The memories of our lives are like tiny swatches of fabric, patchwork pieces trimmed and tucked away for a quilt. These vivid and colorful squares, triangles, rectangles, and diamonds do not always fit together into sensible patterns. Yet, all lie there just waiting to be set into a certain connection. Blessed is the person with a great quilter in one's life -- someone able to fit the pieces together beautifully so that all makes sense in the grand design with each piece complimenting and affecting the others. Such memories in our lives are fitted together meaningfully into patchwork quilts. I thank God for Mama, a beautiful product of the Knobs. Besides her many handmade quilts, she was the quilter of my life -- influencing me, making me remember, and leading me to understand relationships, causes, effects, and outcomes. She patched the pieces together for me.

Here you will find my patchwork pieces -- vignettes, anecdotes, short stories, legends, etc. Some selections are my own personal experiences; others are stories of my ancestors and relatives as told me by various kinfolks. I will always be grateful for their taking time to share these stories with me. Pull up a chair at Granny's quilting frame, and rest a spell. Hear a web of stories spun and threaded together for you.

"Across the Unakas, Hitched to Buck and Baldy" by Sandra Ratledge

"Chief's Car" by Sandra Ratledge

"Cold Saturday" by Sandra Ratledge

"The Corpse That Grew a Beard" by Shane Ratledge

"Eerie Light in the Knobs" by Sandra Ratledge

"How Aunt Pet Got a Nickname and Lost an Eye" by Sandra Ratledge ~ now with her photo! ~

"In the Shade of Starr Mountain" by Sandra Ratledge ~ now with photo! ~

"The James and Jemima McDonald Story" by Sandra Ratledge ~ N E W ! ~

"The Louis and Mary Jane (Ervin) Rhea Story" by David Stiles

"Medicine in the Saddlebags" by Sandra Ratledge ~ N E W ! ~

"My Mom and the Christmas of 1937" by "Aunt Billie" Brite (with her school photo at age 11)

"The Night the Stars All Fell" by Sandra Ratledge

"Standing My Watch" by Tommy Nipper

"Summer with Granny" by Anthony Wilson

"Sweet Cheerio" by Sandra Ratledge ~ with new photo! ~

"The Wesley Avans Story" by Mike Avans

"The Wrist Watch" by Sandra Ratledge

Valley River Recollections, Stories Part 1 (primarily stories about my father's family)

School Days, Golden Rule Days, Stories Part 3 (stories and pictures of schools)

Appalachian Pioneers, (stories about my husband's ancestors and relatives)

"Boots and Leghorns" by Sandra Ratledge

"Buckeyes in Boxes" by Sandra Ratledge

"Emmer's Carnival Glass Pitcher" by Sandra Ratledge

"Love Blossoms in the Knobs for Joe and Azilee Cline" by Sandra Ratledge

"Old Dan Burchfield's Bear Trap Snares Revenue Agent" by Sandra Ratledge

~ TO BE CONTINUED ~

©1999-2012 Sandra N. Ratledge. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any reproduction or inclusion of this website's contents in publication whether online or in print is prohibited. Do NOT copy photographs and upload on Find a Grave or any other internet websites, blogs, attach to family trees, or print in publications. Do NOT copy stories, articles, documents, sketches, anecdotes, letters, obituaries, content data, etc. and attach to family trees or upload on other websites of any kind.

Homespun
Graphics
by
Sandra Ratledge

This site is dedicated to the memory of my mother,
Beulah Cline Nipper, a beautiful product of the Knobs.