“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin,
but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
Harper Lee
(ice and snow encrusted Camilla / Julie Cook / 2017)
Remember the picture of the yard sign I shared on Friday??
That ‘Southern State of Mind’ Georgia Bulldog yard sign??
A yard sign that was quickly accumulating snow?
Well this is what it looked like once the snows ended Saturday…..
We Southerners do like our “weather.”
And we love to both fuss and cuss it….
Be it good or bad.
All kinds of weather.
We will complain about the heat.
We will lament about the humidity.
We will run and hide, with good reason, at the first sign of a tornado.
We will grumble about the lack or rain…
Just as we will grouse over its abundance.
But throw a little sleet, ice or snow our way and it’s all but
Katy bar the door..
We will get practically giddy at the first mention of anticipated snow…
As visions of serene images of Currier and Ives dance like magical
sugarplums round our anticipating heads.
Horse drawn carriages gliding effortlessly through the snow, as bells merrily jingle
while both adults and kids alike race joyously to build snowmen.
Children and teachers alike sit glued to weather reports, praying the Weatherman
will grant that ever so hoped for wish…the announcement of No School..
as everyone races for a homemade sled…mother’s favorite cookie pan….
However all of this wonderment quickly dissipates the minute the roads ice over,
the pine trees bend to the ground and snap under the heavy weight of all
the frozen precipitation…as the temperatures dip in to the teens, transformers blow
like popcorn, and the lights all go out…
as in out for days….
For suddenly there are no more fun and games as all things have
jumped to drastically frightfully serious in the twinkling of an eye…
Yet under all that frightfully messy winter…
Just like our much maligned yet prevalent Kudzu….
we remain…ever tenacious…
It’s what we do…
We might wilt a bit, panic a tad, slip slid into every ditch imaginable…
but we will always come back strong….
Just wait until April to see just who’s looking good!!!!
For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for
you against your enemies to give you victory.
Deuteronomy 20:4
cookiecrumbstoliveby 
You could have replaced the word Southerners with New Englanders and your words would still be true. 😀
I’m glad to hear that Karen coming from one who has called both Home— we’re not so whimpy as we’re portrayed to be 😚
Minnesotans as well. We find something to complain about when it comes to the weather, but our winters seem to last forever. The truth is we all get through it and usually wind up better because of it. Enjoy your special snow days and know that we envy you for your warm days ahead.
A few years ago we had a white Christmas with snow and ice that brought down power lines and blew up transformers and left us in the dark for days. Usually I like snow, but that was a bit too much. J.
funny how age and the reality of life with snow certainly changes one’s perspective 🙂
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
I still don’t get how it just passed around us in a big circle. Our big threat at the moment is wildfires. Today, the temp went way back up, the humidity went way down, and the wind is really blowing. If some moron decides to burn leaves we will have a problem.
Now they’re saying those winds are headed our way and that all the weakened trees are in danger—and there is that same worry over those giant blasted pines again—they just got power back on last night—just pray we keep the roof intact along with the house!!!!
Ugh…many prayers my friend. It’s really nice today, just dangerous for the fire danger. Other than that, a perfect day really
today warmed up nicely and lots of melting is taking place—which I know is really good for the ground….now if this talk about winds will just go away….
Ah, yes… reality somehow falls short of the Currier and Ives’ dream. 😦 But your posts never disappoint, Julie. 🙂 This one was as witty and well-written as ever. I love the way you describe Southerners. Actually, I think there’s a little bit of “southern” in all of us. 😉 ❤ and hugs!
thanks Lynn—funny how reality just doesn’t look like those beautiful cards 😉
Tomorrow’s post will be more back to the normal of brass tacks 🙂
and…I’ve gone in and corrected a few of my typos I caught when re-reading the post since you read it…corrected again for the umpteenth time…now if I could just figure out how to go back in and correct all the typos and mistakes in my comments! I blame my brain for being father than my pecking…aka typing—throw in a touch of dyslexia and its a fine pickle to be sure 🙂
I’m just appreciative you can bridge my meaning with my thoughts through my screw ups 🙂
Just letting you know that the snow has arrived! And is arriving and will continue to arrive! The highways are a mess. You would think that Canadians would know how to drive in the snow but every year we seem to forget!!
And so no one needs to pick on us southerners 🤗
well, much here is now melted and in Atlanta, but for the downed trees and scattered limbs, the snow is gone—my only regret—I didn’t get to make a snowman…my oh so pregnant daughter-n-law, who was here with literally the clothes on her back wasn’t keen to get out and “play”…which I understood—but since it has now been on the ground for more than 3 days, you know what they say….it will snow again 🙂
Wow snow!
they just note that there were only two counties in Georgia that surpassed the snow amounts from the 93 blizzard and our county was one of the two! It really was pretty and now it’s nice it’s gone 🙂