Throwback Thursday: Low Country Evening, 2009
So on Tuesday I mentioned what the low country is here in the south. Today’s throwback is a picture to one of those perfect days on a low country marsh.
Overlooking the marsh from Harbor Island, SC to Hunting Island .
This was taken in July 2009 from a house on Harbor Island, South Carolina looking over the marsh to Hunting Island, South Carolina. We were on a family vacation and this was a perfect night listening to great music, talking and eating Beaufort Stew (also known as low country boil, or Frogmore stew) with family and friends out on the back porch overlooking at the marsh. The puff mudd, the grass, the cool birds and little crabs darting all about with the sound of the ocean crashing on the beach in the distance.
Love the low country. Can’t wait to go back and take a long drive, listening to great music with the windows rolled down.
Southern Snow Days: Snowmageddon 2014
So, if you have caught the news in the last 48 hours, you probably have heard we’ve gotten some snow down here, prompting snowmageddon 2014 across the South. Which means, here I am, talking about the weather… again. Deal with it or just skip this one.
So, we knew it was coming, but didn’t know exactly what the winter weather would be and where. Some cities were more prepared than others. My wonderful institution and city made the right call and announced Monday night that most things would be closed on Tuesday. Now, the weather ended up not arriving until Tuesday night here, but it was still the right call to make. We have all seen what has happened in Birmingham and Hotlanta (or Frozenlanta at the moment)… I’m happy my city and work place planned ahead and made the call they did. So I was off Tuesday and today… we will be closed until 10 am tomorrow. It is almost 7pm and not a lot has melted today and it is only 31 degrees for a high. A lot of people (myself included at times) like to make fun of the south for freaking out over winter weather, but they (we) have reason to freak out. While some northern cities have buildings full of salt for the roads, we don’t. We also don’t have a army of snowplow trucks available… we have pickup trucks we add shovels to. Not to mention people don’t know how to drive in it, so the safest thing to do is not go anywhere. Even while it has been sad to hear about people stuck in the storm, it has also been great to see stories of southerners helping each other out: pushing cars, delivering hot chocolate, opening their homes and businesses to those stuck. For the record, we got 3.3 inches at my house.
I have been productive… I’ve worked on work stuff from home, I’ve gotten all my laundry done, picked up the house, cleaned and organized my closets, cleaned out my DVR, read two books and made baked chicken fajitas, pecan waffles (finally opened the waffle maker I got for Christmas), chicken noodle soup, and brownies (all from scratch thankyouverymuch). Below are a smattering of photos from the last couple of days:
It started Monday, with a run on milk and bread at the grocery store. Have to have the milk, bread and toilet paper during a snow storm
Above: the mostly empty bread aisle at the store. At least two local news crews reported live from the store.
Kept an eye on MG for a few hours on Tuesday after her school was let out early while her mom worked.
Above: Keeping an eye on MG for a bit
Snow starting to come down on Tuesday night.
Above: the snow starting to come down and stick.
The view from my room this morning… snow!
Above: What I woke up to!
The back
So pretty in the back behind the house!
More snow in the back yard…. I saw a couple of snowmen go up!
Snow, snow and more snow!
the road… it doesn’t look awful, but it was a solid sheet of ice!
Above, my street was a solid sheet of ice.
more snow
Above: snowy house
palm tree and snow… hum
Above: palm trees and snow, that is an unusual combo!
all bundled up and a self-portrait in shadow.
All bundled up
more in the backyard
Above, I’m still kind of surprised that there are still leaves on the trees after all the snow and wind!
I’m from Cincinnati… of course there is a flying pig in my yard! It isn’t covered in snow that often though.
Flip flops and snow
How Southern… as we know, I love my flip flops! Here is a pair I left on the screened in porch… even they didn’t escape the snow. Notice the snow piled up on the other side of the screen!
Translation Tuesday: The Low Country
For how much I love the low country, how have I not done a Translation Tuesday on it yet? And I mean the low country that I love, not the low country in Europe (which is a cool place, but I’m not in love with it like I am mine).
via pinterest. The lowcountry of the American south east, leaving out just a bit north of Charleston, SC.
The low country in the American southeast is the geographical area that stretches from the southern Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina down through the upper coast of Georgia. Scientifically, it really all comes down to geology… it is literally the low-lying area that hugs the coast and is at sea level and runs up until the geology changes and hits the sand hills and the dirt literally changes. So it goes inland for many miles. Oh, it also includes all of the sea islands along the coast in those areas. There are also plenty who think there is a social definition… but I tend to follow the science one.
