Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Hello, and welcome back to another chat on the porch. Please,
grab your favorite seat and kick back for this week's southern
celebration. ~smile~
By the way, if you see any strangers wandering around the porch,
please introduce yourselves and show them where we keep the cyber
tea. I'm expecting a ton of new visitors this weekend. Where are
they coming from? Oh, I'm so glad you asked. :-) Last week I
received notice that ALL THINGS SOUTHERN has been named the COOL
SITE of the Day for June 1st--that's today! Yea! You can vote
for ATS to be the COOL SITE of the Year by clicking on the link
below and rating this site. Now, I'm not going to twist anyone's
arm or anything, but if you don't vote your hair will fall out
and your skin will turn purple. (Okay, not really, ~grin~, but it
would be neat to get it for the whole Year.)
Like any good self-respecting Southern host, when I heard that
company was coming I got in high gear. I've been very, very busy
tidying up the porch the past few days. Look around, and see for
yourselves. I even managed to get the farm tour started. (Thank
you to everyone who wrote in with feedback on the tour idea.)
Check it out
and let me know what you think.
One last thing before you fall off into this week's issue. We
have another visiting cook in the kitchen. I hope you'll make Janice
from Old McDonald's Fruit
Farm feel welcome, she's a really nice lady.
Hugs,
Shellie
P.S. By the looks of the mail in my inbox, I've really confused
some of you about the new Porch Album project. Click here to
read my attempts to clarify things. :-)
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Drum roll please------The winner of May's Great Gator
Give-A-Way is Al Spragins from Wagram, North Carolina.
Congratulations Al! Your 'gator is on it's way. (You can see
Al's Gator on the Ag Products page of the
All Things Southern Store)
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~~Chuckles~~
"Boudreaux, the Cajun Fisherman"
One day, not long ago, Boudreaux was fish'n down by de bayou
when he run outta night crawlers. He was 'bout to leave when he
seed a snake wit a toad frog in hits mouth. Now Boudreaux he
knowed dem big bass fish like toad frogs, so he decided to steal
that froggie. Trouble was dat snake be a cotton mouth water
moccasin; he'd have to be real careful like or he'd git bit.
Boudreaux snuk up behind the snake and grabbed him round the haid.
That ole snake di'nt like dis one bit. He commemced to squirm'n
and wrapped hitself around Boudreaux's arm try'n to get free, but
Boudreaux, him had a real good grip. He pried dat snake's mouth
open and got de frog and dropped it in his bait can. Now,
Boudreaux he knows cain't let go of de snake or hit's goin' ta
bite him good.
Hit's all right, dat smart Boudreaux him had a plan. He reached
into the back pocket of'n his bib over-hauls and pulls out a pint
o' moonshine likker and pours a couple of draps inta the snake's
mouth.
Dat snake's eyeballs roll back in hits head and hits body go
limp! Wit dat Boudreaux toss's dat snake inta da crick and goes
back tuh fish'n.
A while later Boudreau dun feel sumptin tapp'n on his barefoot toe.
He slowly look down. Would you believe it? Dere be dat water
mocassin, but dis time he gat two toad frogs in his mouth!
(Thanks to Peggy Duncan for this week's chuckle.)
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~~A Taste of the South~~
Hello fellow Porchers-- it's getting blueberry time here on Old
McDonald's Fruit Farm in Baskin, LA. The grandkids eat the first
ones as fast as they get ripe these days, but I still have some
fresh frozen ones to make their favorite goodies for now. I thought
I'd share a good 'ole southern cobbler with you that's quick and
easy. If you're not a blueberry lover, you can substitute a can of
your favorite fruit pie filling (peach, apple, etc.) to suit your
family's individual taste.
"Old McDonald's E-Z Blueberry Cobbler"
•1 box yellow cake mix
•1 stick (1/2 cup) oleo plus 3 TBS more
•1 tsp cinnamon mixed with 1 TB sugar
•1 recipe of blueberry sauce* (or 1 large jar Old McDonald's Blue
Berry Sauce or substitute with 1 can of Blue Berry pie filling,
(not as good, but it'll do in a pinch if you're stuck up North
somewhere)
* Blue Berry Sauce Recipe:
•2 cups fresh or frozen berries
•1/3 cup sugar
•1 TB cornstarch
•2 TB lemon juice
•2 TB water
•pinch of salt
Mix sugar, salt, starch together; stir 'til smooth. Add liquids;
stir well. Fold in berries. Cook on medium heat until it comes to
a boil; cook about 2 minutes more or until it starts to thicken
and/or get clear. Stir constantly but carefully so as not to crush
berries too much.)
Melt the stick of oleo in a 9 X 13 pan. Sprinkle half the dry cake
mix over melted oleo and pour the blueberry sauce over cake mix as
evenly as possible so as to cover the surface of the pan. Sprinkle
other half of cake mix on top of sauce. Cut remaining oleo in small
pats and dot surface of mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar
mixture. Bake @ 350 until bubbly and slightly brown. Serve warm -
either plain or with whipped topping or ice cream. Grab a glass of
cold milk or a good, hot cup of coffee and you'll think your Grandma
has come to town!
