Yes, I'm still alive, just temporarily out of order due to my latest computer blowout!

I'm hoping Santa will be quite generous this year... or family members will at least take pity on my blog-a-holic tendencies, and allow me a few minutes a week on their laptop. In either instance, I hope to back to my blogging-self within the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I would like to share some photos of our day to day life over the past couple of months.

Here's wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and a fabulous New Year!

Yes, I've been gone a while...

I've spent the past two weeks at our cabin with the remaining parvo pups that lived. We had to be quarantined to ensure that the pups at our house did not get contaminated. Phew! It's been crazy, but the things we do for our babies.

I can't say that it was a difficult time or that I did not enjoy it. The Fall colors, the morning fog, and the breathtaking views everyday definitely made life on the mountain a pleasure that I already miss. I think the puppies miss it too.









Kent and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on Oct. 7, and since I was quarantined to our cabin, we invited my daughter and her boyfriend up for fillets on the grill (compliments of my wonderful in-laws) and a good glass of merlot.


Quarantine or not... it was a very happy and peaceful anniversary.

Trey and Miranda hiked down in the woods to retrieve photos from their deer cam and found quite a surprise! Apparently a pretty large black bear decided to play field hockey with the camera. But they managed to get some really nice photos from the battered camera before taking it to be fixed.

I'll be sure to post a lot of the photos from that trip for all of you wildlife enthusiasts very soon.

I'm having great difficulty posting this, so please bare with me. The story of the past week brings tears to my eyes, not to mention that the horrible nightmare that is called "parvo" for dogs is not over yet for us.

So far it has taken the lives of four of our beautiful 4 month old puppies, two still in vet care and mom and another puppy still at home.

The complete story in detail can be read on my daughter, Miranda's, blog:
MirandaBlogSpot

I had planned a complete blog with photos of our new deer cam which I promise will be up soon. This whole ordeal has taken a toll on my whole family and with tears in my eyes I can barely type at this point.

So far we have had to put 4 of our beautiful babies down, so please pray for the two puppies that are still in vet care and not out of danger yet. We have two more at home. We also are bleaching our clothes, shoes, and will have to burn the puppy pen itself tomorrow. This is a horrendous disease which reminds me of ebola. We are strong, but we also are praying for strength. This is the ugliest suffering I have ever had to watch in my life...... even cancer in my own family.

Thank you so much for your friendship and support.

Susan, Kent, and Miranda

Our Cozy Cabin in the Woods



I'm getting ready to pack the truck and 4-wheeler with cabin supplies for the weekend. And then Kent and I will make the drive up the narrow, rocky road to our cozy retreat. (As soon as he gets home from golfing. Ha!)






We put up a deer cam about a mile from our cabin last week, and we're pretty excited about it. We'd like to check on it to make sure it's still in place. With deer and bear running through the woods, you never know what shape it might be in.






There were many days that I stood on our cabin porch last Summer and early Fall and watched the deer graze in the field above us. It was usually the same doe and her two fawns. Occasionally a large buck would run through the middle of them and down the hill through the woods. I swear the porch shook as he thundered past our cabin.

With that in mind, keep an eye out for a new post with deer cam updates and our latest cabin adventures.

I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend.

I was tooling around the grocery store today and felt my buns clinching along with my wallet. My eyes even began to water as they bugged out on prices.

If you're like me, and feel like you've been paying more for groceries lately, you're definitely onto something. Why the difference? Unfortunately, the rising gas prices that are pinching your wallet at the pump also have a big effect on groceries. Fuel is needed to process the foods and truck them across the country. Prices for fruits and vegetables as well as milk, wine and ground beef are all on the rise.

Also, the high prices of gasoline have increased the demand for corn-based ethanol, which drives up the price of corn as well as other foods. Half of the corn produced in the U.S. is used to feed livestock that supply meat and dairy products, and corn is used in many food products (just think how many items contain high-fructose corn syrup or use corn oil).

