Common Folks: Education, Stereotypes, and Practical Jokes in Appalachia

[@girlgeekFL]

Verna Mae is a good storyteller! It is so interesting to learn what life was like all those years ago.

[@xianthe_]

I love how much faith she had in her father's knowledge, even if she heard incorrectly. Admitting mistakes brings peace to yourself and reminds you to allow others to make mistakes.

[@thingshappen2124]

It sounds like my little girl. She is a real hoot. The difference is that I am alive. It really is a joy to have her.

[@robinhaupt9119]

I enjoyed her saying 'you won't find friendlier, kinder people anywhere else'. Thank you for reading Tipper.

[@dr.allisongunneph.d.6494]

Beautiful story

[@smc130]

I liked her seeing Willie the first time when she was so young and how she knew he was going to be her lifelong love.

[@LiteralLaw]

Cloakrooms!! I remember them well. I spent most of Kindergarten standing in it for some mischief I had committed. 😂 I love hearing these stories of another time. Thank you so much. ❤

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@jerryodell1168]

Loved the part where they took the door and left. -still laughing .

[@dannyjenkins3672]

Sure brings back old memories of growing up in small town Appalachia…” in town “ people always set on the front porch and people out and about would stop by and set a while and talk.😊

[@cindypressley4285]

I love these readings! This is what real life was like in the mountains.

[@howardheminger287]

Outstanding! I was in a two grade per room Lutheran Parochial Christian Day School for eight years. Wonderful experience. Aprons? A common robe of the ladies. Now the men wear them to BBQ, a throw back to their mommas and other women folk. So many familiar customs and practices of our German ancestors, not so different than our hillbilly neighbors. Bless you ladies for recording these memories ❤️.

[@susans5096]

My favorite was about the apron and all the uses. My mom always wore an apron and remember burying my head in it while she was standing in the kitchen.

[@kristieweeks3904]

I loved hearing about all the things the apron was used for! Reminded me of my granny. She always wore an apron. "He was to my feller!" How sweet she ended up marrying him! I can't wait to hear the rest of this book!

[@holliesheet3182]

3:57 Lightening bugs: "...Why the light is on the back end of the bugs?" ...'Well, I guess they're like some folks, more interested in where they've been than where they're goin' ..."' Just love that and the many uses for aprons!

[@MS-hl8fe]

My copy of How we talked and Common folks arrived today and re-listened to the reading. I have some pictures of great great grandmother's wearing aprons. Looking forward to Friday's reading.

[@deborahsavoie2159]

I'm enjoying this story. I laughed about what her little brother did.

[@maryknittel1266]

Thank you for this reading and your relating at the end. God Bless.

[@pvjohnson52]

Another good one thanks.

[@lobardin]

As a West Virginian we still get described as living in tar paper shacks and going barefoot among other worse tales. I'm sure every state has their falsities that stick around. Thanks again for all you do.

[@susansoots449]

I really enjoyed this chapter. It brought back so many special memories. The way folks used to visit and especially the part about aprons. Both of my Grannys wore aprons and they were both such good cooks! I sure wish I had one from each of them. That would be a treasure for sure!

[@johnnymayo8534]

Great read....luv her sense of humor......"I wonder what's in my garage that I just bought?" lol Life has taught me that folks will usually make fun or speak derogatorily of others or circumstances that they have not taken the time to understand.

[@leighflorkevich9916]

Making gnat smokes brings back great memories of my Maw Maw Frankie. She made them frequently. Neither of my grandmothers wore aprons very often but I don't think I remember ever seeing my great-grandmother Josephine without one. I enjoy listening to you read this book Tipper, it's very familiar to anyone from Appalachia and even folks anywhere who grew up in the country. It's so true that we Appalachians are unfairly belittled and misrepresented everywhere. Most people I have ever met that moved here from elsewhere were pleasantly surprised at the kindness and friendly nature of the locals and that our lives weren't so different from anybody else in America!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

The furriners have to be broke in to fit in! No place like the Southern Mountains!

