Greetings to all folks near and far. I send best wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving Day to you and yours. May your journeys be safe and may you all be blessed with love and joy.

This year I give thanks to all who have subscribed to the Appalachia newsletter and participated in the forum. With much thought I have decided to resign from BellaOnline. This has been a wonderful experience for me the last four years. BellaOnline is a wonderful community full of great people. It is time for me to continue my journey in writing novels in the hopes of getting them published.

The nights are getting cooler and extra blankets are coming out of the closet to put on the beds. Do not forget to bank your fires before heading to bed for the night.

Here's the latest article from the Appalachia site at BellaOnline.com.

Gem Mining - North Carolina
If you love gemstones as a collection or to fashion in to jewelry, you might like the thought of mining for your own gems.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art54172.asp

I love feedback on my articles, so please come join me in my forum and chat with me about this or any other article, or anything else related to the Appalachia regions. I look forward to meeting you.
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I believe I would rather ride a donkey than any beast in the world. He goes briskly, he puts on no airs, he is docile, though opinionated. Satan himself could not scare him, and he is convenient--very convenient. When you are tired riding you can rest your feet on the ground and let him gallop from under you.
- The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain
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The old farmer says: never name your huntin' dog 'Stay'.
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Till next time, may your home be filled with laughter and may it ring from floor to rafter.

May you walk in Beauty and Harmony.
Phyllis
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Please visit appalachia.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Appalachia.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Appalachia located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=373

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Phyllis Doyle Burns, Appalachia Editor
http://appalachia.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com