With this is mind, if we are all to keep paying these prices, we should definitely be paying it locally. Support your local economy and your local farmers by patronizing our local farmer's markets, local grocers, and produce stands.

After I put away my grocery purchases and sat down at the computer, I decided it was time that blogging to my friends and readers wasn't all that I could do. I think a letter to the editor of my local newspaper is in order. I will let you know the outcome soon.

I just can't get this little tune out of my head tonight:

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel;

The monkey thought 'twas all in good fun

Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,

A penny for a needle—

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

Goodnight my friends!

We all will enjoy the cooler days of Fall that is certain, but I will miss the hot days of summer. I enjoy all that summer can bring.

I will miss the thunder showers and the dew covered mornings. I will miss the yellow squash and the fresh tomatoes hanging on the vines. I will miss the smell of hay that is newly mowed and the cool nights after the sun sets with sheet lightning in the distance. I will miss fireflies lighting my sky.






I will miss the frogs groaning in the pond, and the I will miss the barefoot opportunities that exist to wander about my yard. I will just miss the whole season.





But Fall is in the air, and so the farm, grass, and animals are welcoming the cooler evening temps. And, I guess that I am too.

'Fall' conjures up visions of gourds, pumpkins, fodder shocks, and colorful leaves. The local farmers market is still being stocked with fresh veggies, herbs, and flowers each week, but I suspect it won't be long before those wonderful Fall colors will splash through the market and give everyone Fall Fever.

I've also noticed that the new market grows each week. Each Saturday, the locals ascend upon the town for a few hours to pick over the freshest of the fruit and veggies as they socialize and catch up with friends and new neighbors. There are a smattering of children from time to time, but they're usually running about playing with new friends or shyly hiding behind mom's skirt. I think it would be wonderful to include the young in this new market; teach them about the farms and what they produce for our table. With that in mind, I will close this blog. I think I will be bringing that idea up this Saturday. "Children Grow at the Market".

Oh wow. I feel so unabashedly ashamed....well.....maybe a little bit apologetic for neglecting my readers.

Hello. My name is Susan, and I am an Olympic-aholic!

I promise to blog on my regular basis as soon as this entire Olympic TV Feast is over.

Michael Phelps, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, swimming, gymnastics, weight lifting, diving, rowing, pole vaulting....... uhm..... and so much more. I get to watch a plethora of all-time star athletes perform in one location. WOW!

Until then... I leave you with this thought:

No matter how many material possessions you accumulate in your lifetime, the only thing you will ever truly own is your reputation.

I returned home to the Appalachians of Southwest Virginia a couple of years ago. After the deaths of my mother and grandparents, I decided it was time to bring my daughter and my soul back to my roots. I grew up in this mountainous land; proud of our Scotch-Irish and Cherokee heritage along with the coal boom that made us who we are.

I still wear jeans and boots in these woods, and I still use coal on my fire for warmth. And now I'd like to share an article about the necessities of these things within a community bonded by a railroad.

I wrote this article for a webzine that I introduced to this area in an attempt to bridge the gap of time over state lines including, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The webzine failed after only a few months, but much like my very stubborn predecessors, I haven't given up quite yet.

For over two hundred years now the people of the Appalachians have believed in this area we call home.

Those Things That Bind Us

by Susan Carty Okeson

Like most small-town kids, I grew up in bib overalls.

At remote rural crossings, we used to wave at the engineers that donned those same overalls and count the cars as they rolled by

Growing up in southwest Virginia during the height of the Cold War, it was the reassuring sound of a distant train whistle in the early hours of the morning that meant all was well.

There is a story behind the shapes of the rivers, mountains, and caves, and even behind the locations of forests, roads, railroads, historic towns, and cities in Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.

The mountains of this area are unlike those of the Big Smokies to the east, or the Rockies to the west. This area has been described as a deeply-eroded plateau, with chasms, called hollows, following creeks, many of them several miles long. Natural springs are common and widespread. In the early years and even now they are the source of water, not only for livestock, but for family use as well.

