Podcasts about Appalachia

Join Lighthouse Horror Backstage on Patreon:Lighthouse Horror | PatreonPatrons get extra lore that never reaches YouTube, early looks at new merch, and insider updates from the creative floor.Shop at the Lighthouse Horror Giftshop: https://hauntedstuff.com/Straight from the stories: patches, shirts, and haunted stuff you won't find anywhere else.Thumbnail art by Ninerio: ninerioartsBusiness contact: contact@lighthousehorrorstories.com Original YouTube link: I'm a Forest Ranger in Appalachia. These are my SCARIEST stories.  Social MediaINSTAGRAM - @lighthousehorror FACEBOOK -  Lighthouse HorrorTIKTOK - Lighthouse HorrorYOUTUBE: Lighthouse HorrorMusic:Lucas King - YouTubeMyuu - YouTube IncompetechDarren Curtis Music - YouTubeCopyright © 2025 Lighthouse Horror. All rights reservedThank you for listening to this scary story! If you enjoyed this new creepypasta story, please check out some of my other horror stories. We'll be uploading new episodes every week, featuring ghost stories, haunted encounters, mysteries, true stories, creepypasta, and anything supernatural and paranormal. Don't miss out on the thrill and suspense that await you in each episode!

The RPGBOT crew descends into the haunted hollers of Appalachia—where faith, fire, and coal run deep, and the locals don't much care for outsiders asking questions. Between GM intrusions, cursed deer, and whiskey-soaked theology, our heroes quickly learn that in Old Gods of Appalachia, salvation's a dangerous business. Welcome to the mines, y'all—hope you brought your holy water and your lucky charm. Support the MD Anderson Cancer Center If you're looking to make a meaningful impact today, please consider donating to MD Anderson. Your gift supports cutting-edge cancer research, world-class patient care, and education & prevention efforts — all part of their mission to "Make Cancer History®." MD Anderson Cancer Center MD Anderson treats patients from around the globe, advances new therapies through clinical trials, and drives programs that prevent cancer before it starts.

Heather talks about the legend of the Moon Eyed People of Appalachia and Cindy explains the 7 Rules of Appalachia.  Make sure to listen so you learn how to avoid offending the Fae Folk...Send us a textSupport the showClick here to subscribe to the monthly bonus story episodes! True Hauntings4694 Cemetery Rd #376Hilliard, OH 43026 Parade of Nightmares by Cynthia Seer available on AmazonTrue Hauntings Instagram True Hauntings FaceBook GroupEmail - Cynthia@TrueHauntings.com Blog - True Hauntings Website True Hauntings YouTube

The RPGBOT crew descends into the haunted hollers of Appalachia—where faith, fire, and coal run deep, and the locals don't much care for outsiders asking questions. Between GM intrusions, cursed deer, and whiskey-soaked theology, our heroes quickly learn that in Old Gods of Appalachia, salvation's a dangerous business. Welcome to the mines, y'all—hope you brought your holy water and your lucky charm. Support the MD Anderson Cancer Center If you're looking to make a meaningful impact today, please consider donating to MD Anderson. Your gift supports cutting-edge cancer research, world-class patient care, and education & prevention efforts — all part of their mission to "Make Cancer History®." MD Anderson Cancer Center MD Anderson treats patients from around the globe, advances new therapies through clinical trials, and drives programs that prevent cancer before it starts.

It started like any normal night in a quiet London flat — until things began to vanish. First, small items: CDs, jewelry, trinkets. Then, the cold certainty that something unseen was moving between rooms. When one flatmate screamed in terror, the truth revealed itself — a Victorian woman in full 19th-century dress, standing silently behind her.   The spirit of the lady looked directly at her — holding open a book with a secret letter inside, pleading for someone to find it. When morning came, a hollow wall revealed what might have been the ghost's lost fireplace… and her final message. Meanwhile, across the ocean in rural Kentucky, two brothers fishing at night discovered something monstrous lurking in the trees — a massive, brown-furred creature that stalked their home and knocked in rhythmic threes. It wasn't a bear. It wasn't human. And when they threw a Bible at it, the thing fled on two legs. From the haunted parlors of London to the dark woods of Appalachia, these are real encounters that defy explanation — ghosts, cryptids, and the shadows between. #ghoststory #haunting #realghoststories #bigfoot #cryptid #paranormal #hauntedhouse #victorianghost #apparition #scarytales #supernatural #realghoststoriesonline Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

SORRY ABOUT THE AUDIO QUALITY. Technical issues caused the volume to spike at certain points. We tried our best to fix it.On this episode, we remind you that candy is half off on the day after Halloween.Andrez takes us back to Appalachia for Halloween. Appalachia is a region in the US known for its abundance of unique folklore and unexplained sightings. Andrez shares the legends of the Brown Mountain lights, the Moon-Eyed People, and the Wampus cat. This episode is a mix of history, folklore, and scary stories. Grab some Halloween candy and settle in, because this is a fun episode.Email us any personal paranormal and true crime encounters and/or suggestions at: quespookypodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @quespookypodcast And we have a lil merch store now! Check it out!https://quespookypodcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Zach returns to Bass and Brews to talk some spooky Appalachia tales, fishing success this year, and Paul has a MELTDOWN.

Mother and sister video a dog like creature and provide photo evidence.

Zach returns to Bass and Brews to talk some spooky Appalachia tales, fishing success this year, and Paul has a MELTDOWN.

