Cackleberries 'n Blinky Milk

Folks, in this week's "A Way with Words" podcast, I'm gittin' all nostalgic for my Southern roots -- a sentimental journey that began as I thumbed through a few pages of glorious reference work, the Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English.

Incidentally, in the podcast I mention that my dad, Henlee Barnette, was born in a one-room log cabin at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain in western North Carolina. I wasn't kidding about the one-room log cabin part, either. The cabin has long since fallen in, but here's an old family photograph of it. When I look at this, I can still remember drinking from a cool, clear spring deep in the woods nearby -- and just how cold the battered metal ladle felt when I brought it to my mouth. Anyway, enjoy this week's "A Way with Words" podcast, and be sure to check out the links there, too.