The mountain people that poured into this region following the opening of the Cumberland Gap by Daniel Boone were predominantly of Scotch-Irish descent. They brought with them their traditions and customs from the old country. The social structure of the original Scotch-Irish people was built around the greater family.

With the coming of the big coal companies, soon followed the large-scale building of roads and railroads throughout the mountain area, followed by more and better schools.

The success of this area is inexorably linked to the expansion of those railroads along with the one mineral resource that still shapes the economy and culture in southwestern Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. After the Civil War, Northern capitalists financed railroad expansion into the coal fields of this area.

The railroad had been planned from as early as 1835, but it was many years later before any semblance of construction was begun on what would later be referred to as the costliest railroad in America. The average cost per mile was upward of $125,000, and ultimately culminated into over a thirty million dollar project as one article states back in July, 1900.

That particular article contained the story of this great railroad. It was the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railroad, completed from the great bituminous coal fields of southwestern Virginia and eastern Kentucky to the cotton mill district in South Carolina. The promoter and builder of this magnificent road was George L. Carter. Today it stands as a monument to his genius; one of the greatest pieces of railroad construction east of the Rocky Mountains.

The name "Clinchfield" is derived from the coal region of Virginia as the railroad carried the products of the Clinchfield Coal Corporation from the coal fields and mining camps of the region to distant markets in need of coal for fuel.

..... and what a railroad it was. The Clinchfield line was designed and built by Chief Engineer M. J. Caples to construction standards unheard of for its time. This railroad almost a century after its completion, remains a marvel of construction and civil engineering as it forms the backbone of the CSX railroad system today.

The Lexington and Eastern Railroad that was completed by November of 1912, which became part of C&O Railroad, ran from Breathitt County along the North Fork of the Kentucky River to McRoberts in Letcher County, Kentucky.

Today, the former Lexington and Eastern Railroad along with The Clinchfield are an integral part of CSX Transportation, which has continued to expand after its formation by merging the Chessie System and the Seaboard System into one vast transportation conglomerate.

After the railroad began to arrive in the 1880's, the Appalachian Plateau - especially those counties near the Cumberland and Pine Mountain range - shifted from subsidence agriculture to a cash economy based on lumbering and mineral extraction. Company towns were constructed and new employees recruited to man the deep mines.

A prime example of this is Pike County, Kentucky, located in the heart of the Appalachian coal fields. Pike County has been one of the principal coal producing counties in the nation since 1910. Though exploitable coal deposits in nearly every section of the county were known to geologists and others before the Civil War, their large-scale commercial development awaited the coming of the railroads in the first two decades of the twentieth century.

All of this shows us that indeed, Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky was once a destination, a place to settle between 1750-1800. That's when the valleys between the ridges were converted from forest to farm. And we have seen that the region then became a destination for capitalists and their hired labor between 1880-1920, when the timber and coal barons "harvested" the natural resources of the region.

This area is still unusually rich in minerals; however, our high school graduates continue to move away for schools and jobs - and never return. It has been rumored that we are destined to wither on the vine.

As our mothers' always told us, "don't believe everything you hear." Just because this region has always been isolated physically from population centers and market cities does not mean that circumstances can't change. We shall rely on our natural beauty, reliable workforce, relaxed way of life, easy commutes, and other characteristics of our rural communities as advantages in order to once again become that popular destination as well as bond our communities together again as it was meant to be.

,As printed in the Roanoke Times.
Roanoke, VA

Praising those who helped pass the farm bill

John Eckman, Roger Holnback and Jim Baird

Eckman is a member of the Valley Conservation Council. Holnback is a member of the Western Virginia Land Trust. Baird is the Mid-Atlantic States Director for the American Farmland Trust.

Last month, Congress enacted into law a new farm bill that will give a helping hand to our nation's hungry, stimulate rural development, help Virginia's producers withstand drought, and provide much-needed resources to foster local agriculture.

The farm bill also contains vital resources to steward our nation's land, clean our water and build wildlife habitat, with an unprecedented federal commitment to conservation. In the face of a presidential veto, leaders from this state stood up for the needs of Virginians and pushed politics aside. American Farmland Trust commends them for this leadership.

