Gosh! Isn't that a phrase we've all heard time and time again? "Better late than never." I know I heard it a lot growing up. And it suits my life, the material in this blog and the blog itself quite well. If you check the dates, you will find that I have neglected my wonderful blog page for almost 8 months. Yikes!!! I went back and reread every page and I remembered why I loved this old blog. I enjoyed sharing my everyday; albeit humdrum, life with all of you. Good memories on this old farm, great recipes, fun times, and Miranda's beautiful photography. If you decide to peruse this website, please notice that after scrolling to the bottom of each page, you can click on 'older posts'. There are quite a few pages if you are interested. I know I had fun with each and every one of them!

So... here I am again! YAY!!!



After the crazy winter weather we had that seemed to last forever, it was difficult to even begin yard work, fencing, and gardening this year. So, for the past couple of weeks (yes, it is May) Kent and I have tried to finally get these things checked off of our "to-do" list. Mowing, trimming, mulch, removing limbs, branches and twigs from the yard, and yes... finally tilling our small garden. Flowers will have to wait until next weekend.





This has been a good start to getting back into blogging... I have missed you my friends!

Phew! I've done it again, haven't I? Neglected my blog and stayed away too long. But I've taken care of the farm, garden, house, cabin, etc. enough that I should be able to get back into the swing of things again.


This particular blog is "all" about my dad, a.k.a. "Buddy" or Larry Carty. I got to spend quite a bit of time with him this past weekend due to the Powell Valley High School 1960-1969 class reunion held here in Big Stone Gap, VA. He and my mom were the first graduating class at Powell Valley in 1960. I think that it is pretty cool... as well as the fact that I graduated from PVHS, myself, only 20 years later in 1980.






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My dad also made a big announcement on his visit here with friends and family. He brought along his lady friend and fiance, Wanda. She was a delight! We got to spend a lot of time with both of them at our cabin up at Huff Rock the Sunday/ Monday after the reunion

















Toward the end of the visit, we retreated back to the old farm house and dad took Wanda on a tour of the area. And my daughter (the photographer), Miranda, got to spend some quality time shooting their engagement photos on and around the farm. Lots of good food, laughter, and memories shared that weekend. I'm glad I got to share it with my "blog" friends.






Until next time...

Kent and I spent most of the weekend doing yard work. Cleared the rocks, sticks, and large branches from around the trees and hauled in mulch, mulch, and more mulch.









After several hours taking care of the three large trees in the front yard and replacing the stone border, it was time to take care of the ugly patches around the house. We're going to add the stone border next and do some reseeding.




Sheesh! The grass took a beating this winter, huh?


...and look at my famous "mulching outfit". Ha!

Filling in holes, raking it smooth, whistling a tune, and dancing in clogs. Wheeee!


Yes, I'm a yard-workin' fashionista.










We finished the weekend tilling the garden and mulching our little fire pit sitting-area.

It's small, but so nice for hanging out in the evening.

Note: the grill is close by. Ah yes. Nothing better than grilling fresh meat and veggies and then sitting by the fire with a cold one. It won't be long now.







Mister Bunny is back where he belongs, now all that is left is to fill the garden with lots of beautiful flowering plants and veggies.

I can't wait!


More yard work is on the way, along with repainting the large wrap around porch, flower pots, and rockers.















Yessss, I love Spring!

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.

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 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.

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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.

The above title was taken from my daughter, Mira's Flickr site. By now everyone should know she wears her camera around her neck 24/7. So it didn't surprise me when I found my pasta on the internet.


Now don't get too excited. The recipe is so easy my dog could make it..... well, close.

Since the garden has been booming this past month, we have been eating a lot of dishes based on these wonderfully colored veggies. I have had a sore throat and the sniffles all day......due in part to the fact that I rode my 4-wheeler in the rain Saturday night, but...... life goes on. So, I opted for a short cut dinner.

Italian Herb, Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Pasta

* 2 medium garden sized squash
* 1 large garden zucchini
* 1 medium garden red tomato
* 1 medium garden banana pepper
* 1/2 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
* Black pepper to taste
* Fettuccini noodles (serving for 4)
* Dash of olive oil

Set water to boil for the pasta with a dash of olive oil.

