An Excerpt From Grandma Gatewood's Journal

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(veggies from my backyard this weekend)

 



I love all the parts of October. Where I live the temperatures and the smells outside during this month are absolutely magical. October skies are always a robust robin blue, the sun seems to cast an orange/golden glow over everything, and pumpkins line all the porches. If Octobers were somehow stretched to 60 days, instead of just 31, I don't think anyone here in Utah would complain.

The weather has been so pleasant, I find myself outside doing yardwork until it gets dark... I have SO much I want to do. When I am too lazy to get stuff done, my mind has been drifting to this excerpt from Grandma Gatewood's Walk, which I read last month... the author talks about "the extraordinary manutia of her twilight", how she bought and ran a small trailer court near the Appalacian Mountains... she did all the upkeep herself.

"The upkeep on the place was hard. Tenants left trash and rags and bottles outside, so she'd clean up and trim around the sirts with a butcher knife while they were away. When her gas mower broke down, she cute the grass with a push mower. She quilted and braided rugs and wrote leters and spoke at school assemblies and washed the windows at the Methodist church."

And here is a post from Grandma Gatewood's diary when she was 80 years old:

May 19, 1967

I took a mattock and shovel and worked on the road around the court; dug a ditch to let the water out, and dug the high places into holes. Lifted the grass around where the well was dug and wheeled five loads of dirt and filled in. Then put the sod back and watered it and beat it down with the shovel. Put the block of walk back in place. Spaded and planted two hills of cukes, two pumpkins, four hills of peanuts. Put a fence around to keep the rabbits out. Burned the trash. Got some asparagus down the track and picked lettuce and a few strawberries. Went to the P.O. Fixed the underpinning. And I'm tired.

When I think of what that little old lady could do in one day, at the age of 80, I feel like I can do anything!

Book Review: Grandma Gatewood's Walk

What is everyone reading right now? I just got done with the most wonderful book and story that every woman needs to read about Emma Gatewood, my new favorite proper mountain woman.

I saw Grandma Gateway's Walk on the 2014 National Outdoor Book Award list and I'm so glad I felt I should read it, because it has thoroughly energized me. It's about this little grandma who read about the Appalachian Trail in a magazine (in 1950) and decided she wanted to be the first woman to walk it. Five years later, at the age of 67, she hiked it, from Georgia all the way to Maine!

This book is inspiring and magical. I appreciate how the author gives the back story of Grandma Gatewood, and tells us the other incredible story about this woman and how she suffered from domestic abuse over years and years from her husband. It wasn't till after she raised her eleven children, supporting them by growing gardens, working the farm, and being smart and resourseful, and then successfully divorcing her horrid husband that she was able to go and explore the world and nature like she had always wanted to.

 

The author also tells us that her first time trying to hike the trail (a year prior), she failed, and went home early after getting lost, being under prepared, and told to go home by some park rangers. For some reason that fact brings tears to my eyes. She was humiliated and felt silly, but she went back to try again. I so appreciate the way the author beautifully tells her story, using Grandma Gatewood's own field notes, our countries history during that era, and other hikers who met her... he speculates, along with the reader, about what might have been going through her head during all this walking and hiking.

 

She said she did it because she thought "it would be a nice lark". Well, I had to look up the definition of lark, since I wasn't sure I understood the meaning... it's the cutest word: lark; a source of or quest for amusement or adventure... don't you love that?

I want to share with you what Grandma Gatewood took on this "lark", because I think it's adorable. In her "draw string sack she made back home from a yard of denim" she brought along:
vienna sausage
raisins
peanuts
bouillon cubes
powdered milk
a tin of band aids
a bottle of iodine
some bobby pins
a jar of Vick's salve
slippers and gingham dress (to shake out if she ever needed to look nice)
warm coat
shower curtain (to keep the rain off)
some drinking water
swiss army knife
a flash light
candy mints
her pen
and a little royal vernon line memo book, that she had bought for 25 cents at Murphay's back home

The book said she began training for her journey at the beginning of the year, in January, by walking around the block, and then extending her walk a little more each time until she was satisfied by the burn she felt in her legs... by April she was hiking ten miles a day. 