[@garybrunet6346]

Thank you for another chapter, Tipper!😊🇨🇦

[@villiehaizlip7626]

I read something my G-G Grandfather wrote when asked if he went to school or what school did he go to and he said, "Common" school. I was never sure what that meant. The apron is a sweet memory with me because I still have my yellow & white gingham apron with white lace & one pocket Granny made me. I keep it in my kitchen drawer with my others. My apron of now is a black 3 pocket like a restaurant server wears one pocket for my phone, one for my paper towel wipe & third is for my fork & tongs. 😅

[@charlottejones6885]

When I started to school we had primary thru 6th grade in a class room that 1 teacher taught. This brought back to my mind of how so much was learned by listening to the upper classes and yet when I transferred to a larger school, I didn’t feel that I was behind my regular grade level. So much of what happened in the Appalachians I experienced in the rural areas of Mississippi.

[@dwaynepuckett16]

Trucked 47 years I've been all over eastern Kentucky time and again , great people in them ole mountains.

[@benlaw4647]

Love this! We have done " gnat smokes " , they do keep the gnats and mosquitoes at bay. My grannies always had aprons on . I can't remember them without an apron on . Even looking at old pictures, they always had an apron on . They would carry fruit, vegetables, nuts, baby chicks, puppies, everything it seems ...I remember in school, we had the split classes in school . I think it was the same grades as you had together in one class...thanks tipper...appreciate you always ...God bless 🙏❤

[@glorialautzenhiser5140]

I just been watching your brother and Dad play and sing I really enjoyed their voices

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

So glad you enjoy them 😀

[@heatherinparis]

Hey Tipper....just thought I'd chime in here and express my appreciation for your ability to read aloud so fluently and with such expression. you bring the images to life right off the page. I love listening to you read as I go about small things that need doing here at home. Thanks!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you so much 😀

[@krissyjohnson5551]

Such a good book so far now I can't wait till next Friday thank you for reading to us😊

[@satsat969]

Oh thank you for sharing! I've been waiting for this Friday ever since last Friday to hear you read Common Folks #2. I appreciate your sharing your time and talents.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

You are so welcome!

[@sandrasmith7091]

I'm really enjoying this . And being to laugh...at ourselves, with others is a good thing 🤗

[@christinalaska]

Your voice is so perfect for reading this book. School was more than learning academics but also learning to live and get along with others too!! ❤❤

[@charlottepeak7187]

I love the wind chimes.

[@SuzieQ-lw2kp]

Good evening Tipper, been looking forward to the next reading all week it's always so nice to hear you read to us . I sure appreciate that you take the time out of your busy day to sit down and read to all of us . Thank you 🙏💜🙏

[@stokely418]

Another great chapter! Thank you, Tipper! My brothers used to say things to us younger kids and my Dad would fuss at them. 😂

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀 Glad you enjoyed this part

[@stokely418]

@@CelebratingAppalachia I did enjoy it very much!

[@larrycounce4509]

Thank you

[@Jean-ko4xv]

This book is sure a good read, thank you so much Tipper. God Bless. Jean 😊

[@lindahays8444]

Ok listened while I cleaned my bathroom. Another good reading. Why did they portray people as uneducated and to dumb to bathe. That part burned my bacon lol. Thank you Tipper.

[@tkori4687]

I'm going to make me an apron to use in the garden!

[@unclemonster48]

Tipper this right here is why I journal daily. It helps me get clutter out of my mind and when I do give up the ghost my daughter can read my journals and pass along my days and thoughts. Thank you for you

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

So glad you're doing that for her!!

[@FernandoOcumare]

Thank you so much for sharing. Beautiful reading 🙏

[@lindapetersen1800]

How I remember all to well the plaid blue dress that was store bought !!! I wore that 3 times a week Moma said it would fall off my shoulders from Moma washing it and ironing it!!! That was in 2nd grade!!!

[@molitorsk]

Hahaha the original streaker - 😂

[@holliesheet3182]

Part 2! Yes, Ma'am! Snuggling in a cozy blanket on the easy chair, listening with flames licking the fire place curtain with small crackles!

