Sweet Or Un Sweet

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin' at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin' crude

Don’t you just love those old shows, Jed shooting at some small game animal strikes oil, becomes a millionaire and moves to California, I guess coming from the South born poor in the Blue Ridge Mountains and ending up in California I’m kind of like old Jed except for the money part, heck I’ve shot at small game many times and never struck oil, many times I didn’t even strike the small game but that’s ok too.

This country is a very diverse one, there are so many types of people and food from coast to coast and to see them all would take a never ending road trip, I have not been to every state as of yet but have been impressed with most I have seen, in the past if you got over near Arkansas you had to start ordering Sweet or Un Sweet tea or you got Sweet Tea, you get over towards the middle going to the west coast and you start running out of people who actually know how to cook grits, you can find them but when folks start sitting milk and sugar on the table when you order grits you are out of grit country.

Back home the sun rises over the ocean and here in California it sets there, in the South you have maters that make good ole mater sammiches and other places you have toe-mah-toes or to-may-toes, and depending on where you are it’s either a crayfish or a crawdad and the decision is whether you eat it or not.

I could go on and on but to get to my point you have to love where you live, take a look around and see what the area you live in represents, the history of the area and what makes it unique, a lot of us are born in a place and never learn what that area is all about. I was born in Pickens County, South Carolina and always made fun of a little town named Pumpkintown, all there was to this place was a flashing yellow light that sat right in the middle of a highway intersection, after moving away and starting my research in Genealogy I have found that a big part of my family started in this little town, I have learned how it started and how it was named, Oolenoy Baptist Church in this town was built back in the late 1700’s and my seventh Great Grandfather was the first minister of this church and this church cemetery is the final resting place of many of my ancestors including a second Great Grandfather who fought in Kershaw’s Brigade during the Civil War, Pickens County was actually named after General Andrew Pickens who was a Revolutionary War Hero and he happens to be a blood relative also actually first cousin eight times removed to me.

I left home never knowing any of this and a whole lot more I have since found, the town I lived in New Mexico boasts a lot of history also that I wont get into now and right here in California I am beginning to learn some of the local cultures and where they started, if you want to enjoy life look around and learn what makes your city unique, if you want to be absolutely amazed and thrilled look back at where you came from and at the people who make up your bloodline.

I have heard that you have to know where you came from to know where you are going, so look around and enjoy where you are because since you are there it is an important part of your life and you might as well make it fun, look back at where you have been and look forward to enjoy where you are going.

Well now it's time to say good by to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin' in.

Y'all come back now, y'hear