On this episode, we're taking a look at how farmers and gardeners are helping maintain the region's biodiversity. Our first stop? A seed swap.With the summer gardening season at its end, many growers throughout Appalachia are turning their attention to seed saving. It's a practice where gardeners select the seeds from their best crops, and then save them over winter to plant the following spring. This past April, we visited the annual Appalachian Seed Swap in Pikeville, Kentucky.  We learned how important seed saving and swapping are for maintaining Appalachia's biodiversity. And for creating a tasty meal.Next, we travel to Richmond, Kentucky where Brian Chadwell is growing something unexpected. He's a fourth generation farmer and he's using his family's land to grow rice.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 20 Zane s Assembly In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Running into a wall is bad, having it fall on you is worse but not being missed is the worst         Since I had mastered the moment so successfully with conversation I shut the hell up and took the crowd toward my room. Halfway up the stairs I expected Jill to call out but it didn't happen. I counted myself lucky, handed out fresh t-shirts to Paris and Leigh, only to have Paige regale them for fifteen minutes about all the female swag I had in my dorm room, from female silk robes in a variety of lengths and colors to thongs and dog collars. Girls should not look at me and lick their lips; it is scary because I thought that men went to college to chase women, not the other way around. Back at the start of the year, I knew that I was such a Man-Stud that I'd pick up more than my fair share too. I now have multiple women in my life and one day soon I hope to chase one down and call her my own, provided the other women let me. "We will see you later," Leigh gave me a sexy nudge with her hip. I nodded and promptly made sure my windows were locked. They had the annoying habit of being unlocked with glowing neon signs outside that said "Kappa Sigmas enter here". This time I was ready for them. I was also on the ball enough to know that when none of the Kappa Sigmas were upset by my action, that indicated there was something going on that I was clueless about. I was hardly convinced to let my guard down by the limited conversation the three sorority sisters and I had as I escorted them out of the house and kissed them goodnight. I diverged to the dryer to warm up Paris and Leigh's shirts. I kissed Aunt Jill goodnight as well. She gave me a bemused, maternal look as I headed back to my room before my 'bed time'. I must have looked like I felt, pretty exhausted. I joined Iona and Paige in the bathroom where we went through the nightly routine before heading for bed. They stripped slowly; I crawled into bed fully clothed and was feeling rather clever with myself. "No, you don't," Paige insisted. "Zane," Iona gave an angelic smile, "you have to do what you feel comfortable with but this is a matter of trust between us." Was Iona beating me up with a variation on the argument I'd used on Vivian a few hours ago? I was definitely undecided so Iona brushed my lips with hers. "It's okay." The only thing worse than being manipulated is being manipulated with sincerity. I shucked my clothes and shot them to the foot of the bed. I took in the view of Paige and Iona stripped out of their bras, then panties. Paige even made a little game of it, shooting her panties at my head. She missed so I snatched them as they sailed past. Paige flashed me a wicked grin as I did so. "Hey, Zane," she purred. Paige put her knee on the bed, followed by the other, so that she was standing on her knees. "Hey," Iona mimicked from the other side. Together, they sensually flowed toward me and each other. When they were settled against my hip they looked down and smiled. "You both look lovely," I sighed dreamily at my slightly-built beauties. They graced me with a smile once more before looking into one another's eyes. Then they kissed, and after that they really kissed, and several steamy seconds later the girls extended their right hands to their opposite's breast. They rolled their tits beneath their palms. I would have wept at this point but it would have been unmanly. When their left hands joined in the fun I nearly lost it. Did I mention they hadn't stopped kissing yet? It was hard enough that I was intimately familiar with their bodies, head to toe. I was the first man either of them had put lips to lust with (discarding Paige's grade school fiascoes). I had licked, teased, and plucked those nipples they were now so readily fondling. I had placed them naked in bed with other women and beheld their first steps into a far more sexually dynamic life than a strict fundamental Christian life would have deposited them in. I would have continued to wax poetic on the vision above me but the horror of my decision to sleep with both their naked bodies without sex was grinding my happiness into despair. "Oh, wow," Paige giggled, "it's throbbing on his stomach." She was referring to my cock. If it had something larger than a series of nerve clusters, my cock would have been screaming at me, questioning my sanity and demanding a passionate reason I wasn't mounting them both, drilling them hard, and going back for seconds, and thirds. They both leaned down onto one arm before reclining to their sides. "Good night, Zane," Iona whispered. She kissed me on the lips, rather chastely, then rolled over so that her back was to me. She wiggled her ass tight against my thigh because, you know, I have a thing for asses. "Sweet dreams of me," Paige gave a sultry roll of the voice. She rested her head on my shoulder and languidly placed her right arm on my chest and her right leg on my groin. Her hand came to rest on the top of my sternum while her knee covered my balls and the base of my cock. My sexual organ gave her limb a sympathetic throb. Paige sighed pleasurably, enjoying the torture she was putting me through. My right arm cradled Paige and drew her tighter. She kissed my chest with a feather-light touch. My left arm draped around Iona with my wrist being poked by her left nipple (it was still aroused by Paige's attentions) while my fingers coasted along her stomach. I drummed my hand on her abdomen; Iona snuggled in deeper and gave me a delightful little murmuring noise. That was enough to send me off to sleep and I was grateful. If I hadn't been asleep I knew I was going to stick my cock into something, even if it was an electric outlet. I couldn't screw Iona and wouldn't sex up Paige because she would never let me get over having broken down and nailed her in defiance of my own word. What woman doesn't want to think her body can drive a man to forgo his honor? Again, she would never, ever let me forget it. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep when I heard my bedroom door open. I wasn't sure what Jill would want this late but that wasn't a problem. The first one through the door was Leigh but Paris and Ricky Frasier snuck in right behind her. I need to invest in some home defense apparatus, things like pit-traps, trip-wires, and nests of feral Chihuahuas. "Don't worry, Zane," Leigh whispered. "We are here for Paige." "Ah," I grunted. Paige stirred next to me, rolled onto her back, and smiled at the newcomers. "We won't need you tonight," Paige assured me. "This is all-girl." "I see; I need to go back to campus and spank Barbie Lynn, Opal, and Brandi's bottoms until they glow red," I growled. They had turned Paige onto the whole lesbian orgy theme. "Hold on," I begged the girls as they began stripping. I rapidly moved to the closet, pulled down two comforters and two pillows for Iona and I to use as a bed. I set things out and Iona gave me one of those sleepy, sweet, innocent smiles and joined me on the floor, a comforter as a mattress and the other as a cover. I quickly became obvious to me that the object of Leigh, Paris, Ricky's and Paige's fun wasn't to have intercourse with one another but to drive me nuts. It wasn't ego talking here; statistically, an ass, calf, or grinning head pops over the same side of bed you are on only so many times before it becomes enemy action. It was working too; I was rock hard and sleep was escaping me. Sadly, fate intervened, to my detriment. In movies you often see couples roll out of bed, say 'ow,' then go back to passionate love-making. Paris came off the bed with a squeak; me, I felt a stomach-churning pain and a soundless scream escaped my lips. Paris' knee had come straight down on my nuts and impacted them into the hardwood floor with only a thin quilt providing any absorption. Paris' playful grin and giggle turned into fear as she saw my face. "Zane?" she whispered, "Sorry?" "Zane, are you okay?" Iona inquired at my side. Paris backed off me, allowing me to wheeze and roll over in a ball facing Iona. Iona cradled me in her arms. "Zane, what's wrong?" she worried. I wasn't articulate at the moment but Paris was. "Oh, God," she gasped. "I landed on his nuts." Paige and Leigh immediately poked their heads over the bed, appearing in my peripheral vision. I heard Ricky padding around from the other side of the bed. "Damn it," Leigh moaned. "Now what are we going to do?" "How about show a little sympathy?" Iona grumped at the others. I know her heart was in the right place but pulling me tight to her bosom with a nipple resting on my upper lip didn't do my damaged genitalia any good. There was a light, coastal breeze off Madagascar calling for my cock to get hard once again and damn me if it wasn't answering. The resulting pain was describable, similar to having my testicles used by an 800 pound gorilla to sink the cue ball on a Carom billiards table. And damn if that bastard wasn't determined to get it done no matter how many attempts it took. Next time some psychopath stares me dead in the eyes and asks if I've ever prayed for death, I can match his gaze and say 'Hell yes.' "Leigh, get some ice," Paige whispered. "Paris, go to the bathroom down the hall and get some ibuprofen and salve. Iona, help me get him back on the bed." The girls hurried off quietly, for which I was thankful. I was equally thankful that Iona and Paige were so gentle in moving me off the floor and onto the bed, and yes, I hammed it up a bit. Once the rush of taking charge of events passed, Paige began to flash me guilty looks. This was definitely her plan and she'd miscalculated the body motion dynamics of three women playing sex games on a queen-sized bed. "I, I apologize," Paige admitted. "This was my fault." I was somewhat more than stunned. "Okay," I gasped. "Flesh heals but memories are forever." "That means you are going to get me for this," Paige realized. "I'd buy a seat cushion if I were you, Ms. Spanky-bottoms," I tried to joke, but the pain got in the way of my laughter. Paris padded back in with a pill bottle, a foil tube, and a glass of water. She handed the pill bottle to Paige and the water to Iona. When Paris started unscrewing the top to the salve, things became difficult. "Paris," Iona grumbled, "why do you get to put the cream on his balls? It was your knee that caused his pain." "I know," Paris whimpered, "and I want to make it up to him." Paige popped the pill cap and handed me two ibuprofen; Iona propped me up. I took the pills and she put the water to my lips. "I'll take care of it," Iona insisted. "My plan, my fault, I'll take care of it," Paige countered. "Take care of what?" Leigh panted as she slipped into my bedroom with a bowl of ice. "Massaging Zane's poor crushed nuts," Ricky murmured. "If I've hurt him permanently, I'll never forgive myself," Paris moaned piteously. Was she more afraid of my promise to get her back or the other ladies' retaliation for the maiming I'd gone through? "I said I would take care of it," Paige insisted. "No, I think I will take care of it, if no one minds," I ground out. The implication was that if they didn't let me medicate my massive melons of masculine might, I'd come after them all, in thirty or so minutes when I could freely move once again. It took me a second to realize that no one was arguing with me. "Ricky, could you please get a damp hand-towel from the bathroom," Iona requested. Ricky looked confused so Iona added, "We can't put the ice cubes directly on his scrotum unless we really do want to take him to the emergency room." "Oops, sorry," Ricky sounded embarrassed. "That makes sense. I'll be right back." When Ricky left, Paige and Iona reclined on either side of me. "Hold on," I requested. "I'd like to give Paris a hug." Iona scooted first, letting Paris crawl on all fours over my body. I gave her a kiss with as much strength as I could exert. "I," she mumbled. "We were playing a game and it was an accident. I already feel somewhat better," I assured her. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I have yet to fuck you to orgasm and that's not a challenge my cock takes lightly." Paris wept and collapsed onto my chest. I lay back, head on a pillow, so I could stroke Paris' hair. When Ricky returned I struggled around Paris to kiss her and Leigh as well. I also took the opportunity to coat my scrotum with the salve, which instantly cooled my pain, then started heating damaged parts up. Leigh applied the towel holding the ice gently to balance out the sensations. We hugged, confirmed our date for Saturday night, and parted ways. Iona, Paige, and I returned to the bed and tried to get back to sleep. This time we kept our limbs to ourselves, though we remained close. I waited a while before surrendering to my dreams. A decision was reached internally that the next time I took Iona out for a quiet weekend, I would have to make it somewhere off the beaten path, somewhere in Appalachia no doubt. Iona gave me a precious, sleepy smile as I climbed out of bed in the morning. I looked at her heavy eyes, questioning her intent, when she pulled my pillow into her chest and drifted off into slumber once more. Paige was dead to the world, undoubtedly wrapped up in the remorseless rest of the Damned. I was able to dress uninterrupted and glide downstairs to find Jill already up and puttering around. I was about to find out what she had heard last night. "Good morning, Zane. Are you feeling better?" Jill asked. "Feeling better?" I questioned. "Your, you know, down there, are you feeling better?" she clarified somewhat. I imagine my jaw dropped because she looked at me with an obvious amusement. "How did you know?" I finally responded. "Oh, Iona came to my room last night and explained the situation as well as apologizing for the disruption," Aunt Jill explained. "She's a very forthright and honest young lady, and she doesn't currently have a fianc either." "What, whoa, wait a second, Jill," I stammered. Things were going way too fast for me. "How is it you are okay with two girls sleeping in my bedroom and three more coming over when three months ago we couldn't even discuss sex at all and its only place was in the marriage bed? What happened that I missed?" "Zane," Jill sighed patiently, "when God closes one door he opens another. I had to accept that my life with Tim was over and I had to move forward with my life with you. That means I am going to get more mileage out of counseling you as opposed to dictating abstinence." "And you have this epiphany after you burn all the stuff I brought back from Thailand," I groaned. "We both did things we probably regret," she reasoned. "You've been talking to Iona, or more likely, Iona's been calling you," I began piecing it together. "After you told me about what those girls were making you do, like crawl around on your knees, I tried to get some of your classmates to tell me what was really going on," Jill related. "Iona was the only one who would talk to me and she and I have communicated pretty regularly since then," Jill finished. "She's a truly sweet girl and I think you two make a cute couple." In case you are wondering, there is no good response to that statement. "She tells me you are interested in that 'Christina' girl. She's, elegant," which was Jill's way of saying Christina wasn't a 'humble Christian girl' like Iona. Something in that train of thought made me put a few other faces to the descriptor 'elegant'. "Is that why you didn't like Mom, Dad, and, well, was Uncle Tim snobby as well, elegant?" I mused. Jill stopped looking in the fridge were she was figuring out what we'd be having for breakfast. "Yes," Jill said quietly. Tim hadn't wanted to marry Jill; he'd wanted to marry Jill's older sister, Kathryn. Jill matched herself against Mom, the free spirit, and Dad, the joker, who were both sophisticated Devil-May-Care people born of wealth and privilege. In a way, Tim was from the same background, except that he ended up arrogant and emotionally distant. Of course, Tim had to grow up with Granddad, who was a real peach, and my Dad, who was always larger than life, always doing whatever task their father put before him and always going one step beyond. Worse, Dad always had the courage to be himself. Dad was the brilliant rebel, the Prodigal Son who was always welcomed back home; Tim was the plodding workhorse. The best example of this was the first time each of them ran away from home. Tim ran away to the tree house in the backyard at the house in Wyoming. The first time Dad ran away, he ended up in Hawaii. When the FBI caught him, he was working in a Japanese restaurant, stock-piling Australian dollars, and had a map of the Great Barrier Reef. Now that I think of it, I must get my nuttiness from Dad. "Jill, I'm sorry Tim wasn't the husband you deserved," I told her softly. I rested a hand on her shoulder and she backed into me. I wrapped my arms around her from behind. "Thank you, Zane," she told me in a soft voice. She looked out of the window over the sink for a few seconds. "Do you think we should get a pool?" Jill broke the silence. Huh? "Who are you and what have you done with my Aunt Jill?" I teased her. It took a second for Jill to get it but when she did, she laughed. "Wait," she teased back, "would I be a clone, an alien, or, what were those things I heard about, oh, pod-people?" "I think you are the Pink Power Ranger," Paige snickered from my elbow where she had materialized mysteriously from the ether. Jill squeaked and spun around while I was busy putting my heart back in my chest. Jill struggled out of my arms, blushed, and went back to the fridge. "Did I interrupt something?" "Yes; my desire to live a longer life," I coughed. "Now that we have the useless pleasantries out of the way, what I really want to know is if all the equipment is in working order," Paige smirked. I thought of a smarmy reply, an angry reply, and even ignoring her, but another idea won out. "Hey, Babe," I whispered in a husky voice to Paige as I stepped into body contact with her, "it hurts a little right now but thanks for asking. I'm glad you are watching out for me." I drew a line with right hand along her collarbone and shoulder to her neck and finally circling her ear. "Oh," Paige gulped. Her eyes grew wide. "Of course, Zane. I want to watch out for you, I care." I let my arms drape around her and linked them up at the small of her back, pulling her tight to me. Paige slipped her arms beneath me and did likewise, with the added gesture of placing her ear to my chest. Iona slipped into the kitchen as she did so. She gave me a cute wave, side-stepped us, and went to help Jill. I figured from Iona's actions that she was going to keep Jill busy getting the four of us breakfast, so I took Paige's right hand in my left and led her out into the hall. As I headed for the porch in the back, someone came through the front door, attempting to be stealthy. It was Leigh; I'd clearly caught her doing something wrong. "Yes?" I questioned. She looked to Paige then back to me. "I forgot to return your keys," Leigh evaded. "What are you doing with my keys?" I sounded a bit cross. Paige squeezed my hand tightly, expressing her own tension. "Paige gave them to me to use last night," Leigh gulped. "You are hopeless as a conspirator," Paige growled at Leigh. I took a deep breath instead. I was going to have as little stress in my morning as possible. "Please give them to Iona in the kitchen, Leigh," I sighed. A quick look to Paige showed her that I wasn't angry so she didn't resist as I resumed our journey. Out on the porch I took a large, cushioned, low-swung wooden chair and sat down. "It's cold out here," Paige shivered. I responded by pulling her into my lap. It took her a moment to figure out what to do with herself. She settled on sitting sideways with her left arm over my shoulder and her head laying on top of it. It took twenty-five minutes for Iona to come out and get us. "Breakfast," Iona said. I looked at her curiously, trying to judge how she was taking the loss of the time promised to her this weekend. She winked and went back inside so I guessed everything was okay and our weekend postponed. "Do you want to go inside?" I gently inquired of Paige. "Two more minutes," she whispered. I kissed her on the head and listened to the breeze in the leaves, the birds chatting in the trees, and her breath on my neck. Slowly her head rose after the two minutes had passed and she was staring at me, or rather at the side of my head. "Yes?" I asked, as I turned and looked into her eyes. "You are so dumb," she whispered. Paige kissed me with a tenderness that bespoke a depth of passion that I had not fully realized. "I wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world," I breathed back. "I would have been better off if I had turned away that very first day I saw you," she got around to responding. I knew she was saying that she could come up with no quick strategy for getting Christina out of the way and that perplexed her. I had to do something. "Don't forget to get that seat cushion," I joked. She seemed a bit cross, then grinned. "If I let you do something else to my bottom will you forgive me?" she teased me with a sensual ass wiggle. "Really?" I perked up. Paige wouldn't consider anal sex before now, though I was all for it. "No!" she giggled. Paige leapt off my lap and raced inside. I made a grab for Paige with no intent of ensnaring her, she was having too much fun being pursued, and pursue I did. "Help me!" Paige squealed. "Help me; he's trying to get my bottom!" So much for any sense of decorum, I sighed. Paige made it to the dining room and quickly was using Leigh as a shield. Jill looked at me quizzically while Iona gave a weary sigh and looked heavenward for guidance. "So, Leigh, are you joining us for breakfast?" I obfuscated the crisis. "Yes," Leigh hesitated. "Your Aunt Jill is thanking me for finding your keys." "If that is okay with you, Zane?" Jill demurred. Huh, and by that I mean, since when has my opinion in this household been sought or even obeyed? "If it pleases you, Jill, I wouldn't mind eating Leigh", I had a slip of the tongue, "I mean eating with Leigh." Leigh's eyes sparkled and Jill totally missed the implication (I assumed because 'eat' a girl made no sense to her sexually repressed mind.) Iona gave my arm a light slap. "Have a seat, Leigh," Jill smiled in a way I wasn't familiar with; it was almost like she was content. The resulting meal of country ham, grits, and cantaloupe was simple but satisfying. We were all hot, sweaty, and laboring for breath. Had we been in bed and undressed, the situation would have been perfect. Instead, we were in my workout room, working out. I had allowed an hour to digest our meal but now we were finishing my daily physical regimen. Paige and Leigh were on their backs, staring at the ceiling and cursing the fact that I was finishing up my final exercise. Iona was on her stomach on the mat next to me, moaning softly. I seriously considered insisting that Paige and Iona take up a sport. Leigh was another story, but I'm sure I could get Tawny, her sorority president, to get her to do something strenuous, that didn't involve me and sex. "I have given up any hope of ever fucking you to death, Leigh panted as she looked my way. "Thanks," I grinned back. "Without the help of several sisters," Leigh gasped as Paige lazily smacked her on the stomach, "to wear you down first. I don't know how Barbie Lynn can walk after those marathon sessions with you." "It usually involves screaming out to God multiple times and a long nap afterwards," Iona groaned. "So," Leigh sat up, "have either of you," "Hammered me through the sheets, and I swear I blacked out as I came," Paige boasted wearily. "Umm," Leigh purred, "good memories." Have I left the room? Should I hand out customer satisfaction surveys? "That night was fantastic, wasn't it?" Iona sighed. "Three damn orgasms I'll never forget, and then there was Rio and her devilish fingers," Leigh murmured happily. "Wait! Iona, you and Zane, Rio too?" Paige propped herself up. "He was a very gentle gentleman," Iona declared. "Oh," taunted Leigh to Iona, "I recall you doing quite a savage dance on the tip of his tongue." Iona blushed and Paige gawked. "So that three-way with you and Barbie Lynn wasn't your first time, well, what do you know?" Paige mused. "All this physical stress has me thirsty," Leigh stated. "Yes, I think a protein drink is in order," Paige agreed, and winked at me. "Oh, hell no!" I defended myself. "Me, no sex weekend, remember?" "But, Zane," Iona rolled over and batted her eyelashes at me, "it was so sweet and salty." "Iona," I nearly wept. "I apologize, Zane," Iona pouted. "I was only teasing." "I can always hope to soak up some of that sexual energy at 12:01 Sunday night," Paige sighed. "Nope, sorry, going out with Heaven Sunday night," I informed them. "Oh, pooh," Iona grumped. "She'll drain him alright." "Is Heaven really that good?" Leigh seemed curious. "Let's not have this discussion," I stood up. I was ignored of course. "Oh, he goes at her five, six, seven times a night," Iona