Rinse and slice up the garden veggies to your liking and place in sauce pan heated to medium. Pour 1/2 bottle of Italian Dressing onto veggies and cover. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and add black pepper to taste. Fettuccini noodles should be ready for the colander. Combine and commence eating. Yum!

Oh. We did add garlic bread to the menu as an afterthought. Super Yum!

I just took two Tylenol and I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow is always a better day.

G'night!

Although my blog is entitled "Writing in the Mountains", I have been asked by so many people about my life in the Arctic that I think I will take this opportunity to write about some of my wonderful adventures during the eight years that I lived at the "Top of the World."

It is difficult to know where to begin. I moved to the Arctic on July 1, 1997. Actually, a permanent move was not in my thoughts that day. I was having a difficult time with a separation and my friends decided I needed a break from my tears and heartache. So, I packed a couple of bags and flew myself and my daughter to Barrow, Alaska to get away from it all. This was going to be a new and wonderful adventure! And it was...

I was immediately introduced to the Native Culture and the children. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with those children. I had been teaching dance to children already for about 15 years, so it was just a natural thought that I should offer my talents here in Barrow. Now keep in mind that they still had their own cultural dances, but they also had very little outside influence in their culture; i.e., ballet, classical music, and the arts; except what little they were exposed to in school.

I opened "The Academy of Performing Arts" school of dance in September of 1997 in Barrow, Alaska to fulfill a dream to teach these children along with the desire to become a big part of their lives along with the community. I taught Kinderdance to very young children ages 3-5 to socialize them and teach them about ballet, tap, and tumbling. I also offered regular ballet classes to varied age groups along with tap, jazz, hip-hop, and gymnastics.

For the next eight years, I had the time of my life!

During these years, I had the wonderful distinction of becoming the Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Arctic Slope. I not only planned, organized, managed, and directed the overall Unit/Branch programs, but I also helped to develop a cooperative relationship between our members and the public, through their involvement with civic groups, social agencies, and entertaining at community functions. They created and printed their own monthly newsletter and took pride in helping the elderly.

The City of Barrow was kind enough to provide us with a building; however, it was quite old and in heavy need of repairs. The water was either freezing or pipes were bursting which would shut us down quite often. Through my recent visits over the past two years, I have come to understand that the building is currently shut down for repairs and no one seems to know when it will be suitable to house the Boys & Girls Club again. It's a shame. These kids really enjoyed having somewhere to go every afternoon after school. Upon my visit again this coming Fall, I hope to find a much repaired building or maybe even a new one. I will be sure to update on that.

Note: the house pictured here on the left is not the Boys & Girls Club. (ha ha) This house is actually not that old and also the house I lived in while I was in Barrow. All houses are built up on pilings because of the constant freezing and thawing of the tundra.




Of course my personal life was filled with wonderful friends and weekly get-togethers. Due to the harsh climate and many months of darkness, we created our own fun to disuade the boredom. Most of my friends were either school teachers or research scientists. We broke up the week by spending Wednesday evenings having dinner together and then playing board games or cards for several hours. Then weekends, of course, were spent similarly. The host location might change, but we still tried to get together at least twice a week. Barrow, statistically, has the highest suicide rate in the US due to so many months of darkness; along with the fact that it is so far from the 'real' world. Socializing on a regular basis, laughing, joking, playing games, and having fun kept us all sane in such a harsh and difficult environment. I made some wonderful friends. Lifetime friends.


Since the Alaskan Arctic is also teeming with wildlife and beautiful scenery, I also took the opportunity to take thousands of photos over the course of those years. I can't possibly share all of them with you, but I do want to share some of my favorites.


Keep in mind that the Inupiaq Eskimos still believe in subsistence living, and I, for one, have a great respect for their way of life. They do not abuse or neglect it. They not only eat the meat, but use every inch of each animal for their very existence, just as their ancestors did before them.








It was a very surreal experience. It may not be for everyone, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you get the chance to visit Barrow, I doubt you will regret it.


Footnote:

The Barrow Whaler's Football Team is now the most northern US High School football team in the world. It is also the most expensive piece of turf @ $1 million dollar price tag. They have no fancy scoreboard or seating for fans. This is just the cost of the field itself. It was a difficult project due to the fact that there is 'no' grass in Barrow and the weight of the turf made for a very spendy flight. This was built on dirt and sand.......not even tundra. But according to Barrow fans and ESPN, this was a fabulous and historic feat! (yes, that is me sitting on the 50 yard line........GO WHALERS!)

