So,what did you do when you weren't in church? My granddaughter Emily asks. So I had to tell her. I don't like to disappoint the women in my life. Tune in. Every red-blooded boy in Appalachia when I was growing up yearned for a pocketknife. We thought a pocketknife and slingshot were vital to our very existence. Our parents or guardians did not always agree and permission to own a pocketknife was one of those coveted rights that was a “given” in “coming of age.” The pocketknife was needed to trim or clean under our nails (ha!), playing mumbley peg (correct hillbilly pronounciation: “mumble peg”) for cleaning fish or for just plain whittling. Don’t laugh! Whittling was very much a part of a young man’s routine in the forties. We came by it naturally. Even grown men spent hours, just whittling. On a Sunday morning, one could gather enough shavings from the porch in front of Mr. Thomas’ store to start cook- stove fires for a week. Whittling was an art form the value of which only we sons of Appalachia can fully appreciate. You have to learn to do it right. First, you have to have a lot of time on your hands; successful whittling cannot be interrupted. Your mind must be free to go wherever it wants to take you as you and your companion(s) simply whittle away and talk about nothing in particular. Next you must have the right kind of wood, Our favorite was poplar or chestnut that could be taken from any old discarded fence rail or from someone’s lumber pile. Oak was out of the question, unless there was a particular end item in mind, It quickly dulled the blades of knives that already looked more like awls than knives due to repeated honing with whet-rocks, which were also standard inventory for the well- equipped, adventurous teenager. You first whittle on one end of your stick, and then turn it around and whittle on the other. This is repeated until all the wood has been whittled away except for a small toothpick-like remnant that can no longer be held firmly enough to be of further service. By that time it will be suppertime and you can go home and prepare for another busy day ….. whittling. If one expects more than the simple relaxation and conversation that comes with whittling, it is suggested that they not take it up as a regular sport.