Peevish Pen

Ruminations on reading, writing, genealogy and family history, rural living, retirement, aging—and sometimes cats.

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Location: Rural Virginia, United States

I'm an elderly retired teacher who writes. Among my books are Ferradiddledumday (Appalachian version of the Rumpelstiltskin story), Stuck (middle grade paranormal novel), Patches on the Same Quilt (novel set in Franklin County, VA), Them That Go (an Appalachian novel), Miracle of the Concrete Jesus & Other Stories, and several Kindle ebooks.

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Following the Tractor

Today, my husband wanted to take the bush-hog to Smith Farm in Union Hall. He already had his hay rake over there but wanted to clean up the farm a bit before he began raking. I followed him so I could bring him back to get his truck. He left a few minutes before I did, but I caught up with him on Novelty Road.


The dirt road to the right is where logging truck have been going in. There's a lot of logging being done in the area:


There's an old schoolhouse opposite the Indian Cave Road intersection. Since the woods have been cut, the schoolhouse is now visible from the road.


On Route 40 and headed to downtown Union Hall—or where Union Hall used to be before the old buildings were demolished:


Just turned off Route 40 and onto Kemp Ford Road.


The old Union Hall grocery still stands, but it's been empty for years.


A closer look at the old grocery:


Just beyond the store is "Kemp Crossing," an out-of-the-area developer's scheme to make money. It's nowhere near where the old Kemp crossing (or ford) used to be. That crossing is under the lake now.


Approaching our woods and field (on the left). As soon as I had taken the picture, an SUV with North Carolina plates sped past both my car and the tractor.


The edge of our front field:


A closer view of the cut hay:


An even closer look. The hay on Smith Farm is pretty sparse this fall.


Smith Farm has been in the family since my grandparents bought it a hundred years ago.
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