(Sounds delicious, Janice! Thanks, Shellie)
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Please forward ALL THINGS SOUTHERN to your friends and family!
(You can also email them the parent site by going to
http://www.allthingssouthern.com and clicking on the link that
says "email this site to a friend.")
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~~Spotlight on the South~~
SPOTLIGHT ON BARBARA MANDRELL
I'm pleased to shine this week's spotlight on a true country girl.
Now, I don't just love Barbara Mandrell because she sang, "I was
Country When Country Wasn't Cool." I'm not that shallow. I was
actually a fan of Ms. Mandrell's a long time before that release.
Barbara Mandrell was born to Irby and Mary Mandrell on December
25th, 1948, in Houston, TX. She was playing and singing almost as
soon as she could walk and talk. By the age of five she played the
accordion. At the mature age of nine, she added the steel-pedal
guitar. In 1960, Joe Maphis recruited the young musician to
play in his Las Vegas show, billing her as the "Sweetheart of
Steel." And like they say in Hollywood--a star was born.
The Las Vegas Show led to appearances on Los Angeles' "Town Hall
Party" and on NBC's "Five-Star Jubilee." Barbara was soon invited
to go on tour with Johnny Cash, where she performed with some of
the top names in country music, including Patsy Cline, June Carter
and George Jones. Barbara was all of twelve. Following the tour,
Barbara's father put together the Mandrell Family Band with her
little sisters, Louise and Irlene.
I remember spending Saturday nights watching her television show,
"Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters", and taking a lot of
good-natured ribbing from my more musically gifted singing sisters,
Cyndie and Rhonda. They called me Irlene. Yes, there's a story
there. Allow me to digress a moment. Cyndie and Rhonda always
said it was obvious that Irlene couldn't sing like Barbara and
Louise because they never gave Irlene solos. I said it then and
I'll say it now--whatever! I loved Irlene. She might not have
gotten solos but she was always happy to join right in there.
(Informative Sidenote: When we were small, my cousin Lisa and I
could empty a room at family sing-alongs with the piano just by
lending our voices to whatever hymn our musically gifted extended
family was singing at the time. Of course, they always said they
weren't quitting just because we happened to start. And no, I do
not have emotional scars from those experiences and neither does
Lisa.)
Barbara Mandrell married Kenneth L. Dudney on May 28th, 1967. They
are the proud parents of Kenneth Matthew Dudney, Jaime Nicole Dudney,
and Nathaniel Mandrell Dudney. With a solid marriage thirty years
strong, family and faith continue to be the twin pillars that Barbara
Mandrell builds her life on. Although Barbara Mandrell has retired
from singing, she'll always be known as one of the greatest
entertainers of all time.
Official website:Barbara's Official Website
Cookbook: The Barbara Mandrell Family Cookbook
Cookbook: The Barbara Mandrell Family Cookbook
Book: "Get to the Heart" My Story by Barbara Mandrell and George Vecsey
Book: "Get to the Heart" My Story by Barbara Mandrell and George Vecsey
CD: Ultimate Collection by Barbara Mandrell
Video: CD: Ultimate Collection by Barbara Mandrell
(Remember to scroll down at Amazon to hear FREE samples of Barbara's beautiful songs.)
~Shellie
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~~It's Been Said...~~
"Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They
never dare to try."
----Mary Kay Ash
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~~Southern Comfort~~
"The God Spot"
Have you heard? In the last few years there's been a lot of
talk about scientists finding the "God Spot". Some experts
believe they've isolated the place in our brain where we
communicate with God.
Tests were run injecting radioactive dye into the brains of people
while they were praying, "tracing" it, and then photographing the
results with a high tech imaging camera. They found that when
people pray they have significantly increased activity in the
frontal lobe of the brain and decreased activity in the rest of
the brain. They concluded that the right temporal lobe of the
human brain is wired to receive signals from what some are calling
a "Grand Organizing Design" or G.O.D.
With all due respect to these great scientists, they aren't the
first to come upon this revelation. Centuries ago, the preacher
of Ecclesiastes was moved to say in Chapter 3:11 that "God has
set eternity in the hearts of men."
I believe he was saying that God has set in each of us an
awareness that we're all eternal beings, that deep down everyone
knows there's more to life that the brief flash we see as people
live and die in a seemingly endless parade of humanity. I believe
that along with this recognition comes a desire for the "rest of
the story" or a "God Spot" if you will.
Of course, not all of the scientists agree with the "God Spot"
theory. Some dismiss it outright. I'm fine with that. I like the
way Professor Haught expresses it: "Faith is the sense of being
grasped by this higher dimension...or deeper reality...If we
could come up with clear proof or an absolutely mathematically
lucid verification of deity...that wouldn't be deity--it'd be
something smaller than us." (Well said, Professor Haught!)
