A Southern Life

It's a Sunday Favorite with Chari at Happy to Design. Click on the pic to see more

Here is a post from last January. This was in the BL (before lagniappe) days.

I recently read an article stating that 2008 saw an increased amount of rudeness.  I’m sure you could find rude Southerners around, bless their hearts, but, hopefully, they are not the rule. Maybe in 2009, we should strive to promote Southern hospitality and good manners everywhere. Where ever you live you can be share some good old Southern Hospitality!  Here is how (adapted from the Facebook group “Ain’t Nothin’ Like Southern Hospitality”).

The Rules

1. “Sir” and “Ma’am” are not just for occasional usage.
2. Men hold doors for women/ seniors.
3. If someone else needs a seat, you give them your seat, and you don’t complain.
4. “Being a good Samaritan” is not just a saying, its an understood way of life.
5. “Darling”, “Sweetheart”, “Honey”, and “Dear” are used, for the most part, as endearing expressions.
6. You can dislike someone as much as you want, but when you see them you act cordially.
7. When you bump into someone you say “pardon” or “excuse me.”
8. Waving at people you don’t know or asking how they’re doing is not to be looked down upon.
9. You can take time to slow down. Slower paced lives are happier lives.
10. Say “God bless you” when someone sneezes.
11. When in doubt, be as polite as possible. Only confront others when confronted.
12. People hug one another, its OK.
13. If you disagree with something, be polite. “Oh….I see,” or “Oh…thats nice, Darlin” will suffice.
14. Saying grace at the table, even to yourself, should not be looked upon with disdain.
15. The only place where cars still stop (even on the highway) for funerals.
16. ALL people have the ability to behave like Southerners, though not necessarily recreate the accent.

Sunday Favorites is hosted by Chari at Happy to Design. Click on the Sunday Favorite log to see other favorite posts.

This post was published last December. It tells about a trip I had to Columbus, Mississippi back when I was doing training around the country for a software company. Traveling is a pleasure when you meet such great people in beautiful places.

The South is famous for its hospitality. I think in all my travels, my experience in Columbus, Mississippi was a great example. I arrived in Columbus in the evening before I was to begin working with a local client the next morning.

I was in my hotel room when my phone rang. It was the front desk telling me that I had visitors and asking if she could send them to my room. She assured me that she believed it would be safe for me to accept these visitors. Safety, of course, was a consideration for a woman traveling alone. I agreed to see them out of curiosity, if nothing else. When they knocked, I opened my door and was greeted by two clowns. Yes, clowns! They came in my room and did a little skit welcoming me to Columbus and then left. I stood there thinking, “What was that?”

The next morning, I arrived to work with the client (a local Baptist church) and discovered that one of the ladies that I was to train that week was a clown in her free time and it was her and her friend who had visited me the night before. They laughed and laughed the night before wondering what I thought of their performance. What a welcome!

One of the other ladies at the church offered to take me to see the Waverly Plantation and then have dinner with her. The plantation was incredible. We were given a tour by the lady of the house. She was fixing supper when we got there. She put it on the back of the stove and proceeded to give us a great tour. The dear lady who took me to the plantation asked the hostess about the ghost in the plantation. She had grown up in the area and knew about how the plantation had stood vacant for 50 years before it was restored. She said when she was a teenager that the teens would go to the plantation but they never did any damage because they were scared off by the ghost. Our hostess said that, in fact, there was a ghost of a little girl and that she was a friendly ghost but that she was protective of the home. What a fascinating place.

What a wonderful group of people the people of Columbus are. If you get a chance, definitely visit Columbus, you’ll be glad you did.

Sunday Favorites is hosted by Chari at Happy to Design. The last of the robins left the nest this morning. I’ll be posting pics of that on Outdoor Wednesday this week. Today, a look back:

We went from this . . .

to this . . .

Then, back to three!! What happened. We're not sure but one is missing 🙁

Then, finally this! Three little babies Sunday morning!

