Yankee Girl Says Goodbye to Dixie

As our time of living in the South is drawing to a close, I have been thinking a lot about the things I have experienced and learned from spending 7 1/2 of the past 9 years here. It's different here than the NW and even the Midwest. Not in a bad way. Not in a good way. Just different. And I have come to appreciate those differences. For instance, things/items have different names here and I get funny looks when I call them by what I am use to.

Examples...(Now, not everybody in the South refers to these items as I mention, but several people I have run into here do.)

1. I call it a purse. Here, it is a pocket book or even a hand bag.

2. I call it a couch. Here it is a sofa.

3. I call it a cart. Here it is a buggy or a basket.

4. I call it pop. Here it is coke. Everything is coke. Then the server asks, "What kind?' You then answer, "Dr. Pepper." Why? Why not cut out the "middle man"?

5. I say "you guys". They say "y'all"...and I have caught myself saying that on occasion!

6. I say "maybe we could". They say "we might could"...okay, I have been told by my very southern friend that that phrase is not typical for the South, but maybe only in my area of the South.

7. I say "the canoe tipped over". Murray says "the canoe tumped over". (There is a little red line under this word as I typed it to indicate IT IS NOT A WORD! :o)

8. I say "we're gonna"...I know...very poor English. They say "we're fixin'"

9. I call it the Civil War. Here it is the War of Northern Aggression...but only to the real die-hards!

While living here, my boys have learned to call adults our age, "Miss First Name" and "Mr. First Name". If they are older than Collin and I then they are to refer to them as "Mrs/Miss Last Name" and "Mr. Last Name". This is not something Collin and I were raised to do and if they boys had not lived most/all of the life here (thus far) we probably would not have insisted on it. We have come to view it as a sign of respect and they will continue to refer to adults this way. However, we do not require them to refer to us as "ma'am" and "sir" as I have heard many kids call their parents. We are just plain ol' "mom" and "dad".

There are also some things that I am going to miss that are not necessarily "Southern", but they, from my understanding, are not in N. CA.

1. Cardinals. These are my favorite bird. I love their color, their markings, and their song. I love to watch them eat the sunflower seed from my feeder and chase each other away.

2. Lightening Bugs...some call them Fireflies. Collin has referred to them as "magical", and I think he is right. They are magical and amazing. No more catching them and putting them in jars at night only to escape from the holes that were punched too big in the jar lid.

3. Thunderstorms...need I say more?

And finally, things about Middle TN I will miss...

1. Barfield Crescent Park and Radnor Lake. MANY good memories hiking the trails at these two parks. Lots of dreams and plans made while trekking about.

2. McKays Used Books. Holy Cow! This is the biggest used bookstore I have been to. And really reasonable.

3. Our Parish...St. Patrick's Anglican Church. But more importantly, Father Ray and Beth.

4. The Nashville Zoo. I love this zoo. It is a great zoo.

5. Five Guys Burger and Fries. Only the greatest burgers in town!

6. #3 stickers on the back windows of cars...just kidding...no Dale fans here.

7. Bluegrass Music. Not sure how popular it is in CA, but I LOVE IT!

8. Clogging competitions and showcases. I will forever regret not learning how to do this.

9. Amy...my wonderful hairdresser who never messes up and knows exactly how I like my eyebrows waxed!

10. Last, but certainly not least, all of the many wonderful friends we will be leaving behind. (If you are reading this...I love you!)

Well, that about covers it. Good bye Middle TN and good bye The South!