Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Hello from All Things Southern! It's good to see y'all back in these
parts. I hope the world has been kind to you since our last visit
here on the porch. ~smile~
By the way, look around and greet our new friends. There's quite a
few first-timers on the porch this week and some of some of them have
some very interesting stories. Maybe they'll write in to the "Exchange"
soon and share their tales with everyone.
Yesterday afternoon I drove around the farm on the four-wheeler
and updated the farm tour for y'all. I hope you enjoy this feature
half as much as I have. If so--the extra effort is worth it.
As I drove down the dirt roads beside the fields, I couldn't help
but wish I could translate the atmosphere of a peaceful evening on
the farm into words for those of you who've never had the pleasure.
I'd love for you to hear the bull-frogs croaking from the ditch banks,
their deep calls layered over the steady hum of the pumps and the
splash of the water falling into the fields. I'd like you to see the
snowy, white egrets wading in the shallow water and the slender green
reeds of rice waving in the breeze.
Several times yesterday, I startled a deer munching in the edges of
the corn field, partially hid by the growing stalks. I thought of
y'all, but my approaching four-wheeler sent the fleet-footed beauties
across the road to disappear into the small woods before the green
"ready" light of my digital camera could ever blink. Before long, Phil
will rig up the "guns"--timed devices that fire blanks into the air
to scare the deer away and protect our livelihood.
Okay, I've gone on long enough. There's a southern celebration ahead
and I've got to get out of its way. Please, relax and enjoy it!
Speaking from experience--all that work on your desk will still be
there when you're through.
Hugs,
Shellie
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~~Chuckles~~
"The Devil Made Her Do It"
The poor country pastor was livid when he confronted his wife
with the receipt for a $250 dress she had bought.
"How could you do this!" he exclaimed.
"I don't know," she wailed, "I was standing in the store looking
at the dress. Then I found myself trying it on. It was like the
Devil was whispering to me, 'Gee, you look great in that dress.
You should buy it."
"Well," the pastor persisted, "You know how to deal with him!
Why didn't you tell him, 'Get behind me, Satan!' "
"I did," wailed his wife, "but then he said "It looks great from
back here, too!"
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~~A Taste of the South~~
My family is happy that Julie from California asked about a
pulled pork recipe. Cook this one all day and fill your house with
the tempting smells of slow-cooked barbecue. When it comes time to
eat, you won't be disappointed! (By the way, we think the hot
barbecue is very important in creating the special flavor.)
"Pork Roast Barbecue"
• 1 (5 to 6 pound) fresh pork shoulder roast
• 3 parts hickory-flavored barbecue sauce
• 1 part hot barbecue sauce or more if desired
• 1/3 to 1/4 cup vinegar, optional
Mix your barbecue sauces with the vinegar, reserve a little in a small cup. Use the rest to cover a pork roast. Wrap the roast tightly in foil and bake it in an iron skillet at 225'F for 8-9 hours. Discard the foil; remove the bone and the fat and shred the meat in bite-size pieces. Add more sauce, stir, and put it back in the oven for another hour or so. That’s it! Serve hot on buns. We like our coleslaw on the side.
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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 LOUISIANA WHITE ALLIGATORS
The story of the white alligators is just as unique to Louisiana's
coastal environment as the creatures themselves. Decades ago,
traditionally marked alligators had been hunted out, nearly to
extinction, as their hides were--and remain--in great demand by
the high-fashion leather industry both here and abroad. The alligator
was placed on the endangered species list.
In the fall of 1987, the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company,
(known as LL&E), was part of an ongoing alligator breeding project,
developed to save the endangered population. Several nests had been
under observation and it was time to send teams out to pick up the
hatchlings. No one could have anticipated the find that awaited the
officials as they discovered eighteen baby white alligators hatched
in one nest!
Team members were quick to remove the rare baby reptiles, as alligator
babies are easy targets for hungry predators. White alligator hatchlings-
without the camouflaging coloration of the normal gator-would have been
spotted quickly by big birds flying overhead and plucked away.
There is no known discovery of white alligators in recorded history, although
Eastern mythology holds the white beasts to be symbols of extraordinary
good luck. Their discovery certainly was good luck, for instead of ending
up as a meal for a hungry bald eagle, the alligators lead famous lives now --
sunning themselves in nicely landscaped ponds and basking in the approval of
the hundreds of tourists who see them daily at the Aquarium of the Americas
and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. LL&E has provided a few of the white
alligators to the Audubon Institute so that Louisianians and their guests
can get to know the curious creatures a little better.
No one knows, for certain, why these alligators were born white. In fact
they are not, as most people assume, albinos, and their eyes are brilliantly
blue. Many people who see the white alligators for the first time compare the
look of their hide to "white chocolate."
One theory is that many white alligators may have been born throughout the
centuries but were too vulnerable to enemies within their environment. Thus,
those alligators with the protective coloration were the only survivors.
There is just one hitch to the remarkable white alligator discovery: all of
the hatchlings were male. So for now, the white alligators have no mates of
their own coloration. In concert with the Audubon Institute's Species Survival
Center, LL&E plans to breed the white charmers with traditionally marked
females in hopes that the white gene is dominant.
Whatever the results of this breeding experiment, the 18 white alligators
discovered in Louisiana in 1987 will always have a special place in Louisiana's
environmental history. They are a symbol of all the good things this land of
ours has to offer and the fragile environment we must protect.
ATS would like to recognize the Louisiana Environmentalist Magazine,
published by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, for today's
feature.
Please see the LL&E website for more information and pictures of the White
Alligators of Louisiana. LL&E Website
~Shellie
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~~It's Been Said...~~
"In the South, perhaps more than any other region, we go back to our
home in dreams and memories, hoping it remains what it was on a lazy,
still summer's day twenty years ago."
----Willie Morris
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~~Southern Comfort~~
"Right Standing with God"
So, you want to be in right standing with God? Good, Jesus said our
righteousness had to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
Uh, Oh! Hit the brakes! Have you ever looked at what the Pharisees did?
They followed the law to the letter! And we're supposed to top that? Yes,
we are, but it's easier than you think.
Read Matthew Chapters 9-12. In these verses we find some very angry
Pharisees. They're horrified because Jesus' disciples are eating and drinking
with people the Pharisees consider to be sinners. A few verses later, they're
even more amazed to see the disciples eating the Temple Bread--and on
a Sunday, at that! Why, they would have never done such things. There were
many, many laws and regulations in the law. The Pharisees had studied them
all and Jesus' guys were breaking a couple of big ones. And then, as if that
wasn't enough, Jesus really stirred them up by saying his disciples were
guiltless--that the Pharisees were the guilty ones. What was going on here?
It's simple. The Pharisees had religion; they considered themselves righteous
because of their careful law-keeping. In contrast, the disciples had a
relationship. They recognized that Jesus was Lord--over the rules, the temple,
and the Sabbath. Their obedience, born of love, started in the heart. They had
learned that sacrifice without obedience was worthless--and because of that,
Jesus said they were guiltless. Wow!
Can you see it? Our righteousness (or right-standing with God) can top that of
the Pharisees. It can--if we're interested more in a love relationship with
Christ that the empty observance of rituals. If we try to keep Christ's
commandments without a relationship with Him, we'll find them as burdensome
as the Pharisees did. On the other hand, if we seek to know Him and let Him
write His laws in our hearts, we'll want to keep His commandments--because
we love the Commander. Jesus called this right-standing. I call it the best
news I've heard in a while.
~Shellie
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~~Southern Exchange~~
Your letters:
Hello Shellie,
One of your readers, Dude Halley, turned me on to your website
and ezine. He's a good friend and a true country boy cowboy, not
to mention a fine Christian and wonderful father figure. I take
my kids to visit him and Miss Betty every year and he sends me
jokes every day.
After reading your descriptions of girly-girls and tomboys, I'm
definitely the former... which I never gave much thought to until
recently. For example, it never occurred to me to fly a bee like
a kite. I just stay away from bugs and dirt. Ugh. (God gave me a
husband and 4 sons to mow the yard!) *smile*
Thanks and God bless you,
Ellen Larison
Camden, Arkansas
(Dear Ellen, I grew up on a country road with just my sisters for
playmates. I guess the idea of flying bees like kites grew out of
a combination of free time and vivid imaginations. :-) Hugs, Shellie)
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Dear Shellie,
Just returned from two weeks in Tennessee (we live near San
Francisco). One of the best parts of the trip was Memphis Barbecue
(from Corky's and elsewhere). Do you have a recipe?
Love your newsletter!
Julie
San Francisco, CA
(Hey Julie! This week's recipe is just for you. I'm sure I can't
beat Corky's, but I hope it comes close! Hugs, Shellie)
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Dear Shellie,
I have been a subscriber to your site for about 2 months now and
it is one of my favorite sites. I am a Florida Cracker by birth and
childhood rearing, and after a stint in the West, I now live in
Hayesville, NC, near the Georgia border. Your sense of humor is
refreshing and complimenting that is your Christian belief and the
obvious importance it holds in your life.
Although I may never meet you here on this planet, it gives me great
satisfaction knowing I will meet you in the future, Sister! I would
love to have your ebook that you are offering to new subscribers.
Thanks so much!
Karen Henshaw
Hayesville, North Carolina
(Hello Karen the Florida Cracker, I'm just as tickled to have you on
the porch as you are to be here. I hope you enjoy the ebook. 'Til we
"meet" again. Hugs, Shellie)
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Dear Shellie,
I really enjoy your chats each week. I just ordered one of your
t-shirts. My husband and I are going to visit our son and daughter-in-law
in Alaska, in June and I'm going to wear my "t" every chance I get to
let everyone know that we're southern and proud of it. Maybe you'll
get lots more "porch Friends" from Canada and Alaska.
I really enjoy hearing from you each week. Keep it coming. God bless
you!
Dorothy Sharp
Bastrop, Louisiana
(Dear Dorothy, Thanks for being willing to be a walking billboard for
ATS. If I'd known, I would've given you the "advertising rate". :-)
When those Canadians and Alaskans hit the porch, I'll remember who
gets the credit. Hugs, Shellie)
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~~A Southern Definition~~
"If your idea of dressing up never included cowboy boots, your dad's
work shoes or Indian feathers...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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