Time for a little culture, Y'all ...

Well, we have now lived in the beautiful state of North Carolina for a little over two months and are really enjoying it.  So far, I have cut the grass and weeded three times, and with the help of our son, Doug, put in one flower bed.  We have contacted a landscaper regarding our plans for grass, flowers, trees and such and been put on their schedule.  And it goes without saying that I have played golf several times already (a little rough, but it's good to get out and walk and play). Pam has become a member of a line dancing group which is part of the senior citizens center in Wake Forest.  They dance twice a week and she is making new friends and getting a work-out.  So, that's the run-down on our activities in the community.  I should also mention that we have had the grandkids over to spend the night several times and have spent a good bit of time with them at our houses, walking the trails around the parks, and doing various projects.

But that's not all I have to tell you.  We are really getting some cultural educational as well as some local folklore.  I tell you, it is really fun to listen to the people who are local talking about things in their Southern accents.  One of the guys told me the other day that it seems that, more and more, nobody is from here.  Everyone is a move-in.  In fact, I have met more people from Ohio here than I have natives.  Don't think there is anyone left in Cleveland or NE Ohio (can't blame them).

So, let me tell you some of the localisms I have learned.

It seems NC has more than the traditional 4 seasons of weather throughout the year.  Here is what I have found out.  NC actually has 12 seasons: 

                                Winter

                                Fool's Spring

                                Second Winter *

                                Spring of Deception *

                                Third Winter **

                                The Pollening **

                                Actual Spring

                                Summer

                                Hell's Front Porch

                                False Fall 

                                Second Summer

                                Actual Fall                           

*This is about where we are now and will be for the next week or so.
** This is where we will be in March during the Golfing Man Trip.

Some of the terms and sayings we have learned to use here include:

- "Fixen" -- this is what people say when when they are planning to go somewhere or do something. Some of the time it is accompanied with the word "to": "I'm fixen to go to town."  This may not be new to some of you.  We used this quite a bit in the hills of Southeastern Ohio where I grew up.

- "Putn a little paint on this old barn" -- My neighbor told me that this is what older ladies say when they are putting on make-up.  She said her grand dad always said that putting a little paint on the old barn always made it look better.

- "Squirreln" -- This term is applied to someone who starts a conversation on one subject, switches to another, then another and hasn't finished any of them.  The person will then come back to the first one and take up right where he/she left off , and then skip to the third one and repeat this process.  I was told it was kinda like a squirrel running around this way and that, never making up its mind.

- "Y'all" --  This one isn't new to many people.  It is used to refer to someone.  It can be used to address one person or 2 or 3.  But when you get into a group, you have to make this plural, as in "All Y'all."  "Hey, Y'all" or "What are all Y'all doing about dinner tonight."

- "but" -- Northerners often say "I only did this thing one time" or "I didn't do this thing more than one time."  The way this is used here is: "I didn't do it but once." 

- "pushin up aginst" -- This saying is used when making a reference to someone being almost to a point (e.g. "My graanma is pushin up against 95 years old.")  She's almost 95 years old.


 So, that's my report so far.  Still haven't eaten any grits, but I never say never.

More later.  Take care, y'all... all y'all !!

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Hooah