A Girl and Her Dawgs

Me and Butterbean sat on the front porch and watched the sunset this evenin' thanks to the warm spell. She's a a whole lot rat terrier diva and a little bit something else and barks her fool head off if you dare to step foot in her yard. All yap and no bite, like most of 'em can be at times. A few years ago at Christmastime I saw this picture in the paper of a puppy at the humane society needing a home. Cute as heck, y'all. For some odd reason, probably the spirit of the season and all that, I proceeded to beg for the adoption fee to save this little critter. I went to see her before I raised the bucks and had to leave her in the cage all precious and little. I don't remember the name of that pup..no WAIT. It was Leilu, I'm sure of it.

When I went back to the shelter with bail money, she was gone...hopefully to a good home. As I wound my way back through the concrete and wire mesh maze I spotted this little bitty dog with an attractive brindle pattern on her back. The ears drooped like Snoopy's, but eventually they would stand at attention. Me and my BabyGirl had been blessed earlier that year with a gorgeous brown lab that we call Faith. Me bein' the logical sort, I named the new puppy Hope. It wasn't long until BabyGirl got tired of the cliche' and put the diva name of Butterbean on her. That's the best southern name I EVER heard in my life, all in one word without a hyphen or other fussy stuff.

Both of these girls turned up at just the time that another family pet was passing to the other side of puppy heaven. I suppose that's why we give 'em baths when they just can't resist the thrill of a skunkhunt. Could be why they feel put out when they're not stretched out next to a human to snuggle with and protect. Yeah..I forgot to tell ya how they keep the coyotes on the other side of the lane all the while chasin' cats and horses. We'll save that heroism for another day when we have time to sit at the yaya table.

Let's Rodeo

Do you know what time it is? It's Rodeo time here in Houston! Houston may be Space City the rest of the year, but for the 75th year, it is time for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It's big. It's Texas. Lots of bar-b-que consumed at the cook off challenge held over the weekend. The rodeo and livestock show officially kicks off with lots of big name entertainment. Lots of fresh faced young people showing off their lovingly raised animals for auction. The proceeds of the livestock sale go to college scholarships for the exhibitors.

A trail ride from the San Antonio area to Houston is the traditional ritual, covered wagons and all, and it rolled into town Friday.

I've read some interesting articles about the traditions of the rodeo here, as I am not a native Texan. I learned of the international outreach of the rodeo. A special international committee arranges, but does not pay for, trips for those interested in experiencing all there is to offer. Two visitors highlighted were a father and son from Israel. They are being hosted by a man who grew up in South Africa before moving to Israel and meeting the visiting duo. He came to the U.S. in the '70's and is an estate planner in a Houston suburb now.

The father and son are ranchers, the son a third generation horseman. They are happily anticipating some shopping here for Western attire and horse supplies. The clothing attire is available in Israel but the horse supplies are shipped from the U.S., often from the Houston area. They enjoyed the parade Saturday, even in the light rain and were surprised by the big turnout in the weather. The father would clap his hands when a marching band passed by playing 'Deep in the Heart of Texas', the article said. He and the son had a picture taken in front of a group of wagons. "I am going to enlarge thee pictures," he said afterward. "And stick them to the stall walls of my stable back home" he told the Houston Chronicle.

Most impressive of the articles I read over the weekend, however, were the two I read on two different women, champion barrel racers. One article was in the Houston Chronicle coverage and one article was in the current issue of 'Texas Monthly' magazine. I was astonished that a 58 year old woman was still competing and winning championships in barrel racing. When I think of rodeo competitions, I confess, I think of cowboys and cowgirls in their twenties and thirties. Hats off to Mary Burger of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, the 2006 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's World Championship winner. Her horse's name is Rare Fred and she says he's "the smart side of dumb". He's rewarded with an apple when he does well. "He doesn't have to win, he just has to try."

Martha Josey says of her age, "I'd tell you, but I don't believe it myself." Her hometown is Marshall, Texas. That's up in the northeastern part of Texas. Her father was one of the first directors of the National Quarter Horse Association. She and her husband set up the first barrel racing school in the sixties. She says they've had over 80,000 students and their horses attend. She will be inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame with her husband, R.E. Josey, a calf-roping champion in April. She is already a member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

Giddy up.

