Wise Woman of the Appalachians: Peelin taters

Wise Woman Generations: Women of the Appalachians

This painting was done to honor Women in the Appalachian, I beginning on a journey of self discovery of my own Appalachian heritage and along the way I am going to honor and cherish as many other strong women of the Appalachians as I can...

The Story below was written by Gwenda Lynn-Huff Johnson, the painting here depicts her Grandma, Mother and sister. It is my understanding that her grandma loved to plant sunflowers, (one of my favorite).
Enjoy the story:

"Appalachian Woman"

She dried our tears and washed our butts but never did she complain. She fed the dogs and the cats and made sure the chicks were warm. She tended the garden and milked the cows but we never heard her fuss. She cooked the meals and washed the dishes and cleaned the floors at dusk. The dirt she swept through a hole in the floor hid with a board of pine. On Saturday she washed the clothes and hung them on the line. The best ones on a cotton cord strung between two posts the old ones she hung on a barbed wire fence just to hold them close. She hoed corn and set out tobacco and climbed to the top of the barn. She loved the children on Stinson Creek and kept them all at times. While old people stole her heart away, family’s what makes her eyes shine. She worked hard beside her man the one that she loved most. Married by the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. She’s an Appalachian Woman Her roots are tied to the hills. She’s strong willed and determined. Her beauty needs no frills.