Somehow, I live in the South.
I’m not completely sure how it happened. One day, I’m
driving the Stevenson in Chicago. The next, I’m staring at the Rocky
Mountains, and a week later, I live in the South.
Well, maybe life’s events didn’t take place that quickly, but
it sure feels like it.
Anyway, now I live in the South, and although when I moved
here, I told people I lived in the Mid-Atlantic states, everyone made fun of me, and
reminded me that Western North Carolina is not a Mid-Atlantic state, and therefore, I
don’t say it any more.
Since spending time in the South, I’ve learned some things
I’d like to share.
1. Sweet tea tastes so delicious it should be served with every
meal and poured into cereal.
2. “Yons” is a word. It is slang for “Y’all” which is slang for
“all of you”.
3. Jump rope teams are real and kids try out for them, by the
legions.
4. When you have a cute baby, a person may walk up to you and
say, “That baby is so cute, I could spread her on a biscuit.” This sounds very
strange, and will make you want to run your baby to the car and buckle her in
tightly, but the person just means, “Wow, your daughter is adorable.”
5. People like to wave. Don’t rack your brain and wonder if you
know them. You don’t. They just like to wave.
6. People make moonshine, and sometimes they drink it when they
are sick.
7. Dry counties exist in the United States, and by dry, I mean
you can’t buy alcohol.
8. Businesses open late on Sundays because people go to church,
and you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays (Hmmm, very interesting that my last three facts all involve
alcohol. I must think on that more).
And, why all the talk about the South?
This weekend I received a letter from her, a
thoughtful, deep, and real soul who encourages all with her online presence.
Anyway, seeing real handwriting on a real envelope made me feel as if I knew this girl better. It also made me wonder about you, all of you. The
people I interact with and think about, the people who share their hearts on
screens and tidbits through blinking cursors.
So, today, will you leave a
comment and tell me something fun about the area or town in which you live? I know it's not the same as real mail found in the mailbox, but I'd love to get to know you better.
Me first. Fun facts about the place in which I live: Thomas Wolfe lived
here. The Appalachian Trail is very, very close (see picture below), and the largest home in
America is not too far away either.
Now your turn. Let’s hear some fun or random facts about the
place you live.
Oh, and speaking of getting to know you better, drop me an email (asullivan12@frontier.com) if you are interested in participating in (in)courage's IRL conference. Online girls you may know who are attending: Gaby, Katrina, Renee, Kendal, Karrie, and Melody may even head our way too. Go here to sign-up.
Linking with Jen.
48 comments:
My hometown is A'ville, which you know is awesome...so here are a few random things about my "new" home in the Chi-Burbs. 1) HS Football is so huge here that you MUST arrive 1-2 hours prior to kickoff if you hope to get a seat, 2) Midwesterners are absolutely as warm and friendly as my fellow Southerners are famous for, 3) You can't find SWEET TEA in restaurants, (McDonalds doesn't count) even though most people put sugar packets in their UNsweetened tea!?!?! 4) Lacrosse is a big deal and super exciting, and 5) It is always rush hour.
I live in Clemson, which, for 7 weekends out of the year, turns from dinky little college town to the largest city in South Carolina. And they sell scrapple at roadside stands. And Boild Peanuts. EVERYWHERE.
I live in the middle of Wyoming. 2/3 of the World's population of pronghorn antelope live within 200 miles of my town. Many of them live right in town! The Oregon Trail went through here and there are a few places where the ruts are still visible. 70 mph winds are not uncommon. We are about a mile high in elevation so if you visit from a lower place, expect to be a bit breathless for awhile. Trees do not get in the way of our view of the prairie. We can usually see for miles and miles and miles.
southern as well. we have leftover moonshine stills on our property and call places by names like "over yonder" and "buddy hill." and our weather changes every few minutes. and the sunrise is beautiful coming up over the mountains. and people help each other "get up hay." i like it.
girlfriend, writing that note was just plain therapy :-) it inspired me to send more handwritten notes. and truth be told, i love the feel of a pen in my hand. i know. nerd, i am.
Indiana--ummm, yeah. lots of history, none of which i can recall at the moment. trivia--we refer to carbonated beverages as "pop" and in the Indianapolis area specifically, most people refer to them as "coke". . . whether that's specifically what they mean or not. go figure.
anyway, i've been to your neck of the woods, and it's absolutely beautiful. i'd say you made a geographical move for the better :-)
have a great week!
steph
Sassy Girl,
How funny that we've reversed geographical locations. Yes, always rush hour. I never even thought about constant traffic until I moved here and realized there is none!
And agreed, Midwesterners are friendly. At times loud (as in I can be loud!), but friendly.
