Planting by the signs was a way for the mountian farmers to know when was the best time to plant their crops. Some of the things they would look for were the phases of the moon and watching animal behavior. If they could afford one, they had an almanac calendar that showed a 2 or 3 day period each month to plant a certain type crop. Other crops would be planted on different days. As a general rule they would do most of their planting for plants that bore fruit above ground when the moon was changing from a new moon (dark) to a full moon. Other plants that grow under ground such as potatoes and onions were planted after the full moon while the moon was fading.

There are many tales of witches and boogers in the mountains. After the sun went down, the woods and forest surrounding the small isolated homesteads, that was so familiar during the day, would seem be haunted at night. Light from the moon shining through the trees and the wind blowing the trees around, along with sounds made by the trees and wild animals would give an eerie feeling to the people living in the cabin. It was only natural that these feelings would manifest themselves into tales of evil spirits and ghosts. When things happened around the farm such as when the hens stopped laying eggs or when a family member suddenly got sick, the mountain folks would look for an explanation. If a neighbor acted a little strange, then the suspicions would be directed on them and they would be accused of using magical or supernatural powers, when in truth many of the mountain people just wanted to be left alone. One of the people who lived near our family was Granny Beck Akins who was known as the Witch of Caney Creek.

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