PROUD TO HAVE A SOUTHERN ACCENT

Someone recently told me that they liked my Southern accent and I was so flattered for I do know that I have one for I have never lived anywhere but the Southern United States. This led me to thinking about my accent and how it reflects who I am and thus to this blog posting. Sit back, drink some sweet iced tea or big cup of coffee, and reflect with me. There is a pound cake if you would like a slice.

My hometown is Camden, AL in Wilcox County Alabama and I recently learned that we have a unique accent which is recognized by some who study sociolinguistics. Our accent tends to be slower and has no "Rs". This makes it softer sounding and less harsh than some accents. I think it is wonderful and warm and wraps you up in the Southern atmosphere of love and warmth.

Just so all ya'll know, as if you didn't, I have this Southern Accent from South Alabama and I am not going to change at this late date in my life. Of course, I am not going to tell you how old I am for there are three things a Southern Lady does not reveal – her age, weight or how many pairs of shoes she hides from her husband. We have to keep some mystery in or lives to make us interesting.

For some of us the original color of our hair will forever be our secret but I decided to let everyone know I have white hair – not gray, silver or platinum blonde, but white. Originally it was black as coal (as daddy used to say) but due to genes from my granddaddy I began to turn gray at an early age. Lady Clairol and I were great friends for many years but I eventually said, I will just be natural and I kind of like my white hair. It is interesting that many other ladies are letting their white or silver hair shine for all the world to see and welcome to my world of natural beauty. Makes me easy to find in a crowd and I don't have to worry about my roots showing (heaven forbid). You also get discounts without being asked if you are over 50 and I will take those discounts all the time.

Now back to my subject of my Southern accent but as you know, I will sometimes change subjects in mid-sentence due to my ADD so you will have to learn to go with me whatever rabbit I am chasing.

I say ya'll, fixin to, yes mam, no mam, yes sir and no sir and ya'll come back to see us.  I will call you sweethaht, dahling, deah, sugah, baby and hug you with affection when we meet. I will bless your heart and mean every word of it. I don't have an “r” in my language unless absolutely necessary for I think it is a harsh sound and being soft and Southern, I don't need it. You can hear the smile in my accent and smell the honeysuckle and magnolia as it wraps you up in the sounds of the South.

Other than my accent, my Southern brothers and sisters have a few other differences from the rest of the world. I will have tears in my eyes when I sing or hear the national anthem and say the Pledge of Allegiance with pride.  I am a Christian, go to church to worship the Lord and will tell you that I will pray for you and mean exactly what I say. I am proud to be a Christian and an American and it saddens me to see both of these beliefs being challenged by political and social correctness. That is another posting so I will move on.

Because I am a Lady from the South, and pretty independent, I can pretty well take care of myself though I do love to have a man open doors for me, love me, and take care of me. However, if the occasion arises, I can kill a snake by shooting his head off with my 410 shotgun or with my pistol, I can change a tire on my car, mow the grass, trim the shrubbery, drive a nail, clean a fish, cook wild game and hunt. We usually have a little “Huckleberry Finn” mixed with our “Steel Magnolia” which makes us a combination of strong, adventurous, soft and smelling good.

Cooking is a joy and learned from our mamas, grandmothers, aunts and all those other sweet ladies from our childhood who helped raise us. Pound cakes, pecan (pe-cahn) pies, sweet potato souffle, biscuits, cornbread, peas, butter beans, and potato salad, pear salad. ambrosia, fruit cake and tea cakes to name a few. We cook enough for a big family and cooking for a few is difficult for us for we love to feed people. It is our gifts of love for our family and company in our home or to carry and share with our friends. The kitchen is usually the center of the family and coffee and sweet tea are usually ready at all times unless you are a Diet Coke person like me. We love to say, “Ya'll come on in and have a cup of coffee or glass of tea.” You know a true Southerner never asks if you want sweet tea for it is assumed that is what you drink and for those of you who drink unsweetened, “Bless your hearts”.

With our sweet accents, we will care for you when you are sick, take you a meal, babysit your children, give you a big hug, cry with you when you are sad, and laugh with you when you are glad. We are a caring bunch of people and it is not nosiness when we ask questions but wanting to help if we can for most Southern Ladies want to "fix what is wrong with you" or at least try. Our shoulders are strong and carry big loads as well as small ones.

