gratitude I'd come away with!! Instead, it was whine, whine, whine about everything! Well, what did they expect? Those people worked HARD. Their survival depended on it! They didn't have the option to do things when it was cooler, or they felt like it, or whatever.
ReplyDeleteMy friend has orchards. She makes jam and syrups every year. When harvest is near, she goes every day to check when the fruit is perfect. When it is. She immediately picks and gathers. She said that one year, she was just lazy and waited a day. When she returned, she found dozens of animals surrounding the trees. Deer, raccoons, birds, etc. They ate or ruined everything! Now imagine there's no market!
I have tremendous respect for our ancestors. I am truly blessed. And am truly a big softie!! BUT, I am smart enough to know it!
Koodo's to you - at least you can admit it!!!! Yes, most of us are softies. I could do a lot if I had to. I remember those shows - they were fun - but frustrating to watch. You are right - whiney butts for sure.
DeleteI guess she learned a valuable lessons. Indeed, our ancestors had to jump in and DO when it was there or they went hungry. I don't think they had a lazy bone in their bodies.
Hear! Hear! I joke that we were the original organic farmers - if we didn't grow it, pick it or kill it, we didn't eat. We weren't making our own buckets and ropes but we were self-sufficient when it came to food, although we didn't grind our own flour. Making do has followed me into my adulthood as well as a gratitude for what there is. We are a spoiled generation in this neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteThat is how it was! Grow it, kill it, find it or nothing!
DeleteSo enterprising and wonderful in every way. Talk about fresh food!
You learned great and valuable lessons. We never know when those lessons may need to be used again.
Yeppers, we are spoiled for sure.
I have never heard of those books but they sound like they are worth looking for. We have been so thankful for our comfortable air conditioned house with this heat wave. Yup! We are soft but I am thankful that at this age and time in our lives we don't have to work that hard to survive!
ReplyDeleteSeriously?? I thought everyone had heard of them. They are truly classic. Non-fiction, and written in the words of the people living deep in the mountains. Much of it we would never think of doing, but there are so many good lessons. (just life lessons) It is just a journey into another type of living. Might give them a try.
DeleteMy grandparents were fairly self-sufficient and lived only about 15 miles from us, so I spent a lot of time on their small farm. My gram subscribed to Herbal Life and Mother Earth News, among other similar periodicals and I remember being fascinated with those when we spent time there. G'pa and my dad hunted every November for deer, and my dad liked to fish. They grew all kinds of vegetables and had fruit trees and a row of grapes. After they passed, hubs and I had an opportunity to purchase their farm, but we passed. We were in our 30s and living in Chicago, with other dreams and wants. Now, when I look back, I kind of wished we'd bought it. But there's no going back now, so I'll cherish those memories and the skills I learned from them over the years.
ReplyDeleteWonderful memories. Those are true treasures.
DeleteI used to subscribe to Mother Earth News and I still have most all of them - just such an epic magazine. It is still published.
Hunting and fishing - that was the meat market. Gardens the grocery. I think our folks and grandparents sure were hardy stock!
Hindsight - if we knew then what we know now. Life happened the way it was supposed to for you. ENJOY it!
Thank you for the recommendation! I've put the books on my list to read. I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for your wonderful blog. Lynn Ewing
ReplyDeleteLynn, if you like non-fiction and real-life scenarios and history - you will love them. I think there are something like 12 or 13 different books. All are gems.
DeleteThank you!!!!!
I grew up on a farm, where there was no running water...unless we ran and got it. Mom planted a huge garden every year. The bags of potatoes were stored in the cellar and lasted the entire winter. She canned or froze fruits and veg. Dad wouldn't hunt though, as he didn't like to kill anything, so she did have to buy meat. I recall helping with snapping beans, picking and shelling peas, and of course harvesting potatoes in the fall. I tend to think I take the benefits of modern life with gratitude.
ReplyDeleteWater - just flip the faucet - people have no clue what 'getting' water was like! That itself was work.
DeleteLife wasn't easy at all - work was the name of the game. It sounds like a pretty neat life you had to me.
Snapping beans on the porch - great memories!
