Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Hello all! A big welcome to the All Things Southern Porch regulars,
and to the new folks that have found us in the past week. No preamble
today, I've got tons of things to tell you about, so I'm just gonna
dive off into the deep end. ~smile~
The fish are biting in beautiful Lake Providence! Last Saturday
afternoon, a couple friends and I went cane pole fishing off the
dock. Click
here if you want to read about, (and see pictures of), the huge, larger-
than-life bass I caught and hear how jealous my fishing buddies were.
Oh, and in the name of fairness, I've agreed to let the jealous old
souls bore you with their side of the story.
You know, I wish we could all go fishing together! It's so relaxing to put in a full day's work and
then spend an hour or so at the dock. My daughter, Jessica, and I
have been back several evenings since and I caught a bass each time.
(Jessica, on the other hand, is the Queen of the Catfish.)
Sunday afternoon Phillip and I went snake hunting. (Don't tell
Environmentally Aghast Kat, pulleeasseee! I think I see her sitting
on the porch swing down there chatting with a new porcher). Although
we didn't see but a couple mean old fellas, both of 'em are history,
thanks to some sharp shooting on our part. :-)
Now, since I've managed to steer the conversation onto the subject of
snakes, let me tell you what happened just a little while ago. I
went out to the farm late this evening (Wednesday) to take some
pictures so I could update the farm tour for y'all.
While I was there, I thought I'd ride around the ditches and see if the snakes
were out, thinking I'd get a picture or two of them as well.
Mercy! I saw the biggest, meanest cotton mouth lying half
in the water and half on the opposite bank. Ever so quietly, I climbed
out of the Tahoe with my digital camera for a better view. I was just
about to snap the pic when a bull frog jumped into the water, right
over the snake's head. Right before my eyes, that snake shot towards
that hapless frog like a streak of lightening with his head reared up
four inches out of the water as he skimmed the surface. Now, I'm sure
you'll want to know if the frog "bought the farm" (southern lingo for
passing on). I can't tell you--I was too busy jumping straight up into
the air and onto the runner of my Tahoe. By the time I could look back,
they were both gone. Blame it on an instinctive reaction,
but my biggest concern was getting as far as I could from Black
Lightening. I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to do streaming
video for y'all next.
I guess that's about enough rambling from me. I'll let you get on with
this week's Southern Celebration. Thanks for dropping by. Until next
week...
Hugs,
Shellie
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~~Chuckles~~
"Understanding Baseball"
At one point during a little league game, the coach said to one
of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is?
What a team is?" The little boy nodded yes.
"Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together
as a team?" The little boy nodded yes.
"So," the coach continued, "when a strike is called, or you're
out at first, you don't argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do
you understand all that?" Again, the boy nodded yes.
"Good," said the coach. "Now go over there and explain it to
your mother."
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~~A Taste of the South~~
"Jessica's Shrimp Kebobs "
Jessica is home from her first year at LSU and back in the
kitchen. Man, I've missed that kid. :-) Seriously, she loves
to cook and her brother, her daddy, and I are quite willing
to serve as her taste testers. We gave this one a 10!
• 24 pineapple chunks
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 squash, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chunked
• 2 pkgs. fresh mushrooms
• 2 lbs. uncooked shrimp
• 1/2 cup sweet and sour sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons chives
Make sure your squash, onions and peppers are sliced rather thin
for quick cooking. Build your kebobs alternating veggies, fruit
and shrimp. Add dry mustard and chives to sweet and sour sauce
and brush kebobs. Grill for three minutes, turn and brush with
sauce again. Continue until shrimp is good and pink.
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Please forward ALL THINGS SOUTHERN to your friends and family!
(You can also email them the parent site by going to
http://www.allthingssouthern.com and clicking on the link that
says "email this site to a friend.")
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~~Spotlight on the South~~
SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2002 CENTURYTEL LOUISIANA PEACH FESTIVAL
June 13-15, 2002
Peaches, Patriotism and Pure-dee Fun! If you've got a little
time on your hand next weekend, I've got a great place for
you to spend it. Pack a little bag and a big appetite and
wander up to North Louisiana to experience the sweetness of
the CenturyTel Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston.
With a location anchored by the East-West Interstate 20 and the
North-South U.S. Highway, and equidistant from Dallas, Little
Rock, and Jackson, Mississippi, you won't have to look long or
hard to find the fun. Ruston, Louisiana, home of the legendary
Louisiana Lady Techsters, is an idyllic little town smack in
the middle of things and well used to the attention. You can bet
everyone there is gearing up even now for this 52nd annual
home-town party celebrating their world famous peaches.
Things will actually kick off this Friday, the 7th, with a Blue
Ribbon Dinner Dance followed by the Linh Johns Marine Big Bass
Classic on Lake D'Arbonne the next day. After that, there'll be
something for everyone as the week heats up with an Antique Car
Show, Peach Eating Contest and Monjuni's Arts & Crafts Expo.
Sports enthusiasts and fitness buffs will find a 5K and a 1 Mile
Fun Run, a Volleyball Tournament, a V-Speed Bike Classic Road
Race, and a Tennis Tournament. Sunday evening, the 15th, when
everyone is full of peaches, things will wind down with the Russ
Town Band Concert at the Railroad Park. Come on down--or up, or
over, or across--it'll be fun. :-)
~Shellie
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~~It's Been Said...~~
"Dreams, if they're any good, are always a little crazy."