Southern Ladies with our sweet accents, are strong as steel, soft as cotton, sweet smelling as honeysuckle, gracious, hospitable, and loving. I love my accent, if I have one, for I just sound like me and most of my friends and it doesn't sound strange or an indication of ignorance. It reflects who we are and our Southern Gentleman love us just like we are.

Reflection is over for today but come back soon and we will reflect some more.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Wednesday's Memories

Good morning ya'll. Come on in for a cup of coffee. I am about to make a fresh pot, for on a chilly, rainy morning that is exactly what you need - something warm and a caffeine hype for energy. Now I make it strong, so beware. I just can't stand coffee so weak you can see the minnows swimming in the bottom. I am making COFFEE not tea so come on over for a cup.

I'm sorry I don't have any pound cake or teacake cookies to go with it, but Roy and I are on a "don't see food diet." This is the diet where you shut your eyes or shield them from food so you won't want to eat it, especially sweets. Not working too well, for I keep bumping into things and that hurts. I am trying not to be so fluffy and reduce my love handles to a smaller size. When they start to droop over the waist of the jeans, you have to reduce them a little. I want love handles, not love blobs of fat.

You know, it's amazing how the world has changed it's ideas about beauty in the last 60+ years. As I was growing up, being a little plump was not a bad thing and men thought you were still pretty. My daddy used to say that just gave him more to love and mama had plenty to love. She said she could look at food and the fat jumped out of it and attached itself to her hips. She was a great cook also and daddy just had to have something sweet at each meal only he didn't gain a pound. He could eat like a horse and never gain a pound. Mama could smell it and put on five.

Now I'm not sure how it happened, but as I grew older, my slim genes from daddy morphed into the fat genes from mama. How could that be? I thought you died with the same genes you were born with. My great grandmother, who I was named after, weighed 95 pounds with a sack of seed corn in her hand. She could cook and eat anything and never gain a pound. My grandmother Fanny Cox was a little bit of dynamite and little being the key word. Where are her genes when I need them?

Now our Grand mother Ella May, mama's mother inherited her daddy's genes. Great grandaddy Cox was a short, plump, red-head, with a great big laugh. He also stuttered badly, but could sing without a single stutter. He had a beautiful Irish tenor voice and could sing up a storm. I have some of his shaped notes hymnals and they have been well used. I guess his genes migrated to me as I got older, thanks, granddaddy George. Why couldn't it have been your ability to sing those high notes, for all I got were low alto?

Now back to my hometown. Down there were any number of Southern ladies who were pleasingly plump and they had husbands or "friends" who thought they were beautiful. However, in the South, we Southern Belles always make the best of what we have, whether we are slim or fluffy. We know how to enhance the beauty the good Lord gave us and use it to make the world admire us.

The first thing we always do, is wash our faces, put on the creams, apply the makeup, and brush our hair until it shines. Why when I was growing up, mama would brush my hair a hundred times to make it shine. There were some ladies we knew, who would go to the beauty parlor every day to get their hair combed!

Then you put on your clothes for the day, and even if you are going to stay to
the house, they were clean and mama always put on an apron. You need to look good for your man, and if you don't have one of your own, you need to look good for all the men. You see, we most all learn how to flirt a little with men, but you also know where the boundaries are. You don't want the other women to call you "loose." It's just a little smile, a tilt of the head, sparkle in the eyes, and you look them right in the eyes like they are the only person on earth. This will get 'em every time. They will sparkle right back and turn on that shy grin that their daddy's taught them to try to out fox us. No way.

Here in the South, we call it wrapping them around our little finger and if you watch a little girl baby, they are born with it. What man can resist that little dimpled smile, sparkling eyes and the little gurgle which says, "Come on daddy, you know I am the most precious little ole thing on earth and you will give my whatever my heart desires." Watch them sometimes, it's in our genes and we don't forget them, we just learn how to use them for both our advantages.

Now don't get me wrong, we are not "loose women", we just know how to make a man feel important and they enjoy it. Why else do men come to the South to find a wife but most of us down here want a Southern Gentleman. You see these boys are raised by Southern mamas and they know how to treat a lady in a fine way. They appreciate their women folk and show it! They still open doors for us, tell us how pretty we are and....... (just use your imagination). It is a rule for most Southern ladies and men, what goes on in private, stays in private.