I am ever so grateful for what I have and the ease of life today!
This blog post hits home today, Cheryl. I have a confession to make. One I've made nearly every day in prayer.
ReplyDeleteWhen we left CA at the end of March, in all the chaos, the cars were loaded with essentials for living at our son's newly-purchased house until ours was ready. I packed one suitcase of clothes and one tote of medicines and basic toiletries. I forgot ALL of my Clinique make-up & skincare products, the blow dryer... all the "girlie" stuff. For 2-1/2 months I've lived in the same 3 pairs of jeans, single pair of sneakers, tops and pjs. I did buy some tees and French terry capris for 50% off at Dollar General when the weather warmed, but couldn't justify the rest when everything I already had was in a storage unit.
Every time I've had a little pity party (that's happened), or felt weepy (that's happened, too), I've felt like a spoiled little girl. Reminding myself of the millions who--during this same time--left their homes with the clothes on their backs and what they could carry in their arms. Knowing I have shelter, convenience, the love of my family, and a new home to move into on an acre of land. All of which I'm very grateful for.
I've discovered you can be grateful for all the big & little things and still struggle, because most of us have never experienced the kind of daily life depicted in those books. So, to anyone reading this who's feeling guilty about the struggle, you're not alone. And in the end, we'll be okay. Just hang in there! --Elise
Elise - what a wonderful testimonial. Yes, we all have those days when we feel a tad lost or weepy - we wish for......
DeleteWell, it happens and we get through it. We are MUCH stronger than we think we are - thank goodness!
You are blessed indeed, as we all are.
Every morning when I am outside with my babies, I sit and say a prayer of thanks to God for all things great and small. I am surrounded by nature - and whether hot or cold - I do this every morning. I always end my day giving thanks.
We are human, and we are spoiled and from time to time and need little reminders that YES we have this!!!
It's important to be grateful for what we DO have every day, I agree. At this time there are fears, too. Sometimes very real fears. That's where your blog is a lifeline, Cheryl. This move has cost thousands more than (contractually) expected. Watching a lifetime of savings trickle down, and simultaneously the cost of virtually everything skyrocket at the same time?
DeleteYou have no idea how much your blog means to so many of us and I ask God's blessings for you every day. --Elise
I hate that you have so many financial hits and drains lately. That makes me sad.
DeleteYou are too kind. I just love what I do. I can sure use those blessings! HUGS
Elise, your story about only taking a few necessities and missing some things cuz the wait was a lot longer than expected (or fill in the blank),I can surely relate to. I feel for ya, sistah ;) Mary
DeleteFoxfire 5, 6, and 8 books are available on Abebooks(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteFound the Foxfire series when I was in college (never mind how long ago :) and absolutely love them!! In the deep South it was not unusual to find people still living pretty much like that during the 1960s. One set of my grandparents never had indoor plumbing. I remember the "adventure" of the outhouse when we would visit them and the hand pump in the kitchen. They never felt they were deprived of anything. Such were the days.
ReplyDeleteMy ex's grandparents live in far east TN - and they had an outhouse sitting directly over the stream! Heated with wood and cooked with it too. I remember walking outside and grams said "where you going?" I said to see the garden - and she said "you wouldn't catch me up there - too many snakes"! (it was on the side of a mountain). They lived in the holler. It was like going back in time and that was mid 70's.
DeleteSo many lessons we can all learn from these books.
My grandparents in SE Kansas lived like that until almost 1980. No indoor plumbing, a hand pump for the cistern for water. They never did want to move to town, didn't feel they needed to "live fancy."
DeleteI hear that. The 'kids' all paid to have plumbing put in and an indoor toilet - and they still went outdoors. Old habits!!!!
Delete"Fancy" I love it!
Girl, that is fascinating history and the Appalachian people are ancestors to so many of us (me included). There’s a lady on YouTube, “Celebrating Appalachia” who would be right down your alley. She gardens, her hub hunts and fishes, she’s 10th generation in that hollow (holler). Fascinating and sometimes sad. Our ancestors had to be tough to survive. Coming over to the New World starting with nothing….they survived, and we’re living proof. Thanks for the book suggestion.