I want food!

Check back on Wednesday for more pics. They are so sweet. Both Mama and Daddy birds are feeding the babies and, yes, I’ve got pics.

Join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more Metamorphosis Monday!

Today’s Lagniappe: Margarita
Now that warm weather is upon us, it is time for something frosty to sip on the porch after a long day.

* 1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice
* 1 cup Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
* 1 cup silver tequila
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 3 cups ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the lime juice, triple sec, tequila, lemon juice, and 2 cups ice in a blender; blend until smooth.
2. Place 1 cup ice cubes in a cocktail shaker; add desired amount of margarita; cover and shake well; serve.

Thanks again to Chari at Happy to Design for hosting Sunday favorites. Here is one of mine:

One of my very favorites titled “Daddy-isms”

Since I posted Mama-isms, one of my two beautiful sisters requested that I give equal time to Daddy-isms. My Daddy died in 1992 at the age of 54 of cancer. Daddy was a big, lovable man, full of integrity and loved by all who knew him. He laughed a lot and smiled a lot and I am very blessed to have had such a great Daddy. He was a very optimistic and positive man who had sayings that deserve equal time as well as a few funny memories.

When asked how are you his response was invariably, “If I was any better I couldn’t stand it!”

You can’t go through life looking in the rear-view mirror.

About anyone who was a good cook – You’re a good cooker.

About Marriage – Love is important but commitment is equally important.

The Bible is a book that is meant to be understood by reading.

When we were kids, my younger sister had a slumber party on March 31st one year. The following morning, my Daddy woke all of the sleeping girls and told them to be calm but to hurry outside because the house was on fire. When they were all safely outside he called to them from the door “April Fools.” He loved to pull April Fools jokes but that was one of the best.

Daddy loved to swim and he made sure we all had swimming lessons. He would take us to the pool and delight us by throwing us high in the air. We would wear him out by begging him to throw us again.

He would wake us up in the morning by turning on the light and singing (loudly)

Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
We’re all in our places
With bright shiny faces.
For this is the way,
To start a new day.

If we didn’t wake up after the singing, he would stand at the end of the bed and say chop, chop, chop (as he was falling forward) to give us time to get up before he said TIMBER and fell on top of us. To my recollection, he never actually fell on top of any of us.

I could go on and on. As you can see, Daddy was a fun guy.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Recipe for Spinach Madeleine or Crawfish Spinach Dip

I spent the afternoon yesterday with my friend Darlene planning our upcoming Mardi Gras party and it put me in mind of something with a little New Orleans’ Flavor. This is copied from Chef John Folse & Company Website. If you don’t have the River Road Cookbooks, look for them, they are great.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 5-6 Servings

Comment:
This traditional Louisiana recipe was first presented in River Road’s cookbook from the Junior League of Baton Rouge. It is safe to say that this single recipe made the book world famous. In the late 1990s, Kraft foods did away with their jalapeño cheese roll which was originally used in the recipe. Recently, an alert customer informed us that Kraft’s Velveeta line introduced a similar Mexican cheese.

Ingredients:

* 2 packages chopped spinach, frozen
* 4 tbsps butter
* 2 tbsps flour
* 2 tbsps chopped onions
* ½ cup evaporated milk
* ½ cup reserved spinach liquor
* ½ tsp black pepper
* ¾ tsp celery salt
* ¾ tsp garlic salt
* 6 ounces Velveeta Mexican cheese, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
* salt and red pepper to taste
* 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:
Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquor and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cubed cheese. Stir until melted and combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and kept in refrigerator overnight.

This traditional dish can be spruced up for the holidays by adding ¼ cup diced red bell peppers when the onions are sautéed.

There are other great dishes that can be made with this versatile recipe, such as:

Crawfish Spinach Dip: Add 1 pound of Louisiana crawfish tails when you add the cheese and serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers