So here's the short of it, 
I'm a mountain girl at heart!

And here's the long.

I'm watching part 4 of a 4 part documentary on Appalachia on PBS. I want to watch the first 3 parts! It's called Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People. And I like this so much. How did I miss this all these years?

I've been to lots of writing workshops in my career as I tried to learn to teach students how to write - and of course, tried to learn a few things to inform my own writing as well.  I think that one of the things that this television program really reminds me of is the powerful sense of place that helps us know who we are. Many, many of my growing up memories have something to do with mountains - Walking to school in the fall surrounded by the blazing colors on the mountains - Band practice in the afternoon on the football field down in the valley between the mountains - Heading up the creek to have some dream time and hunt salamanders - One of my very earliest memories walking up the lane from Dad and Mom's garden to the little house on the side of a ridge as the sun began to go down with the soft hills around me - Or driving through the mountains on Highway 25E winding along the mountain road heading to college. One of the reasons Chattanooga captured my love and made me want to stay is the beautiful mountains. 

Of course there's that old saying that captures it quite well, 

"You can take a girl out of the mountains, but you can never take the mountains out of the girl".   

I think that's a good thing!