Thee Fire Wife,
Cannot find a way to force myself to like boiled peanuts...I mean they are squishy, blah!
Susan,
How cool! That's crazy about 2/3 of the world's pronghorn antelope living so close to you. I've only been to Wyoming once. It was for a rodeo, and I wasn't there long, but I remember the people were super friendly, and the landscape was so different than what I knew.
Kendal,
I don't even know what a moonshine still is, but yeah, the sunrise and sunsets are pretty amazing.
Central Wisconsin. We take football seriously here and cheese. And we try and combine them by wearing cheese on our heads at football games.
Our winters are long and spring is the time when you get re-acquainted with your neighbors that you haven't seen since the first snowfall last November. :)
Hi Amy,
It was fun hearing about your hometown, and others as well! It is hard to think of something interesting or fun about my hometown. I live in Western New York and my hometown is the birthplace of Lucille Ball. We even have Lucille Ball museums and festivals twice a year, which I have actually never been to. lol! I do think it is a beautiful part of the country, although not nearly as beautiful as your hometown with all of the amazing mountains. When you spoke of the largest home, I am assuming you meant the Biltmore! which is where my husband and I went on our honeymoon 9 years ago and LOVED IT!
Jen,
Yes, I was talking about the Biltmore! And the Lucille Ball museum and festival? Now that is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to learn.
Yes'Mam, I am Southern. I am from the Moonshine Capital of the World. My grandfather was a moonshiner. Moonshine is what lead to Nascar, in case you were wondering. Making my hometown where Junior Johnson is from. It is also known for bluegrass and chicken houses.
I feel so boring after reading everybody's place where they live. I live in Central Washington, the state capitol actually. We are known for the beauty of our mountains and our trees. But why is it so green you ask? BECAUSE IT RAINS ALL OF THE TIME! Oh my, that is probably the biggest thing I can think of is my wet bones all of the time. But? It is beautiful! We have Mt Rainier which a sight to see as it shows it's way, way up in the sky, gorgeous!
So fun. We definitely HOPE to end up in the south... not so cold!! Love your blog. Newest reader!
i feel ya. this california girl wound up in the south... still doesn't feel like home, but the sweet tea makes it easier, indeed. : )
i want to live in the south. sweet tea on your cereal? so cool...
I'm from Colorado so bear the marks of being a CO girl -- didn't realize how different that was from neighboring Kansas until I lived in Kansas for nine years. Wow, so close, but also so far! I now live in the thriving metropolis of Beijing home to 17 to 20 million depending on how you count. One fun fact is that instead of watching the weather reports, we tune in for daily air quality reports :). Amy
I love my little southern town that actually fights to claim itself as the birthplace of a racist president. My county used to be the turkey capital of the world, but I'm not sure about that now. I love the south even though my parents are dang Yankees and my in-laws are mid-westerners. Thanks to growing up around them and a bunch of missionary kids, I don't have even a titch of a southern accent. What a waste! At least I know the important things like how to make vinegar barbeque and how to understand Flannery O'Connor. ;)
I live in Orlando now (nothing exciting to say about that that you wouldn't already guess. we have a lot of theme parks), but I spent most of my life in Pensacola, which is in the panhandle of Florida (but a lot of people there think of it as being part of Alabama). It was the first settlement in Florida, but there was a hurricane that hit it and now St Augustine is considered the official "first settlement" (something we Pensacolians argue passionately against).
Pensacola has the whitest and most beautiful beaches (by whitest, I mean the sand. The sand is so white - it looks like sugar), I am a complete and total beach snob after growing up there.
As for boiled peanuts - they are SO SO SO good. I have a great story about the time my mom tried to share them with someone from Chicago.
What fun! I live in NW Ohio close to the town that is the home of Dum Dum suckers and Etch a Sketch. ANd of course Ohio is the Buckeye state - a little crazy over football here. We do wave here and it is considered snobbish if you don't. One thing about my small town I love is that the school honors Wednesday night as church night so no sports or meetings after 6 that night. Fun to share. GOod idea, Amy
Hometown? Hard to find on a map, but smack dab in the middle of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. (north of Maine) Small town, everyone knows everyone and their business (sometimes before you know it yourself!) Favorite saying: "Hows' she goin' eh?" That's Miramichi slang for 'how are you today?'. The heart of the mighty Miramichi river which is famous for its pristine beauty and salmon. Quaint, small and gift from God. Hear you on the waving thing. Just wave! They all do it here too!
North Dakota! And no, we don't actually have buffalo running across the plains. I live in eastern ND which is pretty different from western ND. At one time, this whole area was covered by a glacier, the glacier melted, turned into a great big lake (Lake Agassiz) and dropped a whole bunch of wonderful, rich soil which makes this a great area to grow crops! And, one of the world's most well known companies has a campus of 1400+ here.