So, I guess my question is: What have you been trying to fit into
your God Spot? I'm reminded of the story of Goldilocks and the
Three Bears. Have you tried to cram material things into the void
in your heart? Too tight! Have you tried to fill it with family and
friends? Better, but something is still missing. What about a
relationship with the Father? Ah....just right. Wow! God in the
God Spot--what a comfortable fit.
~Shellie
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~~Southern Exchange~~
Your letters:
Hey Shellie,
Hope this note finds you and yours "happy as a pig in the
sunshine"! (as Momma says)
I have to admit, I signed on to your e-zine mainly to get the jokes
and the southern quotes. I happened upon your Web site when I was
searching for southern-esque quotes to put on the white board at
work. (In order to rib the Yankees I work with.)
Maybe I haven't been reading the articles closely enough. I knew
you were from Louisiana, but I never realized you were from up
around Monroe. West Monroe is my old home town. I now live over
in North Carolina. (It's far enough south to be habitable in the
winter, but they have no idea what real barbecue is up here.)
I finally figured out where you must be from when you included
Randy Prewitt's recipe. His name was a blast from the past! He
must have been doing news for Channel 8 for at least 30 years.
Just as a side-light, I've always liked Randy's on-air demeanor.
He seems like a real sweetheart of a guy.
Anyway, it just gave me a smile to think I accidentally happened
upon an old home-girl from out there in the big bad World Wide Web.
Keep up the good work.
Take care,
Edward Fulford
North Carolina
P.S. What have Boudreaux and Thibideaux been up to lately?
(Dear Edward, I'm glad you finally quit skipping to the jokes
and quotes. You can't imagine what all you've been missing. :-)
You're right about Randy, he's a sweetie. I won't tell him that
you said he must have been on the air for 30 years. It'll be our
secret. :-) Oh, yeah, I looked in on Boudreaux this week, just for
you. Enjoy! Shellie)
_______
Dear Shellie,
I couldn't believe you talked about your son shooting snakes on
your last porch visit. I think you should go out there and stop
Phillip! Good Lord. Okay, if they're poisonous snakes, I can
understand taking precautions to get rid of them. But I hope he's
not killing the little cute gardener snakes, black snakes, and
all of the other critters that eat mice and bugs, (which are far
bigger nuisances to crops than snakes are -- tell him I said so).
Environmentally aghast in Kentucky,
Kat
(Dear environmentally aghast Kat, take a deep breath. We're not
killing the good guys, but right now there are ground rattlers
and cotton-mouths everywhere. Did you see the water in the rice
field over on the farm tour? When it gets closer to harvest, Phil and Phillip
will wear hip waders to pull up an invasive grass known as "red
rice"--left alone it will lower the yield. It's not fun to come
face to face with a water moccasin. Now do you understand why
they take 'em out when the opportunity is there? Excuse the pun,
but it's a matter of who strikes first. :-) ~Shellie)
_______
Dear Shellie,
Confederate Memorial Day is June 3rd. That is also President
Jefferson Davis' birthday. There will be all types of services held
around the state of Louisiana on the weekend of June the 1st.
Also, did you know the music to taps was written by a Confederate
musician? He was wounded in a battle and his father, who was a union
officer found him on the battlefield. After the young soldier died
from his wounds, his father found the sheet of music in his son's
coat pocket. The officer asked to hold a burial service for his son
and was at first refused. At the father's insistence, his commander
finally allowed him to have the funeral, but without any type of
music. The father did ask for one bugler and it was allowed. The
mourning father put words to the music that his son had written and
there we have the words and music for TAPS; played first over the
grave of a fallen Confederate soldier. This is only one of the many
things we Southerners have to be proud of.
Thanks for allowing me to share this with the readers,
Todd Owens
Commander, Northeast Brigade,
Louisiana Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans
*There will also be a Confederate Memorial Service at the Midway
Cemetery near Epps at 2:00 PM on June 1st. This is open to the public
and all are welcome. If you need more information you can call me
@ 318-255-1668 or e-mail me @jbtp@bayou.com
(Dear Todd, You know, I've read a lot of controversy over the true
story of "taps". There seem to be several versions about its origin.
I'm no historian, but I like to think that this one is the real McCoy.
It was an honor to print your announcement. Thanks for a most
interesting letter. ~Shellie)
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ATS NEWS:
Email me for your FREE ebook, "Raising Southern Ladies
and Men of Honor in Today's Culture". (It's my free gift
to new subscribers but I'd hate for you loyal old porchers
to feel left out.) You can read more about the ebook at
http://www.allthingssouthern.com/ebook.html.
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~~A Southern Definition~~
"If you didn't feel obligated to accept every "double dog dare"
thrown your way...you could have been a girly girl."
--Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
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WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR DAUGHTERS...
About love and marriage: "It's just as easy to fall in love
with a rich man as it is a poor one!" Do you remember your
southern mom's advice about love,marriage, relationships and
life in general? Then join the fun; this project is exploding!
Write me at tomtom@allthingssouthern.com to have your mom's
advice memorialized in my new book: WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL
THEIR DAUGHTERS...
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