In the beginning… some very eloquent sentences
As I begin writing this it’s midnight, April 4-5, 2011. When insomnia strikes I always look for something to read.…
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A blemish by any other name
Systems of mature trees and shrubs are covered with blemishes that signal age: cankers, seams, burls, butt scars, sterile conks,…
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The rushing of wind through a hemlock
From my window, as I write this, I can see across the creek and down into a pasture where my…
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Cherokee’s own big fish legend
Editor’s note: This George Ellison column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in March 2005. “Then Jonah prayed unto…
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Archery lessons with James Dickey
During the course of a recent interview for a literary magazine, I was asked: While in grad school at the…
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Walking a mountain gives it life
Hiking a designated trail involves prescribed origins and destinations, whether it be a four-mile jaunt from Clingman’s Dome to Siler’s…
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A first-hand account of the Indian wars
I spent some time last week reading about the 18th-century Indian wars in Western North Carolina. These were the Cherokee…
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Tragedy and the Ghost Dance’s demise
(Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series regarding the Cherokee Ghost Dance.) A recent column focused on…
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Oil lamps are useful… and nostalgic
Editor’s note: The second installment in George Ellison’s research into the Ghost Dance has been delayed due to the inability…
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Ghost Dance has a long history in Cherokee
(Note: This is part one of a two-part series regarding the Cherokee Ghost Dance. Part two will present Michelene Ethe…
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Dogs that make our lives whole
If you don’t like dogs, come back next week. Dogs have been an integral part of my life since I…
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Nothing like old-time boardinghouses
Are there boardinghouses still operating here in the Smokies region? There are, of course, hotels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and motels galore.…
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Coming across words to remember
Editor’s note: George Ellison is snowed in without an Internet connection. This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News…
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A special place in the heart of arborists
Winter is the season for thinking about pines. For the ancient Orientals, pines signified dignity and vitality, especially in old…
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A family full of marriage, but not quite bliss
Editor’s note: This George Ellison column was first published in December 2004. Most everyone agrees that marriage is a noble…
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Big fish of the Smokies
Each of us inhabits several landscapes. On the one hand, there is our everyday exterior topographic landscape. We call it…
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Noticing the little things of winter
Editor’s note: George Ellison, like many in the mountains, was snowed in and unable to get an internet connection. This…
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Images etched in memory for a lifetime
I am fascinated by those images from the natural world that remain with us for a lifetime — almost as…
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The creek outside my window
I write this from my “office” (a spare room) at home. Looking out the window, I can see the creek…
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A story about darkness, light and the red bird
Ho down down … Ho down dee Red bird dancin in custody Way down in New Orleans. Ho down down…
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A father’s influence
Horace Kephart (1862-1931) was the author of Our Southern Highlanders, Camp Cookery, Sporting Firearms, Camping and Woodcraft, Smoky Mountain Magic,…
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Wild mountain boars
Numerous non-native plants have been introduced into the southern mountains during the last century or so. Many of these are…
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Where the buffalo roam
Buffalo Branch ... Buffalo Creek ... Buffalo Cove ... all are common place names that indicate the prior residence of…
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One fine mountain poet
Allow me to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Han Shan. He is among the finest…
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Witch-hazel’s name — A botanical mystery
The unusually dry, warm days this month have resulted in a delayed color season as well as an abundance of…
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Region’s kaolin history is nearly forgotten
One of the more interesting stories concerning this region is that of the kaolin mining industry. It began more than…
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The smells of autumn
Fall is the odiferous time of the year. I don’t possess a very discriminating sense of smell, but certain fragrances…
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Dialect of the southern highlands
I’m no expert on regional linguistics, but through the years I have delighted in the dialect English still spoken here…
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An ongoing preservation
This past week, we took our 11-year-old granddaughter, Daisy, who is visiting from Colorado, to the Cherokee Indian Village. She…
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Rekindling memories of High Rocks
This is about a place, High Rocks, a lookout situated at just over 5,000 feet on Welch Ridge in the…
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Perfecting the art of shelving books
Some readers might recall that three weeks ago — in a column about relocating my long lost inscribed copy of…
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‘Jack of all trades’ common in Appalachia
Here in the Smokies region “making do” isn’t a lost art. Most “country” men and women can still “get along”…
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Mica — from art to technology
“Oh, what is that shiny stuff in the rocks?” someone will ask during any sort of outing. And invariably, someone…
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A look at John Preston Arthur
One of my favorite accounts of this region’s varied history is provided by John Preston Arthur, who published his 659-page…
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From the composition book…
Saturday morning … sitting alone at the kitchen table … nothing much going on … looking out the window ……
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The secretive, intelligent and prolific crow
Like most commonly observed objects, crows flit across our field of vision unheeded. Caw-caw-cawing unmusically … flap-flap-flapping over the fields…
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A coyote in the yard
Monday morning … 9:15 or so … suddenly the coyote was there … as if from out of nowhere ……
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A unique old time reporter
Many characters surface in stories related to Horace Kephart, regional author and one of the founders of the Great Smoky…
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Blooms in the southern mountains
Each July since 1991, I’ve led field trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway offered as part of the Native Plants…
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It’s hot, and the lizards are in heaven
The sweltering heat this summer is restricting some outdoor activities, but it’s a prime time for lizard watching. Lizards don’t…
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Secret poems of the Cherokee
I have always been struck by the sacred formulas (chants or incantations) that the Cherokee medicine men used to create…
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Beekeeping in the mountains
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in June 2003. Honey was a primary sweetening agent…
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Rediscovering inspiration
In the mid-1970s my primary writing interest was poetry. I was consumed night and day by poetry for perhaps five…
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A place called home
One doesn’t tire of certain places. Even though they inevitably change through the years, they become more than friends. The…
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Do you know where you live?
One of the handouts I use during natural history workshops is headed “Southern Blue Ridge Province: Geographic Location and Influences.”…
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The cuckoo, both elusive and beautiful
This past weekend marked the 26th annual Great Smokies Birding Expedition, a gathering of onrnithologically-inclined friends. On Saturdays, to get…
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Celebrating Kephart, and his teacup
This past weekend marked the second annual Horace Kephart celebration in Bryson City. There was a terrific presentation of newly…
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Admiration, maybe, but no love for the boar
Numerous non-native plants have been introduced into the southern mountains during the last century or so. Many are now classified…
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Kephart’s persona was well crafted
Our consideration of “books and all things related” continues with a look at an instance when a well-known author (and…
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Remembering when books were magic
We’re still at it—considering books and related matters like shelving strategies, bookplates, home libraries, favorite books, and “How do we…
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