While we have adored our stay in Alabama these past two weeks…. all of the rain, tropical storms, hurricanes and everything…. we are getting packed up and ready to skeeeedatttle our butts back home!
We have learned a few things while we were here…
1.) Catching two 14-inch bass is a hell of a lot more fun than cleaning them and eating them! - 2 of ‘em really don’t provide much of a meal once you take the head and tale off and fillet those suckers!
2.) Don’t walk around the muddy banks of Alabama without shoes on!! What are those bugs called…jiggers? I have tiny little red bit marks all over my feet - - looks like my feet have chicken pox!
3.) Prepare for rain. It rains every single day around 3pm (this is aside from the tropical storms and hurricanes). The afternoon thunderstorms are actually very pleasant…soft, warm….like a cleansing of the air and the stress of the high temperatures every day.
4.) In the woods - - there are more stray animals than you can possibly plan to take home with you, if you are a stray animal adopter like I am! We’re going home with one kitten… but could easily have gone home with 3 dogs, 4 kittens and 2 full grown cats!
5.) Spiders abound! If you have arachnophobia - -stay out of the woods in Alabama! I mean, we have spiders in Wisconsin…but NOTHING like the HUGE crawly things that they have down here. Ugh!!
6.) Bring stuff to do on rainy days! Two teenagers in the house on a lake during tropical storms and hurricanes doesn’t mix well unless you have things for them to do. And it’s not easy entertaining teenagers! My daughter was easy… she loves to bake - - so I had her baking things all day long. My son was harder… thankfully, we packed the XBox just in case of a bored teenager emergency! Whatever happened to coloring books and crossword puzzles???
7.) 2 weeks in the middle of Nowhere, Alabama, where the nearest grocery is 1/2 hour away - - you can lose up to 10lbs without fast food, convenience food and LOTS of lake activity…water skiing, swimming, jet skiing, etc. It’s pretty cool!
8.) Chitlin’s are just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
9.) The men down here in the south are unusually pleasant. They say things like.. “Excuse me Ma’am”.. then step to the side to let you by… then “How are you today?” Me, being a city girl not used to nice people…look at them like they are crazy outta their minds…I’m immediately suspect and have to bite my tongue from replying with, “What the hell are YOU lookin’ at, ya creep!”
10.) Finally, and this has nothing to do with the south.. but I really need to learn to RELAX on vacation! Although, this was considered to be a working vacation… I worked a lot. More than I should have, I think. There are some things that HAVE to be dealt with…but many, many other things that can just wait. In September, we have a cruise planned. We’re flying to Florida on 9/1 - hopping on a cruise ship until 9/11 and visiting all places tropical, sexy and exotic. I will NOT be bringing a computer with me. It stays home. I will NOT be tempted by the on-board Internet cafe. I will leave the 24/7 monitoring of the servers and technical support in the very capable hands of some of our very capable techs and assistants. I will check in, by phone, every once in awhile to see how things are going. I will NOT obsess… I will RELAX and I will have a damned vacation. Umm…at least, that’s my plan, Stan.
We’re headed out tomorrow. Should be back home Sunday evening… and I won’t be re-connected via computer until at LEAST mid-morning on Monday. We’ve had a really nice family vacation… aside from the bugs and teen aged boredom. When we get back home, I’ll weed through my pictures and post some fun stuff.
11:09 am on July 16th, 2005
“Chitlin’s are just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.”
lol, i’ve never had them, but they sound nasty.
3:04 pm on July 16th, 2005
Welcome to Alabama…what you have experienced and written is correct–I know, since I grew up 150 or so miles south of Lake Wedowee.
I remember when they built the lake and there was nothing there but water and a few cabins. I’m sure that it is a nice place still today…”ma’am.”
BTW, most men in Alabama (and rural Georgia) call all women ma’am, from age 3 to 103. We’ll also open the door for you and carry you across mud puddles if you like.
Regarding chitlins, you’re right, but did you try the collards or grits?
3:44 pm on July 16th, 2005
Virgil is right, ma’am–you didn’t truly experience “thuh Sauth” if you didn’t have grits. I’m glad you had such a pleasant experience, except for the chiggers, and I’m flattered on behalf of all the men folk of the South to hear that we’re all so pleasant down here. Having lived in Louisiana all my life, I’ve found that most people in the South seem fairly rude, so I’m starting to wonder just how bad it is up Nawth!
6:30 am on July 17th, 2005
Glad you had a good time, despite the weather and you are so right on the money about chitlin’s..BLECH!!! Grits on the other hand..mmm delish. Regarding #10, please keep telling yourself that over and over and over until September. It’s not easy but I think everyone should make more of an effort to cut it all loose for a week or two and really relax-cleanses the soul, ya know. Now I just need to take my own advice here…:wink:
7:45 am on July 17th, 2005
glad you had a good time and hope you have a safe trip home
8:11 am on July 17th, 2005
It sounds like it was fun! Drive safe!
9:21 am on July 17th, 2005
Wait a minute… I thought chitlin’s was slang for “children”?
7:33 am on July 18th, 2005
Y’all come back now, real soon…..
10:39 pm on July 18th, 2005
Reading Assignment: Cotillion
It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means…Cotillion!
The carnival is being hosted (along with right here) at annika’s journal, Dr. Sanity, and Girl on the Right, so make sure you get to their sites as well to get the rest of the roundup!
You …
10:57 pm on July 18th, 2005
Reading Assignment: Cotillion!
It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means…Cotillion!
The carnival is being hosted (along with right here) at My VRWC, annika’s journal, Dr. Sanity, and Girl on the Right, so make sure you get to their sites as well to get the rest of the roundup!
11:26 pm on July 18th, 2005
Oops
Sorry guys…I’ve had severe writer’s block lately, which leads me to believe that since I was invited to guest-post here, basil is either crazy or doesn’t read my blog! heehee
But I finally got something for y’all: it’s Tuesday, so as a hoste…
8:58 am on July 19th, 2005
7 - nope, that’s “chil’en”.
You mean you don’t have chiggers over there? We used to get them all the time in the garden at home.
Some of us Northerners use “ma’am” and open the door for ladies (and other female folk as well :razz
. It’s sad how surprised it makes most women up here. 
9:36 am on July 20th, 2005
I live in Mississippi, Alabama’s unwanted step-brother. I also lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for 1 1/2 years, so I hear ya on all your points. Hope you enjoyed your Alabama experience and come back soon. Be safe!
As far as chitlin’s are concerned, you might enjoy this old post from my site:
http://boombasticninja.us/blog/index.php?title=chitlins_anyone&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
6:54 pm on July 20th, 2005
I live in Florida, and I’m married to one of those frigheningly polite Southern men. Ok, my Southern man was born in Montreal, but you’d never guess it!:lol:
2:20 pm on July 22nd, 2005
Reading Assignment: Cotillion!
It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means…Cotillion! The carnival is being hosted (along with right here) at My VRWC, annika’s journal, Dr. Sanity, and Girl on the Right, so make sure you get to their sites as well to…
7:12 am on December 26th, 2005
Oh! you may have hard time dealing with those hurricanes
I hope everything is allright now.