[@tinahuffman2788]

I'll have to admit I might have been ornery. I remember standing in the hall, wacks from the principal, even bigger whippins when I got home. Might or might not have bloodied a few boys noses in elementary school. I might remember in school detention. I might remember morein I want to. Being a tomboy was hard work. 🤣. God bless you Tipper!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you Tina 😀

[@dianewilliams5271]

I really enjoy you reading the story. It is very interesting.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you 😀

[@keeptrying5962]

I LOVED listening to this, just enjoyed every bit of it Tipper. THANK YOU. P.s. I'm similar to you w/the apron...later in my marriage I began wearing one. Now I can't even think about being without one. 🙌🏼 💓

[@elizabethhamilton8388]

I love the part where she was so excited about going to her first day of school that she tried to put her new dress on before she washed up or ate her breakfast. My daughter was like that on her first day of school. She couldn’t wait to get there. Thanks for reading to us. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs from the southeast coast of Florida 😎🦩🌞🦩😎

[@scottthomas6202]

This is like listening to my family telling stories of life back in the day... Something I noticed in some if my older relatives...they " read with their mouth"..that is, read aloud without really realizing it...( this is how I noticed a particularly nosy aunt was reading my mail), and moving their finger across the page as they read. I thought it was odd, but the people doing this were odd, so I kind of filed it away and forgot about it. Turns out that's how they were taught to read when they were in school. It wasn't unusual for children to teach illiterate adults to read, since reading the Bible was a popular thing to do, and many people wanted to learn to read for that reason. I have never met an illiterate person in all the time I spent in eastern Kentucky. They might read slow, but they could read, write and do basic math.

[@brendaz9222]

I've heard "naked as a Jay bird" all my life LOL I wonder how that saying came to be. The middle school I went too had the same type school desk that she described, all connected. Thanks for another great reading Tipper.

[@cynthiapena1141]

Evening, Tipper! 👋😏 Two things jumped out at me, this time.... The Aprons and laughing at yourself. I was really impressed with how she described the uses of the apron, with a combination of reverence and practicality. I still use aprons and I have many different ones. Grandma taught us to make them when she taught us to make pot holders I have one in a watermelon print, 🍉 with watermelon slice shaped pockets. Also how she was taught to laugh at herself... sometimes we tend to forget to do that. It has helped me in life to poke fun at my vision problems... Mama and the family did that for me too. Thanks for the reading. I always enjoy listening to you. 🍄🌷🍄

[@yvonnemcmahan9037]

I love you reading to us. You read the story as though you there in those days and make us want to be there also. As always thank you Tipper.

[@KyDove8]

Thank you Tipper. We always enjoy your reading ❤️

[@Lisa1111]

Hello there! I love all of these stories and their chapters so very, very much, Tipper! Thank you, and God Bless you all! Seattle kin 🙏🏽♥️ What is the difference between a jailer and a jeweler? One watches cells, and one sells watches. 🤣 These names in the story,... My granny was from a family of 14. Mama, papa, Agnes, Edna, May, Myrtle, Mildred (my granny born in 1906) Frances & Pauline. Boys, Norman (died of whooping cough as an infant) Willie, Arthur & Louie. I never met my great grandparents, however, I knew all of my granny's siblings 🥰 P.S. I'm comin' to stay night! Lol Love those chimes!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you Lisa!! Hope you have a wonderful day 😀

[@lorirobbins1099]

A new book. Oh, Goody! ❤️❤️❤️ Sure love your reading Tipper.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@kevinramsey3490]

I just found your channel ma'am and I love I love it! I'm from Eastern Kentucky and and I still use a lot of phrases from your other videos. My wife is a flat-lander and she requires explanations occasionally.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Welcome and thank you 😀

[@Needlewich]

Loving this book, Tipper, and you read it so well! I love she was so patient and determined to get her feller! I wish I had one of my Granny’s aprons! She wore one all the time! Thank you for sharing! God bless and love to the Pressley fam! 💕🤗🙏🏻

[@angiethompson5684]

Loving this story so far! I really liked all the memories it brought back of family. I honestly believe I could sit and listen to you read the phone book and enjoy it. My husband has heard me listening to you and made that comment also. You have that voice and ability to draw people in to listen . Please keep finding these types of stories to read ❤️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

That is so nice-thank you 😀

[@foghornleghorn262]

When I visited Cincinnati, Ohio and people noticed I spoke with an southern Appalachian accent, wore bib overalls, and chewed plug tobacco, people looked down at my feet to see if I wore shoes, and joked about it. 😆

[@Alicia-pr7gr]

Naked as a jaybird 😂 Thank you Tipper!! ❤ Alicia Jean’nette from Kentucky living in Arkansas Love my aprons❤

[@annwatson6842]

Thank you Tipper. I'm so glad I grew up in a small Oklahoma town. My grandchildren laugh when I use okie sayings..like britches for pants or I threaten to "turn them over my checkered apron" when they have been naughty and need a spanking (of course, we don't spank today). Looking forward to next Friday!