“She stood, finally, her canvas Keds tied tight, on May 3, 1955, atop the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, the longest continuous footpath in the world, facing the peaks on the blue-black horizon that stretched toward heaven and unfurled before her for days.” 

Ben Montgomery writes "There were a million heavenly things to see, and a million spectacular ways to die."

This book is refreshing and invigorating... and I took the message "to go walk and be happy" to heart. Last week after work I decided to walk home instead of drive, and then I walked back to work the following morning. It is only a 3.3 mile walk... but it felt sooooo good. I felt as happy as I do after doing a hike in the mountains, and I hope to get to the point where I'm walking to and from work all the time. It just feels like the proper mountain woman thing to do.

I can go on and on about everything I enjoyed about this read, but you just need to check it out for yourself... it's beautiful.

I love how Emma Gatewood read something in a magazine that she wanted to do, and she went and did it... I need to get some courage and do the same. There shouldn't be anything in this big old world we can't do.

PS. Check out what Megan Homer says about going for walk in her first answer in this interview.

Inspiring Mountain Woman: Leslie Knope

I can watch Parks and Rec over and over again with complete delight... I realize that Leslie Knope is a fictional woman, but I can't help but be inspired by her. She is a true role model. She is brave, she loves conquering mountains, and she loves being a woman.... really, her character is an excellent example of being a proper mountain woman (which is why I have a portrait of her hanging in my cubicle, see picture above).

Well, I've been thinking a LOT about Leslie Knope (slash) Amy Poehler lately. Amy and Tina Fey hosted the golden globes again last Sunday, and then the anticipated seventh season of Parks and Rec aired a couple days later. On top of that, this whole week while drafting at work, I listened to Amy Poehler's own voice read her audio-book, Yes Please... where I enjoyed some of the personal insight and wise womanly advice she shares, and in one of my favorite chapter's... she share her thoughts and love for the character Leslie Knope. So when I say these two woman (Leslie and Amy) have been on my mind lately it's not an understatement.

Before listening to Yes Please all I knew about Amy Poehler was that she was hilarious and I assumed she must be a beautiful person because of the show, Parks and Rec. I feel like everyone who is involved with creating that magical world must be great people. Plus, Amy plays Leslie... the craziest most optimistic loving woman on tv, a woman who writes page long essays about the friends she loves, who gives extremely elaborate and thoughtful gifts, who constantly is saying aloud how much she loves everyone and everything, who finds joy in hard work and making positive change, she has skills and talents that she has grown and developed, and who sees every job as an important one that should be done thoroughly and with passion.

Well, after listening to her book I've decided that Amy Poehler (like Leslie) is a beautiful person. The preface of her book begins "I like hard work and I don't like pretending things are perfect", which instantly made me like her. Proper mountain woman like hard work, and perfection is boring. One of her good friends gave her the complement in the book saying you can always count on Amy to give a gracious laugh at your jokes, and she laughs loud. I love happy laughs given freely, and I like knowing that about her.

Her book is titled Yes Please, and when I took the book coat off... I really liked the simplicity of the white cover... YES PLEASE on the front... THANK YOU on the back.

She gives many reasons why she chose the title 'Yes Please' but my favorite one is because "[It's] a title I can tell my kids. I like when they say 'Yes please' because most people are rude and nice manners are the secret keys to the universe." Couldn't agree more with her.

Here are some other lovely excerpts from her book that I thought were worth sharing because they fit the theme of the blog (this is where I will file them for later studies on proper mountain woman)... enjoy:

"I have realized that mystery is what keeps people away, and I've grown tired of smoke and mirrors. I yearn for the clean, well-lighted place. So let's peek behind the curtain and hail others like us. The open-faced sandwiches who take risks and live big and smile with all of their teeth. These are the people I want to be around. This is the honest way I want to live and love and write."

"I had already made the decision early on that I would be a plain girl with tons of personality, and accepting it made everything a lot easier. If you are lucky, there is a moment in your life when you have some say as to what your currency is going to be. I decided early on it was not going to be my looks.... ...Decide what your currency is early. Let go of what you will never have. People who do this are happier and sexier."