stated. "She walks funny the next day too." "How come there is never any footage of them together?" Leigh persisted. "You would think with that much sexuality and the howling she made from our towel closet at the party that there would be something on his site." "I am not going to be part of this discussion," I repeated as I made for the door. "Now I'm taking a shower." For a group of girls who couldn't stand a minute ago, they clearly were capable of nearly killing me as they stampeded for the shower, women. Before Iona and I got in, I held her back by the arm. "Five, six, seven times, walks funny the next morning, I'm sure Heaven will like that," I whispered. "I thought a little embellishment couldn't hurt," Iona smiled with an earnestly pure face. She knew Heaven's nature and would help conceal it until Heaven decided it was no longer necessary; Iona was that kind of best friend. "Do you ever get tired picking up after my shipwrecks?" I had to ask. "Come on, Zane," Paige called from inside the shower as the water cascaded down on her and Leigh. I decided that keeping them occupied was my best bet to keep the volume down. As I pulled the curtain aside, I caught a glimpse of Iona behind me, shaking her head 'No'. Undercover  Underage Willa was waiting for Valarie and I when we arrived. She had strategically placed her bike at a break between the groups of hotel units so she could quickly duck out of sight. I had no desire to do anything stupid like get in a fight. She rested on the seat of her ride. I was following Val's advice so I pulled up some distance away and kept to the middle of the parking lot because you never knew what could come popping out a door. I approached alone, again, I didn't want to freak Willa out any more than she already was. "I've got a line on those IDs," she greeted me. I'd asked her for some fake IDs so me and some of the girls could get into clubs. "Yeah," I said deadpan, "I'm sure you did." She keyed on my mood but didn't outwardly react. How should I handle this? "Willa, you are an undercover cop," I sighed. "I don't know who you are with and I don't care. I don't want to cause you trouble, I simply want a favor." Willa rocked off her ride and took a few steps toward me. "Asshole," she growled, "that isn't funny. I ought to fucking slap you like the punk-ass bitch you are." "You won't, you are a cop and that's still assault because I'm not threatening you or threatening to blow your cover so that your life would be at risk," I related. Seeing Willa's consternation, I explained. "Valarie has been through this a time or two." "Zane, I'm not a cop and I'm not kicking your ass because you are a cute guy, but stop screwing with me," Willa changed up her defense. "Fine," I shrugged. "I'm going to have a talk with Belle. I'm sure she will believe me. I felt I owed you a chance because you are a law enforcement officer and you are risking your life for me, the general public." "Don't go to Belle," Willa reached out and put an arm on my bicep. "It doesn't matter that your idea is a load of crap; Belle will tell Deacon and then I'm screwed." "Willa, you can walk away from this situation whenever you want," I told her. "Belle can't. This is her life and I'd prefer she not die living it." "Zane, you hadn't even met her before Thursday night." she groused. "That's pretty much what I said," Valarie finally chimed in. "I'm only here because Zane doesn't know anyone else who could be relied on to keep their mouth shut." "You don't believe this crap about me being a Fed, do you?" Willa joked. "Absolutely," Valarie said without hesitation. "Zane is crazy but he's spot-on when dealing with women. Case in point: Zane took that little fluff with him to the bathroom while peeling off Rio's girlfriend, a black belt in Karate, to guard me. He knew he would get you bitches to give Rio up, though he didn't have a plan going in. If he tells me you are a cop, you are a cop." I clearly had Willa flummoxed. After a minute in silence I shook off Willa's hand and turned for my car. I stopped when I had the door open. "I'm going to see Belle at the Fallout Shelter tonight," I said. "If you do something to stop me, I'll make sure Tara knows, and while she and Belle have problems, they are twins and she won't let her sister do serious time." "I'm not confessing to anything but I think there is something you should know. Deacon Baker served with Belle's husband and brother-in-law. Her brother-in-law ran the Warlords chapter but he and his brother got caught up in an ATF sting. They wrapped up Belle's husband but before they could grab the brother, who could tie up the whole criminal enterprise, he vanished. He was last seen with Deacon," Willa explained. "Deacon didn't wait around to see if the guy would stay loyal; he removed the threat," Willa added. "If he thinks I'm a threat, he'll have me removed too." "Cry me a river," Valarie rolled her eyes. "You are sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." "I'm not a damn cop," Willa snarled. "Where are you from?" I asked Willa. I caught her off-guard but she snapped back soon enough. "Tampa Bay, Florida," she shot off. "Nope. I think you are from Wisconsin or Minnesota, it's your skin complexion and the way you roll some of your consonants off your tongue and lips," I said. Willa's eyes narrowed. Now she was pissed. "Are you going to shoot us with the 9mm at your back or help Zane out'?" Valarie sounded bored. "This is totally wrong," Willa persisted. She tried to stare me down but I could see something inside give way. "I'm not saying I am an undercover cop but if I was, what would you want?" "Give Belle as much shelter as you can. Hopefully she ends up with probation," I offered. "What is in it for me?" Willa sighed. "What can I do for you?" I answered. "Do you know who took out Deacon?" Willa inquired. "Yes," I replied. I could feel Valarie's head snap behind me and her eyes bore into the back of my head. "Who was it?" Willa increased her intensity. "I would tell you but I like living without the benefit of life support," I joked. "I'd cry bullshit, damn you, except I saw the beating they took and that scares the crap out of me," Willa grumbled. "Okay, Zane, if you ever get the chance to tell me, do so." "Deal," I agreed. "Great; we are all friends," Valarie stated sarcastically. "Now fuck his face, suck his cock, and we can get going; I have to eat dinner with my sister, Dad, and the cunt he married." "What?" I glared at Valarie. "No way!" Willa declared. "Listen, bitch, you are going to need to describe what it feels like on your tongue from the ball-sack to the tip of his cock," Valarie lectured. "I've seen a video," Willa countered. "And you are such a bang-up storyteller that the 18-year old boy genius ID'd you in two minutes, or have you missed the last ten minutes of your life?" Valarie mocked her. "He seems to be the exception," Willa noted. "The average girl that attracts Zane's attention can do calculus in her head, and the one who can't is his family," Valarie responded. "Now consider his interest in Belle; she's probably a poor girl raised in a college town. That means she could have gone to college but was already soured on the whole establishment idea by a string of college fuck wads. Her sister went on to become a Law-dog that busts UV assholes all day long; Belle became an ass-kicker who flaunts her body at a bar frequented by the very higher education types that screwed with her in high school," Valarie continued. I wasn't sure how much of this Val was fabricating but it didn't matter. "Now she dangles her forbidden fruit in front of them, yet none ever get a taste, am I wrong?" Valarie queried. "You see an outlaw biker and think they are too lazy or stupid to get a real job. I see someone who wants to do their own damn thing, you don't fuck with us and we don't fuck with you." "Belle is smarter than you think she is, Willa, or whoever you are. If you don't think you are fucked yet, consider this: When was the last time Belle gave a college guy the time of day, much less walked one out of a beat-down dictated by her chapter president?" Valarie smirked. "Zane had me fighting side-by-side with him against half of the FFU faculty and students so I can attest to his peculiar form of magic." "Fuck," Willa growled. "Now, get on your knees and blow him so we can all go about our business," Valarie rumbled back. "I'm still in the midst of a no-sex weekend so I'm going to say 'No'," I intervened. "Can't we just shake and part as friends?" Willa tried. "At least kiss him," Valarie suggested. "Val, stop it. We have some level of understanding and that's good enough for now," I told her. I was checking on Valarie's okay so I only saw Willa's closure at the last moment. One look into her eyes told me she was deceiving herself that this was going to be a quick kiss to get it over with. Our lips met and my hands found their way to her hips. I pulled her to me without trapping her. A few seconds later she broke the kiss. I could read the confusion in her eyes. Her plan was to do it and be done but her impulse was to come back again. She kissed me again but his time, her tongue caressed my lips and I let it slip in. After that, I really couldn't stop myself from kissing her back intensely. Soon my lips wandered to her cheeks, chin, and neck before nibbling on an ear until she moaned and thrust up against my body. "Ugh, ah, fuck," Willa moaned. "It has been too damn long." I rotated us around, pressing Willa's back against my car. I lowered my body down Willa's, nibbling and tickling with my tongue as I did so until I was chewing on the top of her low-cut t-shirt. "You are not happily married, are you?" I inquired between a tongue stroke and some suction. "Umm, ah, no." she replied. "Why do you ask?" "I don't want you to do something you'll regret," I answered before working my way back up her throat. Willa lolled her head back, extending her throat for my attention. "Nope," she gulped with sexual tension, "no one at all." That was my cue to work with both hands to pull her shirt out of her jeans. That done, I let my fingers roam under the shirt and caress the flesh of her stomach. "Oh, stop that, no, wait, don't stop, yessss," Willa moaned. When her shirt was high enough, I began working over her tender flesh. She was clearly getting into it but I wanted more from her. I popped the button on her jeans and unzipped them. Willa's underwear was appropriately lacy. I pulled the panties down as I peeled the jeans open until I could make out her finely trimmed landing strip. I kissed along the line from her cunt fur to her hip bringing forth a hearty moan of pleasurable release. My fingers made small circles back to her ass, squeezing both cheeks and rubbing them together. Willa was stroking the top of my head and lightly yanking on my hair. I took that to be a positive endorsement of my efforts so far. When I started back up her body, Willa spread her legs wide apart and coaxed me along. I got to the base of her bra; I could sense her nervousness so I stopped pushing up her shirt there and went back to her shoulder. I had just made it back to Willa's lips when Valarie cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but I do have somewhere else to be," Valarie teased us. Willa had to reorient herself. The look she gave me was somewhat accusatory but happily, it transformed into some level of understanding. "Damn, you are sexy," she purred. She rested her elbows on my shoulders and looked me over with sensuality on her lips. "I mean, you really are sexy and I want to do this again, and we didn't even have sex yet," Willa grinned. "What makes you think we are going to have sex? Don't we have a professional relationship?" I mused. Willa reacted by putting more pressure on my shoulders, then hopping up so she could put her legs around my waist. "I kinda-sorta owe you," she gave me a wicked look. "Besides, you might like it." I had to dissuade her somehow; my life had far too many complications to get this close to the Warlords right now. "I don't know, Willa. I like lots and lots of anal sex," I cautioned her. I figured that would buy me some space. "Oh," she grunted, "I love it. A big cock like yours would feel fantastic in my ass," she added with a deep pant. Wow, that backfired spectacularly. Maybe I should inform her that I've been called needle cock by women who know me well. To add insult to injury, Valarie broke out in uproarious laughter. "There you go, Tiger," Val chuckled. "That will keep her in her place. It just so happens her place is face down and ass up with you riding roundup." Willa took a deep breath, then dismounted me. She patted me on the chest and gave me one final kiss. "We need to be going," she sighed. "I'll make sure to stay in touch." Valarie and I waited behind as Willa got on her ride and drove away. Only then did Valarie give me one last jibe herself. "Dude, I swear your lips are dusted with cocaine because I've never seen women act so nuts around a normal guy," she teased. "Are you saying I'm abnormal?" I shot back. "Ha," she laughed. "I'm calling it like I see it. I'd caution you about a girl and handcuffs but you have six sets that I know of so all I can advise is dodging when they shoot at you and lawyer up the moment they read you your rights, and I'm gone." Her bike roared to life and she peeled out, leaving me to contemplate what further screw-ups I'd added to my life. Girls, all I can say in any of our defenses is that none of us had been to a college block party except Rio, and we were dumb enough to listen to her advice on what to wear and what it would be like. We didn't even know how screwed we were until we arrived at the party destination and by then, it was too late. My only excuse was that Vivian had sworn Rio and Mercy had behaved themselves last night. Of course, first we had to get the clothes we were going to wear. The salesgirls eyed us with a devilish curiosity when we filed into the chic women's boutique, the only one in town. I was getting away with jeans and a red t-shirt from a local band called "Confetti". According to Rio, girls had to dress 'rough and ready', which translated to tight leather pants, shot boots, and either halter tops or sleeveless shirts. In retrospect, I should have known that when the salesgirls began regarding me as a pimp, I'd fucked up royally. "What do you think?" Barbie Lynn came flouncing over to where I was sitting, showing off her bright yellow halter top (that wasn't much into halting anything) and buckskin pants with the prerequisite frills along the outside of each leg. "Don't those things come with a bra?" I gulped. On the grave of my Viking ancestors, I swear those two orbs were just, right there, free and mouth-wateringly delicious. "What?" Barbie pouted. "Don't you like them?" she leaned forward, pressed her boobs together, and wiggled them in front of me. "Best ever," I panted. Barbie Lynn glowed at that declaration, then turned around and presented her ass mere inches from my face. "Better than this?" she taunted. "Ah!" I cried out; my pledge was in immoral danger. I tried to get out of my chair by brushing by her tush but only managed to flip the chair over on its side with me still in it. Eyes tracked me as I struggled to stand. "It has the Zane seal of approval," Barbie Lynn addressed the room. "I'll take it." "Wait! Zane? The Zane?" One of the salesgirls inquired. Multiple girls nodded. "That would make you the girl in the shower," she directed to Barbie Lynn. "Sure thing," Barbie Lynn boasted. "You've got, stamina," the other girl blushed, "both of you." "That's where I've seen all of you before," the first girl said as she put it all together. "Except you," she pointed at Vivian. "Honestly, I was suspicious it was a porn hoax. I mean, what kind of guy scores that many hot babes?" "Umm," Rio patted Mercy's bottom, "we're hot babes." "Are you two really, actually, the second girl stammered to Rio. "You do those things?" "Do you mean is she my bitch toy? Then yes, she is," Rio answered smugly. "Mercy, lift your top." Mercy paled, gulped, but did as requested. Rio put her arms around Mercy's midsection and pulled her close, latching onto a nipple as they came together. "No!" Vivian shouted. "There will be no public displays of pornography." Rio made a lip-smacking noise as her lips released Mercy's breast. Mercy kept her shirt raised as Rio looked back to the salesgirl. "Satisfied?" Rio gloated. The girl nodded in stunned amazement and Vivian coughed as a reminder. "Mercy, you can lower your shirt now," Rio added without even looking at Mercy. "Wow, this is so weird." The first girl shook her head, then that light came on and she looked at me with amazement and amusement. "You are trying for your 'No Sex' weekend? Well, if we can't get you laid before this weekend, we aren't selling you the right clothes." "I'm counting on it," Paige smirked. Her choice was a slick black bustier and leather pants that laced up on the side. In fact, they were more lacing on the sides and less leather. I'm not saying she looked bad; I merely vowed to get a few pictures of her in the outfit for my spank bank collection, not that I have any realistic hope of spanking the monkey anytime soon. Whoa, are women I don't even know now ganging up on me? What the hell? Adelaide and Ginger, our two salesgirls, went all out to get the ladies the skimpiest outfits allowed by law. I didn't mention the occasion because that would make me feel bad about not inviting them. "So, what are you getting all dressed up, or down for?" Ginger asked innocently enough. "Oh, there is a college-student-only bloc party tonight. Zane got an invite and he's sneaking us in with him," Iona responded with the naivet of a girl who had nil knowledge of social networking or class distinction. "Oh," Ginger muttered, and cast a sideways glance to Adelaide before looking at me. "Well, Addie's husband doesn't like doing that kind of stuff," she said lamely, "and Finn, my boyfriend, has to work late anyway." She was giving me an out and I wanted to take it. Somehow this seemed to be one too many times sticking out my neck foolishly. I'd already bent my invitation by inviting my FFU crowd. I then told myself that I'd double back and invite them, on the sly. I recalled the little discussion Valarie had with Willa only a few hours ago. Yes, I could act like your standard college cock and tell the townies it was okay to come in the back door. If I did that, I could only pray Rio punched me in the face. I'd say 'kick me in the nuts' but I clearly didn't have any. "Ginger and Adelaide, we are gathering by the water tower around 9:45 before we head to the spot," I told her. "You and your guys join us there and we'll go in as a group. It is the warehouse on Hammond Street and the word is 'Comet', in case you show up later." "Oh, I'm not sure we can make it," Adelaide responded. What she was also saying was 'are you sure you know what you are doing?' "There is one condition," I added. Now the two salesgirls were suspicious. "You have to dress like the rest of them do," I motioned to my girls. "You sold these ladies these clothes so it is only fair you dress similarly." Now the two exhaled, then smiled and groaned playfully. They could hardly say no after the money they'd taken from me, my credit card, actually. If I carried that much cash and a cop searched me, I'd mistake me for a drug dealer too. "We'll see what we can do," Ginger evaded. "Oh, that won't be a problem," Opal chimed in. "Go around the store and pick out what you want; Zane will pay for it." "For the love of God, would you stop spending my money? You are as bad as Rio," I griped. "Who is trying to be worse to you than I am?" Rio sounded both offended and up to the challenge of making me even more miserable than I was. "Oh, come on, Zane," Brandi complained. "You are a gazillionaire." "You've been listening to Rio," I shot back and glared Rio's way. "It was Mercy who told me that," Brandi corrected me. I shifted my gaze to Mercy, as did Rio. "We'll talk when we get outside," Rio cautioned Mercy, who seemed decidedly uneasy. I had to hand it to Ginger and Adelaide; for ten minutes they showed constraint, and then they went bonkers. I really don't think a woman can wear a pink gossamer scarf wrapped around her chest and call it clothing but Ginger was giving it a shot. Ginger had a small chest - 32A, but her nipples were works of art. I couldn't keep quiet about them. "Ginger, if your boyfriend lets you walk around in your domicile with a top on, he's committing crimes against the male and female, worship of the female form," I blathered. Ginger blinked, and then blushed before grinning at me wickedly. "Yes?" she prodded me. I took that as an invitation to walk up, bend at the waist until I was at eye level with her chest. Her nipples swelled under my scrutiny. "Zane, if you lick or bite them, I will stomp on your foot and break some toes," Vivian warned me. I was, in my estimation, good. I leaned forward a few more inches until I could blow forcefully upon each nipple. Ginger rolled forward on the tip of her toes, thrusting her chest forward, but I retreated just in time. She fell back and I pursued with long, continuous breaths this time. Her nipples didn't come out and say 'Hi', they launched rescue flares and lit bonfires on the beaches of my desire. Ginger was moaning and whimpering as she kept trying to force physical contact while I kept frustrating her. Her thighs were working back and forth as her cunt began burning her up. "Ginger," Adelaide worried, "what about Finn?" "I know," pleaded Ginger, "but you've seen the cock on this guy and he's driving me crazy-horny, and he hasn't even touched me yet." "Friends," Adelaide insistently reminded Ginger. "All his friends are here and watching." "I'll be her friend," Brandi volunteered, though Opal hooked her waist before she could show everyone how much of a friend she wanted to be. "Oh, we don't mind," Rio remarked. "Most nights with Zane are a learning experience for all of us." "I mind," grumbled Paige. "Paige, honey, he always comes home to us," Barbie Lynn reassured Paige. "Besides, we know where he's sleeping tonight and who will be with him," Iona added. "Fine, okay," Paige decided. "Zane," she beckoned me with a 'come hither' finger curl. "Sorry, Paige," I quickly responded between puffs of air on Ginger's nipples, "I'm busy." "Zane," Paige warned me. "Paige, not now," I grumped. "Zane!" Paige became more insistent. I didn't respond so what she said next was inevitable. "Zane, bouncy, bouncy." My groan was fueled by stymied lust; I stood up and walked over to Paige. Once I was in front of her, I used both hands to brush Paige's hair off her shoulder blades. I brought my hands together at the back of her head, wrapping my left hand in her ponytail while dropping my right down her side before snaking it to the small of her back. I pulled the hair back gently, tilting her head up as I pressed my hand on the small of her back until we were rubbing against one another. I leaned in for a slow, intensive kiss which Paige intercepted by standing on her toes. Our kiss was a see-saw affair that saw our tongues roll together and our lips shifting from lingering touch to gentle caress that lasted over a minute. "What are they doing? Or more like it, what is she doing to him to make him do that?" Adelaide quizzed the ladies. "Oh, that's a game they play," Rio explained. "He pretends she's a witch who has put a spell on him and she pretends she's going to be the first Mrs. Zane Braxton." "Say those words and Zane will perform any sexual act on you that you desire," Barbie Lynn teased. "No, it doesn't work like that," Iona got out right before Ginger interrupted. "Zane, bouncy, bouncy," Ginger demanded. That earned a round of chuckles. "Sorry, I tried that too," Brandi admitted. "Apparently each girl has to find her own command phrase." "Are you okay now?" I whispered to Paige. I really had to deal with these girls going wacky around me; we had things to do before the party started. "You are worth every gold doubloon I've spent on you," she smiled back. "Um, I'm the one spending money on you," I corrected her. Paige turned half-way around, bumped me with her hip, and wiggled her ass. "As I said, you are worth every coin," she winked. Hardy-har-har. "Okay, friends and acquaintances, let's finish with our purchases," I commanded. "We've still got some ground to cover before tonight." "What else do we have to do?" groaned Vivian. "I'm getting Mercy tattooed," Rio grinned with a dire mirth. "I want a design right above the ass, both subtle and understated; I don't know if I'm going with '1-800-HoT-SLuT' or 'Nothing Under 6 inches Allowed." "No, you are not!" growled Vivian. "No way, no how. Zane?" "Vivian, Rio is yanking your chain," I calmed my guardian. "You have to understand that Rio wouldn't put anything on Mercy that she wouldn't wear herself. She definitely wouldn't put something on Mercy that Mercy couldn't live with; trust me on that." "That's right, Viv," Rio chortled. "I can't tell you how many times I've regretted having 'Eat at the Clam Shack' tattooed right below the beltway." "You don't have a tattoo there!" Vivian countered. "Someone's been peeking," Rio skewered Vivian with a shark-like grin. Iona shook her head and walked up to Vivian, presenting her phone. "Here is the design they've chosen," Iona explained. It was an intricate weaving of lines and shadows I'd been shown once before. "See, in this end is Songs of Solomon 2:16 and on the other end is a Chi Rho woven into the greater design. It clearly has Christian imagery," Iona explained. "It's" Vivian sounded surprised, "actually rather, nice looking." "What's Songs of Solomon 2:16?" Ginger inquired. "'My lover is mine and I am', it should say 'his' but I think in this case it is 'hers'," I answered. "That's sweet," Adelaide said. "You can bet it was Mercy's choice, then," Opal smirked. "No, it was Rio's idea,&quo