This idea that ''fluffy women" are not pretty or desirable must be due to TV and magazine adds. Those ladies look like they never had a decent meal in their lives. They sure haven't had any grits, cornbread, light fluffy biscuits, pound cake, sweet iced tea, butterbeans or peas. I bet they don't eat fig preserves, whipped cream or fried chicken with rice and gravy. Think what they are missing without the mashed potatoes, gravy and chicken fried steak with homemade ice cream for sweetening after all that.

Now you can be skinny and hungry or you can be fluffy and enjoy eating but either way, just remember, wrinkles jump on all of us, gravity takes hold and pulls it down and little padding makes it look a little better. Have you not noticed that women who are a little fluffy look a lot younger than the skinny ones?

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Wednesday's Musings

How are ya'll doing? I am fine as frog hair spit three ways as our daddy would say or as a dear friend would say, "Super good and getting better." Either one fits today for God has blessed us with a warm, sunny day and His creation is growing and turning green. Unfortunately this includes the weeds and we have a multitude. There is one ferocious weed called Rattlesnake weed which has roots like a rattlesnake rattle. It grows and grows and multiplies worse than rabbits and the only way to get rid of it is to move and if you carry any flowers with you they trot right behind and plant themselves in the new yard. So, we just pull them up which is useless but makes us pretend we are taking care of the problem.

I also saw our first bluebird this morning and that always cheers me up for we know spring is here or coming soon. They are so pretty and we have their house waiting on them. We usually have about 3 hatching's during the spring and summer and enjoy watching the parents taking care of the babies. They work so hard flying back and forth to feed those little hungry beaks.

My little brother reminded me of a piece of misinformation in my posting yesterday. When we sold the midget calf, Mr. Bridges carried it home in the back seat of his Cadillac convertible. Not sure how I could forget that car for we were terribly envious of that car. It was my dream to have one just like it. Even now I want one, I think just not a Caddy.

This reminds me of a friend's experience with a convertible. Like me she had always wanted one, so when she was in her 50's - old you know - she bought a red Mustang convertible and took care of it like it was her child. She proudly drove this car with the top down and her hair blowing in the breeze and often her best friend was with her. Now these 2 ladies had added a "few" pounds during the past years and their hair was not their natural color, if you get my meaning and the wrinkles had arrived in all the usual places. This didn't stop these 2 former beauty queens from riding around in this hot car and enjoying every minute of it. 2 Southern belles getting on with life with zest.

They were riding down I75 one afternoon with the top down, their hair blowing in the breeze, laughing, talking, and listening to the radio when she noticed a car following them. The car was full of college aged boys and they were laughing and motioning for her to slow down. They finally pulled along side with windows down and were going to scout out these 2 girls in a red convertible until they saw their faces. These 2 "actresses" flirted like all Southern belles can do and those boys faces fell to their knees, the windows were rolled up and they floored the accelerator and took off with great disappointment. The 2 hot chicks were 2 cool moms. What a total disaster. Of course these 2 ladies of the South were flattered beyond belief and couldn't wait to tell the rest of us. We all got a good laugh and were totally envious.

Several years ago, some of us were walking by a construction site on our campus and one of the men whistled at us. One of the group asked me didn't that insult me to be whistled at by a construction worker and I quickly replied that evidently he mistook my white hair for platinum blond, did not get a look at the face, and my legs are pretty good, so no I was not insulted but flattered to death. Do you know how long it's been since I had a man give me a whistle much less a second look.

The only place I get looked at, whistled at and maybe a pass is at the nursing home or assisted living home. They can't see, can't hear and that makes me look pretty good. What a downer that is.

One of the ladies I mentioned above was a college professor at a nearby university several years back and taught graduate school research. One night during class she was giving a very difficult exam which was giving a young man on the front row a hard time. Evidently he had been too busy to study due to a hectic social life and was sweating bullets. She noticed his obvious difficulty but walked by monitoring the students. This good-looking young hunk wearing shorts, looked at her, smiled and opened his legs wide for her to view. She just smiled, walked to him, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Not impressive enough for an A." He actually had the grace to grow beet red and slowly sunk down very low in his desk. She continued to stroll around the room with a huge smile on her face. I think he probably failed that class, knowing this lady.

