My Church!

Really. Most churches in this county should be named "1st Church of We'reBetterThanYou." I attended a premier baptist church all of my childhood, and the snobbery and hypocrisy drove me away from organized religion all through my teens and early adulthood. NOW, however, I attend Crossroads Baptist, which meets at the Savannah Baptist Assembly, on Old Louisville Road in Guyton. WOW! What a refreshing, spirit-lifting place to serve God. Seriously, wear what you are comfortable in. It's not just something that's said there. You really CAN go in jeans and t-shirts and be completely accepted. (Most people do!) Go with your tattoos and multiple piercings-- no one cares. (Besides, Jesus was pierced, too!) You truly will find acceptance at Crossroads. Won't you join us?

Ms. Kat's Field Peas... and other Southern stuff...

Ya'll ever had a good pot of field peas with snaps? I go to church with a lady that I call Ms. Kat who delivers this manna from Heaven at every church dinner... I suwanee, if I could jar these things and sell them, I'd be richer than that there Microsoft man! What a blessed day it was when she gave me the pot of leftover peas as I was walkin' out the church door, and she said, "Hunney, just take the rest of 'em home with ya!" Feasting on 'em right now, and they're what inspired this blog! Next, remember the song that came out a few years ago by some band who I can't remember... the song proclaimed that on the "eighth day, God made sweet tea..." I bet people in the other parts of this good old U S of A were completely clueless as to why someone would sing about a drink. We all know that the other parts of the country are clueless to the divine greatness of sweet tea! Of course, our own Billy Currington writes about his ma-- Ms. Belle-- and her "sweet tea." I wonder how many other non-alcoholic drinks have had songs written about them... Also on the list of simply Southern delights... boiled peanuts. Now, most people in this area pronounce them, "bald peanuts." (It's that southern twang!) I do say "boy-uld"... you know... almost with 2 syllables. Either way, though, anyone who was raised down here knows that, on some days, nothing takes the place of some good boiled peanuts! We even have a festival about them... up the road a piece, in Brooklet. Of course they have it every year in August-- hottest month of the summer season! They'd probably get a lot more people in attendance if they'd hold it in April or October. Just a suggestion... Of course, they ain't callin' me askin' me for my input! Finally, of all Southern things to write about... the MOST southern is... Well, what do YOU think? Respond and let me know what simply Southern thing you can't live without!

What happened to music?

As an avid American Idol fan, I am amazed-- no, horrified, actually-- about what passes for good music nowadays. Now, I don't want to sound like our parents did when we listened to KISS or the Rolling Stones... but come on, I watched Kesha and Usher and P. Diddy on AI recently, and I was astounded at the lack of soul, of depth, of intensity of the "music" of these artists. I'm not saying the bands of the 70s were the purveyors of truth and justice, but seems like music had more meaning. Music of the past was either ground-breaking or experimental or meaningful. It just seems like there is no more ground to break in the music industry. Even Lady Gaga, who claims to be innovative, is just a pop singer using sex to sell mundanity to the masses who think she's cutting-edge.
I just find myself listening to radio stations that play old music. I am a child of the 70s and 80s, and maybe I just don't "get" the crap the music industry is putting out today... Call me a relic, call me what you will, say I'm old-fashioned, say I'm over the hill. Today's music ain't got the same soul... Yup, Bob Seger said it best...