The news around town is that our President is trying to get a bill through Congress that would establish a project in Muscle Shoals, AL to fix up the land, plant trees, absorb marginal land, and provide flood control—essentially fix what we have destroyed through mining and deforestation (I guess I’m guilty of that last one.) They’re calling it the “Tennessee Valley Authority” a pretty fancy name for such a small project. Is this going to mean more projects throughout the Tennessee Valley? I sure hope it does. They are going to need local workers to get all that done and while I may be blind in one eye and have a few less fingers, I can still swing an ax or wield a shovel. I need to find some work, I’m going a little crazy being stuck at home with a farm that won’t grow anything. My wife and daughters have taken up making these mock handicrafts that are sold around the country as “authentic mountain crafts.” It’s their work that is putting food on our table, but they shouldn’t be doing that, it’s my job.

This is an aerial view of the Muscle Shoals area

After a long day of toiling in the fields and keeping up with the chores I like to relax by sitting out on the porch and whittle little figurines for the kids. I’ve become pretty adept at it even without a few of my fingers. My wife is always busy knitting or quilting in the evening. It is funny that she works all day making these fake “authentic mountain crafts” then we both spend our evenings making real “mountain crafts”! Well, I guess we need to do what we can if we are going to make it through this depression!