Book excerpt: There was nothing like wilderness living in Kentucky. Outhouse + cow + momma = frazzled momma Log raft + boy + river = danger Mountain Man + snow + slay = bad choice Bad Indians + momma + girl = kidnapping Momma + grandma + squirrel = biscuits & gravy Rain + boy + momma = loblolly Momma + gun + green eyes = chicken & dumplings Gracie’s family left Virginia for homesteading in Kentucky. They were naïve city slickers, but God sent angels to help them. The land had to be cleared and a log cabin built. Through their strong faith in God and a lot of prayer they staked out their homestead and helped to build a community. The angels worked overtime keeping Bobby Joe out of trouble but sometimes they just watched and laughed. The Mountain Men were the “bestest” angels God sent them. Gracie was a feisty little girl almost six when they came. She was an observer and wrote their experiences in her diary when she was nine. The places are real. The last names are people living in the community and the charter members of the church. The fi rst names are my children and grandchildren. The events are fi ctional except for the building of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church which is still there today.