You see as we Southern Belles grow older we grow with grace and beauty for as long as our husband thinks we are lovely that is all that is important. Now if unfortunately we are left as widows, watch out for our flirting genes kick in with a vengeance. We are born with it and it may be dormant for a while, but it only takes a little loneliness to make them bloom again. After all we have been using them with our husbands. Never forget, once a Southern belle, always a Southern belle.

I have also given up on the convertible for I don't think I could get in and out of these low-riding cars now. What a bummer!

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

PS: Little brother, I need the name of our horse

Friday's Thoughts

Come on in and have a fresh brewed cup of coffee - strong, hot and in a mug like Granddaddy would have. I sure hope they have coffee in heaven for if they don't some of us might be just a tad disappointed. We've been assured it is a place of perfection so I'm sure it will have some coffee. Unless....... that is one of those addictions we should withdraw from. I don't think so for it is definitely not mentioned in the 10 commandments and Preacher Ben has not told us about it so it must be a good thing.

I've been told my granddaughter was a little embarrassed by her MawMaw talking about "closed doors" on Wednesday and I am sorry. However - there she goes- there may be snow on the top but I'm not dead yet and the furnace has not been turned off. So, baby dahlin, you will understand some day and remember your Mawmaw fondly even if she is a tad different.

You see, Girls Raised In The South are born with that flirtatious gene and we can't help it and aren't we glad? Here in the South flirting is just part of our personality and it just comes naturally. As baby girls we know how to look at you like you are the only man on this great big earth, bat our eyelashes, open our eyes wide, look you men right in the eyes, smile and wrap you around our fingers!!! You men never know what hit you and if you have daughters, you know exactly what I'm saying, don't you?

Then after we have your total attention, we kinda turn our heads to the side, look at you like we think you are the best thing since sliced bread and in that slow, sweet, Southern drawl say, "Honey, would you do this, that or the other". You run to do it for what man can resist all that charm wrapped up in such a pretty package.

Of course all girls in and from the South know how to say Thank you, Sweetheart" that will make you come back for more and more. We know how to say thank you, write thank you notes, take thank you presents and be thankful for all these handsome men the good Lord placed in our paths.

You see, Southern gentlemen are as special as Girls Raised In the South. They are slow talking, slow walking, gentle, strong, and know how to charm a woman. It's in their genes also and they just can't help it. Why the first time I saw that handsome hunk of man I married I actually tripped over his feet I was so awed. It was like the hand of fate stuck that foot in my way so I could trip and he would help me not to fall. Now it wasn't love at first sight for we know we have to check out their mamas first, but a friendship was started and you know the rest of the story. It is now 45 years later and he is still my boyfriend, sweetheart and husband.

It's just something about the South that makes it the place to flirt, fall in love, and have a glass of iced tea - thought I was going say something else didn't you? Not on your life, for we also know that you don't have to show the whole package to get someone to unwrap it. or talk about it later. It's kind of sad many of the women today don't realize that a little mystery makes you a whole lot more attractive. After all when you unwrap a present it's not always what you thought it would be, right? Girls, take from someone who knows, don't flaunt it, just hint at it. Makes it a lot more fun.

So, granddaughter, maybe you shouldn't read this but someone must teach you how we Southern women take care of our men. Why do you think men from up north come down South to find a wife?

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Wednesday's Musings

Ya'll come on in and have a coke with me. I'm not sure which "cola" drink it is, but we just say "coke" down here. It has been like a summer day down here in South Georgia today. About dinnertime (lunch in the Nawth), it was 70 degrees and muggy and damp. Now my brother, Sam, over in Texas is freezing his tush off and I'm glad it's him and not me. You know this warm, moist air is what it takes for us ladies in the South to keep our Magnolia-like complexion. So bring it on Sugah, I need all the help I can get.

We ate dinnah at a new barbecue place today and it was good. You know how to tell a good barbecue cafe from a bad one? If it smells like smoked pork, you got a winner. If it does not have a smokey smell and pulled pork is not on the menu, a Yankee owns it and it is not barbecue. So run like heck and smell the smoke.

It's also a good sign when they ask what you want to drink and only options are sweet tea, fresh coffee, and coke. Now if you want some water, use the water fountain but for Pete's sake don't ask for the bottled stuff. Now if you imbibe a little, a lighted beer sign on the wall is a good sign but if you don't, tea is the winner. Of course, here in the South, it is most often sweet tea and if you are watching your figure, you get unsweetened, but you had lots of sweetener of some sort. That's kinda cheating, but you know we have to keep that good figure to pleasure our men for our men are the most important thing in our lives. We loooove our men and can't do without them.

