Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
You're back. Wonderful! Welcome to another day on the porch
of All Things Southern. This big old goofy look on my face is proof
of how happy I am to see you. ~smile~
You know, before I began publishing "All Things Southern", I never gave
much thought to what I heard referred to as "The Southern Mystic". Heck,
I grew up here, I wasn't sure there was such an animal. That was then; this
is now. Almost one full year into this thing, I couldn't be more convinced.
Our South is indeed a unique region, a nation within a nation, and I am
most fortunate to live here.
I don't think the South has changed that much in one short year. So, what
happened to me? It's the letters. If my southern pride is showing you'll
have to blame it on the themes of your letters, similar refrains that
continue to come in from around the web.
I hear about our hospitality from someone who just took a trip through
a southern state, or our friendliness from someone who says they can
always spot a southerner in a chat room. (I'm told it's usually the first
person to welcome a newcomer.) I hear about our families and how they seem to
be tied tighter "down here" as they like to say. I've had folks write me and
respond in total shock when I write back. What? Didn't everyone's mama teach
them it was rude to ignore people?
But above all, one of the strongest themes I hear is graciousness. Those
that have moved out of the South, or into the South, all tell me that
southerners are just plain nicer. So, am I proud? You betcha' sweet baboo.
(I'm not sure what sweet baboos are, but I can't remember when people
around here didn't bet on 'em.)
Uh, oh, it occurs to me that I better get ahold of myself and change the
subject, lest my mama come down on me for being too prideful. I hope you
enjoy this week's issue 'cause I'm getting out of the way--let the
southern celebration begin!
Hugs,
Shellie
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~~Chuckles~~
"A Boy, A Cat and A Ceremony"
The young son of a Baptist minister was in church one morning when he
saw for the first time baptism by immersion. He was very interested. The
next morning he proceeded to baptize his three cats in the bathtub.
The youngest kitten bore it very well, as did his older sister, but
the family tom cat rebelled. The old feline struggled with the boy,
clawing and tearing his skin, before getting away. With considerable effort
the boy caught the old tom again and proceeded with the "ceremony."
But this time the cat acted worse than ever, clawing and spitting, and
scratching the boy's face. Finally, after barely succeeding in splattering
the cat with water, the boy dropped him on the floor in disgust and said:
"Fine, be a Methodist if you want to!"
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~~A Taste of the South~~
"Broccoli and Potato Bake"
• 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 teaspoons diet margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli (10 oz.)
• 1/4 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese
Cook, drain and mash potatoes with diet margarine, salt and milk.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook broccoli according to package
directions. Drain well, Fold into mashed potatoes.
Put in casserole sprayed with vegetable pan spray. Sprinke with
cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts.
(This delicious recipe comes from "Gone With the Fat", a great
cookbook written by Jen Avis and Kathy Ward. Their cookbooks have
been seen on CNN and ABC's "The Home Show". You can
purchase them in the bookstore.While you're
there, don't forget to check out Randy's Prewitt's "Flavors of the
Ark-La-Miss" . It's also chockfull of good cooking! You say you can't
get enough of that southern flavor? Why, don't you know,"Lessons Learned
on Bull Run Road" has recipes in it, too! ~Smile~)
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~~Spotlight on the South~~
SPOTLIGHT ON ARMADILLOS
Never one to stay in a rut, I'm shining our Spotlight in a brand new
direction today. One of our new porchers requested that ATS do a little
feature on armadillos. All right, all ready! Ever eager to comply, I surfed
around for some lesser known facts on these well armored animals. While I've
heard all the armadillo jokes, (Texas barbecue comes to mind), I found quite a
few facts that were new to me. By the way, armadillos are indeed on the menu in
some parts of Texas and Mexico. Though I can't speak from experience, I'm told
the light-colored meat resembles pork in flavor and texture. Here are a few of
the facts (beware approaching pun) that I dug up for you. *grin* I hope you
find them interesting, too!
For instance, if you've spent any time on southern roads, you might wonder
why armadillos seem to get hit by cars so often. I found several reasons.
Armadillos eat carrion. (We call that road kill.) It doesn't take a mental
heavyweight to figure out that if you're prone to eating road kill, you'll be
road kill yourself sooner or later. A fact I found even more interesting
is that armadillos jump up in the air when they feel threatened. Although I
can see how this unusual tactic might startle another animal, it doesn't seem
to be a very smart exit plan in the face of an oncoming car.