----Ray Charles
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~~Southern Comfort~~
"Living Apart, Dying Alone"
About a month ago, I pulled down a lot of English Ivy from some
trees along my driveway. (I thought it was pretty, but my
husband was worried that it was choking the trees. Don't you
think that's a myth?) Anyway, it was a pretty big job. Even though
I was able to pull a good bit down in large pieces, some of the
vines broke off up high out of my reach. Instead of getting a
ladder, I chose to take the lazy way out and leave it there,
figuring it would die soon enough.
Do you know that for the longest it looked like that ivy was just
fine. It was just as pretty as the other ivy that was still
attached to the ground. It was pretty and green and still trailing
beautifully around the tree trunks. I noticed it from time to time
and decided it must be getting enough nutrients from the tree itself,
and that being cut off from the ground wasn't going to hurt it after
all.
Boy, was I wrong. Although their death was gradual, even
imperceptible at first, the vines are now dry and brown, dead as
could be. Which, of course, got me to thinking.
Jesus said that He is the vine and we are the branches and that
our life is in Him. Put another way, we're just like the ivy.
We can quit relying on the Source for a little while and
everything looks fine. We can skip church, miss our Bible reading,
neglect our prayer time and all the while the world will think we're
just as spiritually healthy as the guy beside us.
The hard truth is, just like the ivy got its nourishment from its
roots, our spirits are fed by God. If we try to live without His
sustenance, the day will come when our spirits will dry up and die.
Will we know in time? Do we really want to take the chance? I say,
let's dig our roots in now, while we have the opportunity. I want to
keep growing, don't you?
~Shellie
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~~Southern Exchange~~
Your letters:
Hello Shellie,
I enjoy "All Things Southern" even though all my 68 years have
been spent here in Wisconsin. My Pop was born in Pascagula, MS.
He joined the Navy and after discharge chose to live and work in
Chicago as a policeman. That's where he met my mother, who had
lived all her life in Milwaukee. They married and decided to live
in my mother's home city.
My "link" to the South comes from Pop who loved his food southern-
style. Mother had to learn to cook all manner of dishes Pop liked.
Both my parents have gone onto their final reward for many years now,
but I hold dear to my heart the stories Pop would tell me about his
youth in Mississippi.
I've been able to latch onto a few recipes mother would cook up
for my Pop and I'm always looking for more true southern recipes.
Thanks for your wonderful email and please know I do enjoy reading
each issue.
Betty Lamey Ruiz
Wisconsin
(Welcome Betty, I'm glad you found a spot on my porch. We have plenty
of Yankee friends that have made themselves right at home. You should
be able to find more of that good cooking in my Recipe Archives.
Hugs, Shellie)
___________
Hello Shellie,
Your newsletter brings back such fond memories for me. Being
from Jacksonville, Florida but now residing in Wyoming, my
heart longs to be back in the South. I've lived here almost
10 years and the 2 best friends I have acquired here are from
Texas and Virginia! Do we Southerners have radar for locating
each other? I like to think so!
I live on 5 acres with my husband, Dale, my daughters, Sara and
Emily, and my son Bubba,(Joseph). Bt the way, you know you're
visiting in the South when you say "Hey Bubba" in a restaurant
and all the men turn around!
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy my place on your
porch every week, God Bless and Go Gators!
Your Southern Sister, Marie
Evansville, Wyoming
(Hi Marie, I'm sure it was that southern radar that helped you
find us, too! *grin* Tell the family hi for me. I hope you're happy
at ATS. ~Shellie)
_________
Dear Shellie,
Your welcome email asked me to let you know how I found the porch.
Actually, your site found me and I'm just pleased as punch about
it! I get the daily newsletters from "Cool site of the day" and
your site was highlighted one day last week. I loved it so much
that I CALLED my mother (no time to wait for an email) and told
her about it. It now tops my favorites list and I visit regularly.
I love...well...everything you offer on your site. My daughter and
I are putting together a cookbook of favorite recipes (and ones
that will soon be favorites as soon as we try them) and I'e
already found some in your recipe section that sound wonderful!
I still don't think I have seen everything on your site. There is
so much there. I especially like the Southern Jokes section. I have
been choosing one a day to send to my "other" Dad. He is my best
friend's Dad and he loves a good joke, as he is from Louisiana.
And, as you know, the good people from Louisiana have a great sense
of humor.
I'm from Beaumont, Texas, by the way. Everyone from my Mom's side
of the family is from Louisiana. And I am married to a coon____:-)
So, geographically, I'm a Texan. But I have so much Louisiana in
me that there's roux runnin' through my veins. Thank you so much for
all you put into you site. It is a refreshing change of pace from
some of the trash people put out there. Have a GREAT day and keep
up the good work!
Yer' Frien',
Kathryn Sandoz
Beaumont, Texas
(Hello Roux Blooded Kathryn, My aunt used to live in Beaumont. That's
some pretty countryside you've got there. Thank you for all the nice
things you had to say about ATS. I try --- hard! Hugs, Shellie)
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ATS NEWS:
I'll have my All Things Southern booth set up at the Peach
Festival in Ruston, Louisiana, June 14th. I hope to see you
there. (If I'm not in the booth when you get there, you can
find me at the Peach Eating Contest. I'll be the one covered
in juice. ~Shellie)
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~~A Southern Definition~~
"If you never challenged a boy to an arm wrestling match...you could have been a girly girl."
--Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
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WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR DAUGHTERS...
About love and marriage: "It's just as easy to fall in love
with a rich man as it is a poor one!" Do you remember your
southern mom's advice about love,marriage, relationships and
life in general? Then join the fun; this project is exploding!
Write me at tomtom@allthingssouthern.com to have your mom's
advice memorialized in my new book: WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL
THEIR DAUGHTERS...
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