The low country is filled with salt marshes, palmetto trees, sweet grass and pampas grass. There is great seafood that is fresh caught, the wonderful smell of sulfur rising from the marshes, the super cool culture of the Gullah and Geechee people. Not to mention all the old plantation sites, golf courses buffered by marshes, beaches that roll into marshes, historical sites and so on. Let’s not forget that the oldest cities in these states were founded in these areas… Charleston in the late 1600s and Savannah in the early 1700s. A lot has happened in those nearly 300 years… so lots for history buffs to explore!
Love the lowcountry! And yes, you can spell it all as one word or you can space out low and country.
The War of Northern Aggression
The War of Northern Aggression, The War, That Late Unpleasantness… all Southern terms to describe the American Civil War. The Civil War is an interesting topic down here, one that I still haven’t completely wrapped my head around even after being down here all these years. The topic is just, well, it is just really layered down here. In fact, I will never forget what someone told me once when I first lived here when talking about the Civil War:
“Honey. That’s the War of Northern Aggression, you remember what side of the Mason-Dixon line you are setting your Yankee ass down on now.”
We are in the process of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Since 2011 there have been reenactments, memorials, speeches, books and articles written about it all over the country, not just in the American South. Granted, when I saw this in the newspaper, I had to snap a picture.
This Week in the Civil War series in the local newspaper.
Please note that this is separate and even bigger than the “this day in history” to the right. My local newspaper has run this series every Sunday since 2011 and will continue through 2015. Highlighting for all of us what was going on in the Civil War 150 years ago this week. Yep, our history is just as much a part of us today as it was a few weeks after it happened. Interesting for sure and definitely something I think I will see only in the South.
Throwback Thursday, North Carolina Vacation, 2007
Last night I spent the evening babysitting MG while her mom was out of town, and thought I’d do Throwback Thursday to a vacation with them. A recap for those of you new to this blog- MG is the daughter of my Dad’s ex-fiancee. Yep, we still keep up with them. Life never really has clean lines, does it? Anyway, MG is 11 now, but this picture is when she was just 4 years old.
North Carolina vacation- 2007.
It was July 2007 and it was the first time we all went on vacation as a family. We rented a cabin in western North Carolina… up on top of a mountain outside of Bryson City, NC. There were great views and it was a lot of fun. We took the train in Bryson City out even further west and this shot is of me and Mary Grace along the Nantahala River. If you ever have the option of vacationing in western North Carolina, I highly recommend it… so pretty! And I can’t believe this sweet little girl is 11 already!? Where does the time go?
Translation Tuesday: With All Due Respect
Haha. I LOVE this and it is so dead on.
via someecards
When a southerner says “with all due respect, it means you can kiss my ass.” I cannot tell you the number of times I have said this line, but thought the other part in my head. And I didn’t start to do this until a few years ago when I was working at country club college and a frat guy explained it to me (after a conduct hearing, no less). And now, here I use it all the time. I know I’ve said it before, but I really do love how southerner’s use these little colloquial phrases to politely diss someone.
Pausing to Remember Dr. King
Have you ever gotten the dinner party question? You know, the “if you could invite any five people living or dead to dinner, who would you invite and why?” question. I work in education, I’ve gotten this one or used this one a lot. One of the people who has always stayed consistent on my list is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (the other consistent one is Thomas Jefferson, wouldn’t that make for interesting dinner conversation).
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question” Martin Luther King Jr.
via Pinterest
I have always, since I was little, been in awe of Dr. King. As I learned more about him that led to an interest in the Civil Rights movement, which led to taking a number of college courses as electives that were taught by leaders from the Civil Rights movement, and a life-long love of reading books and visiting sites around the topic. Thanks again to Gail and Anna for sticking with me as I drug them through the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham a few years ago.
“The function of education…” Martin Luther King Jr.
via Pinterest
Yes, I liked his strong stance on non-violence, his patience, his bravery, his amazing talent for oratory and his determination. But what I love most, as I’m sure most people do, was his strong belief and desire to help others and to reach out to others. Every year I attend a breakfast on the Friday before the MLK holiday honoring the memory of Dr. King. I have to give my alma mater credit, they have been honoring the memory of Dr. King each year long before it was popular to do so in the south. Especially in my state, where it was only agreed to have an MLK day if we also had a Confederate Memorial Day. It’s a complicated topic down here, that I still don’t know how to react/ respond to. Anyway, every year at this breakfast there is singing, remembering of Dr. King and a great speaker. But the part I like the most is when we all participate in litany for Dr. King. Where we all ask, “what are you doing for others?” And isn’t what we should all be asking… not just on this day honoring Dr. King, but everyday? Shouldn’t we be trying to help others every day? I kept the program from the breakfast this year and I tacked the litany up on the bulletin board in my office, where I can see it when I pick up my phone, it is my goal this year to not only do more to serve others, but to be more intentional about it throughout the year.