Armadillos also have interesting swimming habits. When confronted with a small
stream, armadillos will hold their breath and walk across on the bottom. When
faced with larger bodies of water, they'll gulp air into their intestines to
make themselves more buoyant and use a strong dog paddle style to get to their
destination.
Guess what else I found out? Armadillo lovers, (yes, Virginia they do exist),
contend that the steely fellas suffer from a bad case of being in the wrong place
at the wrong time. Armadillos have a reputation for destroying agricultural crops,
but these armadillo aficionados attribute most of that crop damage to other animals.
They say it's just that when farmers come out in the mornings, the slow-moving
armadillos are the last folks on the scene and even though they're actually just
taking advantage of the leftovers, they get blamed for ruining the crop.
How's that for an Armadillo Spotlight? I might not have succeeded in bringing
farmers and armadillos together, but maybe this will soften their hard shells just
a bit, (the farmers, not the armadillos.) ~smile~
Check out the following websites for some interesting photos, streaming videos
and a fun armadillo trivia game.
The Nine-Banded Armadillo
Armadillo Central
~Shellie
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~~It's Been Said...~~
"Regardless of one victory, two victories, four victories, there's
never been a victory by a cancer survivor. That's a fact that
hopefully I'll be remembered for."
----Texan Lance Armstrong, after winning his fourth Tour de France
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~~Southern Comfort~~
"Running Into Walls"
Earlier this week, I was sitting at my computer working on the southern
spotlight when I heard a loud noise. Whoomp! Jessica and I got up and
walked over to the big bay window beside my desk. (I recently moved my
desk to the living room so I could have more time with my family.)
We found a very stunned little bird, a tufted titmouse, sitting on the
pavement below the window. I felt like I knew him, because my bird feeder
is right outside the window and I'd been watching a whole family of titmice
for the past few weeks. My little friend sat there so long that I walked outside
to see if he was dead. He was motionless as I knelt down and picked him up.
His eyes were barely moving and it looked like one of his feet might be broken.
For a moment he allowed me to hold him, but when I stood up he flew right back toward the
window pane that had just knocked him senseless and fluttered there, trying
to get through the glass. I picked him back up a little more forcefully this
time, and took him back in the right direction, to more familiar territory,
the birdfeeder. Mr. Titmouse sat there for a few minutes, regaining his
senses before he grabbed a snack and flew off.
And so I wondered. (You knew I would.) I think I know just how Mr. Titmouse felt.
I've ran headlong into things that I never saw coming before--and I've even
ignored the One that could help me and banged my head right back into the thing
that knocked me down in the first place.
How about you? Have you hit any walls or windows lately? Are you still banging
your head against the glass? God is ready and willing to point you back in the
right direction. But you will have to settle down and trust Him.
~Shellie
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~~Southern Exchange~~
Your letters:
Hi Shellie and fellow porchers,
I just discovered your site from someone else and I'm tickled pink! I love
all things Southern, in fact, I truly believe that Krispy Kremes need to be
revered and respected.
I help out at a local wildlife center, fostering baby 'coons. They're really
adorable, smart and not at all the rabid, nasty creatures people think they
are.
One Southern creature I really like is the armadillo. Maybe the newsletter
could print some stuff about them?
Kathy the Coon Mom
New York
(Dear Kathy, Your wish was my command. Did 'ya see the spotlight? Thanks for
writing in. Oh--and those Kremes, don't worry yourself, they're plenty
revered in these parts. Hugs~Shellie)
___________
Hi Shellie!
Thanks for my first copy of "All Things Southern", I found your website
thanks to "Debbie's Country Cooking" ezine.
I'm from Canada but I love all things Southern, especially Southern food
and Southern hospitality!
God Bless,
Nicole
Canada
(Hi Nicole, Thanks for writing in. It's so nice to hear from Canada!
I hope you'll feel that southern hospitality coming at you from every
corner of my porch. ~ Hugs, Shellie)
____________
Shellie,
I was so excited to see a letter in your emag-bag from Billie Alexis,
Pensacola, FL. It was like meeting an old friend in some great big
airport half-way around the world and realizing what a small world
we live in. I've met Billie, a fine Christian lady, who also sends a
lot of real good stuff out to her e-mail list, and I get all of that
"good stuff" by way of our mutual friend in Baton Rouge, Joy Traylor.