Interview with Clint Johnson, Author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South

I reviewed Clint Johnson's book a month or so ago (you may go to the book review section of the Dew and read the review there) and have maintained a bit of contact with him.

He recently had a question and answer interview done over at Human Events and I asked nicely if I could bring it over here to share with you.


Ivy Sellers, the News Producer of Human Events and the author of the piece was kind enough to allow the Dew to copy the piece.

(Click on the above link to go to the original article and browse thru Human Events - I would like to thank Ivy and Clint for their contributions to the Dew.)


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Southern Culture Under Siege
by Ivy J. Sellers

Posted: 02/01/2007

In his new book, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South (and Why It Will Rise Again)," Florida native Clint Johnson exposes the Left's aggressive attempts to destroy the culture and heritage that make up the southern states. What liberals don't realize is that the South is the essence of what makes America unique and original -- everything from rock and roll to barbeque to NASCAR -- can trace its origins back to the South.

In an interview with HUMAN EVENTS News Producer Ivy Sellers last week Johnson explained the South's impact on Americans everywhere and the reason why he believes it must -- and will -- rise again.

First off, how did you become an expert on the South and why are you so passionate about preserving its culture?

I don’t hold myself out to be an “expert”. I’m just a southerner who was motivated to love history. I can remember when my 4th grade teacher told an exciting story about a battle where a militia of old men and young boys repelled a Yankee invasion. I identified with those young boys who were defending their homes. My family has lived in the same area for more than 300 years, and I still feel compelled to defend a cultural history that predates the nation itself.

In what ways is the South under attack? And why do you think that is?

The South is under attack because it is the last region of the nation to resist being homogenized into an amorphous mass of people who think alike, sound alike, vote alike, buy alike. Nothing angers politicians, marketers, pollsters, and the politically correct crowd more than a group of people who absolutely refuse to get into line.

While the South has always been rebellious, these days it's become a cultural battlefield where the whole concept of southern history is under attack. Displaying the Confederate battle flag, preserving Confederate statues on public and private property, even singing the song Dixie are under fire as "divisive," "racist," "hate-filled," "bigoted," and every other PC description imaginable. The University of the South at Sewanee, founded by former Confederates, is even de-emphasizing the word "South" in the university’s name because marketing "experts" told the administration that the word "South" has racist connotations.

Can you give us a sample of the "politically correct myths" your book claims to dispel?

The number one myth that the book exposes is that the South is not steeped in racism. The South has many multi-cultural firsts, including the first two Jewish U.S. senators (who both served in the Confederacy.) Virginia elected a black governor 20 years before any northern state did. Today we have more black elected officials than any other region. Despite what Hollywood and the East Coast’s liberal elite want you to think, Southerners are the first to say that slavery was a moral evil.

Slavery is perceived to be exclusive of the South, but slavery was spread through all 13 colonies and beyond. Most slaves came to America on northern slave ships and even decades after importing slaves had been made illegal by Congress, one of the largest and most profitable industries in New York City was outfitting slave ships. Even the impending war between the North and the South did little to slow the slavers operating out of New York City.

What makes the southern culture a unique part of American culture today? Why should it be preserved?

Southerners have generally been here much longer than residents of any other region, so they have a deeper sense of place than most northerners whose families came through Ellis Island from 1890-1920 and fanned out across the country.

Southern culture is one where you know and help your neighbors and take care of your family without asking the government to do it for you. It’s still a place where people believe in friendliness and good manners. Southerners still believe in God and his role in their lives.

In your opinion, what is it that unites Southerners other than their accents?

Southerners have more in common with each other than we have with natives of other regions. What unites us is a common sense of place -- an understanding that the soil under our feet was cultivated by our ancestors and kept strong by our heritage. Southerners will still do anything to help a friend. Southerners have no pretenses about themselves, we don't "put on airs." And there is no more broad dividing line than grits, sweet tea and barbecue.

In your book you mention that the South provides more military recruits than any other region. Has it always been that way? And why do you think that is?