Although it's known as the farm bill, it should really be called the farm and food bill, because it meets both food production and consumption needs in our country. The bill provides more than $40 billion a year to help feed our fellow citizens who are hungry. It contains new support systems that will ensure our dairy farmers remain viable in a challenging market environment.

There is also assistance for fruit and vegetable production and marketing, enabling Americans from seniors to students greater access to healthy foods and supporting local farm markets. For these reasons alone, this legislation is vital to our region. Yet the bill does so much more.

The 2008 farm and food bill makes an unprecedented commitment to conservation. Significant new resources are provided to help working farms, improve our water quality and wildlife habitat, clean our air and to preserve our most precious natural resource -- our land. The Mid-Atlantic region's farmers will receive about $88 million more a year to clean up the waterways leading to the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia will be better able to permanently protect working farmland with new funds and reduced bureaucracy in the Farmland Protection Program and the extension of federal tax deductions for conservation easements.

Our region has directly benefited from the leadership of Rep. Bob Goodlatte, ranking Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee, who helped craft this bill and marshal it to passage. Sens. John Warner and James Webb also worked hard for this bill along with Rep. Rick Boucher and other Virginia representatives from both parties.

Our nation will benefit immensely from this new federal farm bill. Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region in particular will see tremendous environmental, nutritional and production gains.

We should all applaud those of the commonwealth's federal leaders who helped to secure these important gains.

I've noticed a few people have had problems leaving comments, so I had my daughter Miranda put together a little tutorial. The commenting is a bit tricky on blogger, but this guide should help you out!

Hope this helps! Thank you to everyone who sent me lovely messages about my blog. I appreciate you all so much.

This blog entry is brought to you in part by Miranda Wampler. haha Sorry, I've wanted to say that for a while. But seriously, I am guest-blogging today on behalf of my mom.

Yesterday we made super yummy blackberry jam. And when I say "we", I mean that my mom made it and I stood around (in the way) and took pictures. Hey, someone's gotta document it, right? I'm sayin.




In my own words, I will give you step-by-step instructions on how to make your own yummy blackberry jam (the yummy part is optional). Think of it as a "Jam for Dummies". Not that you're a dummy in any way. ;)


And now (in my best 'The Price is Right' model pose) I present to you to the easy peasy recipe:



Step-by-step with photos


1. Sterilize the jars. You can either boil them in a pot of water or wash them in the dishwasher. We opted for the dishwasher... A lot easier.





2. Get all your jam crap together. Totally not crap, but it's a mess of stuff. Jars, lids, fruit pectin, etc.





3. Measure the berries. Our recipe calls for 80 oz. (9 cups) of whole blackberries.





4. Pour all of your berries in to a large pot and set aside.





5. Measure out 7 cups of sugar and set aside.




6. Boil the berries and mash until juicy. Stir continuously until they won't boil down.




7. Stir in the fruit pectin




8. Pour in all of the sugar




9. Keep the seals and lids in extremely hot water (not boiling) until ready to use.




10. To test your jam, place a metal spoon in ice cold water. If the jam gels on the spoon, you've done well. If not, you might want to add a tad more pectin to your berry mixture.




11. Be sure to have all of your canning tools ready. This cute little kit can be found at most WalMart stores.




12. Fill each jar leaving half inch space at the top.




13. After tightening the lids, place the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to properly seal.




14. Make sure there is at least an inch or two water covering the top of the lids.




15. Remove the pot lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Take out each jar and wipe it down.




Wait 12-24 hours and enjoy!

The title almost sounds like a weather forecast. Ha!

Sorry for the bad humor. Now for the blog.











I want to apologize for not getting the photos and story to all of you waiting on the blackberry jam. I didn't realize I wasn't ready for canning on Sunday, so I opted to put this off until later this week. Stay tuned for the update.


This afternoon; however, I harvested more garden veggies for a summertime feast. I gathered a mess of beans and began stringing and breaking them to soak for dinner.