[@wandagordon6453]

Really enjoying this book. Listened while crocheting. I can just imagine Verna Mae and her sassy self! Would love to see this as a movie. The part about the apron and visiting touched my heart. It’s a shame some people don’t even know their neighbors, much less help them. Have a great weekend and God bless y’all. 😀❤️

[@swoodhaus]

Haven't heard cloakroom in a long time. I've really enjoyed all of this book! Looking forward to next Friday! Thank you, Tipper, for sharing!

[@Ps23cm]

Delightful reading. I share completely share your overview. Fondly I remember Sunday, these good ole days the way it used to be. Laughing at one's self, laughing with others just seems to bring wisdom, laying pride aside. Wonderful to share in this reading. Thank you. ❤️

[@lindamaemullins5151]

Thank you much for sharing this story ❤

[@sunspots6077]

hehe have not heard anyone say "Ourt" in a long time!

[@lorettataylor9902]

Enjoyed! Tipper I laugh at myself everyday 😂

[@christinej2358]

She sure is right about how people stereotype when you come from certain parts of the Appalachia. I’m originally from WV and when I moved down to NC, I got asked all the time if we had indoor plumbing in WV. I’d tell them yes and everybody I knew had it too. Then there were all the WV hillbilly jokes everybody seemed to feel like I just had to hear. One place I worked a coworker told me a WV joke every morning he came in to work. It bothered me at first, but I have to admit some of them were really funny. One just has to laugh things off, in order to not get mad at others stupidity.

[@jeffharris6127]

Hi Tipper, When I was in school we had 3 grades in each of 2 rooms. The teacher would have 2 grades study a subject for a while as he tought the other one. Then he would rotate to another class. This allowed all 3 classes over 3 years to learn all lessons 3 times. And about the brother, I always heard it as Crazy as a June Bug or Bed Bug.

[@BlacEyedPriest765]

Really like the stories thanks so much 😀🙂

[@henrysara7716]

Thank you, just beatiful like listen old radio programs.

[@debbieroberts600]

Enjoyed this Reading Ms. Tipper! Have A Blessed Day!

[@brendawoods554]

Enjoyed the reading, thanks Tipper.

[@rhondabutler4172]

I like the part about the aprons. I wear one almost every day, but my grandmothers never wore one which seems a little odd to me.😊

[@julieb2398]

Loved the part about laughing at yourself. I guess I always took this literally for sure. A couple of years ago I was outside doing the spring clean up on the yard. I always used to take long sticks and kinda stomp on them to break them....well this one I started to break was a bit stronger than I expected. I leaned that big stick over and went to stomp it in the middle....ha it threw me about 2 ft away on to my behind. I sat there and laughed and thought, "Well I guess I entertained the whole neighborhood, I can be done now" I still giggle at me laying in the front yard after losing my fight with that big ole stick!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀

[@tinachambers4887]

Enjoyed the chapter Tipper have a day love from TEXAS

[@KathysTube]

Love it! Thanks Tipper 🤗❤️

[@cheryl9950]

My grandmother Always wore an Apron and she Always wore a dress under that, all day every day. Back then women never wore jeans, not sure why, but it's true. Things have sure changed since then.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

WE made gnat smokes out of old hunks of denim tied with a piece of wire on a stick. Just smoldering away.

[@lesliekendall5668]

Talking about the new school being colder....I remember when I was in the 5th grade, age 10 or 11 (the winter of 1967-68) and girls were only allowed to wear pants under their dresses while they walked to and from school but had to remove them while in the classroom. I was so cold sitting next to those single pane windows that I left my pants on. I wasn't about to freeze over any silly rule. So when my teacher insisted that I couldn't stay in class with the pants on, I walked back to where my coat, gloves, and hat were hung and walked out of class and went all the way back home, a mile away, with a foot of snow on the ground. (Of course we did that every day but it made the story sound better to point that out 😁).

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Love that story 😀

[@KyDove8]

"Bessie bug" is a bug that lives in/between wet logs in a pile or something similar. You can capture two of them and rub them together and they will fight to the death. Hence the saying: "crazy as a Bessie bug". It's a very deep southern term..."

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you Patti!!

