Jackass Junction is the name we give to our little piece of the world. It’s family land that’s been in our family since around 1790. It was originally part of a land grant in Burke County, NC. We’re now in Alexander County (which didn’t exist in 1790), and we fondly call it Jackass Junction, USA.
Hi. I’m Dinah. I live with my parents, dogs, chickens, and goats on family land that we call Jackass Junction, USA.
I’m blessed with two grown sons and two daughters-in-love who are busy being grown-ups and making their own lives. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2003 and retired from teaching high school mathematics with disability in 2010. Since then, I’ve been DABBLING, full time.
I have numerous hobbies and truly enjoy learning new OLD things. I love learning how to do things the old ways, using antique kitchen and garden tools, and taking something old and broken and making it usable again.
I was blessed to grow up with both sets of grandparents until I was grown with children, and even had one set of great-grandparents until I was in college. My last living grandmother recently passed at the youthful age of almost 99. I’m 58, and I was still learning from her.
My Pawpaw taught me how to make change from a cash register, long before they were idiot-proof. My Pop gave me his love of singing, especially old four-part harmony gospel music. My Grandma taught me the value of not wasting anything. She would can and freeze until everything was put up for hard times. And my Nanny made all my Sunday clothes until I was grown (including my wedding dress) and taught me how to sew, as well as bake chocolate chip cookies and German chocolate cakes (YUMMY!).
For the past 16+ years, I’ve been honing my skills at all these things and more, and I love sharing them with others.
Welcome to The Junction! Hope you find something you can’t live without or something you’d like to learn!!
Hi, I’m Kristen. I’m a singer, voice teacher, music director, plant collector, maker, and forever learner. I’m the Director of Music Ministries at my church, where I get to spend my days surrounded by music, choirs, worship, and people who love making a joyful noise.
Music has always been a huge part of my life, but it certainly isn’t the only thing I love. I have a tendency to pick up a new hobby and think, “Well, I bet I could make that.” I love plants, gardening, sewing, cooking, crafting, and finding new ways to make something useful, beautiful, or just plain fun. I’m also a self-proclaimed meemaw, which probably explains my love of old things, homemade anything, and my slightly ridiculous houseplant collection. I have over 100 houseplants, most of which live in my bedroom. Is that excessive? Maybe. Do I plan to stop? Absolutely not!
I’m happiest when I’m learning something new, working on a project, digging in the dirt, or figuring out how to make something come to life. I love the satisfaction of making things with my own hands, and I’m always curious about the stories, skills, and simple ways of doing things that have been passed down through the years.
I’m thankful to get to dabble alongside Dinah, because there is always another project, another idea, and usually someone saying, “Oh, we could absolutely make that.”
