Friday, August 26, 2011

Too Many Moonshine Stories

You know those jokes that start "You know you're a red neck when...." Well, I lived one of those jokes today only it was, "You know you've spent too much time researching your manuscript when...."

Okay, so there's no way you can research too much unless you start seeing things that aren't really there. Case in point: This morning I was doing the "grab everything you can in case hurricane Irene hits" grocery shopping, which is akin to the milk and bread snowstorm shopping panic, especially since I'm way up here in the western part of the state away from the hurricane's path. I got to the baking items aisle and waited patiently to pick up a five pound bag of sugar behind a lady who was blocking my way, reaching for the same sugar bag I wanted.

She loaded that bag, then another, then a third. All totaled she got ten five-pound bags of sugar. Now what would a person do with fifty pounds of sugar?

You're thinking jelly, jam, baking. Not me.

Not after I've been researching for the Pilot Mountain School project, catching moonshine stories about toting bags of sugar up the hills. All I could think of was making whiskey in the woods at the family still. I tried to restrain myself, I really did, but once a story catcher, always a story catcher.

Jelly.

Well, I asked.

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

3 comments:

  1. Did you hear Charlotte Talks on WFAE this morning? They did a segment on Moonshine in NC. I missed it but hope to hear it online if and when they post it.

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  2. Yes, Joyce, I did hear part of it as I was driving to the store, which is no doubt why I had moonshine on my mind! I'll catch what I missed on the WFAE website later. I did see a link from their Charlotte Talks section to a Catawba County Historical Association event, "Stills in the Hills Runnin' Shine." It's a dinner, music and tasting tour at Murray's Mill on Sept. 10. Imagine, a moonshine tasting tour!

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  3. I investigated further and found this comment to their post from Carollee: The Stills in the Hills, a Shine Run event on September 10th at the Historic Murray's Mill will follow Junior Johnson's run in part from Alexander County down into Catawba County. It's worth coming out for!
    Sounds like a fun way to do research!

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