Part of our 2025 Communion Season 

Part of our 2025 Communion Season

How one rural weaver is helping neighbors feel seen, supported, and connected in Wilkes County, NC — and what we can learn from her example. We are kicking off something special. This episode is the first in a new ongoing series highlighting Weavers — local leaders around the country who are rebuilding trust and community from the ground up through Weave: The Social Fabric Project (weavers.org). Our inaugural guest is LB Prevette — a “rural rejuvenator,” community connector, and what she jokingly (but truthfully) calls an “aggressive friend.” LB is based in Wilkes County, North Carolina, where she works to create safe, inclusive, deeply rooted community spaces for queer youth, neighbors in recovery, families, and folks who don't always feel seen in small-town America. We talk about what it means to leave home — and to return to it. We talk about pain, belonging, queerness in Appalachia, rebuilding trust one relationship at a time, and why community isn't built in speeches — it's built in porches, casseroles, group texts, and checking in at the exact moment someone needs it. And we talk about Merle's — the community bar / gathering space LB helped co-found — a place that feels less like a bar and more like your cool aunt's house party where everyone belongs. This is not a story about charity. It's a story about returning to each other.

It isn't often that we interview social justice activists working in the United States but in the last few years the US context has dramatically worsened. Democratic freedoms have been curtailed, women's rights have been eroded, immigrants are being expelled and incarcerated, and we are seeing armed responses in several major cities to civil society protests. So, in this episode we talk to three extraordinary US social justice leaders: Carly Hare, an equity activist and advocate for the collective power of community solutions who comes from the Pawnee/Yankton nations; Masha Chernyak, an immigrant from Russia, who worked for more than a decade at the Latino Community Foundation where she boldly centered love in all of its programs, helping build the largest Latino donor network in the nation and a Latino Nonprofit Accelerator that has changed the game for grassroots nonprofits; and Ava Bynum a resource mobilizer, organizer, and movement leader. Ava is the Director of Impact at Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), where they work to resource social justice movements, lead workshops, coach donors, and raise critical funds to support collective liberation efforts. We asked them to explain how they center love and solidarity in their work to challenge current moves against democracy and human rights in the US. All of them acknowledge that solidarity work isn't light and it isn't easy. Carly navigates the different communities she belong to – tribal, family, inter-racial communities – and asks "how do you skill build, how do you hold enough space to love and believe that people can be mobilized? And then how do you hold enough self-love to not put yourself in harm's way". Masha reflects on how she used to be laughed out of the room when she led strategic planning sessions where she put love squarely at the center but she prevailed. Recounting the words of Shiree Tang she says "when the house is burning, what else do you do? ... We need to make love just as sexy and powerful as fear." Ava says clearly that "it's really hard to organize people you don't love or at least have some openness to." Speaking as someone who has worked with poor white communities in Appalachia and other rural areas in the US, she has important lessons to share. Do these strategies change systems of oppression?  Listen in and hear their views!

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author John Antonik about his latest book ALMOST HEAVEN, a story of Bobby Bowden's ten years as a football coach at West Virginia University. John Antonik is senior director of athletics content at West Virginia University. He has authored four books on Mountaineer athletics: Saturday Snapshots: West Virginia University Football; The Backyard Brawl: Stories from One of the Weirdest, Wildest, Longest Running, and Most Intense Rivalries in College Football History; Roll Out the Carpet: 101 Seasons of West Virginia University Basketball;and West Virginia University Football Vault: The History of the Mountaineers.

In recent days, President Trump has approved federal disaster aid for the red states of Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri and Alaska while denying it to the blue states of Maryland, Vermont, and Illinois. The White House has not offered meaningful explanations for the discrepancies, which just happen to punish states that didn't support him in 2024. But we noticed something interesting about this whole saga: In Maryland, the disasters and damage in question severely afflicted the state's westernmost counties. Allegany and Garrett counties are in Appalachia, deep in Trump country: Both voted for Trump by at least 40 points. We talked to MSNBC's Steve Benen, author of Ministry of Truth, who has been writing well about Trump's selective approach to disaster aid. We discuss the explicit nature of Trump's punishment of states that don't support him, how Trump screws his own voters while seducing them with promises of pain to blue America, and how this latest saga illustrates MAGA ideology larger depravities. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across the South, the word witch has been used to explain what people fear and cannot control. For generations, healers, midwives, conjurers and root workers carried knowledge their communities needed, yet often faced suspicion when tragedy struck. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the real lives and southern legends behind those branded as witches. From colonial courts to mountain cabins and coastal swamps, these stories reveal how the line between healing and haunting has always been thin and how fear can turn ordinary people into figures of folklore. Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

In recent days, President Trump has approved federal disaster aid for the red states of Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri and Alaska while denying it to the blue states of Maryland, Vermont, and Illinois. The White House has not offered meaningful explanations for the discrepancies, which just happen to punish states that didn't support him in 2024. But we noticed something interesting about this whole saga: In Maryland, the disasters and damage in question severely afflicted the state's westernmost counties. Allegany and Garrett counties are in Appalachia, deep in Trump country: Both voted for Trump by at least 40 points. We talked to MSNBC's Steve Benen, author of Ministry of Truth, who has been writing well about Trump's selective approach to disaster aid. We discuss the explicit nature of Trump's punishment of states that don't support him, how Trump screws his own voters while seducing them with promises of pain to blue America, and how this latest saga illustrates MAGA ideology larger depravities.  Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent days, President Trump has approved federal disaster aid for the red states of Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri and Alaska while denying it to the blue states of Maryland, Vermont, and Illinois. The White House has not offered meaningful explanations for the discrepancies, which just happen to punish states that didn't support him in 2024. But we noticed something interesting about this whole saga: In Maryland, the disasters and damage in question severely afflicted the state's westernmost counties. Allegany and Garrett counties are in Appalachia, deep in Trump country: Both voted for Trump by at least 40 points. We talked to MSNBC's Steve Benen, author of Ministry of Truth, who has been writing well about Trump's selective approach to disaster aid. We discuss the explicit nature of Trump's punishment of states that don't support him, how Trump screws his own voters while seducing them with promises of pain to blue America, and how this latest saga illustrates MAGA ideology larger depravities. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are lots of options for enjoying fall colors across Appalachia. And, America's largest rodent has caused some even larger problems -- but a new national movement that's close to home finds there are reasons to help them out. The post Celebrating Fall In Appalachia And Protecting America's Biggest Rodent, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

This Halloween marks 10 years of stories from Rod and Steve; to mark the holiday and our tenth anniversary, we're going to take you deep into the dark side of Appalachia with two chilling tales from southwest Virginia. First, Steve tells the story of three strange sisters who ran girls' schools in Murfreesboro and Christiansburg—women whispered to be linked to evil spirits and who eventually faced justice for a terrible crime. Some say their spirits still haunt the ground where their school stood in Christiansburg over a hundred years ago. Then, Rod shares the legend of two cunning sisters from Scott County, whose greed and cruelty led to a savage end. Their ghosts are said to still haunt the cemetery where they were denied burial.Be sure to subscribe for more Stories of Appalachia.Happy Halloween, y'all!

Andrea Billups Joins us to talk about her class A bigfoot encounter.

Well Darlins', Trader Red is gonna take us on an adventure all the way down to Skyline Valley. This here ain't no ordinary trip...because it's Spooky Season in Appalachia.Not only is the whole Valley covered in storms and full of weird creatures...not to mention a whole heapin' of secrets of its own...but it's also where we'll find Mischief Night.An event the likes of which Appalachians haven't seen in years, you'll join Trader Red and the Eyebot JES-SR on a wild ride of explosions, mayhem...and forkin' the lawn at the old Rapidan Camp.So let's take a trip down south and spread some Spooky Season mischief!

In today's EM Morning Brief, Cedric covers weather alerts and updates for Thursday, October 23rd, 2025. Key highlights include freeze and frost alerts from the Ohio Valley to Appalachia, high surf advisories in Hawaii, and gale conditions in southern New England waters. Detailed state-specific updates include a precautionary boil water notice in Hallandale Beach, FL, high fire danger in central and north Georgia, and lake-effect rain in western New York. Stay informed and safe with your local NWS and EMA updates.00:00 Introduction and National Weather Overview00:54 Regional Weather Alerts00:56 State-by-State Weather Updates03:54 Conclusion and Safety RemindersSources[NWS | https://www.weather.gov/; NWS HFO | https://www.weather.gov/hfo/SRF][NWS BOX Marine | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=AEG&product=CWF&site=BOX][NWS Buffalo HWO | https://www.weather.gov/buf/BUFHWOBUF][NHC – Melissa Advisory #8 | https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT3%2Bshtml/230838.shtml?text=][NWS Juneau “News Headlines” | https://www.weather.gov/ajk/localclimate][Hallandale Beach | https://hallandalebeachfl.gov/1740/Precautionary-Boil-Water-Notices][NWS Peachtree City HWO | https://www.weather.gov/ffc/hwo][NWS HFO Surf Forecast | https://www.weather.gov/hfo/SRF][NWS Kauai Zone Page (HIZ003) | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=HIZ003][NWS Wilmington OH – Indiana zones | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=INZ050&product1=Freeze%20Warning][NWS Jackson KY – Winter/Sig Wx page with Freeze Warning | https://www.weather.gov/jkl/sigwx_wintersnow2][NWS Boston/Norton – Coastal Waters Forecast | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=AEG&product=CWF&site=BOX][NWS Buffalo HWO | https://www.weather.gov/buf/BUFHWOBUF][NWS BUF Nearshore – Small Craft Advisories noted | https://www.weather.gov/buf/laketemp][NWS GSP hazard text (Freeze Warning) | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=NCZ051&product1=Hazardous%20Weather%20Outlook][City of Hendersonville | https://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/water-sewer/customer-center/water-alerts][Town of Fort Mill update | https://fortmillsc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=713][NWS Nashville – hazards | https://www.weather.gov/ohx/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

Organizations strive to stay true to their mission.The Watauga Land Trust was formed in 1995, established by Appalachian State University students concerned with protecting Howard Knob, a mountain adjacent to the Town of Boone. The new organization raised local awareness about the unprecedented pace of development not just around Boone, but across North Carolina's northwestern mountains. These concerns galvanized the local community and in 1997 the Watauga Land Trust changed its name to High Country Conservancy and expanded its jurisdiction to include Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. The organization's mission was “to protect the natural resources of Appalachia by conserving land with significant ecological, cultural, recreational, or scenic value in the North Carolina High Country.”In May of 2010, Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust based in West Jefferson, North Carolina and High Country Conservancy, based in Boone merged to create Blue Ridge Conservancy, a private, non-profit organization that has protected over 22,000 acres in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey Counties.In early October 2025, Blue Ridge Conservancy announced after 30 years of effort, it has secured the opportunity to purchase 73 acres on the north and east side of Howard Knob. This property adjoins the existing 5-acre park owned by Watauga County, and will protect the land forever and provide public access for nature-based recreation, including hiking and rock climbing. On this week's Mind Your Business, we speak with Eric Hiegl, BRC's Senior Director of Land Protection and Conservation Planning. We'll hear about how the organization's persistence saw them achieve their founding objective. We'll also discuss BRC's plans to enhance public access to this property in a manner that enhances outdoor recreation opportunities in storied area of Watauga County.Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Blue Ridge Conservancy for providing historical context to this story. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.Catch the show each Thursday afternoon at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone.Join us for Passing the Torch: A Dialogue on Leadership Transition, November 3rd, from 5:30-8PM at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country. Support the show

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Puppetry meets scienceMusician Greg Herriges of Minneapolis recommends a date night or family trip to see Z Puppets Rosenschnoz's performance of “Cellula.” The show combines blacklight puppetry and live a capella music by improv vocalists Mankwe Ndosi and Libby Turner, zooming in on a story that takes place at the cellular level.Performances take place at Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis. Showtimes are Thursday at 5:30 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The show is recommended for ages 5 and up. Microscope activity stations will be available 30 minutes before each show.Greg says: It takes the world that you might see in a microscope and brings it to glow-in-the-dark life. It is educational, mesmerizing, funny. The live music by Mankwe and Libby is somewhat improv-based, I believe, but it also includes intertwined melodies and sound effects to create just beautiful soundscape to this great fusion of art and science.— Greg HerrigesA haunted Winona theater showWriter and playwright Kathleen Kenney Peterson of Winona plans to get into the Halloween spirit by attending “Mallory's Ghost,” an original ghost story and murder mystery set in a haunted theater. The play involves three heiresses and a ghost with something to say.It's written and produced by Margaret Shaw Johnson of Winona, who has written several plays and a book inspired by local hauntings. The show runs Friday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 2. Tickets are available through the Great River Shakespeare Festival.Kenney Peterson is also excited about the venue.Kathleen says: The Historic Masonic Theatre here in Winona has been closed for two years for renovations, and this play will be the first opportunity the public has to be in the building for over two years!— Kathleen Kenney PetersonPolka, anyone?Folk musician Sarah Larsson of Minneapolis plans to see the Upper Midwest Folk Fiddlers perform at Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis, Thursday at 7 p.m. Expect to hear — and dance to, if you choose — polkas, schottisches, waltzes and other traditional tunes.Sarah says: I think maybe a lot of people know about folk music from Appalachia or from the American South. But turns out, of course, here in the Upper Midwest — Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas — there's folk music, too, that comes from the early 20th century and the middle of the 19th century. What this group considers folk music from this region is all the music of different immigrants from Europe during that era, as well as Indigenous communities.— Sarah Larsson