"Going from crying to laughing that fast and hard happens maybe five times in your life and that extreme right turn is the reason why we are alive, and I believe it extends our life by many years."

"The friends you meet over forty are really juicy. They are highly emulsified and full of flavor."

"I am interested in people who swim in the deep end. I want to have conversations about real things with people who have experienced real things. I'm tired of talking about movies and gossiping about friends. Life is crunchy and complicated and all the more delicious."

"Now that I am older, I am rounder and softer, which isn't always a bad thing. I remember fewer names so I try to focus on someone's eyes instead."

"Young people can remind us to take chances and be angry and stop our patterns. Old people can remind us to laugh more and get focused and make friends with our patterns."

"The only thing we can depend on in life is that everything changes. The seasons, our partners, what we want and need. We hold hands with our high school friends and swear to never lose touch, and then we do. We scrape ice off our cars and feel like winter will never end, and it does. We stand in the bathroom and look at our face and say, 'Stop getting old, face. I command you!' and it doesn't listen. Change is the only constant. Your ability to navigate and tolerate change and its painful uncomfortableness directly correlates to your happiness and general well-being."

"If you can surf your life rather than plant your feet, you will be happier."

"Famous people are never as interesting as your friends."

"I am a firm believer that every few years one needs to shake one's life through a sieve, like a miner in the Yukon. The gold nuggets remain. The rest falls through like the soft earth it is."

"Dancing is the great equalizer. It gets people out of their heads in into their bodies. I think if you can dance and be free and not embarrassed you can rule the world."

OPI: Miranda Lambert Collection

The person who has the job of naming fingernail polishes has the best and most posh job in the world. I would LOVE to sit around and come up with names of fingernail polish. My favorite brand of nail polish is OPI, and their color names kill me... I sometimes will buy a color even if I don't particularly love it just because the name makes me laugh. And I absolutely love the special collections they come out with... like when they did their Muppets line, I was over the moon! The colors "meep-meep-meep" and "gettin' miss piggy with it" are colors I need flashing on my fingers! And now they have a collection for the Peanuts?! and coca-cola!?

OPI has also done collections for Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Kim Kardasian, and Gwen Stefani....which is kind of upsetting because I can't think of bunch of ladies less interesting. Yet they all have their own OPI color collections! It makes me wonder when are they going to do a line for my girl Miranda Lambert.... I mean how many female vocal artist of the year awards do you have to win to get some love from OPI? She only has won five years in a row now.... and she's got WAY more personality than any other girl they have done collections for. It's unbelievable that they haven't done an OPI and Miranda Lambert Collection yet... it's the greatest offense against all proper mountain women who would wear her colors proudly.

I have a few specific aspirations in life: I want to win a blue ribbon at a state fair, meet Dolly Parton, be elected mayor, and write a country song for Miranda Lambert and have her sing it. Since the last one might be hard to accomplish, I've decided that pitching this new line of colors to OPI, and having them go with it, will have to suffice.

So, OPI, here ya go, You're welcome! (you'll make millions off this collection)

And to Miranda Lambert: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you today!

Did you know I was born just three days before you? It's true... we are birthday spirit sisters. I just want to tell you a couple things... the first, on behalf of OPI, I'm sorry they haven't picked you yet... you should have been on the top of their list. The second, if you ever want to collaborate on a country song, have your people get in touch with my people, I got some good ideas... one song idea I have is called "he don't like country, so he ain't never hear this song", or we can rap battle, or I can teach you to snowboard here in the Rockies. Your pick. It's your birthday.

For a closer look at the colors in this collection:

Drive that 55'

I love Miranda's love for old trucks, I thought it would be fun to have a nail polish that matched the truck she was driving in her music video for Automatic. I once had a nail polish that matched my volkswagen beetle PERFECTLY and it made me so happy... everyone should experience this matching sensation.

Randa-rita

Randa-rita is Miranda's recipe for a light cocktail. OPI just came out with a coca-cola line and I love that one of the colors matches my favorite beverage... diet coke. If OPI decides to do this collection Miranda can now drink her signature drink with matching nails. Fancy!

The Pink Pistol

True, it's more purple than pink, but it matches the color I liked in this sign for Miranda Lambert's Pink Pistol boutique. She's also wearing the same color and looking like a somking pistol in the photo below. I love the idea of a bright girly color on your nails while out shooting, this would be a good color for that.

