Featured Native American & Sled Racing Stereoviews

A listener since the very beginning! And you do realize it's a fictional place, right?

Sadly, the current season is his last. 73 is too young to retire! After all, I'm not that old. How can he be?

 

Yes, invented by Keillor as his boyhood home, but your reply got me looking into Minnesota's topography.

What, "73...I'm, not that old," wish I could say that...

--- Susan

 

I said that because I have a birthday coming up that I'm in denial about.

 

I've been in denial for quite a few years. Like, how on earth did I get to this point? It just doesn't compute....

 

I've been a fan of Days of Our Lives since it began. There is no way they're celebrating 50 years!

 

And that park officially opened in 1883, although it seems that park-like activities were going on there before then. That would fit in well with the proposed photo time frame of 1880s.

 

Hi, Fig.

 

Hi --

 

What really boggles my mind sometimes is how much longer my DH and I have been together than we lived with our parents.

 

Ditto here. We will be having our 50th wedding anniversary next year. We are now the old folks.

Hey, you whippersnappers, young'uns, show respect to your elders! Remember your "yes sirs" and "no ma'ams" as is taught to the very young here in the South. This is ingrained into the young down here. For example one of our neighbors for at least the past 20 years still calls me "ma'am" even though he is only about 5 to 8 years younger. Several times I have told him not to call me ma'am because I'm not his boss or old enough to be his mama. He answers with, "Yes, ma'am" and a few days later he is still calling me ma'am.

--- Susan

 

Fiftieth is impressive! We had our 43rd in June... but as soon as I wrote that, my mind said, "Really has it been that long?"

When I lived in Texas, everyone called everyone else "sir" and "ma'am," regardless of age. I kind of liked it and it took me a long time to stop doing it when I came back to Massachusetts.

 

>when I came back to Massachusetts.<

Wellll..... we have something in common! I started out life in Massachusetts, my 1st 19 yrs, before my family moved to Mississippi. My step-father's plant moved south because of labor problems and the great tax, etc. incentives the state of Mississippi was offering to attract businesses back then. It was a culture shock. I'm still here. You have moved back to "God's Country!"

--- Susan

 

Goodness, I can imagine moving from Mass to the Deep South would be a big culture shock, especially for a teenager!

I was a middle-aged adult when I moved to Texas so it was easier. Oddly enough, I found people in Texas to be more like the people I grew up with in NYC than people here in Massachusetts. In NY, when people aren't being rude they're often very chatty and friendly even with strangers, and I found Texans to be that way. Here in MA, lots of people are far more reserved unless they know you.

I was thinking more about the "sir" and "madam" thing. In Texas, it seemed like it was just part of the general friendliness of people, kind of like a verbal smile.

 

>I was thinking more about the "sir" and "madam" thing. In Texas, it seemed like it was just part of the general friendliness of people, kind of like a verbal smile. <

I agree. Southerners on the whole are a much friendlier lot than the rest of the country and especially of the northeast. They smile and laugh more. Down here if one is asking directions, the person will many times go out of their way to help and direct. In the northeast like NYC, if you ask for directions you might be meant with "What do you think I am, a road map!!! Get yourself a map!!!"

My family used to notice the smiling differences from the South traveling up to Canada. After my step-father retired, he did consulting work in Ontario, Canada. They lived up there a couple of years before returning to New England. Traveling north to south, you can almost tell what area of the country you are in by facial expression. In Ontario the people were kind and friendly, but smiles were few and far between. Down into New England and the northeast in general, smiles are seen a bit more, but still subdued. Once down past the Mason-Dixon, you are met with smiling faces and sometimes extreme friendliness. In the South it is not unusual while driving on a road other than an Interstate, the driver of an on coming vehicle will slightly raise one of his hands on the steering wheel in greeting even though you don't know them from Adam. It may have something to do with the weather - frigid temps, stern faces; sunny weather, sunny faces.

The accents and manners of the South and the accent and manners of the northeast are misinterpreted by each other. To a Southerner, a Northeastern-er comes across as rude, crude and curt. To a Northeastern-er, a Southerner comes across as slow and dimwitted. How very wrong are both interpretations!

--- Susan

 

Yup, definitely incorrect stereotypes! I think climate has a lot to do with it.

A good example of what Texas was like for me were invitations to parties by people I didn't know and just happened to chat with for a little while. Once it happened when I sat next to a couple on a plane, another time when I was standing next to another couple while taking a ferry.

 

Hi,
In my athletic years, I used to run. This was while living in NYC. I took a trip down to North Carolina and got up in the morning and started a run. EVERY single person who drove a car came upon me and stopped. "Where you going in such a hurry? Hop in I'll take you where you need to go". After three days of trying to run I stopped. When I tried to explain that I was running for exercise, people just shook their heads and murmured "God bless that man"
greg

 

>... I was running for exercise ... Shook their heads and murmured "God bless that man."... <

Greg, you must have misheard them. They were probably saying, "Bless your heart" - the South's polite way of saying your're an idiot without using harsh words. Hehehe

An example:
Little Billy: "I am 6 years old" (only holds up 4 fingers)
Scarlet: "Oh honey, bless your heart, but that's only 4 fingers."
Little Billy tries again: "I am 6 years old" (this time holds up the same 4 fingers and 4 more on the other hand)
Scarlet: "Child....Bless you and your momma's heart."

Running is lunacy down here from sometimes as early as April to sometimes as late as September. Now a hardy walk early in the morning to a casual walk in the early evening is all my religion allows. A few years ago someone down the street wanted/invited me to do a 5K run with them. Now this was in the middle of August! Trying not to scream out "Not on your life!" I said, "That type of exercise goes against my religion." Oh, she said and backed away. A few months later she casually asked friends of ours what church we attended!

--- Susan