Winnie didn't think much of the whole 'stringing the green beans' process.






I slow cooked the green beans in fat bacon with baby red potatoes and corn on the cob. Dinner also consisted of pork roast and cornbread.




To top it all off, I definitely needed to use some of the berries we picked on Sunday, so it was blackberry cobbler and french vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yum!

After dinner, Kent headed for the sofa and I went back to the kitchen to start the process for freezing our abundance of tomatoes.

I finished up with the apples on Sunday, but our tomato plants are reproducing like rabbits this year. (Not that I'm complaining.) They are loving this Southwest Virginia soil. If they keep it up, we have decided to introduce them to our local farmer's market this coming Saturday. It's held here in our hometown of Big Stone Gap, VA. This is their first year working the market and it's slowly proving to be very productive for our area.

Local farms and farmers have been struggling and so I definitely want to get the word out about the importance of farmland protection for local food. With the new farm bill for the state of Virginia; it is a start to turn things around, but I am also cheering for a new "No Farms No Food" campaign spearheaded by the American Farmland Trust. You can find the link to their website under "I support" on the right side of my blog or by clicking on the American Farmland Trust link provided above.

I know how much all of you love finding fresh produce at the supermarket. Please know that you can make a difference by getting involved.

I've filled the last freezer bag of tomatoes and it's time to call it a night. Until next time...

Phew! Not sure where to begin here. Due to the heat wave and lack of rain, I realize I'm going to have to start picking apples, tomatoes, and berries to freeze and can for winter much earlier than anticipated.

So, today I'm going into my back yard to load up most of what I can still find on my June Apple Trees. Then I'm heading up the mountain on my 4-wheeler to pick blackberries along the roadside. I try not to venture into the woods this time of year. It's dangerous enough to pick berries on a mountain road. Keep in mind I will carry a firearm. That is something that just comes with the territory in these parts of the woods. And I'm quite glad that my Grandfather taught me to not only respect a handgun, but also how to shoot well. Black snakes are not my friends!

Later this evening I plan to pick the ripest of my tomatoes for freezing. Of course, I'll also be watering the garden, my ferns, flowers, plants, and puppies. They love the sprinkler in late afternoon to cool them off. They are so cute running and playing in the water as you may have seen on my blog before.










Keep in touch. I'll be back later this evening with photos.

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Kent and I have been so busy this summer, we're embarrassed to say we have not had a lot of spare time for our extended family. So, we took the opportunity this evening to spend time with my in-laws along with my daughter, Miranda, and her boyfriend, Trey, at a fabulous seafood restaurant right on the river in Kingsport, Tennessee.

If you check out their website and menu items you will notice that they also have a seafood market. Everything is fresh......by plane, by boat or catch. The service is to die for and the people are warm and inviting. I can not tell you how much we love to dine here.



And, yes, they have yummy Margaritas too!














They give great directions to the restrooms and lovely bar lights will help lead you to quench any thirst.






If you are anywhere near the tri-city area, this is definitely a worth-while taste-bud adventure.






Thank you so much for inviting us: Diane, Mike, Granddad Roat. We had a wonderful evening on the river!

This recipe comes from my daughter, Miranda. She made these for us as a late snack last night.

Makes: 12 biscuits
Overall time: 20 minutes

What you'll need:
4 peach fruit cups (drained)
2 cans mini biscuits
1/3 cup sugar
1 muffin pan



This recipe is very short and sweet.

1. Preheat the oven to somewhere between 375° and 400°F (depending on how hot your oven cooks).

2. Bring the peaches and sugar to a boil in medium sauce pan. Remove from heat.

3. In a medium size bowl, lightly mash the peaches. Try to keep some big chunks in there.

4. Grease your muffin pan and place one mini biscuit in the bottom of each.



5. Add a layer of the peaches on top of the biscuit.



6. Top the peaches with another biscuit layer.





7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.



8. Remove from oven, sprinkle the top with a little extra sugar (brown) and serve with your favorite ice cream. Yum! You can even serve with nuts or cinnamon.