I'll think I'll just cozy up to Billie during the porch visits from
now on. All these strange folks are nice people, but it'll be extra
special sittin' next to someone I know.
Love ya'
Nancy
Vicksburg, Mississippi
(Dear Nancy, I'm tickled to see you and Billie sitting together. Y'all
feel free to catch up now, just as long as y'all keep chatting with the
rest of us. I won't tolerate any cliques on my porch. *grin* Shellie)
____________
Dear Shellie and porchers,
Hey Y'all! I'm a 5th generation native Floridian. Down here in Homestead
we consider ourselves just about as southern as you can get. (Unless you
are from the Keys) Love your stuff. Keep up the good work...If you could
out shoot your brothers, you were NOT a girly girl!
Robbie Mock
Homestead, Florida
(Dear Robbie, Hello to Homestead, Florida! I didn't have any brothers, so
I can't say I've got a t-shirt from the shooting competition, but it sounds
like you're right on the mark with your girly-girl quote. Hugs ~ Shellie)
____________
Dear Shellie,
I've wanted to drop you a note ever since I read "Lessons Learned On Bull
Run Road". First, let me say, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It bought back
so many memories of growing up in the country. My sister and I would definitely
qualify as "non-girly-girls" and so would our country friends. Every since my
sister passed away in 1999, I find myself thinking about our days in the country
more and more.
I couldn't wait any longer to write after reading some of your ways for women
to tell if they're Girly-Girls. Snacking on sweet clover and honeysuckle is
great, but did you ever try rabbit grass, and pepper weed? As a matter of
fact, we would eat just about anything if it tasted good or our Mother said
not to eat it because it would make us sick.
The string around the bumble bee was so much fun, but sometime it was hard to
remember which kind didn't sting. Anyone who hasn't walked bare foot on a dusty
road, or a fresh plowed field, or a cool patch of mud on a hot summer day, can't
possibly know much about the true pleasures of life. Right? I really didn't
intend to talk so much, although I could go on for hours. Like a lot of Southern
people, I just have to sign off, because I don't know when to shut up.
Keep up the good work, and I look forward to visiting every week.
Peggy Grubbs
Winnsboro, LA
(Dear Peggy, Your letter was too sweet and I didn't think you rambled at all.
I'm glad you enjoyed my book. Your letter stirred my memories, too, so I guess
we're even. Hugs ~ Shellie)
____________
Dear Shellie,
I have a funny one for y'all. In Sunday School, we were studying The Lord's
Supper in I Corinthians 11. The church we attend has a new pastor and his wife
is a member of this class. She told a story of a Lord's Supper experience at
their previous church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The story went that this was
her newly saved son's first Lord's Supper and he was very excited about it.
The ordinance proceeded as normal with the eating of a cracker that was a little
stale tasting as usual, but ok. As the juice came along, he took his from the
tray and drank it immediately. The color drained from his face and he look at
his mother and said, "Momma, this ain't grape juice."
The pastor's wife looked down at her own cup of juice. She agreed it didn't
look much like juice. It wasn't purple or reddish in color. But writing it off
as his being a child and not knowing any better, at the appropriate time she
turned her little cup up. "Oh, my Lord," she exclaimed. "This ISN'T grape juice!"
Well, she told her husband, the pastor, to check the fridge in the church kitchen
and see what they had served. Upon checking and being given an explanation it
seems they ran out of grape juice and someone ran home nearby and brought all
they had.... prune juice. YUCK!
Another member of our class remarked, "I guess y'all really did have a
cleansin' that day!"
Don Harris
Hickory Valley, TN
(Dear Don, LOL! I loved the story. Thanks for sharing it with the porch.
I hope prune juice communions never catch on around here. Hugs~Shellie)
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~~A Southern Definition~~
"If your mama didn't have to explain why little girls couldn't play outside
without their shirts like little boys...you could have been a girly girl."
--Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
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"What's For Dinner?" How many times have you heard that?
Get the answer at Debbie's Country Cookin' ezine!
Tried and True recipes and lots of tips.
http://DebbiesCountryCookin.homestead.com
DebbiesCountryCookin-subscribe@topica.com
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ATS NEWS and NOTES:
Check out the porch album. We have a new host from Northern
Ireland, take it away Stephen...
http://www.allthingssouthern.com/atsalbum.html
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WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR DAUGHTERS...
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