Monday, December 14, 2020

Being industrious

 First, this in no way should reflect upon myself. I have been sick. And I guess if I had sisters or a mother or aunt around I'd have already finished my holiday preparations. But I don't, and I haven't...but there's one box going out of town, so that's the top of my list "To Do." Going to mail it today!!


Not sure what the woman in the middle is doing. My guess is carding the wool, it looks like a big square flat thing, which reminds me of one with lots of nails sticking out to pull the wool across. Or was it flax?

Far right is a spinning wheel, creating thread for weaving or knitting or mending. The woman with the hat is showing several white socks (at least to my eyes) and one colored one. She's either mending or knitting them.

I asked Santa to give me some new socks for Christmas. If nobody feels that urge, I'll have to go shopping myself in the new year.

I had an enjoyable hour (or so) listening to a story-teller on a CD a friend loaned me...Sheila Kay Adams, "Whatever Happened to John Parrish's Boy?" She has great stories in between the traditional ones, about her life and her grandmother's in the mountains around here in Western North Carolina. I would have liked it because she's a good story-teller, but I also like hearing about Warren Wilson College here in Black Mountain, and the hospital in Asheville where her grandmother was taken.





13 comments:

  1. Yes, the one in the middle is carding wool..flax would be more like large sharp combs.
    Good to hear old stories.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello,

    Love the old photo with the spinning wheel. The story telling CD sounds interesting. Take care, have a great day and a happy week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually she sings ballads as well, which are still stories, like Barby Allen.

      Delete
  3. Socks are on my list too -- long ones that cover my cold-feeling shins.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love that old photo. Look at that house up on small risers and the chinks between the logs filled with clay (maybe?). When I taught Maryland history to 4th graders they learned that early settlers used their small houses for sleeping and storing food. Most of their household tasks including cooking occurred outside unless weather was bad.
    I'm finding that wool socks are the best to wear here in NH. Hope you get yours. Feel better!

    ReplyDelete
  5. ...back then there were never idle hands.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder what the "men-folks" were off doing...after crops have been put in, and weeded, there's not much until harvest.

      Delete
  6. Hello! Love the old photo. I imagine some of my ancestors doing that. I would email you but can't find an eamil address for you. I stumbled across your blogs about Ayers family & think we are very distantly related. Nathaniel Ayers (aka Ayres) is my 7th great granduncle - this info came to me via a weekly email from FamilySearch yesterday. What a hoot! My grandmother was also born an Ayres in eastern Tennessee in 1888. I share your love of Louise Penney. And your art works are wonderful. Dorothy Bognar in Connecticut.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh what fun, Dorothy. I don't know where the little "about me" link went...which included my email. blackmtnbarb AT gmail DOT com. Feeel free to email me. I will have to look at how the Ayers came into my family - probably through my father's mother, whose family came from New Englad.

      Delete
  7. Sheila Kay is wonderful--a story-teller, banjo player, writer (MY OWN TRUE LOVE and COME GO HOME WITH ME. So very talented and as authentic to these mountains as corn bread.

    ReplyDelete

There is today, more than ever, the need for a compassionate regenerative world civilization.