Sunday, June 20, 2010

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

24 comments:

  1. I totally agree with what you have said. We do become complacent about where we live and take it for granted. I think with all the traveling I have done i have grown to appreciate the great state of California. I really think there is something here for everyone. We have mountains, deserts, beaches, and everything in between. I was just in Sonoma this last weekend and I swear it looks just as beautiful as france or Italy with the vineyards and lovely greenery. I look forward to someday visiting So. Carolina and many other parts of the great USA. There is so much beauty and diversity of culture as you have so nicely pointed out!!!

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  2. Hey Susie,

    I'm still trying to get California in my head, some of the things close to us are starting to make sense as far as direction and where they are, so far it has been a blast I like the small local events a lot but there is a lot more out there we will be seeing.

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  3. Isn't researching genealogy fun! I found out a few years ago that I am related to Jane Austen, Ty Cobb, Katharine Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, William Randolph Hearst, Rosalynn Carter, Edwin Hubble, Mae West, George Orwell, Alfred Tennyson, Audry Hepburn, Elizabeth Browning and several other historical people. I was shocked! Guess the gene pool got quite diluted, before it got to me.

    Grits!!! We have garlic/cheese grits for every special occasion and some not so special occasions. We love them!

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  4. I have always liked where I live. Oh, I wouldn't mind living on a lake surrounded by woods or in the nountains or by the ocean. I live a few blocks from a river, in the old section of our town. I love the weather, changing seasons. Natural disasters rarely occur and are barely perceptable. are mild. We are fortunate but I would enjoy anywhere I was because God has created a beautiful earth for us.

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  5. So true...I am the queen of grits and milk & sugar? Blasphemy I say..Ha! I am like you, southerner by birth, been to Cali and now live in the land of alligators & orange juice. But the words yall and shucks are never far from my lips..
    Love this post and will def be back to catch up..

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  6. Makes a ton of sense, Jimmy, I remember going to Florida and being upset because the sun came up in the wrong place...OVER the ocean!
    Mrs. A...you are truly born of famous stock!

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  7. Hey Ms A,

    Genealogy is so rewarding and frustrating at the same time, the walls you hit searching for family ticks you off but the ones you find are so thrilling that it just makes you want to research further, I do love it.

    Impressive group there my dear friend I can see I am preaching to the choir again :)

    I have been known to melt cheese into a pot of grits before too.

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  8. Hey MC,

    It feels so good to be happy where you are living and as I have grown a little older it's not so much as trying to get somewhere else it's about enjoying what I have and where I am.

    Yes God has blessed us if we just look around.

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  9. Good Morning Lynne,

    So glad to have you join us I look forward to hearing more from you.

    Sounds like you have been across the country also, it is amazing how different things are in other places, a Southern Girl eating sugar and milk on her grits "Blasphemy I say..Ha!" I Loved That!!

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  10. Morning Joe,

    Glad to see you back my Friend, how was the trip down to see the Daughter?

    They have always told me I was backwards but I guess that just depends on which way you are used to the sun moving Ha Ha

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  11. "To have a heapin' helping of their hospitality!"

    Jimmy--You are so right about this. We often get caught in our own little view of the world and forget to look around and learn from what is just outside our doorstep. As much as I sometimes miss Kansas I have found that I love the diversity and attitude of California people too.

    However, I must rant about sweet tea. Perhaps I will write a post about it. I am truly all worked up over it. Oh, I must go take one of my calm down pills now.

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  12. I thought it was the weirdest thing when we passed through OK and I ordered a bbq sandwich and it came with slaw on it. But it turned out to be delicious! I like trying new things at this point in my life so I think it's great to experience all the different 'cultures' we have here.

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  13. First of all, I have to say...

    I so enjoyed the way you started and ended this post because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE The Beverly Hillbillies! Even to this day, I can laugh and laugh at every episode!

    I agree, Jimmy...so often we forget to look around at where we live and SEE it for all it's beauty and gifts.

    I haven't see a whole lot of the westcoast, but from all my blogging friends who live there and who share photos, it looks and sounds beautiful!

    Thanks for sharing, my friend!

    Hope you had a great Father's Day!

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  14. Good Morning Betty,

    You are so right we can get caught up in our own little area and never see what is right under our nose, I do enjoy going places I have never been just to see the differences, sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised.

    Sweet Tea was all I ever knew until I was diagnosed with diabetes and it was all Mom could do to figure a way to make it without sugar Ha Ha I do add sweet and low now but it's still not the same :)

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  15. Hey Kristy, I have had one of those sandwiches and I remember it being really good too.

    There are so many different cultures here as you said and it would be a shame to miss some of them.

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  16. Hey Ron!!

    Glad to see you back Buddy

    Yes Sir I made that mistake where I grew up as I didn't realize the heritage and history right there until I moved away, now it is fun to look back and research the stuff that was actually part of my life. I hope to not make that mistake again.

    I am still learning this west coast and from what I have seen there is more to learn and see here than I will ever have time to do, it's going to be fun trying though :^)

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  17. I haven't been much of a traveler. I love this post though because I love love LOVE the Beverly Hillbillies. When I was little, my cousin and I would always take our shoes off and toss them in the air when it said,"take your shoes off. ya'll come back now, ya hear." Thanks for a trip down memory lane, Jimmy.

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  18. I am glad you enjoyed it Suzicate,

    The Beverly Hillbillies were a favorite of mine too, you just had to love Granny :^)

    ya'll come back now, ya hear

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  19. We grew up with bloodhounds, so we loved the hillbillies since they had a hound dog. I know very little about where I came from. In fact, I just found out about 10yrs ago that my paternal grandfather's name wasn't Paul, like I always thought, but Leroy. I called him Pa with a very thick accent. HAHA.

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  20. I loved this post Jimmy. Thanks for sharing it. I need to learn more about mine. I do know that being from VA we have a very rich and diverse ancestry and history and growing up around Monticello I never truly appreciated it until I moved away. I used to be bored every year we'd go there on class trips. Now I LOVE it. I now finally appreciate what a brilliant man Thomas Jefferson was!

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  21. Hey Angelia,

    Funny you said that because my Moms Dad we always thought his name was Junior Paul, my brother was actually named after him, after his death while trying to find information on him turns out Anderson Anthony was the name he was born with----go figure :)

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  22. Thank You Peg,

    Yes being from Va you definatly have a lot of history in both your bloodline and area, funny how you don't see it until you move away.

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  23. I love this post! As (I think) you know I love history. I have also learned a lot about my family line and how they impacted the towns that they lived in. My Great grandfather was the only provider of milk (from his dairy) for three towns and delivered it by horse and buggy!

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  24. Hey Heather,

    That is so neat to learn how your family got to be and where they came from, putting little tid bits like this together is a lot of fun when figuring out the family history :)

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