So, while I did not join the hundreds of students doing organized service projects today, I did do some service out here in the suburbs (it may be a day on, not a day off… but that doesn’t mean I need to spend it surrounded by the people I work with) 🙂 Did you serve today? How did you honor the life and memory of Dr.King?
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” Martin Luther King Jr
via Pinterest
This quote above may be one of my most favorite quotes from Dr. King.
The Southern Periodic Table
This cracks me up. The Periodic Table for the Southern Gentleman. Golf, Boat Shoes, Koozies, Guns, Sweet Tea, Football, BBQ, Horse racing, Croakies, Deep Sea Fishing and so on.
via Southern Point
The best part is… these are all true. Between my four guy cousins that live down here, a number of southern guys I’ve dated and the number of male college students I’ve worked with over the years, I’ve seen these repeated- often. I’ve even eaten the fish that my cousins have caught deep sea fishing, while sipping a cold beverage from a koozie and talking football and politics. It’s hilarious, but this periodic table is dead on!
Throwback Thursday: Anchorage Sunset, 2012
All this cold talk has had me thinking about my trip to Alaska a few years ago. I had to go for a conference, and since I had to fly across the country and deal with a number of time zones, I added some time on and got to spend several days ahead of the conference with my Aunt and Uncle who live out there. It was an awesome trip! I love my Aunt and Uncle to pieces and I loved getting to spend time with them, they took me all over the place and I saw so much before the conference even started!
Anchorage at sunset, March 2012. From Woronzof Park.
I blogged briefly while I was there and this picture was taken a few days later. This is looking at downtown Anchorage from Point Woronzof Park, looking over the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet. The Chugach Mountains are framing the city in the background. It was absloutley stunning. The entire time that I was in the whole state, it was all stunning. One of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen. Yes, it really was this pink, that is not editing. The sun was setting to the west behind me and there was a lot of snow and ice… all white, so it reflected the sun back.
I definitely want to go back and explore the area more and visit my family. Just maybe in July/mid-summer though, when it is not freezing and there is not massive chunks of frozen ice on clogging the water. I’ll probably do Alaska for Throwback Thursdays again in the future… I’ve got a lot of photos!
How Does A Southerner Handle the Polar Vortex?
I know, I know… you’re tired of the weather and the polar vortex that took over last week. You’re tired of all the news and social media coverage on the weather, you’re tired of reading about my never-ending comments on the weather, you’re tired of experiencing the weather yourself. Feel free to skip this entry, because I’m gonna talk about the weather, again. COME ON, how often do we get to use the phrase POLAR VORTEX in our everyday language? Heck, when was the last time you used the word vortex in a sentence? Unless, you are from Ohio and talking about the roller coaster? I felt like is like straight out of a movie. Wait, didn’t they make a movie like this a few years ago? The Day After Tomorrow with a very cute looking Jake Gyllenhaal? Did they call that a polar vortex? I don’t remember. At the very least, it made me think of the Little House on the Prairie Book- The Long Winter.
Bundled up in my warmest coat, hat gloves and scarf. I was not amused with the cold weather!
So, it started for us down in the South last Monday around lunch time, that is when the wind really started to pick up. You could easily tell that a front was pushing through and it wasn’t going to be pleasant. It got worse through Monday night, you would have thought we were in a tropical storm there was so much wind… just no, you know, oppressive humidity. More like oppressive cold. It got down to 10 degrees on Monday night, it was below 0 with the wind chill. I know that is was not -40 like it was up in Minnesota, but that is pretty damn cold for the South! 1 Then, just as I was taking my hair out of hot rollers, the power went out. Joy. And the temp in the house dropped one degree in just 30 minutes. I was not pleased. As I’ve mentioned before, my converted southern ass has adapted to the warmer weather climate, it has definitely been a shock to experience this! On a side note, hot rollers work as a nice little heating warmer on the head during a cold day!
A sign that we don’t really have that cold of winter weather all that much: the electric company had to start rolling blackouts throughout the day on Tuesday because of the strain on the power grid. No more than 15 minutes at a time in an area, but definitely not normal for us. Schools were on a two hour delay on Tuesday and Wednesday morning so kids wouldn’t have to stand outside waiting for the bus in such frigid temps. Mainly because a lot of students don’t have coats and gloves that warm, because they are not often needed. After some kids made it to school, they were sent home again because the schools lost power! No snow, no ice…. just deep cold. Crazy. All of the pretty outdoor fountains were frozen over on campus, there was black ice in all sorts of spots along my drive to work and the water bottles I left in my car were not only frozen in the morning, but they were still frozen at the end of the day after sitting in the parking garage.
So here is how this converted southerner made it through the polar vortex and deep freeze of ’14:
1. Lots of blankets. Seriously, I had one big fleece blanket and two (TWO) down comforters on my bed. Plus, a heating pad.