[@PerksJ]

Last time I visited my grandpa he showed me his 6th grade report card and talked about how his teacher rode a donkey to school and had a peg leg. He’s from Eastern Kentucky.

[@veganleigh4817]

I grew up hearing "crazy as a bedbug". I was told it was because bedbugs run around in a crazy zigzaggy kind of way.

[@sbishop16]

Thank you for the reading!🥰

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

You’re welcome 😊

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thanks for watching!

[@lisapop5219]

Being able to laugh at yourself does make life easier because we don't know everything. It is something that I struggled with for a long time because I was really sensitive about being looked down on because of where I'm from. I had to realize that most of the time it's not meant that way. I had to laugh at the taking of the door part. It's part of my goofy sense of humor that my husband rolls his eyes at. He can never say turn on the light. He always says hit the light, so I do. Can't help it. There's others but that's the one that comes to mind

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀 Thank you Lisa!!

[@lisawood2548]

My dads teacher paid him .50 cent a month to start a fire in the wood stove to warm up the one room schoolhouse he went to.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

I got tickled about the youngun running through town naked. I worked with a knothead that pulled that stunt. He had a V-8 Jeep that used to jump red and white aluminum cans............AFTER they got emptied. That knothead got wobbly one day and got talked into 'STREAKING' after Ray Stevens came out with the song and folks were doing it. We were talking about it at work and he said he pulled a brown paper bag over his head with 2 eye holes torn in it like the 'Unknown Comic' on the Gong Show. He had his bag over his head and shoes and that was IT and headed out and got under the red light in the MIDDLE of town and he sobered up enough to REALLY realize what he was doing. He said he hollered 'Come ON, LEGS!' and said he REALLY started to turn the humm on. He obviously lived to tell about it and we wheezed around for several minutes because he was a real deal anyway. Thanks for the memories and the natives still use the 'Come On In and Sit a Spell' right regular. BLESSINGS!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀 glad you shared that story

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@CelebratingAppalachia I've been around some dillies in my time here and being a hillbilly was and is a part of the grace of the Lord that holds it ALL together!

[@annahill-dombrowski1473]

Looks like you’re about to get that snow you’ve been hankering after! Hopefully you’re up high enough in altitude ❤😊

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Hope so!

[@papaw5405]

I was only 5 when I started 1st grade. There was no kindergarten back then. When I got to 2nd grade there were 3rd graders in there too. The teacher made me read to the 3rd graders out of their own book. Of course that made them hate me because I was showing them up. And the 2nd graders thought I was showing off for the teacher. When I finished 3rd grade the teachers wanted me to skip 4th and go into 5th. That would make me 8 going into class with 10 year-olds. That scared me! The school sent a letter home for my parents to sign. I begged them not to sign it and they didn't. It was bad enough to be the youngest in the class but to be 2 years ahead of my age group would have been horrible. I can see why teachers would like their students to advance as quickly as they are capable of academically but they must realize that children have to develop socially too. I could have probably handled the scholastics without a problem but I didn't live in the school house or go home with a teacher. I had to live in the real world.

[@bunnielynn777]

I do enjoy these stories! I wish we could turn back the clock & live in a time without all the evil that takes place in this day & age. It’s sad to see what Satan has in store for our children with all of the genders, pronouns & sex changes. People doing everything possible to try to replace God. I would much rather have it the way it use to be😢 Thank you again for sharing these wonderful stories 🙏🏼

[@rhondadean5455]

Dear Tipper, Made your self rising and heavy cream biscuits. Question.....why do mine look like moon pies? Yours looked puffy and plump. Ty

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

I'm not sure Rhonda. Maybe try adding a little more flour? Was is White Lily flour? I'm sorry they didn't rise for you.

[@rhondadean5455]

@CelebratingAppalachia hi. No it's gold medal. I think I kneaded it too much maybe. Or not enough. I shaped them by hand. I didn't use biscuit cutter. They were good tho.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

@@rhondadean5455 Glad they had a good taste!!

[@lesliekendall5668]

I always wear an apron when I'm outside.

