Becoming Southern

Well folks, I know that I am Yankee by birth, but since I will probably live in the South for the rest of my life, I must adapt. I do believe that I am making progress in the department of "Redneckification," and today for the first time, I saw some of that progress.

As some of you may already know, this time of year is hurricane and tornado season in the South. Today, I was out and about taking care of some business when the tornado sirens began wailing. We all made our way to the center of the building and took up positions along a long cement-walled corrider on the first floor. We spent about an hour waiting, while notifications of tornado touchdowns in the local area were broadcast through the loudspeaker system. Of course, I thought of my two grandchildren and wondered if they were doing okay, if they were scared, or if the daycare they go to was taking proper care of them.

But I thought of two other things that truly show (progress?) toward my ultimate redneckification. I wondered if my dog was left outside in the backyard, and if he would be smart enough to seek shelter before being swept up into the funnel of a tornado, and I wondered, "If my truck gets taken out in the parking lot of this public building, will it be covered under some form of insurance?"

So, see folks, the Yankee is slowly leaking out of my soul, being replaced with dawgs, big ol' trucks, and cheese grits.

I actually have taken a liking to grits. Regular grits are tolerable, cheese grits are yummy, and shrimp & grits is "da' Bomb." Of course, to this day, nothing tops a big plate of hash-browned potatoes with gravy, or fresh steamed clams with a clarified butter garlic sauce, dungeoness crab, or a big bowl of gooeyduck chowder.

Comments

  1. Sorry, I'm still not doing the grits, but I will take cover when those sirens wail.

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  2. Oh, you can add all kinds of things to grits! I've made them into breakfast bowls before, complete with eggs and bacon. :)

    Yes...the tornadoes are scary. I lived for 7 years in AL (Vestavia Hills) and spent half the spring in the closet. When my toddler son (now 14) said, "Is it time to hide in the closet, Mama?" at the 1st sound of thunder, I realized the effect it was having on him!

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  3. Alex, grits really are pretty good if you eat them like cream of wheat - smothered in milk, butter, and sugar.

    Elizabeth, Where I grew up, we had annual typhoon season (high wind and high waters)but tornadoes are a new thing for me. And, yes, grits are great with bacon, but everything is better with bacon. Bacon is like the Ritz cracker of the meat world!

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  4. Jennie FiumefreddoMarch 10, 2011 at 7:02 PM

    "Well bless your heart"....LOL!!!

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