Even today, the South supplies more soldiers than any other region. Patriotism in the South coupled with family pride has always translated into a willingness to protect your home.

That truth still aggravates those who say The War for Southern Independence was all about slavery. Only a tiny fraction of Confederate soldiers owned slaves. They had no reason to fight for the large slave-holding land owners who did, but they had every reason to fight to keep the North from invading the South.

During the War of 1898, Southerners believed Spain was attacking American interests and put aside their differences with the North which they believed had sentenced them to Reconstruction. Southerners joined the army in huge numbers. They fought again in large numbers during World War I and World War II. In fact, the book shows how every major officer in both theaters of World War II was either a southerner or had deep ties to the South. The world could not have overcome World War II without the descendents of Confederates who made just about every major strategic and tactical decision during the entire conflict.

What is it that concerned Americans can do to ensure that the South “rise again”?

If you are “not from around here,” come on down South and see for yourself. The South is not the dark, dangerous, uneducated, backwards place that the Northern press and blockbuster movies make it out to be. Not only is the South the nation’s cultural center, but it is the friendliest place to live too. That’s one of the main reasons its population is growing and its economy is booming.

If you are from the South, fight the myths and fight the politically correct crowd who wants to destroy the memory of the Old South and make your region into something that it is not and never has been. Southern history and Confederate history is something that should be studied not erased. People in the South are fiercely proud of where they come from. Obliterating southern history means we lose the lessons we learned from its triumphs, and failures.

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Miss Sellers is the news producer for HumanEvents.com. E-mail her at isellers@humanevents.com.

Genuine Southern Sweet Tea

Genuine (pronounced "Jeyin-u-wine") Sweet Tea is found only in the South (....sorry y'all....but it's true). In fact, outside of Atlanta, you'd best be prepared to "request" unsweetened tea, otherwise, all iced tea (or just "tea please") orders are automatically served "straight sweet"......restaurants all around here and there of East Central Georgia and especially the rural to semi-rural areas, a pitcher of tea is on every table.

Just thought I would share the secret of how to make Genuine, Southern Sweet Tea ~

I use Luzianne brand tea, but Tetley runs neck and neck for flavor also. After those two would be Lipton, I guess. But never, NEVER use the store brand for tea..........don't get me wrong - I use store brands for a whole lot of things - but tea needs to be of good quality and my first two choices give you both great flavor and "clear" iced tea. There is nothing worse than cloudy tea.

I buy the "family size tea bags" box; I use 4 bags to a pitcher of tea (the everyday pitcher I use is a plastic 1 gallon size pitcher ~ if you're having "company over" ~ you'll want to serve tea from a glass pitcher).

Place 4 tea bags in the filter/brew basket area of your drip-style coffee maker (you do not need to use any extra filters, the tea bag is a filter). Using your coffee pot to measure, add 10 cups of cold water to your coffee maker. Place the coffee pot back in the appropriate place for the tea to drip into it and turn it on. Once all the tea has brewed, pour the tea into the pitcher. Add 5 "good" scoops of sugar to the hot brewed tea (my sugar scoop is between 1/3 and 1/2 cup size) and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add cold water to dilute the mixture and fill the entire pitcher until the 1 gallon mark is met with the liquid.

Refrigerate. Serve over ice...........all day long.

When I was growing up, we had to boil the water on the stove, put the tea bags in the tea pot w/the boiling water and it had to steep for about 20 - 30 minutes........the automatic coffee makers have made the process a little quicker and easier........I can remember many a time that we'd make the tea and leave it to steep........forget and be busy a while and later pour a "STRONG" glass of tea......take your head off strong, too! I know many families who used cheese cloth (and still do) to make their own tea bags.......In the summer, my grandmother, Sara, always had fresh mint sprigs for us to put in our glass of tea. You can also experiment by adding other herbs to the tea to give added flavor or nutrients......but this is your basic Southern Iced Tea.

Enjoy ~

Harriette
South of the Gnat Line

copyright 2005
All Rights Reserved.

throw me some beads

Happy Fat Tuesday, y'all. I'm having a beer and enjoying the sunset in your honor. If it's not warm enough to do that where you are, my condolences to you and your mama'n'them. The re-chargable batteries for the camera are dead as a doornail so there's no picture. Trust me, though...it's awesome. Primary colors are orange, blue, black and white and fadin' fast.