Why have so many herbalists stopped using American ginseng — and what would it mean to welcome it back?In this episode, I sat down with Appalachian herbalist Phyllis Light to discuss American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), an herb that her family has had an intimate relationship with for generations. Wow, what a wealth of information she had to share about this legendary herb! Our conversation wound through the folk history of ginseng's use in Appalachia, ginseng trade routes, and the many, many ways we can work with it to benefit our health. Phyllis also explored the widespread belief that American ginseng is ‘too endangered to use'—and why the truth is more complex than we might think.Phyllis shared about several different herbal preparations of American ginseng, including her recipe for Ginseng Honey—a simple and delicious way to work with this beloved herb. You can download your beautifully illustrated recipe card here.There are so many ways that American ginseng can benefit your health! Here are just a few reasons you might want to work with American ginseng:► To improve memory and cognitive ability► To benefit your immune system (and even help antibiotics work better!)► To help you build strength and muscle mass, boost energy, and increase enduranceTo learn even more ways that you can work with American ginseng, be sure to check out the entire episode!By the end of this episode, you'll know:► How the global ginseng market impacts use of American ginseng in the United States► Why Phyllis considers American ginseng to be a “panacea herb”► How American ginseng can be worked with to benefit sleep—and the particular kind of insomnia that it is most appropriate for► When it's best to use American ginseng on its own, and when to formulate it with other herbs► The legal and ethical implications of buying wildcrafted American ginseng (or of wildcrafting your own!)► and so much more…For those of you who don't know her, Phyllis D. Light, a fourth-generation herbalist and healer, has studied and worked with herbs, foods, and other healing techniques for over 30 years. She is traditionally trained in Southern Folk Medicine with lessons from her grandmother as well as Tommie Bass, a renowned Southern herbalist. Phyllis has a master's degree from the University of Alabama in Health Studies, nutrition and healthcare. She has taught CEU classes for allied healthcare professionals. She is director of the Appalachian Center for Natural Health and is the author of Southern Folk Medicine: Healing Traditions from Appalachian Fields and Forests.I can't wait to share our conversation with you today!----Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.comWould you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.You can find Phyllis at PhyllisDLight.com.For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we

When ordinary deer turn grotesque, Appalachia's forests whisper of the Not-Deer — unnatural predators lurking somewhere between folklore and nightmare. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This episode is presented by Create A Video – North Carolina lawmakers move swiftly to approve redistricting maps to help Republicans maintain control of the US House of Representatives. Andrew Dunn is the publisher of Longleaf Politics and a contributing columnist to The Charlotte Observer, and he joined me to discuss the maps as well as the need for legislative hearings on crime in Charlotte. Help Pete’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s! Subscribe to the podcast at: https://ThePetePod.com/ All the links to Pete's Prep are free: https://patreon.com/petekalinershow Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code! Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com Get exclusive content here!: https://thepetekalinershow.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A two-week test drive program is helping rural drivers see if EVs fit their lives. Learn more at https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/ 

In this episode, Brad Onishi sits down with Rev. Alba Onofrio—executive director of Soulforce and host of Teología Sin Vergüenza—for a powerful exploration of faith, queerness, and resistance. Together, they unpack how white Christian nationalism and institutions like ICE perpetuate spiritual violence against marginalized communities, and how Soulforce responds through nonviolent resistance and liberative theology. Rev. Alba shares their own remarkable story—from growing up in Appalachia and coming out, to embracing the name “Reverend Sex” and reclaiming spirituality as a site of freedom rather than shame. The conversation dives into the roots and mission of Soulforce, highlighting its Spirit Resource Library and the movement's commitment to equipping activists with tools for justice and healing. Rev. Alba reflects on the power of queer and trans ancestors, the complexity of belonging for Latinx and mixed-race individuals, and the importance of creating inclusive, full-bodied faith communities. Through Teología Sin Vergüenza, they continue to cultivate space for unapologetic conversations about faith, identity, and justice—challenging listeners to imagine a world where love and liberation guide our spiritual lives. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza Subscribe to American Exceptionalism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