After a long day running errands, picking up around the yard, taking care of pups, weeding the garden, watering plants and the garden, etc. You get the picture. Our usual stuff. We got a little hungry. After a show of hands, grilled chicken won the vote.

As much as I love to eat, sometimes the preparation and cook times can be a little long on Southern foods, so I opted for a quick and easy method for grilling this evening. This is my quick and easy recipe for:







Italian Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

* 2 lbs. chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips
* 2 -8 oz. packages of portobello mushrooms
* 2 medium sized yellow squash
* 1 large zucchini
* 2 bell peppers (We chose orange and yellow to add color)
* 1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
* 1 dozen wooden skewers soaked in water (or metal if you have them)
* Basting brush

Pre-heat grill to medium heat.

Rinse the chicken and place in shallow dish. Add half bottle Italian dressing and let marinate in fridge for 15 minutes while cutting the veggies.

Rinse all veggies. Slice squash and zucchini into round, bite-sized pieces. Core and discard seeds of bell peppers and slice into nice sized pieces. Mushrooms remain whole with stems. Place veggies in any order on skewers for a beautiful colorful display or how you like. Baste each veggie skewer with the Italian dressing.

Place skewers and chicken on the pre-heated grill. You may also place the basted zucchini directly on grill as we did. Cook time about 8 minutes on each side of chicken while continuing to roll the skewers. Continue to baste the veggies and the chicken while it is on the grill for a perfect juicy taste.



After dinner, the evening air temp was around 65 degrees. Not too warm or too cool, so we decided to use our fire pit. I enjoyed the fire with a nice glass of wine. My husband, of course, with his cold brew. And my daughter played with her camera....... nothing new there.


The ghost is coming to get Kent.

Waiting for the fire to calm down a bit before getting comfy.

We love Friday Night "fire pit" night!

I snuggled pups, worked in the garden, and cleaned the pool this afternoon. And after a short nap this evening, I crept into my office to work.

I am up in the wee hours of the morn struggling with some character flaws in a novel I have been working on for some time. It's not a common practice to share my writing with others, but for the first time, I thought I would.

I enjoy so much making new friends on the the internet through MySpace and my new blog site. I often get asked, "what do I do, exactly." And I giggle a little bit because my life is somewhat that of a chameleon. I have written so much about the farm and how it benefits my family and that I also teach dance in the Arctic, but I am also a writer. I am especially inclined to write in the political and espionage genres.

Below you will find an excerpt from my current novel.

Chapter Twelve

Al, Big Mike, and Hugh go to play blackjack, but I spy Johnny heading to the men's room. This is when I make my move. I am wearing a figure hugging black silk dress. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was being watched closely.

I rush for the ladies room stall and sit delicately on the toilet. I can hear someone enter the room and I slip open my purse to make sure the gun is inside.

I hear the distinct sound of a knife leaving its sheath. I know this sound well. When I used to go hunting with my Grandfather, the other hunters always wore them on their belts. I knew then that Johnny was inside.

A single gunshot. No screams, no struggle, no lingering stares. I gingerly tiptoe over the body and emerge from the restroom with not a hair out of place. I comb my shoulder length hair back into one hand and calmly walk around the corner and straight into Agent Beard.

"Nice job Mrs. Silva.”

"Please... call me Allie."

The guys that had been with Johnny knew what just went down. No one was going to wait for Johnny or the police to see what went on in the ladies room. The three men dashed out of the hotel.

Johnny lies mortally wounded on the floor. Blood covers his dark Pendleton-type long sleeve shirt. His once spit-shined Italian loafers are splattered red. His dying hand clasps the gold cross hanging from his neck. Two cops enter the bathroom along with two more security guards.

Once I am alone, outside of the building, the adrenaline and assuredness wear off and my hands start to shake uncontrollably. I cannot believe what has just taken place. It won't be long 'til it gets back to Nicky that his 'boy Johnny' has been hit. And not long after that 'til he figures out my involvement. I know now that I have to get the hell away from Nicky Shaff.

But I am thankful that I carried the gun. And even more grateful that my Grandfather taught me how to use it.

Keep in mind it is only temporary. Not exactly a grand engineering feat, but please don't tell my husband I said that. (Hi, honey. I love you!)