Apparently Miranda already is picking up what I'm putting down with the somethin' bout platinum color.

I picked a brown, because she's a cowgirl who loves her dogs and saving other dogs. Her foundation called Mutt Nation deserves a shout out and a color in this collection.

I love having a good gray color in my finger nail polish collection... if it were called "gun powder and lead" I would wear it every day. Same with black and "something bad about to happen".

For the Mrs Blake "Shell" ton color it's a softer "shell" shade.

And the other colors I just picked from some of her brightest red carpet dresses.

Peace and pine trees,
Whitney Joy

If you enjoyed this... you'll like the post I did on Dolly Parton

For other inspiring proper mountain women and their favorite nail polishes CLICK HERE

Inspiring Mountain Woman: Dolly Parton

Let me tell you some facts about Dolly Parton:

1. She was the 4th of 12 kids.

2. She grew up dirt poor, in a small one bedroom cabin in the smoky mountains.

3. She always wanted to be a singer and performer, as a little girl she despised working on the farm...and loved performing songs for her younger siblings and playing (often barefoot) in the mountains.

4. She has always had a fascination with glamor and beauty... especially because she was not allowed to wear make-up, and she was too poor to afford it.

5. She is heartfelt, she loves God, the mountains, and nature. In her book, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, she confesses that she has run naked through the woods in an act of jubilation for God, nature, and her life!

6. She loves being a woman.

7. She is happy, positive, witty, and delightful.

8. She has been married to the same man since 1966... almost 48 years!

9. She has written over 3,000 songs, and continues to write a song every 2 to 3 days. She consciously makes time to sit down and write a new song every birthday. My favorite song of hers is "In My Tennessee Mountain Home".

10. She never leaves the house without being fully "made-up", takes great care in her image and what she presents to the public.

One of my favorite quotes from Dolly Parton is "find out who you are and do it on purpose".

That is a powerful quote from a powerful woman, whom I consider to be one of the best, proper, modern-day, mountain woman out there.

I bought and read a used copy of Dolly's book a few years ago and completely fell in love with this positive and hard-working woman. I loved reading about her happy childhood in the smoky mountains and learning about her grit and determination. It is inspiring to read about someone who had a dream for herself, went after the dream, and achieved it! And for Dolly, her dream of being a glamorous and famous singer song-writer couldn't have been more opposite of the modest and quiet life that she was born into.

Dolly made up her mind at a young age of who she wanted to be and who she is, and has never backed down. She lives every day and every moment of her life with that purpose.

That's why I love the quote above so much... and it's never too late to be the person that you would like to be. I feel like I am constantly discovering how attractive the quality is of being thoughtful, deliberate, and purposeful in your every day actions and every day routines. I firmly believe it's the small things we do every day, like making breakfast, doing your hair and make-up, hanging your clothes up, cleaning out your car... that add up to the person we are.


My theme for the new year is to TAKE CARE. Which, to me, means to do things with purpose. To take care of all the little things I want to do and that I usually don't make time for, and to do a good job.

I feel like I am a good employee at both places where I work, I take care of all my job responsibilities and look to see what else I can do. I do them quick, thorough, and with purpose. Why don't I do that in my personal, every day life? Dolly Parton does.

2014... it's going to be a year that I take more care. That I am not going to be a lazy half-hearted proper mountain woman. I am going to be a purposeful, deliberate proper mountain woman in everything I do and present to the world.

(to read Dolly's book you can buy a used copy on Amazon for a penny, or listen to her read it herself on youtube)

An Inspiring Proper Mountain Woman: Ayn Rand

"Capitalism demands the best of every man – his rationality – and rewards him accordingly. It leaves every man free to choose the work he likes, to specialize in it, to trade his product for the products of others, and to go as far on the road of achievement as his ability and ambition will carry him." 

"A government is the most dangerous threat to man’s rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims."

"Do not ever say that the desire to “do good” by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives."

"Government “help” to business is just as disastrous as government persecution… the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off."

"I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

"The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap."

"The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me."

"There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil."

"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force."