That brings up another thought, oh me, here she goes again. Girls in the South or girls raised up in the South know that a good man is hard to find and when you do you hang on to him. Life without a good man is not much fun for we have to have somebody to take care of and what better choice than a Southern Man.

You see, they are pretty special, even the red neck ones. They know how to treat a lady and make us know we are special. Now they aren't all like that and you know what I mean, but most of them are fine especially if they were raised by a Southern mama. Southern mamas know how to raise their sons to treat a woman - with special care. Girls, a piece of advice if you are planning on marrying a good ole Southern hunk of a man, look at his mama and see how she treats her husband and how she treats her son and you will get what you see. Most important is how that hunk of marrying man you want treats his mama for that is generally how he will take care of you.

Now be careful and don't you marry a mama's boy though for they will be spoiled and expect you to do the same. That is not what I mean. If he loves his mama, opens the doors for her to enter first, says yes ma,am, and seldom says no ma'am, picks up his clothes, doesn't mind eating casseroles and looks at you with loving eyes, you got a winnah. Grab him, marry him and hang on to him.

I know from where I speak for I got one and after almost 46 years and we still are sweethearts, I would say I know what I'm talking about. He is special and I know how to make him feel that way and honey chile, you best know how to do that also. When you get that special, Southern man, you take care of him with all the Southern wiles your mama taught you and he will be yours forever. A little sugah goes a long way and remember, what goes on behind closed doors is most important. You know what I mean!

Nuff said

The Georgia Peach

Saturday's Musings

Good morning, ya'll. Come on in for a hot cup of coffee for it is as cold as a w------ t---- in a brass bra. Trying to keep that genteel as any Southern lady would.

Now you know that a Southern lady has written is stone rules for behavior and we must obey them all or the "mama police" will tell everybody including yo mama. By the way, in case you haven't been reading this blog for awhile, the "mama police" are those loving and caring women who know it is their directive from above to keep an eye on everybody and comment to everybody on what they see, hear or think they see or hear. These women are the "tattle tales" in any community, but you know it's because they love you or maybe not. It could be they are just nosey but I think it is because they know it takes a village to raise children. RIGHT!!

Back to the southern lady rules. This came to mind when I was in a public office building yesterday and observed some behaviors and ways of dressing which would cause a southern lady to gasp in horror, fan herself and almost faint, if there was a good looking gentleman close by to catch her. There were some females, I just can't call them ladies, who were dressed in sweat pants, flip flops and their heads tied up in a dirty scarf. Now don't you think that was a pretty picture? Besides, it was 40 degrees outside and even the room was cold. Where in the world were these females raised?

I know for sure and certain it wasn't by my mama or the mama police I knew and know. It was a written down rule that you did not go out in public with sweat pants or your head tied up. You certainly wore your good shoes, nice, ironed, clean pants, a pretty blouse and your hair would always be clean and a pony tale was acceptable if you were having a bad hair day. You see, you never knew who you would see or would see you and you had to look presentable at all times in public. Why the preacher might see you and you surely didn't want to embarass your mama and daddy by looking unpresentable. Don' t you remember what your mama said as you left home? Mine always said, "What you look like and how you are dressed reflects on me" or "You can't go out looking like that for people will say your mama just doesn't care how you look." Remember the "mama police" are watching and waiting to call everybody on the party line and report if you were not dressed properly.

Now back to the women I saw yesterday. Behavior was surely unacceptable! You NEVER chew gum and talk, tell everybody your business, talk loudly and priss around like you are the Queen of Sheba. Heavens to Betsy, we all learned more about their business, their family and friends than we really wanted to know unless you are writing the gossip column for the local, weekly paper. We were all terribly emabarassed fot them knowing that their mamas just hadn't taught them the rules. Bless their hearts. we'll just have to forgive them since they don't know any better. They should have had some raising and at least know not to tie up their hair in public.

Oh me oh my, what has happened to our girls and women today? Why, somebody needs to tell them that to catch and keep a man you have to look good, smell good and act good at least until you catch them and then keep it behind closed doors.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach