By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Some time you find an immature bird that has fallen out of the nest, which can happen in the spring when the birds are old enough to move around in the nest but too young to fly. Their flopping about sometimes puts them on the ground and in serious trouble. So what to do?

My Grandpa Roark was really into doing farm activities according to the signs, be it planting crops, killing weeds, or dehorning cattle. And his preference was to go by a system that used human body part signs to tell when it was a good time to do things: plant root crops when the signs are in the head and kill weeds when the signs are in the bowels. I grew up hearing this stuff and had no clue what they were talking about, except that they always used a calendar given out by one of the local banks that indicated what the signs were on a particular day. With gardening season upon us, I set out to finally figure them out…I think. The astronomy and astrology involved is mind boggling but let me take a shot at sorting it out.

Spring is a great time of year, when the dull browns of winter give way to fresh grass, soft greens of newly opened leaves, and lots of flower blooms. Actively seeking out wildflowers in their varying habitats is an enjoyable way to spend warming spring days, roaming the woods and fields for some fresh air, exercise, and the challenge of the hunt. An additional challenge if you’re so inclined, is identifying them.

During the spring you can look at the mountains and tell where the streams and small drains are by looking for the streaks of green that the early leafing yellow poplar produces. It prefers to grow where the soil is deep and moist.

Every now and then I like to celebrate our heritage and list words that I’ve heard spoken in the mountain dialect. There is a difference between those raised in the country and those raised in the city, with the country folk using more dialect than those from the city. My parents and kin were of the country variety, so I had a rich collection of words to enjoy. In past articles I’ve covered A through C words. This one does the Ds. See how many you have heard used.

Everyone knows the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), which is usually somewhere in your lawn unless herbicides are heavily used. This European import is probably enemy number one on the lawn weed list, but it is still an interesting study, being both an edible and medicinal.

In our area Spring seems to be a crap shoot with all the cold snaps in between warm ups. And when I looked into it, I found that there is more than one opinion of when Spring begins, and so here is a rundown of the possibilities.

These days it’s easy to get on an environmental guilt trip. Drive your car to work, you pollute the air. Buy a box of crackers, you end up with a box and wax paper to add to the landfill problem. Run your heat pump, add carbon dioxide and support global warming. But, in honor of March being Arbor Month in Tennessee (April for Kentucky and Virginia), let me suggest doing something to feel good about, one with numerous pluses: plant a tree. Why so good? Let me enumerate

Trees provide thousands of products we use every day and they are a great blessing to our society. Some tree products are even addictive and consumed in large amounts. Take chewing gum for instance. A few decades ago the chewy part of gum was obtained from a tree called the Sapodilla that grows in Central America. The sap from the tree is called chicle and was the mainstay of the chewing gum industry until after World War II, when synthetic gums largely replaced it. Gum chewing is a common habit and some folks are never without it.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

When I was a kid in the 1970s, seeing a deer was a rare thing, so much so that when I did see one it was like I was witnessing wilderness— ‘feeling wildness’ as I call it. These days, deer populations are so high that I see them almost daily on the farm, so that special feeling has faded into commonplace. But it still comes out when I see, or more likely, hear, owls. I get chill bumps every time, and it’s a very satisfying feeling.