ReplyDeleteMary in OK
The stories in the books are fascinating as well. I am so glad that this project happened and that much of their lives was documented. They did and do have it tough. There are still folks who live without many of the "necessities" we think we need. I know I had kin come from there and so did hubs.
DeleteThanks!
I love Foxfire books too. They have an account on Instagram now and I enjoy their photos.
ReplyDeleteOooohhh I will check that out. Those old pics are just amazing. Thanks
DeleteSounds a lot like what my great grandparents went through homesteading here on the prairies. I know they faced some shortages but made do with what they had, hunted for meat and if they were lucky enough to live near water fished.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that those books are very interesting. I hope you get the full set.
God bless.
I do believe we all had some ancestor somewhere in our family tree that lived like that. That was normal life back in the day. Amazingly some people still do. I have to admire them.
DeleteBlessings
I'm impressed, but not surprised, that you have some Southern roots and know about the FoxFire books. It shows in your independent self-reliant philosophy. Southern heritage is primarily agricultural with all the hard times and love of the land that goes with it. My husband & I attended the Univ. of Ga in the 1960s when we became aware of the work the Rabun Gap School students were doing to chronicle their ancestors' ways of life and survival. I think they were aware that progress would eventually destroy the 'old ways,' and their oral history project became part of the school's curriculum. At the same time, children from the remote mountains got room & board and a good education. You have an almost unique Blog and I appreciate your attitude of living deliberately.
ReplyDeleteEileen thanks for adding to the story of the students doing the work on this wonderful collection. I am so happy that this was all captured and put into print. There are still some folks who live 'way back' and still live basically like this - always amazing.
DeleteThank you for your kind words. I know blogs are a dime a dozen and I am just a dot out there. I want to give hope and show people that we can do anything and get through anything. Life is wonderful.
Good point! All things considered, we are pretty much wimps. Some folks will be prepared to live a less luxurious life and some will be gobsmacked. Whenever I feel whiney and complain, I think of the people in the world who have next to nothing. We have been watching videos on YouTube about Appalachia. Hey Mary, we watch Celebrating Appalachia also! I love the vocabulary quizzes. We watched an interview yesterday about an 87 year old who was fascinating. Here is the link to the interview with Ruby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEz8IXWOdi8
ReplyDeleteGonna be hawt again today. Our poor garden is suffering and next week won't be any better. These I go, whining...although a little rain would be nice...
We do complain - it is normal I guess. We seem to never be satisfied with what life throws at us.
DeleteSo many would love our lives - and would be extremely grateful. Others would think - those poor people. All perspective!!!!
Yepper, it is hot!
I remember when I was a kid someone gave my dad a Foxfire book as a gift. I wish I still had it. I thought it was interesting. I never see them at the thrift stores here. Probably not the right area for that.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was a farmer. My mother hated the farm. But she was the youngest of 8 born over 20 years and all she wanted to do was hang out and not do farm work and she got away with it! Lol.
I've taught my self some stuff to be self sufficient but I'm under no illusions that I'm anywhere near what my grandparents did. My mother remembers the outhouse. And my grandfather walking behind a mule to plow his land! I like to think I inherited my interests from him.
My grandfather bought his farm in the rural south during WW1. Sadly, the family is now selling it. Mom said she never felt poor growing up. And they were never hungry. They had animals and a large garden. Practically everyone was family in some fashion. They helped each other out. Life was hard too. My grandmother was raised by her sister when her mom died when she was 5 and her daddy didn't think he could take care of her. There are plenty of family stories like that. Their safety net was each other.
~~margaret
I read quite a few of the Foxfire books and loved them. I went to the outhouse at Aunt Willie's in north Mississippi even in the late 60s. I am a wimp and came by it honestly as I age. However, I am only a wimp because of allergies. I would have lived a shorter life if I lived a few generations ago. We did not have an indoor toilet until I was almost eight!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I have never heard of these books. I will be looking for them at the local book store. Sounds fascinating, although I would wimp out on the outhouse. Not that I haven't used them before!
ReplyDelete