[@ManicMaiden]

dang what camera do you use? it's like crystal clear :0. interesting video!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you! It's a m50 Cannon with a wide lens 😀

[@wallacegibson1492]

I'd be interested in hearing comments from folks on their take on the term hillbilly. As an outsider here in Northern Ireland I was aware of the term, but wasn't entirely sure of it's origins. The closest origin I could find was this. The term "hillbilly" is Scottish in origin but is not derived from its dialect. In Scotland, the term "hill-folk" referred to people who preferred isolation from the greater society, and "billy" meant "comrade" or "companion". The words "hill-folk" and "Billie" were combined and applied to the Cameronians who followed the teachings of a militant Presbyterian named Richard Cameron. These Scottish Covenanters fled to the hills of southern Scotland in the late 17th century to avoid persecution of their religious beliefs. I be interested in hearing the folklore behind the term.

[@SJ-ni6iy]

I’m from West Virginia and I’m not very fond of the word. The word redneck came from here and I think hillbilly evokes a negative image. I never realized the word came from Scotland but I know a lot of our people are Scots-Irish. My mother did a DNA test that said she is part Irish.

[@wallacegibson1492]

@@SJ-ni6iy if this is really the origin of the word, I think it truly reflects the self reliance of the greater Appalachian folk who preferred the greater isolation of the wilderness from the society they left behind ,and were in fact comrades and companions in this endeavour, and people who use the term in a derogatory way, if they knew the history behind the word, would actually realise they are paying a compliment. But as I say I'm just an outsider here in Ulster looking on, and I understand why people might think otherwise.

[@wallacegibson1492]

@@SJ-ni6iy the term redneck has two origins, one obviously derogatory, historically the other referred to the Covenanter army in Scotland who took on Oliver Cromwell's Roundhead army, both army's dressed similarly in battle and to distinguish themselves in the heat of battle the Covenanters wore red neckerchiefs, the round heads then referred to them as rednecks when they were hunting them down.

[@SJ-ni6iy]

@@wallacegibson1492 I never knew that. I’m from West Virginia and I only knew the meaning that’s related to the miners. When the coal miners were on strike they wore red bandannas around their necks. I live fairly close, to Blair mountain and the Upper Big Branch Mining disaster happened in my community.

[@wallacegibson1492]

@@SJ-ni6iy That's interesting, I read a bit about those strikes online, and the brutal ways used to smash the strikes. The Presbyterian church in Ulster was created along the lines of the Covenanters, who set up the first Presbyterian church in Ireland in 1641. When Cromwell defeated their army, they were banished from Scotland to the Americas, and Ulster, maybe this folklore about the neckerchiefs followed from both areas and was vaguely remembered, remember, only sixty years elapsed between banishment to Ulster, and the first emigrants to the Americas in 1718, so that would still have been in living memory in those family's, and would have been viewed as a badge of honour, is it a coincidence the miners chose red bandanas or something remembered from the past?

[@norencenelson8111]

In 1918 my pregnant grandma, her aunt Rosie and my four year old mother went from 24th and Campbell in Kansas City to Miami Oklahoma (about 200 miles)in a covered wagon pulled by a team of mules. Aunt Rosies husband was a contractor and wanted his wife to drive the mules to Miami because he'd won a contract to build a railroad depot. He didn't want his mules put in a cattle car on the railroad because he' seen the poor animals suffering on a side track with no water sometimes for days. Aunt Rosie's family could all understand the thinking of any animal. She could get a team of mules to do her bidding without a whip. She'd just talk to them and watch their ears because she said their ears reveal what concerned them. Once, they came to an iron bridge over a small river. When they got to the bridge the mules balked and refused to set foot on the bridge deck. Aunt Rosie knew that the mules were just scared. She took off her apron and told my grandma to do the same. She then tied the aprons to the harness on each mules head. She then took the bridle and guided the team across the bridge. They trusted her and she understood their fear. There's one more way to use and apron, Tipper. Good story. If you'd like to relate this on one of your videos go ahead. Norence (Nor) Nelson

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Great story!! Thank you 😀

[@kathyflorcruz552]

What a beautiful story.

[@bobsternvogel5550]

I was confused by the references to "Kit and I" until I realized that Slone's father was known as "Kitten Eye".

[@keeptrying5962]

Same here, lol.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀

[@frankscarborough1428]

A great chapter thanks Tipper. Do you know where we can buy a copy of this book.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Glad you enjoyed it! Look on bookfinder.com and you might find it listed for sell somewhere online 😀

[@rebeccachambers419]

I’ve heard that when tv cameras went to Appalachia that things were exaggerated and sensationalized by the documentaries.

[@lindamaemullins5151]

Aprons & Bonnets ❤