It's kinda cool not being able to yadayada just for the sake of hearing your own voice. It leaves more time for thinkin' and listening and watching the cats watch the birds come out to play. While I'm not ready to sweat quite yet, it's mighty nice to walk the yard without a jacket and pick up some sticks after the day job. Faith rolled in a cowpile and got a bath for her troubles. Call me picky, but I refuse to sleep with a shit covered dog, even if she is all cuddly and chocolate brown.

Lent is to Christians one of the most important times of meditation about that holy story that may indeed be fictional. It began back during Advent as we waited expectantly for a miracle and followed that star to humble beginnings. After Epiphany and the snow comes baseball season :) Back in the day when I was a Sunday School teacher it tickled the poop out of me to plant seeds of doubt deep into enquiring minds..that's where faith grows best.

The Ghosts of the Living

The Indians called this place "Shaconage". The land of blue smoke. It fairly seems to cry out for misty figures who fade in the fog and leave no footsteps in the wet springs where they tread.

But the reality and history here is so much more fascinating. I have yet to hear one ghost tale related to me by someone who actually grew up here.

Once, I brought a couple of filmmaker friends from Asheville to visit Betty-Jo. They had come to visit me for the day and wanted to make a film based on Appalachian ghost stories. I really didn't have any ideas for them, but was able to get Betty-Jo to retell my favorite eerie, but true story.

There is a sheer rock face across from my house. It rises three hundred feet in the air from Betty-Jo's north pasture. The top was once cleared and a small homestead used to sit on the edge of cliff. A young woman with two children lived up there with her old father. They farmed the steep slopes on the other side with steers.

They used to plant corn in places no one could plant today. You can still see the little terraces on the sides of the mountains where the steers pulled the plows.

She was married once. But the man took off to live with another woman down in the holler, leaving her with the two babies, a toddler and an infant.

I'm not sure exactly what the grim tale was about the relationship between the girl and her father. Maybe he was just mean as a snake. Maybe he drank. I'm just not sure, but for whatever reason, the two did not get along. She was dutiful, though, and was taking care of him in his later years.

It happened on one of those cold, cold nights we have here in the mountains. The sleet and snow was hitting the tin roof of the cabin, being driven by 40 mile per hour gusts. The wind sounded like a panther cry, like a woman screaming. It was on a night like this that the old man decided to die.

As he lay dying by inches and on his last night on earth, he cursed his girl.

"Mark my words, girl," he told her, "for as sure as I'll die on this night, I'll come back and haunt you. I'll drive you mad for sure. You see if I don't!"

As the warmth seeped out of his now dead body in the middle of a cold winter night, the daughter made up her mind. She bundled up her two young ones and scaled down the cliff with them in the dark, in the snow and driving ice and wind. She arrived at Betty Jo's house seeking shelter late that wintery night.

Her hands were cut and torn from her climb down the sheer rock face. She had bruises over most of her body and was shuddering with cold. It was a miracle that she didn't plummet to her death. It was a greater miracle that neither of the babies had a scratch on them.

The next morning she left the two babies with their father and went to Knoxville. She checked herself into what was then known as the "Sanatorium" but is now the State Mental Institution. I suppose she expected her dead father to make good on his promise to drive her insane, and thought it best to be in an appropriate place when it happened.

Many years later, Betty tried to go get her and bring her home, thinking the fear might have gone out of her.

The woman looked at Betty over the steaming vats of laundry with haunted eyes.

"This would be my home now." she told her.

She lived out the remainder of her days at the Sanatorium, patiently waiting to go insane.

There are no ghosts here. The dead still live with the living.

Written by Rosie at http://smokeymountainbreakdown.blogspot.com

Stan's Restaurant - Fine Southern Cookin

Stan's Restaurant
Columbia, TN
931-381-2234

Long trips usually have to be punctuated for various reasons by pit stops: stretching the legs, restroom breaks, to change drivers. But the most anticipated in MY book is for the purpose of exploring new diners, restaurants, truck stops. Sometimes these places to eat are most accurately referred to as holes-in-the-wall. And if you're lucky, you'll happen into a hidden treasure for some mighty fine southern cuisine!