273. Wise Living: Why to Get Outside and Travel and Read Aloud with Amber O'Neal Johnston   “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV   *Transcription Below*   Amber O'Neal Johnston is an author, speaker, and Charlotte Mason homeschooling mom who blends life-giving books and a culturally rich environment for her four children and others seeking to do the same. She recommends we offer children opportunities to see themselves and others reflected in their lessons, especially throughout their books, and she's known for sharing literary “mirrors and windows” on HeritageMom.com and @heritagemomblog. Amber is also the author of Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture and A Place to Belong, a guide for families of all backgrounds on raising kids to celebrate their heritage, community, and the world.   www.HeritageMom.com www.SoulSchoolBook.com www.APlaceToBelongBook.com www.instagram.com/heritagemomblog www.facebook.com/heritagemomblog   Thank You to Our Sponsor:  Sam Leman Eureka   Questions that We Discussed: Looking back, what would you say has helped to shape your children's character the most? What have you learned about the importance of getting our kids (and ourselves) out into nature? How do you actually make time to be a content creator and to also homeschool and travel and host?   Other Related Episodes from The Savvy Sauce: 53 Practical Life Tips with Blogger, Rach Kincaid 57 Implementing Bite-Size Habits That Will Change Your Life with Author, Blogger, Podcaster, and Speaker, Kat Lee 82 Traveling with Your Family with Katie Mueller 84 Ordering Your Priorities with Kat Lee 103 Making Family Memories with Jessica Smartt 200 Planting Seeds of Faith in Our Children with Courtney DeFeo 204 Charlotte Mason Inspired Mini-Series: A Delectable Education with Emily Kiser 207 Cultivating Character in Our Children with Cynthia Yanof 212 School Series: Benefits of Homeschooling with Jodi Mockabee 253 Low Tech Parenting with Erin Loechner   Connect with The Savvy Sauce Our Website, Instagram or Facebook    Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast!   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:11 - 2:01) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today over 55 years later at Sam Leman Chevrolet Inc. in Eureka. Owned and operated by the Burchie family, Sam Leman's in Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at LehmanGM.com.   Amber O'Neal Johnston is my fascinating guest for today. She's an author and speaker and coach and she's just chosen to live a very wise life as a wife and mother, and I think you're going to enjoy gleaning practical tips such as the benefits of getting our children out in nature regardless of their age. She has teens and makes this super practical for things that they would enjoy too, and she shares these incredible benefits of what happens when we simply step outdoors. She's also going to share approachable ways to introduce our family to great art and other cultures, and she gives us a fabulous book list, so, make sure you stay tuned through the end of the episode so that you can see some of the top books that she recommends. Finally, if you don't have a copy of her own latest release entitled Soul School, I highly recommend you purchase that today. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Amber.   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (2:02 - 2:04) Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here.   Laura Dugger: (2:04 - 2:14) Well, I'd love for you just to start us off and introduce us to your family, and will you just share a glimpse of your values and lifestyle?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (2:15 - 3:48) Absolutely. So, I live outside of Atlanta, Georgia with my husband Scott and our four children. We are just entering birthday season, but shortly they will be 16, 14, 12, and 10. The girls are the two oldest. The boys are the two youngest, and they've been homeschooled from the beginning, so, we're a homeschooling family. I'm originally from Illinois. My husband's originally from Ohio, but we met here in Atlanta at the High Museum of Art, which is really special. We are art loving, you know, fine arts loving, liberal arts loving family, and so, the idea that we met at the museum, I will just cherish that forever. I came to, before homeschooling, I was a stay-at-home mom, and prior to having children, I have an MBA, and I worked in corporate America in like marketing and advertising, and Scott comes from a similar background with the MBA, and he was doing work in that area too, so, we had that as a connection point, but I have always stayed home with the kids, and you know, our values are rooted in our Christian faith, and we're an African-American family, and so, we have values and cultural aspects that enter our home through that avenue as well. We are world travelers, so, we enjoy that as part of who we are, and I'm an author and a speaker, and I'm just a very happy homeschooler.   Laura Dugger: (3:48 - 4:12) I love that, and it sounds like such a rich and abundant life, and there's two little connections that I have to go back to. My husband and I had a date at that same museum. I love that you met your husband there. Oh wow, that's wild! And so, we met when we were in Atlanta, but live in Illinois now, so, which part of Illinois were you originally from?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (4:12 - 4:33) I'm from Elgin, Illinois. It's out past O'Hare Airport, and I was born and raised there. My parents were both public school principals there. My dad was principal of Elgin High, and there's actually an elementary school, Ron O'Neal Elementary School in Elgin, named after my father, so, that is where I'm from.   Laura Dugger: (4:33 - 4:46) Wow, okay, so, then even with that piece, your father being a principal, and then you said you've homeschooled since the beginning. Did you always anticipate you would homeschool, or what was your journey into that?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (4:47 - 7:15) Oh my gosh, never, and it's both of my parents were principals, so, that's wild. My grandfather was an elected school board official. My sister was an elected school board official, so, public school is just, you know, in my blood from the very beginning, and that's what I assumed I would do for my kids at first. Once Scott and I got married, and we had discussed it, we decided that I would stay home when they were little, and when they were old enough to go to school, I would go back to work, and my salary would pay for private Christian school tuition, and as the years, you know, months really came to fruition for my oldest, my husband started backpedaling, and he started talking this crazy talk about homeschooling. I'm like, that's a switcheroo for you. What are you talking about? I was like, that's weird. I don't want to do that. I don't feel called to do that. That does not seem like a comfortable space for me. I don't want my kids to endure that, and ultimately, I lacked confidence in that. I couldn't even articulate it. It felt scary, terrifying. Why would I take something so weighty into my own hands, and Scott was very persistent, and I can't even explain why he was so persistent about it, but I think to me, I feel like it was planted in him by the Lord, and he felt that this was the way he wanted to lead his family, and he did it so graciously because I was very resistant. He asked, would you please try it for one year, and if you are unhappy, you don't think it's right. I'll never ask you about it again, and that gave me a softer place to land where I felt like it wasn't signing up for a long-term commitment because I knew I was going to hate it, and I said, sure. I will do that, and oh, my gosh. It was the most amazing year, and I laugh now because my daughter was four, so, she's like four and turned five during that year, and so, she was so young, and people were like, well, what were you really doing, but I took it so seriously. I was doing all things, and I joined a homeschool support group, and I was reading about it, and I realized on Friday, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and on Monday, I took on this identity of a homeschooling mom, and it's just been a beautiful journey for us. I'm so thankful that the Lord led Scott in that way. He knew what was right, not just for our children, but for me, too, when I had no vision for it, and so, I'm just, you know, very grateful.   Laura Dugger: (7:16 - 7:30) I love that story. That's such an encouragement, and, okay, your oldest is turning 16, so, when you look back, what would you say has helped shape your children's character the most?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (7:32 - 9:29) Well, I think the time that we've all had to spend together, like intense amounts of time, so, not just quality time or quantity time, but both, and I think that there's nothing else I could have done that could replace that, so, I think that's one of the things. I think my own acceptance of the divine nature of me being their mother and those being my children, and really that leading me to embrace my mother's intuition, which is something that I was hesitant for at first because there are so many experts, and surely they know so much more than me, and that's not to say that that's not important. I read so widely. I'm always reading expert ideas and views, but what I realized is that those things can help me as tools. They can mentor me, but they can't master me because the master has already appointed me as the perfect mom for these children, and nobody knows them, the little tiny details of them that nobody knows more than me, and so, when I leaned into that and I'm like, yeah, this says this online, this book said that, this thing says that, I can take what I can from those, but ultimately I feel the spirit telling me and leading me in this way with these children, and when I really leaned into that, I have a right to do that. I am their mother. That revolutionized things, and I think that's what's helped shape my children's character the most is my willingness to lean into how I'm led to lead them, and so, that's been a motherhood journey for me, and I hope that it's a legacy that I leave with my children.   Laura Dugger: (9:31 - 9:53) And do you have any specific stories that come to mind that were examples of that mother's intuition, something that really I think it is such a gift from the Lord and that the Holy Spirit speaks to us in some unique way as mothers to be in tune with our kids, so, is there a time that it really benefited them when you exercised your mother's intuition?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (9:53 - 12:42) Well, there was one time with my third, my son, my oldest son, his name is Beckett, and he was in the high chair eating while I was braiding my daughter's hair, and I heard him start making like these really weird noises, and I looked over and it was like he was choking and gagging, and I run over, and but he seemed fine, but then he would do it again, and he started sweating, and you know today I really would say, you should call 9-1-1, but I didn't, I threw all the kids in the car, and I rushed to the ER, and when we got there he wasn't choking anymore, he wasn't sweating, they did his vitals and everything, and they said, well mom, whatever happened passed, he's fine, and you guys can go home, and I was like, no, he's not fine, I'm looking at him, he's not my little boy, his vitals are checking out, but he's not looking at me the way he normally looks at me, he's not interacting with me, the little funny things that I can make him smile all the time, he's not responding to them, and so, like, I know you have your tests, but like my, I'm telling you something's wrong with my little boy, so, they have a doctor, he comes in to tell me everything's fine, and he's sending me home, and so, I was like, well I'm not leaving, I'll just spend the night in the ER then with all my kids, because I know something's wrong, and the doctor, who's this older man, he turns to me, he looks me in my eyes, and he says, you know, in all my years of medical training, there's something that they never told us, but something I've learned throughout my career, never doubt a mother's intuition, and he said, we'll take him and run more tests, and they took Beckett back to run more tests, and they came back and said, you were right, he has swallowed a coin, and it's like just teetering on the precipice, and so, at times it was blocking his airway, and at times it was shifted a little bit, and we have to go in immediately and get it, and that could have choked him, if you had just gone home and put him down to bed, and so, in that story, I took away two things, one, that I am his mother, and I don't care what the test says, or what the data says, or what the news, or a book, at the end of the day, I knew that something was wrong with my boy, the other thing is the graciousness of that doctor, to see my humanity and my personhood beyond just the insurance payment, or protocol, or whatever, it let me know that like there's something powerful about letting other people know that you see them, and that you are connected to them, as another part of God's creation, like he respected me on that level, so.   Laura Dugger: (12:43 - 13:35) That is incredible, I'm so grateful that that story has a happy ending, and that you were assertive to say that, I think sometimes as women, probably especially as Christian women, we can think, oh I want to be nice, or not push back on somebody, but I love that you were assertive, it was what was in your child's best interest, and like you highlighted, that doctor's humility is admirable, but Amber, you mentioned too that you're a writer, and you contribute a lot to things like the Wild and Free bundles, and I was always struck by the way that you would be out in nature, and there's so much to learn, so, if you had to boil it down, what wisdom would you have to share from what you've learned about the importance of getting our kids and ourselves outdoors into nature?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (13:36 - 16:49) Yeah, that's so funny, I love that you asked me that, because I like to tell people I was raised in the air conditioning, and so, there is no one who began motherhood further away from nature and being outdoors than me, like, and I can look back at those early days of like, I knew you could take your kids to the playground, and I did do that, but like what else would you do outside, you know, and people would be like, oh we went hiking on this trail, and I was like, where did you get on it, like where do you find a trailhead, like I mean this is back, like this is where I was coming from, and I was just like, and then what would we do, like we just walk, and do we talk about trees, I don't know any trees, I know Christmas trees are evergreens, you know, so, it was just like coming from this very like foundational place where I didn't know anything, but I believed, right, I believed, I somehow inherently believed when I read that being outdoors was important for children, so, I'm reading Charlotte Mason's work, and she's talking about nature study, I'm reading Last Child in the Woods by Louvre, and I'm hearing about this, he calls it a nature deficit disorder, and I'm reading all of these different kind of people who really respected childhood, and personhood, and really wanted the best for children, I'm reading a Christian perspective of the joy in connecting with God's creation, first and foremost, but also this idea of encouraging natural and authentic physical activity, running, climbing, balancing, exploring, developing coordination, and confidence, and the mental health components, you know, reducing stress, and improving mood, and not just for the kids, but my friend from A Thousand Hours Outside, she talks about how the first time she like took her kids out for the whole day, it was for her, because she was going crazy with these all these little kids, and the house, and the bags, and the diaper bag, and the snacks, and she didn't know what else to do, so, she just went outside, and how healing that was, and therapeutic that was for all of them, the idea of curiosity, of fueling curiosity, and creativity, I've never seen my kids come up with the most, I mean, they come up with imaginative things in our house, but outside, the, oh my goodness, the things they come up with, the things they create, and make, and the storytelling that comes out of that, and I think the family bonds, our experiences, it's another way of memory making, I mean, we make memories when we go see plays, and musicals, and travel as well, so, it's not the only way, but it's a strong way of that shared outdoor adventures, so, like a couple weeks ago, we were all whitewater rafting, it's funny, like a lot of funny things happen when you're out there doing crazy stuff, and so, we have a lot of laughter, and we have a lot of inside jokes that come from our time together, so, I think that all of those, it's not just one thing, it's one of those rare things where there are all the pros, and there really are no cons, and so, I intentionally embrace that for my family, even though it's everything that I didn't have growing up.   Laura Dugger: (16:50 - 17:41) Wow, that is so interesting, I love how books have really inspired you to make changes that have benefited your entire family, and I'm thinking back years ago when I was in grad school, studying marriage and family therapy, there was this book that we read, Letters to a Young Therapist, I believe the author is Mary Pipher, and she said something that I found to be very true in my life, she said, from childhood when we all look back, our memories typically boil down to three categories, one is family dinners around the table, the second is traveling with our family, and the third is anytime we were outdoors, and so, I'm wondering that legacy that you're giving your kids, they're going to have an abundance of memories in all three of those buckets.   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (17:42 - 18:29) Yeah, I love that, and I had never read that, it's making me want to go and read her work, but I can't agree more, I mean that's what I've seen anecdotally, at least in my family, and it's definitely been the case for us, I can totally see that, the other thing I love about outdoors too is it's free, you know, so, there have, we've had times of plenty and times of not quite enough financially throughout our journey, due to layoffs, and you know, recessions, and all these different things, but that has been one thing that the travel hasn't always been as consistent as we wanted, but the nature, the time outside has always been accessible, even during COVID, that was accessible to us, so, I love it for that too, but yeah, that's really cool.   Laura Dugger: (18:29 - 18:41) Absolutely, okay, so, you started with, you were getting some inspiration from different books and speakers, but then when did you actually implement this? Do you remember how old your kids were?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (18:42 - 20:11) Right away, so, my oldest was like four, five years old, and we started going outside, now again, we had always been going to the park, so, they had been spending a lot of time outside, but I will say like that's like a very, you know, man-made structures, and you know, I can't think of it, like very cultivated space, so, we weren't spending time in uncultivated space until around there, so, maybe a four-year-old, two-year-old, and infant, and I know they started growing up in that way, and I had kids in an ergo on the back, and I remember hiking with a kid in an ergo on the front, and then snapped another one on the back, and you know, these are memories I have of being outdoors thoroughly by the time the boys were coming along, and I remember the story where we were at a creek, and I looked up for a moment, and just sheer panic that my little boy was gone, he wasn't in my eyesight anymore, and the girls were playing there, and I'm like, you know, and I look, and look, and look, and there's nothing, and no one, and all I can think you sees in the water, and I wasn't paying attention, and my heart's racing, and I'm like, girls, where's your brother? And my daughter says, mommy, he's sleeping on your back. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I just think, like, I was so tired during those years, and I just remember, I would just think, let's just go outside, and some days that's just the most I could come up with, but yeah, I was freaking out, and the little boy was sleeping on my back.   Laura Dugger: (20:12 - 21:50) And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka has been owned and operated by the Burchie family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago.   If you visit their dealership today though, you'll find that not everything has changed. They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle. 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What did you do outside?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (21:51 - 24:13) So, we started with walking, and I also was very verbal about my, what I felt were my inadequacies with friends, and that's why, you know, I can't overemphasize the, I haven't brought that up yet, but the idea of community. You don't need a hundred friends, just a few people who either are doing the same thing as you, have done it, or know you personally so well. But I had a friend who was like this outdoor enthusiast, and I always admired her for that, and she'd be like, oh, I went to the hydrangeas, they're coming out today, and they're gonna bloom for four days, and you know, like, and she would be like, oh, do you want some wild blueberries? And I'd be looking at her with side eye, like, girl, I only eat blueberries from Publix, because how do I know that you know what you're doing? You know, those could be poisonous berries you identified wrong. So, we had this kind of ongoing thing, I just asked her, I was like, hey, could we go outside with you guys sometimes? And she was like, of course. So, our first hike was with her and her kids, and she showed me how to go outside and do nothing. Like, we didn't do anything, we just walked. And the kids let us, you know, they would stop and ponder things and ask questions, which she knew the answers to, but wouldn't answer. So, she was like, well, what do you think? Or that's something cool we can investigate, or whatever. So, I realized, wow, here's this expert naturalist who's not even using her expertise. I don't have any expertise, so I could do the same thing. Well, what do you think about that? So, the kids let us, we stopped when they stopped, we kept going when they kept going. We had plenty of water and snacks, which she had told me, which was important. And that was my first thing. It was a hike. And after that, I only went back to that place by myself with my kids without her, because that was the only trail I knew. I knew where to park and where to go, and I felt confident. And then lo and behold, I run into Charlotte Mason's work, where she talks about returning to the same place throughout the year, and having your kids compare what's happening their season to season. And so, different rationale for why I was doing that. But then I was like, look, there's beauty, even in the simplicity of me not knowing what else to do. So, that's kind of how we got into it. And then I started having more experience and going out and being more adventurous further away from home with my kids.   Laura Dugger: (24:14 - 24:24) Okay, so, then what other ways has it evolved? You mentioned whitewater rafting. So, you've got teens now. What does your time outdoors look like in this phase?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (24:25 - 26:02) So, lots of camping. So, you know, Memorial Day weekend, you know, we were camping in yurts with friends. This past weekend, we camped, we had a big Juneteenth celebration, and then we went camping for Juneteenth weekend. And so, I would say that kayaking, paddle boards, we have paddle boards, we take out fishing, I hate fishing personally, don't like it at all. But two of my kids enjoy fishing. So, I'm there for that. I'll just bring a book or whatever, because it's quite boring to me, but they love it. So, we moved. I mean, how much of a commitment is that we moved to a different house, when we were able to have our whole property is forest floor. So, it's completely shaded and intertwined with trees and plants and a kind of wild scape. And across the road is a lake where the boys can fish and I can call their names for lunch and they can hear me now. I have to yell it loud. It's kind of country. Other people probably like what is going on? I'm like, you know, but they can hear me right there. And so, the creek and just really everything. A lot, a lot of hiking, I will say we live near a mountain and we're in Georgia. So, the North Georgia mountains are not far from us. We have Appalachia or Appalachia, as my friend said, I mispronounce it. And yeah, there's nothing that isn't my one of my first dates with Scott was whitewater rafting. So, we've always kind of embraced that.   Laura Dugger: (26:03 - 26:37) Oh, that's a special way to tie in a married couple memory with your kids and get to pass that along. And water and mountains, those things are, they never get old. But I've heard others even say like, you don't have to take stuff other than water and snacks, like you mentioned, to go outside. But I like the practical tips that sometimes people take art supplies, and they can nature journal or a book to read aloud. Do you have any other practical tips like that, that you would encourage if somebody wanted to get started with this lifestyle?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (26:38 - 28:47) Yeah, I would say, um, we, okay, the best thing I can say is to just try it like I think that oftentimes I know my I'm like this, you want to try to be an expert at something before you actually put it into practice. And the point is, like, we're looking at someone's work or something that they're doing after years that they've been in practice. And then we're expecting to do that from the very beginning. And until we get there, we don't want to do it. So, for example, nature study, nature journaling, I always admired nature journaling. But when you look at people's nature journals that they people who are willing to share, there's usually a reason they're willing to share theirs because it looks beautiful. And mine didn't also look beautiful. But I was still willing to give it a try. And I love that. And I love my kids, what they've worked on. And I cherish all of our early beginning sketches. And quite honestly, I'm still not great. But I think having tools like watercolor pens and water pens where we can do watercolor on the go. And we've done many pictures out by the side of the creek on picnic blankets, especially like my older children while younger people are like, What do I do with these little ones like water, you know, like they love that splashing, making sandcastles and things while I'm painting or doing things watercolors with the with the older ones. And were they museum worthy? No. But there was a lot of enjoyment involved in a skill-based learning. So, I think asking questions and inquiry, using pictures, sure and painting, but also keeping track of things the the date that our cherry blossoms bloom, and our white cherry blossom blooms before the pink one every year and keeping track of that or paying trying to map all of the vegetation in our yard like we are, you know, know which trees what they're called where they come from that takes time. And those are things we've done. It's not like we're only just sitting there barefoot grounding ourselves and forest bathing. You know, we're out there learning as well. And I think that, you know, both are beautiful ways to enter into that.   Laura Dugger: (28:48 - 29:34) I love it. There's so many benefits. And you even mention grounding that helps so much going barefoot with inflammation and different body systems that are reset even by getting out and getting early morning light and the serotonin that's produced that turns into melatonin at night. So, we're happier in the day and sleepier at night, resetting systems in our eyes and like healing our body in different ways to an even how much better outdoor air is for us than indoor air. The benefits just go on and on. So, would you have any to add that either your family has experienced personally, or you've learned about just benefits of getting outdoors?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (29:34 - 31:29) Yeah, I think that one, even, you know, all the things you said, yes, and also the mental clarity. And that's why I don't like being time outdoors, being tied to a negative consequence for academic related behavior. So, the house across the road from ours, you know, I could say ironically, or just be like, God chose to gift us. It's a homeschooling family. They moved in a couple years ago, and they have some kids are some of our kids are similar ages. And our boys are just outside all the time together hours and hours and hours every single day. And I see the difference on days where the weather doesn't permit it or where one family or the other, you know, isn't available. There's a difference in terms of clarity and the work that's happening at the lesson table as well. And this came up, you know, my nephew, you know, they're not homeschooled, and his parents took him on a trip, which caused him to miss a day of school. And he missed an assignment that day, he didn't turn it in. And so, the school then when he got back to school punished him by keeping him indoors for recess. And I was helping, you know, my family craft a note that talks about two things. One, they punished a child for a decision the parents made. And that is grossly unfair, they should be talking to the parents about not missing school, if that's the important thing. And the second thing is, you took away the very thing that allows these children to have what they need to sit quietly and take in, you know, that that's not, that's not how you that's not an appropriate consequence. So, anyway, I feel that the mental clarity beyond the things I would have named the same things you already said, it would be the only other thing that I would bring in and why time outside actually helps us to achieve deeper and broader and more expansive learning when we are inside.   Laura Dugger: (31:29 - 31:54) That's good. And I love how you keep mentioning the piece of community that that's the best way to do this. So, regardless of somebody homeschools, or they don't, how can all of us actually prioritize this? And what's a good, healthy goal for getting started, even as specific as how much time outdoors, how many outdoors or how many days a week should we be outdoors?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (31:55 - 33:01) Yeah, that's, it's so different for every family, I think that you should go just past the point of comfort, you know, for most of us. So, if the point of comfort for you is like 30 minutes a week, then you would start out like aim for an hour a week, you know, 20 minutes, three days, if you're already outside for, you know, 10 hours, a couple hours each day, you know, I would say, maybe shake it up with what you're doing and see what would it be like to go on a really long outdoor excursion on a Saturday, or to take a day off or something like that. So, I don't want to say an exact number, because we're all entering in at a different place. For me, if someone had told me to spend eight hours outside with my kids, when I was first starting, and I'm used to going to playground for 20 minutes, that would have been overwhelming. And I would have been like; there's no way I'm ever gonna do it. So, I think like, just taking it, like, where do I feel most comfortable? And how can I push myself just past that point would be a great place to start and kind of a nice place to always stay? Like, what's the next thing that we can do to lean further into this?   Laura Dugger: (33:02 - 33:15) That's really good, very wise counsel. And Amber, you've mentioned that your family loves to travel. So, will you share any adventures that you've had as a family with world schooling?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (33:16 - 36:20) So, our goal, and it's just a fun thing, you know, I don't know if we'll totally do it, but I think we will, is to have children. So, for us, world schooling is where we're not on vacation, but we're actually deeply immersed in a learning stance in another country, another part of the world. And we're trying to do that on every continent, except Antarctica, before my oldest graduates. So, we have two continents left, we are going to be going to Asia in the fall. So, we'll be taking that one off of our list and for that particular feat. And then her senior year, we'll do Australia and hop over to New Zealand. That's the plan, if it's God's will for us to do that, that's what we would like to do, and that will complete our journey. And then we'll keep traveling, but that was just kind of a fun thing to help lead us, because there are so many places in the world to go, like how do you know? And so, that kind of helped us know, well, let's do this continent, let's do that continent. So, we took our first trip, we spent three months in South America, most of it spent in Bolivia. And I can tell you exactly the kids' ages, because my youngest turned two in Bolivia. So, they were two, four, six, and then one turned eight there. And so, that was, you know, diapers, I had a baby in diapers, a little one in diapers and still nursing when we went on our first trip. And I've never regretted that. People have said, why would you take kids so young? You know, they're not going to remember. And I think a couple thoughts. One, you'd be surprised, they do remember. They may not remember this artifact in some museum, but that's not what we spend most of our time doing. But they remember the people. And we've kept in touch with a lot of the people that we've met in these different countries. And we've even had visitors in our home, staying in our basement apartment that we met abroad. So, they do remember. They remember how things feel and taste more than they remember exactly, like historical markers and things like that. Also, I kind of compare it to like breastfeeding and nursing, like my kids, except for one little boy who held on way too long, but they don't remember that. But I believed that it was something good for them that was forming. It was helping to form who they were, not so much who they were personality wise, but their bodies as they were growing. And so, sometimes we do things that are foundational to our children's development, even if they don't have a conscious and direct memory of that thing. And that's how I see world travel. So, we've been to Europe, and we were in Greece when COVID hit. We were in the middle of a big trip there. So, we had the whole struggle to get back to the United States. We've been to West Africa, most spent in Ghana, England, France. We're going to Ethiopia this year. So, yeah, that's kind of, that's our thing.   Laura Dugger: (36:20 - 37:04) Wow. And those memories are incredible. Even let's say your children forget some of this, or if they're too young to remember all of it, you remember this and you get to share those stories with them and pass that along. I can't even imagine all of the learning that takes place from being immersed in those other cultures. But you also mentioned welcoming people into your basement apartment. So, you sound hospitable as a family. What does that actually look like? And I'm kind of going to throw two questions at you. What does that actually look like? And then both for world schooling and hospitality, what are tips for ways we can replicate that as well?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (37:06 - 39:52) So, one thing that's important to me to always share about world schooling, I have a whole chapter about our world schooling adventures in my first book, but one important thing that I call out there is Eli Gerzen. He's the guy who came up with the word world schooling. And he says, you know, we don't even need a passport to do it. That world schooling is really learning from the world around you. It could be your local library. It could be the internet. It could be your neighbors. And so, while I use this more global term of world schooling, because that's just what we call it in our family, the truth of the matter is it's a way of seeing the world and seeing all the opportunity to make connections right where you're sitting. And people are like, oh, you guys have so much money. I can't do that. First of all, we don't have so much money. Like, for instance, we have one car, right? So, there are sacrifices that we make that other people may choose to spend their money in a different way. So, we definitely don't have a ton of money. But more importantly, I'm thinking, yeah, you're saying that you don't have money, but how much have you explored your county? Like, what do you know about the history of your county? And have you been to your local historical society? And have you really, you know, got in? Have you been to an old the oldest cemetery within driving distance of your home? Have you gotten a tour of it to hear the stories of who's there? Like, you can have that same inquiry and curiosity without ever leaving. So, I'll say that first. And in terms of the hospitality part, it's like an it's an intention, right? You have to like, decide that you're going to do that, because it's so much easier not to have people at first view, like, oh, my house is not clean, and blah, blah, blah. And people don't just stop by the way they used to stop by, like my grandparents' house, it was so fun staying there in the summer, because people just folks just came in and out all day, just they come calling is what they call it, they come calling. And even when we read Jane Austin, people leaving the call guard, you know, when they came to visit, and you weren't there, like, there was this idea that you didn't have to have an appointment. And now you do, you have to let someone know before you're coming. So, it's a choice to be vulnerable, if you want to be hospitable in that way that people will see your, you know, dirty bones of your house. And you know that you're not always presenting this, like really sanitized version of your family and your family life. And so, I think that's intentional decision to say it's more important to us to be with other people and let them in than it is for us to always sanitize everything before they get here. And I don't mean sanitizes and clean the house that too, but I mean sanitizes and everyone's behaving the way that I want them to behave in front of people and all of that as well.   Laura Dugger: (39:53 - 41:05) When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce? How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you? Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love? If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world. So, we need your help.   Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share. We appreciate you.   Well, and I think it is a biblical command for all of us and it does bless the person or the people that we are hosting, but there are also rewards for us in the process. So, if you even just could think of one reward of a way that this hospitality has blessed your family, what would you say?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (41:07 - 41:55) Well, I would say John chapter five, it says, you know, this verse we've all heard, "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit apart from me, you can do nothing." So, you know, when we talk about hospitality, we spend a lot of time talking about what my family is doing for other people. But also, that means that my family is constantly in contact with other believers and other people who are helping us with our faith to helping us to remain connected to Jesus. And without that connection, we know that there's nothing that we can do, nothing of any spiritual significance. So, while I'm inviting those people into our lives, it also ensures that my family is not alone in what we're trying to do in our faith. So, like, that's one of a very easy benefit, I can say right off the top.   Laura Dugger: (41:56 - 42:18) Then that one is truly invaluable for our children to get to witness the way other people live out their faith, and it impacts each of us. But I'm also curious, how do you manage your time so that you can be a content creator, and you can homeschool and travel and cultivate these relationships?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (42:20 - 46:08) So, first, let me say that it's not always easy. And there are seasons where I feel like I'm doing a really good job with that. And there are seasons where I feel like I'm not doing a good job. I always prioritize my family first. And so, during the seasons where I feel like I'm not doing a good job, it's very public. People can see I did not post on Instagram for a month, or I'm not speaking as much. They're finding it harder to find opportunities to hear me speak, or I have a long lull before books are published. Those are times where I've turned inward towards my family, where I felt like I didn't have the bandwidth for everything. And so, that's something I have to deal with on a constant basis, because I know that my business or my ministry is not as rich and robust as it could be. I have ideas for days. I have ideas and the ability to bring them to fruition. But I'm not willing to sacrifice the time that it takes to do those things in this season. Because even though I don't have little kids, I definitely have more time than I did when I had little kids. It's not even just time; it's more mind clarity as well. But I don't have as much time as people with little kids would think, because I want to be fully present, even for my teens. When they want to talk to me, I want to be talkable too. I want to be available to them. And we're going to places. We're doing things. They're busy. I'm busy. And I'm trying to prepare them for young adulthood. And that's just as time-consuming as trying to prepare my young children for the next stage of their development. So, I guess it's so messy. Oh my gosh, it's messy. It's chaotic. It's a little bit crazy. But in the center of it all, I really appreciate the opportunities I do have to do the things that help refuel, help me refuel. So, I'm a writer. So, writing isn't just about creating a book. It's that I get to create a book, but really it's about the process and how cathartic it is for me to sit in silence and wonder about things and be able to write them out. And oh, lo and behold, there's a publisher who is interested in publishing those things. But the real work for me is in the process of writing. Then when I come home from a coffee shop or I emerge from my room, I come back more enthusiastic about what it is we're working on and what we're doing. The other thing that I would share is that I don't do all of that stuff by myself. So, things that people don't, just like I say, I have one car and we travel the world, people are like, oh, okay, this is not what I thought. My husband does all the laundry, every piece of laundry in this house that the teens do their own, but all the laundry that's done, he does and has done for over a decade. So, that's a thing I have to say, because you might be picturing that I'm doing all of those things. Or when I wrote one of my books, I was struggling and Scott was like, how can I help you? And he was like, what if we get help to come in with the kids like a nanny or something a few hours a week? I'm like, no, that's the last thing I want somebody to touch. So, he's like, well, what is it? So, we hired a chef, and she would prepare all of our dinners according to like what I, how I like my family to eat and lots of whole foods and good things. And she would drop them off at our house. It was very expensive, but I used part of the money from the advance from the publisher to pay for that so that I could write the book. So, I think those are things that a lot of times people don't talk about, but I have support in place. I'm not super woman any more than anyone else.   Laura Dugger: (46:08 - 46:49) Oh, I appreciate that real picture and those creative ideas because as mothers, we don't just make goals for ourselves. Like you said, we have these dreams and ideas that we could put into practice, but we consider our relationships as well and how it will impact everyone. So, I love hearing practically how that plays out for you and the trade-offs that you've chosen to make. And I know that you and I also share a passion for reading aloud. So, if we could get really practical for a moment, what are some of your most recommended read aloud for families from a variety of age groups?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (46:50 - 53:05) Well, I'm always ready for that question, but I have to say, it's almost asking me, which of my children are my favorite? It's so hard in so many ways, but for younger elementary, I picked three books that I think kind of help show how expansive I feel like I want my children's reading life to be. So, this book is called Indigo Dreaming, and it's a book about two girls, one's in North America and another one we can believe is off the coast of Africa. And they're both doing what they do in their own homes. And it's beautifully illustrated also, but they're both doing what they do in their own homes while wondering, is there another little girl in this world doing what I do, liking what I like? Well, indeed there is. And it's poetic and it has soft paintings. It's just stunning. And then another one is called The Magic Doll. It's a children's book inspired by African art. And in this book, the mother desperately wants to have a child, but she's dealing with infertility, and she turns to the use of an infertility doll. And what would I say about that? My family doesn't believe that, but it's a book that I read with my children because we were going to visit this culture. And I wanted to explain to them how we can respect something and learn about it even without adopting it. And that you can understand the yearning of a mother's heart to hold a child in her hand and the desperation that that could bring about. And I wanted them to know that we would see fertility dolls there and what they meant and things like that. And it's also beautifully illustrated, which is important to me. And then this one's just a fun book. It's called I Had a Favorite Dress, but as the dress starts getting too small, she cuts it and turns it into a skirt. And then it gets turned into this. And then the little, small piece gets turned into some socks. And then it's just a little scarf and snip, snip, sew, sew, pretty hair bow. And so, the same piece of fabric, this favorite dress she had, every time she can't use it in that way anymore, it gets moved and shifted. Into something else. And this book reminds me to just, you know, sometimes we share heavier topics with our children, even beautiful topics, but sometimes it's just joy. Like that's the whole purpose of the book is to smile and have fun. And I'll move more quickly for the older elementary books. I have this book called Schomburg. It's a nonfiction book about Arturo Schomburg and the man who built a library, which is now housed. His home library is now housed as part of the collection of the public library system in New York. And he collected books about all types of black and brown people. And it was considered one of the foremost library collections. So, as a book lover, I love that story. This one's called Heart and Soul. It's the story of America and African Americans with stunning illustrations by Kadir Nelson. So, I love visual art. I always say my family, we can't afford to buy the most exquisite art for our walls, but we have an exquisite art collection through our picture books that I've collected. And then the last one is for that group is John Henry by Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney illustrations. So, those are two powerhouses of African American author and illustrator. Both have passed. And it is the tall tale of John Henry told in a way that you've never seen before. For older kids, like middle schoolers, I love this one Big Open Sky because it's about some black exodusters who are moving west. And it goes so well for families who love Little House on the Prairie. But, you know, Little House on the Prairie, in some ways, there's some instances that are a little disrespectful to Native Americans and black people. And this is like a redemptive story, not instead of but alongside of it to say that there were black people that were also moving westward and what was their journey. And it's written in verse, like, oh, my gosh, I can't even tell you enough about that. This book, The Angel Orphan, my friend Leah Bowden wrote this book, and it's the story of Charlotte Mason. So, in chapter book form. So, there's also a picture book that someone wrote, but this is a beautiful story about Charlotte Mason. And my family's all-time favorite on my kids read aloud is The Winged Feather Saga by Andrew Peterson. And that whole series, oh, my goodness, that cemented so much of our family lexicon, because it's filled with like made up words. And it I mean, we have jokes and talks and sayings for days coming out of that series. For our older teenagers, um, or even early elementary, early middle school and early teenage years, the Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is just like a such a classic, Mildred D. Taylor that many of us read. But she also wrote a young adult version where Cassie is entering young adulthood. So, different age audiences, but same author. And a lot of people haven't heard of the other book All the Days Past, All the Days to Come. So, for high school, I love that. And then I threw a couple things in for mama. I'm an epic story of called Homegoing about two sisters and the different paths their lives take during a time I'm part of it is told in Africa and part of its told in the United States. And the last book I have is this memoir, A Black Mother's Garden. It's called Soil. And she uses her actual real garden at her home to kind of give us this idea of life. And it's, it's, you know, it's, it's hard to explain, but it's her it's part memoir, part gardening, like learning and talking about the plants, but also how all of that can turn into kind of like the soil of your life and the people being plants, and she really focuses on wildflowers. So, it's a stunningly, like poignant and beautiful memoir. So, those are my favorite, you know, and now if you ask me tomorrow, you're going to get a different stack.   Laura Dugger: (53:07 - 53:27) I love it. What a gift to get to see all of those you and I share some of those favorites, and you've introduced me to some new ones. So, I'm very grateful and hope everybody listening feels the same. But speaking of books, you've authored more than one. But will you tell us about your most recent release entitled Soul School?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (53:28 - 55:58) Yeah, so, Soul School is it's Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture. And I know it's so hard with those. But it is a book of books. So, people who have enjoyed Honey for a Child's Heart, or The Read-Aloud Family, those types of books, which I have adored, and I have all of them, and I've highlighted them or, or Give Your Child the World is another one, highlighted them and dog eared them and have used them to check out books for the library for my children for many, many years. And, and at the same time, I was always very, you know, on my heart that the books that I spend a lot of time reading with my children that I choose and I select are never really included in most of those books.   And there was the season, you know, I'm like, frustrated, you know, I'm mad. I'm like, why? Why are they putting these books in here? And then the more I thought about it, I was like, the most you can ask for a mother to do when she's sharing these books, when it's coming from that is what she read with her children. So, am I going to be mad at her that she didn't read what I think she should read? No, do I wish that it had been more expansive? Sure, I do. But how many of us wouldn't go back and do something differently if knowing what we know today or whatever. So, I wrote a companion like the I see not to replace those books. But this book is filled with African American and black diasporic children's literature starting from preschool all the way through high school.   The first part of the book, I talk about what I'm looking for specifically in books about black American culture, and why those things are important. So, the first few chapters, first five chapters are really teaching the teacher. And then the rest of the book, which makes up most of the book are really rich annotated book lists with descriptions why I chose the book discussion questions, project ideas, and something called second helpings. Like when you think of a big soul food dinner, you go through the line the first time and you fill your plate, but then you go back for second helpings of the things that taste the very best. So, if your child likes this book, then here are two second helpings that they also would probably enjoy. And you know, the book was years in the making, I read all 300 plus books in there from cover to cover. And that's kind of my contribution to raising our children.   Laura Dugger: (56:00 - 56:40) Wow, I mean, it is a stunning piece of work. And there's so much for your family, but also for all of us. So, I think of being one of your kids, what a treasure that their mom read 300 books and put this together. But for all of us, I love books on books. And like you said, we can use it to go to the library or then once we read those and find which other ones we love, we can add it to our home collection. So, thank you for that powerhouse of work. And Amber, there's still so much more that you could share with us. Where can we go after this conversation to connect with you or to learn more?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (56:42 - 56:56) Go to heritagemom.com. And there you'll find all of my books and years' worth of blog posts and book recommendations and other things. My Instagram is @heritagemomblog and the same at Facebook.   Laura Dugger: (56:56 - 57:12) Wonderful. Okay, we will add those links to the show notes for today's episode. And you may be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for you today, Amber, what is your savvy sauce?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (57:12 - 57:50) Oh, this is such a great question. I love this part of your podcast. I would say that my savvy sauce is learning to be a really great listener. Like if there's nothing else, then that's listening to my husband and the things of his heart and listening to my children and my neighbors and my friends.   But also, people I don't know, people in other places. And also, people I disagree with and being willing to be quiet and listen and take what I can from what they're sharing as well. So, that is, I think my savvy sauce is being an introspective listener.   Laura Dugger: (57:50 – 58:13) That is well said. You are such an inspiring and creative soul. And I have thoroughly enjoyed this chat. And I know I've been hearing you speak on other podcasts and reading your work for years. So, this was such a treat to get to connect with you today. And I just want to say thank you for being my guest.   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (58:14 - 58:16) Thank you so much for having me.   Laura Dugger: (58:16 - 1:01:59) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you.   But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.   This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own.   So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a Savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute.   This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him. That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us.   Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place.   I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him.   You get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started?   First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible.   The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ.   We also have show notes including where you can read scripture that describes this process. And finally, be encouraged.   Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