Greenwood, SC has the widest main street in the country, so they say. The South is really like a whole other country, isn't it? This South American girl is still acclimating to this culture :)
ps
Mariah of TheeFireWife is coming to IRL too! She just decided today.
I seriously can't decide which fun fact is my favorite. The home of the Dum Dum and Etch a Sketch is near the top. Good one, Jean!
Amy, I passed your hometown this weekend and if I would have had my brainhead attached I would've begged you to go with me to TN!! Next time? We have to meet IRL, since I'm like less than 2 hours away and have a slightly humongous crush on your Asheville Tourists.
I'm originally from Idaho, boy what a post that would be...no, it won't be about famous potatoes - but it might be about the Boise State Broncos and their blue turf. I must work on that.
Now I live in Davidson, NC, and it's really a hamlet of a town. We walk everywhere; school, church, Summit Coffee, the book store, Ben & Jerry's, the local soda shoppe - and of course, the library. With it being a college town we attend more than our share of sporting and literary events - there is always something to do and neighbors truly are like family (a happy family mind you, especially now that our dog is trained, hee hee). How could I not mention NASCAR - we love it.
xoxo michele
Austin was home to Leslie, the "famous" cross-dressing homeless man who roamed the streets of Austin and had many, many people who loved and cared about him. He was an icon. Just last week he passed away. Kinda sad that all the SDG girls coming to Austin won't get to see him.
This post made me smile so BIG :)
Well... I am from NYC but I live in a small country town outside of Orlando, FL surrounded by nothing but trees and critters :)
And... maybe not so funny... but I just found out we have the highest concentration of "illegal prescription drug sales here... if you saw our town... you would think... HOW???
Thanks for this :)
We live in Falling Waters, WV. It is a beautiful, unique little town. Depending on which way I drive I can be to Maryland in 5 minutes, Pennsylvania in 15 minutes and Virginia in 25 minutes. Pretty cool :) My hubby drives to Washington, DC everyday, which is about 90 miles away. One of our favorite things about this area is the C&O Canal, we love to walk and bike the trails as a family.
And, I agree. Sweet tea must be the signature drink of heaven ;)
Slang for slang...I love it. I'm northern Wyoming, a far stretch from where I grew up in Pennsylvania and out here it's, "you bet!" Everything "yes" is "you bet" and after twenty plus years living here, I find myself saying it, too. We've got the Big Horn Mountains (viewed from our living room window - blessed!)and fresh air. The winds are not severe here like in other parts of the state - thankful! But we can see for miles and miles - love.
Clean air, I meant.
transplant to the south...where I had to learn what "fixing" to do something meant...that when someone said "I will carry you there"...they were not going to pick me up in their arms... where sweet tea and grits were a shock...especially when I thought they were lumpy potatoes...but southern now I am...but people still say...your not from the south are you...lived in nashville the home of country music...now a little more south...just south of franklin where people are in love with the civil war....but I would not want to live anywhere else...
blessings ya'll
What a fun post, Amy!
I've lived in Alabama all my life so I totally relate to all your facts about life in the south. :-)
I live near Huntsville, which is nicknamed "Rocket City" because NASA has been a huge employer since the 1960s. We're so full of real rocket scientists that few people ever use the cliche: "Well, I'm no rocket scientist, but..." because odds are they ARE a rocket scientist. ha.
I went to a wedding at a hotel in Blowing Rock, NC once. The hotel straddled the county line and one county was dry while the other was note. The hotel had built a bar on the side of the hotel that was not dry and all the local university students from Appalachian State came to the hotel bar as they were in a dry county and the hotel was their closest access to booze. It was weird.
As for my home state (and current state), a while back I discovered the phrase "How's come?" is not universally used outside of Indiana. I once said to a Boston relative, "How's come?" to which he responded "What does that mean?" I answered, it's Indiana for "Why?"
I live in the Pacific Northwest. I've lived here most of my life, other than when I went away to college. My hometown, is the same as Bing Crosby's. Bulldog pride is a big thing here. A great place to visit in the Spring, Summer and Fall is Greenblufff. In Greenbluff you can pick the most amazing, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples and pumpkins. My hometown is also the city of my favorite flower, the lilac.
How fun to read all these comments. I've been wondering the same thing about my readers - I just put a poll on my blog asking where people live.
I live in Charleston, SC - or more specifically, Mt. Pleasant, which is just across the Cooper River from Charleston. I've lived in a lot of different places, and this is where I want to stay! We are about 5 minutes from the beach and 10 minutes from all the gorgeous homes and history of downtown. The weather is fantastic and I love that my kids will learn to throw a cast net off the same dock that my husband did.
