April 5, 2007

• Back in the South Again

  Feels so good to be back in the South again.  It’s like running into an old friend after not seeing them for a very long time and sitting down for a nice chat with a hot cup of tea.   It’s been very amusing for me to witness some of the things that make up the unique culture of the South through Steve’s eyes.  Growing up with most of them I take it for granted or don’t even notice.   He however is feeling like a fish very much out of water.  Poor guy. I can sympathize.  I felt the same way when I moved to NM.  A whole different world.

  One of the humorous things Steve has been introduced to is the phrase “Bless your heart.”  Some of the most unkind/judgmental/gossipy things in the world can be said with impunity as long as you bless the recipients heart at the end.  A couple of examples…

  “Well that poor man is just an idiot, bless his heart.”
  “I don’t think she realizes she dresses like a slut although with the way she talks maybe she means to bless her heart.”

  It is mostly women who employ this phrase but there is the occasional man who can pull off a proper blessing of an individuals heart.   It’s a conversational art form for sure.  A heart blessing expert can pull off absolutely verbally ripping someone apart but with the proper ending of the whole spiel sound like they are giving a benediction.

  One of the other interesting shocks for him has been how “socially” oriented the communities are out here.  I had warned him about small southern towns almost telepathic gossip/news networks but I think he really thought I was exaggerating.  Yesterday a kindly older fellow asked Steve “Is that your truck?  I told Glenda that someone in town must’ve just bought them a new Raider…Either that or it was the new people that just moved in.”  Steve is absolutely flabbergasted that anybody could possibly keep up with the vehicles, much less the individuals that drive them in a town of this size.  I just giggled.  It’s only the tip of the iceburg.  I’m willing to bet there are people in this town that already know my exact due date and are wagging their heads over the fact that we are doing all this so close to the end.

  As we’ve driven around trying to get our bearings and purchase various items for the house Steve has kept a running tally of how many Mexican food places there are within 45 minutes driving distance of our house.  I believe last count was 5 which is very comforting to the poor man, bless his heart.  Their standards for true mexican food are probably very much below his but at least if he gets a craving there are several places to run to. 

  We got paint today and started cutting in the biggest bedroom/bathroom.  Have realized yet again that I did truly marry a perfectionist and his brother is even worse.  John and I just look at each other and try not to burst out laughing as they fret, moan, whine and complain over the difficulty of getting every line just perfect around the trim.  At this rate we are really going to have to buckle down in order to get all the painting finished before we head back to NM.  Hopefully once the detailed work is past we’ll be able to clip along at a much faster rate.  The end result will be MUCH better due to their efforts I’m sure.  They banished me from trim work with comments like “This isn’t a race…Take it slow” and “Ack!  Oh my.  That just won’t do…Here let me fix that…” That area is looking really good already.  At least one paint color selected successfully!   We’ll know about the other colors tomorrow.  At this point I’ll be pleased if just one this one works really well.

  • 12:22 am
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