Well, Guess I Can't Sell The Antiques

You know the family heirlooms that probably aren't worth much anyway.  I have moved and moved and moved and moved them (those of you that really know me, know this is true because I've moved a heck of a lot).  Now that I'm in New Orleans (for what I hope is a long while) it has crossed my mind....unload this junk.

Now my Mama used to say "one man's junk is another man's treasure".  Is that a Proverb?  Or did I just make that part up?  And she also used to say her decorating style (and our furniture...possessions) were "early Appalachia".  Yep, that part is was true.

See I grew up in McMinn County in Etowah, TN but my Mama's roots are in Johnson County, Mountain City, TN (the most upper most part of east TN).  All our 'stuff' that was handed down came from these parts originally.  My brother and I spent many summers in this beautiful place - mostly in a little area called Doe Valley, right smack dap in the hills of Appalachia.  Now the relatives (mostly old one's even then) called Doe, God's country.  I'm sure many TN folks have relatives that said the same thing about the part of East Tennessee they are from - because in my mind it truly is all God's country - beautiful beyond belief. 

If you don't believe this just look at Karen Tuggle's picture posted on Facebook just yesterday of the moon rising over Star Mountain. 

We used to all call it "down Doe" everyone in my family knew that meant where we were from before my Grandfather branched out and bought a farm in McMinn Co, TN (another little plot of God's country).  What I don't know what brought our folks to Doe Valley?  We were always told we were "Scotch Irish' along with many East Tennesseans I'm certain.  I'm not even sure what that means and Wikipedia doesn't specifically address East TN...so I'm stuck having to research that on ancestrycom.  But I'm bettin' (if I were a bettin' girl) that we were originally from Scotland or Ireland.  Just sayin' these people liked the east TN hills and challenges of farming there - reminded them of home...so they all say.

What in the world does any of this have to do with our 'family jewels' and not the kind you are thinking of...I'm referring to the antiques both my brother and I harbor in our homes.  Well tonight I went to Tipitina's (great live music venue in Uptown New Orleans) to see the Carolina Chocolate Drops. 

Now I knew of the CCDs but haven't seen them before tonight  but of course I always do my homework so I googled them before going to the show (and so should you).  Carolina Chocolate Drops - wikipedia 
Without even saying much more I will just say - They Are Amazing and if they play within 100 miles of where you are you really should make the effort to go.

They played a lot of very old timey (and I mean old - pre Flat and Scruggs) music.  See the Chocolate part is they are black, and are very educated musicians from the Piedmont area of North Carolina (see where I'm going here - back to my roots).  Not only did they offer music that probably 99.9% of the people there had been exposed to (with the exception of their recordings) they offered a true education in the music that filled the hearts of people in Appalachia -then and now.  It was almost like taking a college course in early music influenced by African American (pre and post slavery).  Wow.

This concert took me back to an election night in the summer in Mountain City - must have been primaries....the votes were being tallied by counting the pieces of paper and a blue grass band played in between announcements of votes being counted and recorded on a black board.  If you think I'm kidding - I'm not...and I'm not that old.  This must have been in the 70's.  I think by then even Etowah had the booths with the curtains and levers...but not Mountain City.  They had paper ballots and blue grass.  Can I tell you how thankful am I that I had that experience? 

So while watching this concert, whooping and hollering, doing a little 'flat footin' (if you don't know this - then think primitive clogging - learned this craft in college at the bluegrass bar) I realized.....I can't sell my family heirlooms!  They are indeed my treasures.  They connect me to my family and my roots to, roots to which I'm stuck (and proudly so) for ever.  I used to say bluegrass is in my DNA and I think there is more truth to that than I realized when I came up with that saying. 

If not my DNA then certainly my past, my history, my roots, my ancestry and yes represented in all that 'trash - that is most certainly my treasure!"  Thank you Mama for passing along your decorating skill of "early Appalachian".  I learnt it good..