Items found at a Mississippi gas station

This post is mainly for some of my Yank - I mean friends up north who loved teasing me about my Southern drawl (which is very minor compared to most of the people at my school, but whatever), overalls, wearing shorts to class because it’s 95+ degrees for at least three months, saying “funny” words and phrases like “y’all,” “reckon,” “yonder,” “Mis-sipi” (sound it out – the lazy yet much shorter way to say “Mississippi”), “you’re slower than molasses running uphill in January,” “I’m up a creek with no paddle” and “where are the cows in this god-forsaken city!?” (Okay, I exaggerate just a little.)

Last week, my family took a four-day trip (two days driving, two days at the beach) to Orange Beach (Gulf Shores), Alabama. Of course, this meant driving from Memphis, through Tupelo, past Starkville (home of Mississippi State University, where I now fondly call second home), into Meridian, and…well, I’m not exactly sure what we went through after that. It involved probably hundreds of small towns (populations averaging 64, counting the cows and chickens) in Mississippi and Alabama, and stops at those places are sometimes my favorite. I think you’ll see why.

Items found at Mississippi gas station, somewhere in-between Citronelle (let’s just say that’s close to Mobile, Alabama, because that’s the largest/most recognizable city nearby) and Meridian (Mississippi):



A bottle opener that makes four different turkey calls (and sadly, there was only one left, so they have sold some)
Pantyhose (all different shades and sizes)
A sign on the door reading “Pants must be pulled up and shirts worn inside for service.” (Kind of sad that they have to post that on the door.)
Sticks of homemade beef jerky in a plastic dispenser labeled, “Please pay at the register” (I’m not doing a very good job explaining this one: you would just push the handle down like a toothpick or straw dispenser and out popped your beef jerky. As my friend Hannah says, sick dog.)
All kinds of wise redneck sayings and clichés on t-shirts, cozies, baseball caps, cell phone covers and bumper stickers (Regretfully, I didn’t have much time to ponder these. We make very quick fill-up/bathroom stops.)

Man, I love the South…home is good. :)

Writer's block

I have a severe case of writer's block. I'm finally home in Memphis and bored/procrastinating/really don't want to unpack my room. (Long story. I've moved back home for the summer and therefore must unpack, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but those are the rules here.) There's always lots to do here, I just can't figure out what to write about nor can I really seem to get motivated about writing. Bummer. It's been a long time since I've had writer's block.

I guess it is good to be home, though. I missed the South, mainly family and my church, but also friends, sweet tea, Southern accents, hot weather, wildlife (I saw squirrels in the backyard today and realized that I never saw any while I was in New York - how sad), working out (shocking, I know), Mom's cooking, real barbecue, wearing t-shirts, country music, and my bed.

Someone once told me that after I came back home from college, home wouldn't be the same. Sadly, they were right. I feel "at home," but I feel like I've left a piece of me everywhere that I've been. Part of me is here in Memphis, another part of me is in Starkville, Mississippi, and a small part of me is in New York. From now on, I guess I'll just miss people no matter where I am...how about we all move to one place and fix this? :)

On the upside, I'm planning on writing a story focusing on several Memphis barbecue joints, and that makes me pretty excited. There are two close to my dad's business, and they're these little hole-in-the-wall places with some of the best stuff around town. I'm looking forward to sitting down with the cooks, owners, and customers to hear their stories and taste some of that delicious barbecue. Anyone have suggestions for places I should visit?