I loved reading about your south.
I live in Chicago ... which goes nuts over St. Patrick's Day. Huge parade. Everyone wears green. And if you forgot, you can buy it on the streets - in the form of green necklaces, hats, pins, scarves etc.
And they really do dye the Chicago River green ... deep kelly green.
Do you remember the line from "The Fugitive"? - "If they can dye the Chicago River green on St. Patrick's Day - why can't they dye it blue the rest of the year?"
Chicago is a fun city to live in (minus the constant corruption.)
Fondly,
Glenda
You live in one of my most favorite parts of the country. I'm a mountain girl at heart, called to live in coastal S. Florida. Go figure. Our areas claim to fame, most CEO's have a house here on the water. Another interesting tidbit, my first child was born after a hurricane tore through our town. And did I mention it's always hot?:)
What a fun post to read, Amy. I learned a new word, "Yons." I live in the land of Facebook and Twitter, and yet I only recently opened a Twitter account. Still praying @ FB...
I live in Western New York in a suburb of Buffalo. I just moved here two and half years ago from Michigan. Everyone loves food here (pizza and Buffalo wings are at the top of the list). The area is beautiful with Niagra Falls and many incredible places to hike and hidden canyons. It is steeped in tradition, and the people are very friendly.
Hi Amy! This is so fun! I didn't have time to read them all, but enjoyed the top several! Thank you from stopping by my blog and leaving a comment!
I am from Northwest Wisconsin, and our "metro" is actually Mpls/St. Paul. We are just across the river from the Twin Cities. The highlight in our area is the St Croix River Valley, the varied landscape {many trees, hills, lakes, etc} Though we have long winters {usually...this one has been quite ODD as I'm sure you have heard!} You like sweet tea? We like our coffee. Java Java Java! and Dairy Queen. We like our ice cream. And cheese. Yes, we do like food. When I lived in MN we had a stereotype of WI girls being large because of all the cheese...but it isn't true. WI is just like every other location...all shapes and sizes. :)
I don't know how I missed this post last week but it cracked me up. My husband and I moved from Phoenix to the south - TN, then NC, now SC. And I have experienced every single thing you said here. I live in Pawleys Island, SC the oldest resort town in the US. There ya go!
I'm late..just catching up on blogs after weeks of company.
Me: hometown Ndola, Zambia. Milk came once a month and my mother would take her gallon container and stand in line for an hour. I held babies in the village, sometimes to return the next week to find they had died of diarrhea or fever. We didn't have TV so we made our entertainment by making clubs. I never knew what rich was until I went to college in the US. I thought poverty was normal.
My childhood was different from many but was all I knew.
Love this one, Amy. I totally get this post since I came from "The North," too. :) I was your neighbor over there in Ohio. And now am not too far, living in Raleigh.
A fun fact is I had no idea I would turn out to come here specifically but I always liked the South and the Carolinas. I never thought much about moving until I was older, though.
I have yet to visit your neck of the woods in NC, but want to. I'm sure I would love it.
Yay for the south! I was raised in the south, and my parents live in Asheville, so your list made me laugh and nod! I live further south now than I ever have, coastal Alabama. I'm loving the combination of rural south and the beach, it's a whole new flavor and fun! I tell my husband regularly "I can't believe we get to live on vacation!" By the way I love North Carolina, my roots go way back in that area, but don't feel bad if you think the folk there are a little teched (touched) in the head (crazy), they are just a bit!
Ok, I'm a little late, but since I just found you, I'm totally commenting!!! :)
I live in Alabama, and about a mile from my house is a place where they dump deer carcasses. I met a new neighbor a few weeks ago, and she mentioned the "deer dump" down the road. Because that's what it's actually called!
At one time, there was a sign...
But if you walk out onto my deck, you will be surrounded with the most wonderful quiet green, well, everything! I never want to leave, deer dump or not!
i was reading your comments re the south. i consider myself an outsider even tho' my mom is a southerner from VA. yes, it was a mixed marriage. my dad was a yankee! :) for some reason, i tended to side with that side of the family in the war between the states. maybe it was b/c we lived in yankee places most of the time we lived in the US.
we moved to east TX almost 25 yrs. ago and live in a "dry" county. i've decided that an addendum to #7 could be"...you can't buy alcohol unless you know the right people."
i have never known so many people who have had their teens die of alcohol related deaths as i have since we moved here! the children in the high school our kids went to school with here had more keg parties than i ever remember in miami, FL where we came from...it is very interesting! but to many, there is this satisfaction with being a dry county that keeps them coming back at each election to vote for it again.
i don't really get it.
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