Stan's Restaurant, just off exit 46 on I-65 in Columbia, TN roughly 40 miles south of Nashville, is one of these treasures where true southern food is deliciously prepared. The surroundings aren't exactly what you'd call fancy but it's not the surroundings you taste 'cause the first bite of fried chicken makes you forget all but what's in front of you! And when you see all they have to offer, from perfectly fried pork chops & ham steaks to a huge bowl of chicken n' dumplings & grilled steaks, you realize this is no "thaw & serve" country restaurant. But I haven't even mentioned the side items yet....

Seasoned turnip greens, fresh blackeyed peas & fried okra (only three but they're my faves) are staples found in almost every country restaurant. Stan's knows how to make them extra special & most savory. And the most pleasant surprise I found was the two kinds of cornbread they offered: plain & KRACKLIN' cornbread (they spell it with a "K")! It had been decades since I'd had hot, fresh, moist, delicious kracklin' cornbread.... not since the beloved Sunday dinners of my youth in central Alabama.

For those who are unfamiliar with what a kracklin' is, it's a small tender nugget of fried pork skin that adds an extra UMPH to cornbread! And Stan's doesn't skimp on the kracklin's they mix into each batch. They serve the cornbread in hot, generous half rounds which beg for butter smeared inside when sliced open.

I called to ask if they were open this past New Year's day & the lady I spoke with said in a tired voice, "Yep, we're open every day 'til 9PM except Christmas." One thing I've enjoyed besides the excellent food is the great, friendly service. I like this place!

Stan's has become a destination of its own to me at least once a month. The two hour drive northward only whets my appetite & gives me time to try to decide what I'm going to have when I get there. But no matter what I choose, I know it's going to be mighty good & well worth the drive. A great place for excellent southern food!

After all, any place that has a raccoon sitting in a tree wearing Mardi Gras beads & a red ribbon HAS to be seen & experienced, right??? I think so too!Review Written (and taste tested!) by: Mark@Underthesouthernskies

The Rise of the Southern Biscuit - Award Winner!

I wanted to give ya'll a wonderful update on a documentary that I mentioned to you a month or two ago - The Rise of the Southern Biscuit. Maryann Byrd wrote, directed and produced this documentary herself.

Well....

The Rise of the Southern Biscuit won two Emmy's for Best Cultural Documentary and Best Program Writing.

So in honor of this wonderful occurrence, I've reprinted the original article below so that ya'll can go give it a look over one more time.

Congratulations Maryann!

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(Originally posted 11.29.06)

The Biscuit Dive Guide
by Maryann Byrd

"The Rise of the Southern Biscuit is a documentary that relishes the history and uniqueness of the Southern biscuit. This appetizing program features the SouthÂ’s best biscuit makers, cafes, and restaurants that keep the tradition of Southern biscuit making alive.

The book, The Biscuit Dive Guide is a roadmap to the best biscuit-making cafes and diners in the South. It doubles as a cookbook, as biscuit makers from these Southern cooking restaurants reveal their recipes and biscuit making success tricks. The Rise of the Southern Biscuit and The Biscuit Dive Guide are tributes to a key element of Southern tradition and hospitality - the Southern biscuit."

I was contacted by Maryann the other day and am I glad I was! What a great idea she has had come to fruition.

She traveled the South searching out the best biscuit-serving restaurants and recipes she could find. She interviewed biscuit makers throughout the South who agreed to share their biscuit recipes and biscuit making advice.

In the end, not only does she have a great book, but a documentary airing on various PBS stations throughout the South!

You can see the documentary on:

The Documentary Channel seen on:
Dish Network Channel 197
CharterDigital Channel 176
Nashville Comcast Digital 241

and

Public Television stations:
The documentary has been airing on South Carolina Public Television. The show will be airing in Atlanta, Milwaukee and Missouri in the upcoming weeks - as well.

The book can be ordered thru Maryann's website: http://www.theriseofthesouthernbiscuit.com

I'm gonna go watch the documentary now and then give some biscuit recipes a try!