In this episode of Love, Hope, Lyme, Fred Diamond speaks with Dr. Korine Kolivras, professor of geography at Virginia Tech, whose groundbreaking research challenges the long-held belief that “we don't have Lyme here.” Dr. Kolivras, author of a chapter in Appalachian Epidemics: From Smallpox to COVID, shares how geography, land use, and even bird migration contribute to the spread of Lyme disease across Virginia, Appalachia, and beyond. She explains why the maps we rely on underestimate the true reach of Lyme, how land development and resource extraction may accelerate tick expansion, and what needs to change in medical education and public awareness.

Beneath the mist-shrouded peaks of Appalachia, where coal dust clings to the air, a sound haunts the darkness: tap-tap-tap. Not the creak of timbers or the drip of water, but the deliberate knocks of the Tommyknockers—gnome-like spirits of the mines, both saviors and tricksters. For centuries, miners have whispered of these wrinkled imps, their tiny picks striking warnings or weaving mischief in the coal-black depths. Join us on this chilling journey Within the Mists of the heart of Appalachian folklore, where the Tommyknockers wait in the shadows.Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/544933724571696Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withinthemistpodcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@withinthemistpodcast1977 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#28 in our series, "The Book of Romans: A Theology of Hope"

Beneath the mist-shrouded peaks of Appalachia, where coal dust clings to the air, a sound haunts the darkness: tap-tap-tap. Not the creak of timbers or the drip of water, but the deliberate knocks of the Tommyknockers—gnome-like spirits of the mines, both saviors and tricksters. For centuries, miners have whispered of these wrinkled imps, their tiny picks striking warnings or weaving mischief in the coal-black depths. Join us on this chilling journey Within the Mists of the heart of Appalachian folklore, where the Tommyknockers wait in the shadows.Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/544933724571696Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withinthemistpodcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@withinthemistpodcast1977 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As part of our Radical Reads series, we speak about our latest book, Be Gay, Do Crime: Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and Rebellion, with editors Zane McNeill, Blu Buchanan and Riley Clare Valentine.Radical Reads is one of our Patreon-only exclusive series, where we discuss texts – both old and new – that have either influenced the WCH project, or texts that we generally think that people involved in radical and working-class movements should be engaging with, discussing, and using to inform their activism. Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Supporters also get access to two exclusive podcast series: Radical Reads and  Fireside Chats. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistoryAs attacks on queer and trans people around the globe escalate, we felt it was more important than ever to highlight stories of LGBT+ resistance throughout history. Be Gay, Do Crime: Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and Rebellion is your ultimate guide to LGBTQ+ resilience and revolt. Packed with hundreds of snapshots of radical queer history for every day of the year, this book celebrates the bold, the brave, and the beautifully defiant moments that have shaped the fight for justice. In this episode, we discuss the book, our current moment, the connections between LGBT+ movements and other aspects like race, class, gender and disability. We look at historical repression of queer identities, colonialism, and talk about what stories from the past can point to away towards a better future.Hope you enjoy this episode, and make sure to get hold of a copy of the book, available in our online store with global shipping.Listen without ads here on PatreonBuy the book hereFull show notes here on our websiteY'all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia – Z. Zane McNeill – Zane's previous book with PM Press, in our online store.Deviant Hollers: Queering Appalachian Ecologies for a Sustainable Future – Zane McNeill and Rebecca Scott – a collection of texts using the lens of queer ecologies to explore environmental destruction in Appalachia while mapping out alternative futuresFollow Riley on BlueskyAcknowledgementsThanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.The episode graphic is of LGBT Pride in São Paulo, 2014, taken by Ben Tavener, bentavener.com, CCA 2.0.Edited by Jesse FrenchOur theme tune is Montaigne's version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses', performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTubeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/working-class-history--5711490/support.

