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GEORGIA- The Quintessential Southern State
Although Georgia is not geographically the most southern state, it is without refute the quinessential southern state. I suppose it is because of the epic movie, 'Gone With The Wind'. Or because of all the Antebellum homes that were spared on Sherman's march to the sea, allowing Georgia to retain a lot of its southern mansions.
I love Georgia. My favorite tree is the Magnolia tree. The large white blossoms have the most pleasing aroma, and the thick dark green leaves look great in arrangements and are a huge favorite to use at weddings. It is an evergreen, so it is not only inexpensive because of the availability, but the leaves have a wonderful rich color year round.
As a child, I would always keep a Magnolia flower in my mothers kitchen window, a time honored tradition that I still carry on at my own home now. I have always been mesmerized by the delicacy of the blossom. You have to be very careful when handling them, because they will bruise so easily. I find that very poetic.
Another favorite blossom that I love to fill my home with is Honeysuckle. The aroma is so sweet and permeates through out the house. It grows wild and is plentiful. I even tie a string around a bunch of it and place it in my car. It doesn't last long, but while it is there, oh my, what a treat.
I love driving on a dirt road, at night with the windows down and the wind blowing through my hair, catching faint whiffs of the different flowers that grow wild in my area. It has a certain soul healing affect. Because it just seems to put everything in perspective. I mean what could be more important than the simplicity of life and your communion with Mother Earth?
Here are a few fun facts about Georgia that someone sent to me, with my added wisdom in the parentheses), I thought they were cute and for the most part surprisingly accurate:
* Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.(possum, it's what's for supper)
* There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia.(The only way to handle a snake, is with the handle of a garden hoe)
* There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a couple
no one's seen before.(My cousin woke up one morning and a spider had spun a web across her face..no shit)
* Squirrels will eat anything.( Pecans are a commodity here....SQUIRRELS MUST DIE!!)
* If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.( I do believe stickers are an evil plot of the government)
* Kudzu grows over an inch every night.( I am scared of that stuff)
* A tractor is NOT an all-terrain vehicle. They do get stuck.( I have seen that with my own eyes)
* It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.( well, Duh!!)
* People actually grow and eat okra.(It originates from Africa, and was brought over during slavery days. We buy it fried with fried chicken at Churches)
* Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're 2.( Iced Tea is a staple here, there is a perpetual pitcher of tea in my fridge)
* 'Jeet'? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"(We understand it though)
* Backards and forwards means I know everything about you.( same thing as in and out)
* You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is.( Believe this, for we live by it)
* You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.( Now, this don't apply to them citified folks)
~~Here are a few more and I enjoy them because they ring true:( my comments )
You know you're from Georgia if:
1. You measure distance in minutes.( How far is Eastman from here? Oh, it's about 30 mins away)
2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.(Now, this is totally true, and in Spring and Fall, it happens a lot)
3. Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.( We have plastic sacks and paper sacks)
4. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it,
no matter what time of the year.(and there are usually 4 kids screaming in there too)
5. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: I am fixing to go to the store.(nuff said)
6. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable,
animal, or insect.(ex: Possum Holler, Mule Day, Grits Festival, Catfish Festival)
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
unlocked.( I never lock my doors, even if I am going to be gone for days)
8. You carry jumper cables in your car ... for your OWN car.( Or like me, you don't even have a spare tire)
9. You know what "cow tipping" is.( I have never been, it sounds mean to me)
10. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, chili powder, and catsup.(some people put ketchup on everything...pizza, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes..yuck)
11. The local papers cover national and international news on one page but
requires 6 pages for local gossip and sports.(I can prove it too)
12. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.(The local Walmart has a cook out)
13. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit "a little warm." (Well, if there is a good breeze, it ain't too bad)
14. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and
Christmas.( We have almost as many air conditioner repair places as we do churches)
15. You know whether another Georgian is from east, west, or middle Georgia
as soon as they open their mouth.( This is completely true)
16. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past-time known as "goin wal-martin" or
off to "Wally World." (Super Walmart is Da Bomb Baby!!!)
17. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chili
weather.( 70 is a might cool, some call it sweater weather)
18. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola, or pop... it's a Coke,
regardless of brand or flavor. Example "What kinna coke you want?"(Believe this for truer words were never spoken)
19. Fried Catfish is the other white meat.( Oh hell Yeah!!!)
20. You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends from
Georgia.(If I was ever in any doubt where I was from, this here has cleared it up)
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