In Atlanta, where I live, and in most of Georgia, we have the four seasons. Our December weather will have a few cold days as will January and February. We usually have at least a few snowflakes and sometimes a rather severe ice storm. At that point everything slows down, and most folks try to get home or stay home.
We have lovely springs and falls and very hot summers. People who grew up here have better sense than to work or play outside during the middle part of the day. It amuses me when some people complain bitterly about the heat as if I could do something about it! I always want to say just go home - this is the south, duh! I’ll bet people move to upstate NewYork and complain about the snow. In fact, I’ve heard some of them.
If you have any common sense at all, use it! Just last week, a cute young lady I know pretty well, came inside to tell me she thought she’d burned the backs of her legs [she hadn’t]. She had worn very short shorts to ride in my car with the leather seats and the leather does get quite hot when the car is left in a parking lot for awhile. Of course, plastic would have been worse. The AC in my car is quite good so only takes a minute to cool off. I suggested that if she was going around half nekid, she’d best put a towel or something in the car to save her dainty bottom.
People in the south usually have good manners, if they grew up here, that is. I was taught that for the most part, good manners are about kindness. My dad put the comfort of others before his own. This could be another book! However, just once in a while, people from other areas or countries mistake kindness for weakness and then the trouble begins! My husband had lovely manners and he dealt with people from other areas and countries. For some strange reason, people from England and South Africa assumed they could walk all over him. It was not going to happen and they were usually shocked at how extremely firm he could be.
I just love the way we talk! My daughter can do great imitations, she has done lots of acting. But her imitation of people who speak even more southern than we do is a riot. It is beautiful and it is most often the men who speak that way and I, sadly, don’t know how to write about it. When I was in high school, we got a new English teacher from “up north.” She decided that we were going to lose our accents and talk like her. Her accent sounded very harsh to us and her nasty attitude compounded it. Hang, we spit all over each other trying to do what she said, while making faces behind her back, of course. She made me read to the class some tripe she considered important, nearly every day. They could sleep behind their books but I had to keep saying the words.. Our school was one of the finest public schools in the area with most of our teachers having at least one but usually more, graduate degrees. As I recall, this pitiful excuse for a teacher only lasted one semester.
We care about --- and for--- others in need. When there is a death, the food arrives quickly. I used to take a Honey Baked Ham, bread, mustard etc. the moment I heard bad news about a friend or neighbor. My Tony would even call me from work so we could offer help quickly when there had been an accident or death. Of course, later, I would cook something homemade to carry. When there was prolonged sickness, it was the same except one tried to find out what was needed. People help in lots of ways. My son has cut the lawn of a widow in his neighborhood for years. What’s funny is that he doesn’t really like the woman. However, she keeps foster children and he appreciates her kindness to the kids.
Some years ago, our bank president’s wife told me about the place they’d lived previously. There’d been a death in a neighbor’s family and this nice Mississippi lady quickly fixed a meal and carried it to the people. They were embarrassed and horrified because they assumed she thought they couldn’t feed their guests. I believe they were from another country. I assured her that we’d welcome any meal she cared to bring us.
We live in a wonderfully diverse neighborhood and enjoy it. Our closest neighbors on each side are from other countries, even though most in our cul-de-sac are from fairly close around. We have been a little cautious about carrying gifts to our Asian neighbors, wanting to carry something that would be welcoming. We carried a basket of fresh fruits over there when they moved in.
Dee and I bought this house together, May 2005. It was such a good solution for all of us since I had lived alone for nine years and was tired of it. Plus, running that big five bedroom house and a lawn that had to be manicured plus a pool got to be a real chore. Dee had a lovely condo but wanted her child, our Alesia, to have a yard plus a grandmother there instead of the constant hassle of childcare. Since then, she adopted our precious Mike and the kids have a big backyard, plus Dee has her gardens.
Years ago, Tony and I moved into a new home, in Augusta, Ga. We already knew lots of the neighbors but there was an older couple two lots up from us, with no house in between. They didn’t speak, didn’t come to call, though we saw them in their back yard often. One evening, before dark, Tony fixed drinks for us and said ”Come on, let’s go to walk.” Well, he walked right up to their door, rang the bell, and told the man who answered, “We just came to apologize for not calling on you all sooner but we’ve been so busy moving in, that we are just now getting to it!” The man had the grace to bust out laughing and invited us in to meet his wife. Turned out they were lovely people, not southern, but became good friends.
When I think about the south, I think of Magnolias, Gardenias, Roses, Azaleas, and on and on. Spring smells very sweet around here. The weather can be hot, 101degrees in Augusta, today, early June no less. The air conditioning that was missing in most homes, when I was growing up here, is in most homes now.
Even with all the turmoil in the world today, most people native to this area are still willing to reach out a friendly, helping hand. We feel it is safe to allow our kids to walk home from school and the swimming pool and tennis courts. Atlanta is an extremely large city but there are many, many good neighborhoods, and good people.
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