We've told hundreds of stories about Appalachia, but few are as bizarre as the night a Kentucky drug smuggler named Andrew Thornton II fell to his death during a smuggling run over south Knoxville, Tennessee back in 1985. Join Steve and Rod as they tell the incredible story of a decorated police officer and practicing lawyer who led a double life as a major drug smuggler and the connections between this run and an incident with a black bear in north Georgia that would eventually inspire a well-known Hollywood movie.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.Thanks for listening

In this episode of The Birdshot Podcast, host Nick Larson is joined by Ann Jandernoa, a revered grouse hunting expert, dog trainer, cartographer, and founder of Northwind Enterprises. From her years of field experience and understanding of grouse behavior, Ann shares techniques, habitat insights, and the role of precise mapping in upland bird hunting. Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just starting, this episode offers learning from a master of the craft. Ann Jandernoa, known for her legendary knowledge of ruffed grouse habitat and behavior, creates custom habitat maps, trains hunting dogs, and educates hunters through her podcasts and videos. She brings a scientific yet highly practical lens to upland hunting. Expect to Learn How to read and interpret grouse habitat from aerial maps The relationship between food sources, cover, and grouse movement Tips on training and reading your bird dog in different cover types The importance of sound when navigating the woods and locating birds How to evaluate mapping tools and navigate public land more efficiently Episode Breakdown with Timestamps [00:00:00] - Introduction [00:06:19] - Last year's season observations  [00:14:26] - Predator pressure [00:21:32] - Thimbleberry yield and drought effects [00:25:44] - Dog Bells and Preferred Sound for Hunting [00:30:54] - Avoiding Wolf Encounters with Dogs [00:57:50] - Allowing Range for a Young Setter in Training [01:06:38] - Field Trial Differences in Europe [01:20:03] - Scouting for Grouse Without Aspen Cuts [01:27:51] - Aspen Cut Value for Birds After Leaves Fall [01:40:37] - Adapting Hunting Approach for Different Times of the Season [01:47:33] - Advice for Finding Grouse in Appalachia [01:50:24] - Where to Find Maps and Learn More about Ann Follow the Guest Ann:  Website: https://mobilehuntingmaps.com/ Fifty-Five Years a Grouse Hunter: https://amzn.to/4oinwqD Follow the Host Nick: Instagram: @birdshot.podcast Website: www.birdshotpodcast.com Listening Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17EVUDJPwR2iJggzhLYil7 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birdshot-podcast/id1288308609 YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@birdshot.podcast SUPPORT | http://www.patreon.com/birdshot Use Promo Code | BSP20 to save 20% on https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app Use Promo Code | BS10 to save 10% on https://trulockchokes.com/The Birdshot Podcast is Presented By: https://www.onxmaps.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a walk through the forest, an Appalachian landowner and biologist points out dozens of species he and his family sustainably harvest for meals. From sycamore trees–whose syrup tastes like butterscotch–to Appalachian wasabi–a spicy root they use in their spice blends–Ryan Huish (University of Virginia College at Wise) is teaching a new generation plant identification and sustainable harvesting practices. Later in the show: For hikers seeking self-discovery on the Appalachian Trail, their cell phones are both a tool and a tether. Scott McCrickard (Virginia Tech) studies how hikers' use of cellphones transforms the experience of the trail. Also: Students in Jacob Barneys (Virginia Tech) invasive species class get to eat what they study. They cook up creative dishes that include blue catfish, wild boar, chickweeds, bamboo, kudzu, autumn olive, and wineberries.

We're once again heading deep into Appalachia, where shadow figures crawl out of mirrors, faceless entities ride bikes at 2 a.m., and crosses flip upside down just to prove a point. It's chilling, it's bizarre, and in Appalachia sometimes inside is just as scary as outside. Stories include: A childhood spent with a shadowy girl in the mirror who didn't stay trapped for long. An unseen presence in a haunted Virginia town that left a listener drenched in dread and clinging to protective charms. A late-night drive turns terrifying when a pale, blank-faced cyclist blocks the road—and the dashcam conveniently erases the footage. A horrifying Air bnb experience that sends a family packing at 4am thanks to clapping in the walls, locked rooms with glowing red light, and crosses flipped upside down. Cryptids and possible government secrets lurk around mysterious cabins, strange animal behavior, and something watching from the canyon shadows. These stories remind us that in Appalachia something is always lurking just beyond the veil. Lucky for us (and unlucky for our sleep schedules), you keep sending the proof. Watch the video version here. Have ghost stories of your own? E-mail them to us at twogirlsoneghostpodcast@gmail.com New Episodes are released every Thursday and Sunday at 12am PST/3am EST (the witching hour, of course). Corinne and Sabrina hand select a couple of paranormal encounters from our inbox to read in each episode, from demons, to cryptids, to aliens, to creepy kids... the list goes on and on. If you have a story of your own that you'd like us to share on an upcoming episode, we invite you to email them to us!  If you enjoy our show, please consider joining our Patreon, rating and reviewing on iTunes & Spotify and following us on social media! Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Discord. Edited by Jaimi Ryan and produced by Emma Leventer and Jaimi Ryan, original music by Arms Akimbo! Disclaimer: the use of white sage and smudging is a closed practice. If you're looking to cleanse your space, here are some great alternatives! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, I am joined by by folk musician and writer, Coltt Winter Lepley to kick off the Halloween season with a bunch of spooky Appalachian Folk stories. From a young age, Coltt has had a passion for history, legends, lore, and the halloween season and he stopped by the studio to tell some of his favorite tales. I love this time of year and I am excited for yinz to hear this episode. Enjoy it! - Yinz can SUBSCRIBE & WATCH here! - Become a "friend" on Patreon and support the show

#164: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Appalachian Botanical Co. CEO Jocelyn Sheppard to talk about transforming reclaimed coal mine land in West Virginia into thriving lavender fields. Jocelyn shares her unexpected journey from librarian and consultant to CEO of a natural products company, the challenges of starting an agricultural business in Appalachia, and how lavender became a symbol of healing for both land and people. They discuss creating second-chance job opportunities, working with local communities, the importance of zero-waste practices, and the future of Appalachian lavender in both regional and national markets. This is the feel-good story that we all need right now!Visit the Appalachian Botanical Co. website: https://appalachianbotanical.com/  and use the code AROMATIC15 for 15% off total purchase (valid through 11/30/2025).Follow Appalachian Botanical Co on Instagram @appalachianbotanicalco Follow Appalachian Botanical Co on Facebook @appalachianbotanicalco Subscribe to Appalachian Botanical Co on YouTubeConnect with Jocelyn on LinkedInWatch the video Coal Mines Into A Lavender Empire!Watch the video Rooted in the Mountain State - Appalachian Botanical CoFollow Frauke on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@an_aromatic_life ⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Frauke's website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.anaromaticlife.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get No Place for Plants children's book on Amazon⁠Learn about Frauke's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Scent*Tattoo Project

Hey everyone… special drop today: the inaugural episode of Matthew's new side project, Antifascist Dad Podcast.  Matthew sits down with songwriter Nathan Evans Fox to talk about kinship, Appalachia, and the viral hymn that's resonating across communities. Nathan shares the roots of his concept of yallidarity—solidarity rooted in labor, joy, food, music, and taking care of one another. They discuss the myths and realities of Appalachia, the erasure of labor history, and the dangers of “bootstrap” individualism. Nathan tells about his upbringing in fringe charismatic churches, the connections between charismatic Christianity and Trump-style politics, and how faith traditions can nurture resilience—or be co-opted by empire. They dig into Nathan's viral “Hillbilly Hymn”: why the cops disappear when Jesus returns, why kinship always beats bootstraps, and how to imagine an abolitionist future that doesn't erase culture but reorients it toward joy, justice, and care.All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com. Show Notes Everything Nathan Evans Fox Gaza Sumud flotilla: How Israel breaks international maritime law | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera Gaza-bound flotilla rejects Israeli claims of Hamas funding | Euronews Contact Restored with Global Sumud Flotilla after Israeli Interference - Palestine Chronicle The Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 742: (with Christine Schiefer of "And That's Why We Drink) This Halloween, something spooky this way swaps. In this very special Paraween Host Snatchers edition of The Box of Oddities, Kat is joined by the delightfully haunted Christine Schiefer of And That's Why We Drink—because JG has mysteriously vanished (probably abducted by science or a mothman, TBD). Together, Kat and Christine unpack the glowing enigma of the Brown Mountain Lights—the unexplained orbs that have haunted Appalachia for over a century. Are they ghosts? Aliens? Passive-aggressive lovers stuck in a centuries-long spat? Or just bioluminescent squirrels playing god? We explore all the theories—ball lightning, swamp gas, folklore, fungal rave dust—and somehow make room for 1913 dental ads and an impromptu John Denver roast. Whether you're a fan of high strangeness, ghost lore, or just want to hear Christine and Kat lose it over the phrase “globular form,” this crossover episode is a Halloween-season must-listen.

All the answers start with Pre-. LOVE TRIVIA WITH BUDDS? CHECK OUT THE MNEMONIC MEMORY PODCAST!  "Forget forgetting—The Mnemonic Memory Podcast makes learning unforgettable.” http://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com/ Fact of the Day: Three of the five likely oldest rivers on earth are in Appalachia. Triple Connections: Sociables, Waverly, Oyster THE FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION STARTS AT 01:16 SUPPORT THE SHOW MONTHLY, LISTEN AD-FREE FOR JUST $1 A MONTH: www.Patreon.com/TriviaWithBudds INSTANT DOWNLOAD DIGITAL TRIVIA GAMES ON ETSY, GRAB ONE NOW!  GET A CUSTOM EPISODE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES:  Email ryanbudds@gmail.com Theme song by www.soundcloud.com/Frawsty Bed Music:  "EDM Detection Mode" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://TriviaWithBudds.com http://Facebook.com/TriviaWithBudds http://Instagram.com/ryanbudds Book a party, corporate event, or fundraiser anytime by emailing ryanbudds@gmail.com or use the contact form here: https://www.triviawithbudds.com/contact SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY AMAZING PATREON SUBSCRIBERS INCLUDING:   Mollie Dominic Vernon Heagy Brian Clough Nathalie Avelar Becky and Joe Heiman Natasha raina Waqas Ali leslie gerhardt Skilletbrew Bringeka Brooks Martin Yves Bouyssounouse Sam Diane White Youngblood Evan Lemons Trophy Husband Trivia Rye Josloff Lynnette Keel Nathan Stenstrom Lillian Campbell Jerry Loven Ansley Bennett Gee Jamie Greig Jeremy Yoder Adam Jacoby rondell Adam Suzan Chelsea Walker Tiffany Poplin Bill Bavar Sarah Dan  Katelyn Turner Keiva Brannigan Keith Martin Sue First Steve Hoeker Jessica Allen Michael Anthony White Lauren Glassman Brian Williams Henry Wagner Brett Livaudais Linda Elswick Carter A. Fourqurean KC Khoury Tonya Charles  Justly Maya Brandon Lavin Kathy McHale Chuck Nealen Courtney French Nikki Long Mark Zarate Laura Palmer  JT Dean Bratton Kristy Erin Burgess Chris Arneson Trenton Sullivan Jen and Nic Michele Lindemann Ben Stitzel Michael Redman Timothy Heavner Jeff Foust Richard Lefdal Myles Bagby Jenna Leatherman Albert Thomas Kimberly Brown Tracy Oldaker Sara Zimmerman Madeleine Garvey Jenni Yetter JohnB Patrick Leahy Dillon Enderby James Brown Christy Shipley Alexander Calder Ricky Carney Paul McLaughlin Casey OConnor Willy Powell Robert Casey Rich Hyjack Matthew Frost Brian Salyer Greg Bristow Megan Donnelly Jim Fields Mo Martinez Luke Mckay Simon Time Feana Nevel

"...driving to the cabin, I can't help but feel uneasy..."CREEPYPASTA► "A Weekend in Appalachia" written by Actuallyaustin07, narrated by ClancyPasta► https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1n4gy30/a_weekend_in_appalachia/Here are ways to support the channel if you wish ~MERCH ► http://teespring.com/stores/clancypastastorePATREON ► https://patreon.com/clancypastaMEMBERSHIP ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfg9w5hrnPT7oA1H3uRZEQ/joinHere's where you can find me, and also links to the audio version of the show ~X / TWITTER ► http://x.com/clancypastaINSTA ► https://instagram.com/clancypastaSPOTIFY ► https://open.spotify.com/show/51DHHPsFnEvDAGfRiZPMF7ANCHOR.FM ► https://anchor.fm/clancypastaMUSIC► Background music is original and done in house by my best friend and house audio designer SKEEVY WEEVIL#Creepypasta #scarystories #horrorstories

Today, Chuck clarifies commentary from past episodes and talks with Andrew Ayudin, a comic book author who came up with the idea to tell the story of Hurricane Helene through a graphic novel called "Islands in the Sky." We talk about this, and the newly launched Appalachia Comics Project.Relevant linksLearn more about the Appalachia Comics Project https://www.appalachiacomics.org/Kickstarter Campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/appalachiacomics/appalachia-comics-projectTransition Music: “Leave it to me” by Corduroy Brown-----------------------------------------------HELP SUPPORT APPODLACHIA! patreon.com/appodlachia-----------------------------------------------The views and opinions expressed on this show are the personal opinions of the host, Chuck Corra, and do not represent the opinions of his employer. This show is an opinion and commentary show, NOT a news show. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Send us a textSupport the show

What happens when we follow one plant deeply enough to uncover its stories, traditions, and medicines?In this episode, I sit down with herbalist, artist, and folk magic researcher Rebecca Beyer to talk about her lifelong devotion to spicebush (Lindera benzoin)—a plant rooted in Appalachian folk tradition and brimming with story.Rebecca shares how a difficult illness first led her to herbal medicine, and how she eventually came to see spicebush as her patron plant. We explore its many gifts—from its role in spring tonics and colonial kitchens to its modern uses as a warming, aromatic ally. Rebecca also invites us into her creative world, where her herbal practice meets her art, tattooing, and deep love for regional traditions.Fresh spicebush berries are notoriously difficult to dry, so Rebecca likes to find other creative ways to preserve their peppery, citrus-spiced flavor. She's shared her recipe for Spicebush Honey Bounce—spicebush berries infused in honey, plus a little something extra! You can find a beautifully-illustrated copy of Rebecca's recipe here.By the end of this episode, you'll know:► Why spicebush holds such a beloved place in Appalachian folk traditions, bridging the worlds of food, medicine, and seasonal ritual► Four medicinal benefits of spicebush► Rebecca's trick for drying the fruit so they keep their flavor for years and don't mold—quite a challenge for these juicy berries!► Six ways to work with spicebush for food and medicine, from the bark to twigs, leaves to fruit► Why embracing many teachers—and a community of learning—is key to becoming a better herbalist► and so much more…For those of you who don't know her, Rebecca Beyer is an Appalachian folk herbalist and magical practitioner, tattooer, author, and crafts woman. She studies and teaches foraging, regional folk medicine and handicrafts at her home in the mountains of Western North Carolina through her school, Blood and Spicebush School of Old Craft, and tattoos at her studio, Pars Fortuna.This conversation is full of history, heart, and plant wisdom. Whether you're new to spicebush or already love the plants of Appalachia, I know you'll come away inspired by Rebecca's joyful relationship with this fragrant, generous shrub.----Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.comYou can find Rebecca at BloodAndSpicebush.com.For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.----Rosalee is an herbalist and author...