2. Layers, as I mentioned in a picture last week. I wore lots of layers. When I was home I had on: fleece lined leggings, sweat pants, camisole, long sleeve shirt, super warm hoodie and thick wool socks. Yep, all at one time.
3. Chili. I ate chili for dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday. I also had it for lunch on Wednesday. Along with some salad, corn bread, etc. It was hot and fabulous. I also drank a lot of hot tea. I ate no ice cream, cereal… or anything cold.
4. I actually made use of not only my heaviest winter coat (that I’m so thankful I actually have held onto), my warmest scarfs, gloves AND hat. All things I have not worn since I went to Alaska two year ago, got busted out for some January days in the deep South. And while the hat was very warm AND cute, it did leave some serious hat hair!
5. I planned ahead and filled up the gas tank on my car before deep freeze hit… so I didn’t have to stand outside and pump gas, but I also didn’t have to worry about how long I let my car warmed up in the morning (25 minutes). I let it get nice and toasty in the car and let all the frost melt off before I ran out to jump in.
It was so cold, that my car still had frost on it at the END of the work day!
6. There were power issues and cable issues over that 48-72 hour period, so I read… A LOT. A new Simon Winchester book and a Nora Roberts book. I also baked cookies… which may have just given me a reason to stand near the oven sending out heat.
So, that’s how this converted southerner survived the deep freeze of 2014. How was it in your part of the country?
Translation Tuesday: Knee High to a Bullfrog
This is a fun one, knee high to a bullfrog or knee high to a grasshopper is a common phrase around here. It generally is used when explaining age or age differences. Examples of how it is used “I’ve know you (or insert a name) since you were knee high to a bullfrog.” Or, “Honey, I’ve been running this office since you were knee high to a grasshopper.”
via Southern Living
It is just a fun little colloquialism to explain age or length of time. Not usually meant in a negative way, but it could if phrased correctly. And it involves animals, we tend to like animals down here. Hunting them, talking about them, stuffing them and so on. Who knows.
Fun Break
Ok, it is the first day of classes and the first Monday of the semester… which means it was complete and total chaos for me today. It started out with massive traffic on the commute, traffic on campus, caramel leaked onto my pants from a pie I carried into the office (there was a birthday celebration), there were multiple issues with exchange student bills and schedules so there were people in and out of the office all day and my phone didn’t stop ringing. Don’t get me started on the parents. I was close to a massive headache at 4:40 so I packed it up and headed home (for a nap, seriously… that kind of day).
So, I needed a funny to lighten my mood after all of the chaos… this is what I found. Enjoy!
whale whale whale
Come on, this is funny, right? I had a little chuckle and went right on singing “Just another manic Monday” in my head. Here is hoping tomorrow is a little less crazy!
Throwback Thursday: Masters Graduation, May 2006
A quick and very educational two years gave me a lot of experience, a lot of learning and some great friends… along with a graduate school degree on my wall.
The girls ready for our hooding ceremony for out masters degrees
I had a great group of friends in grad school and four ladies in particular that I was really close to. I’m lucky to still be friends with these ladies, even though we live all over the place. From left to right, Liz, Me, EWH, Vicki and Bee. Also know as the “Equation.” It just took too long to say all of our names, so we became the equation… we always added up to a great time (corny, I know).
This picture was taken on campus, in front of a statue that is very important to our grad program. Legend says you can’t touch the statue until you have taken your comprehensive exam. If you touch it early you fail the exam and the program. We all waited until we passed to touch it! All the way back to May 2006… my, how time flyies!
Translation Tuesday: Doohicky
A doohicky, the name for something which you are trying to describe and can’t just remember the name of at the moment. Unlike the image below, I don’t use it to describe a person. If not calling it a doohicky, I often call it a thingamabob, thingamajig or a thingy. In fact, I used it today when talking to my two co-workers when trying to describe something I needed to order from Staples. ” I need one of those thingamabobs to stack papers.” Also, known as a stack able paper tray, but my memory stopped functioning and all I could come up with was thingamabob.
Clearly, these are popular phrases down here, so I’m not the only one who has those blank moments!
via pinterest
Winter In The South: Wear Layers
One thing that I have learned about the South… wear layers. It could be freezing in the morning and then you could be sweltering by the afternoon. It is not unusual for there to be a 30 degree change in high temps from one day to the next…. this is why I keep my rain boots, two umbrellas and a spare jacket in my car at all times. Just in case.
Winter in the South
Looking at the current 10 day forecast for my area I see temperatures as low as 15 degrees and highs near 70. I should point out that in 2013 our lowest recorded low was 22 degrees… so 15 is super cold for us. But, is can change in an instant… that’s the South for you.
convertedsoutherner 