Our accent... (Lexington: how much, snow, work)

[kimmieyky]

Isn't it funny how you really do have to watch how you speak when you are in certain areas?

When I work in Louisville, even, I have to tone it down. If not, I do get the looks, but they are mixed.

Oh well. -They can look down on us if they want - but we will never get above our raising!!

Kimmiey

[trishinca]

Ok, you've sucked me in on this.... it's not about accents, exactly, but telling tales...I'm from Iowa originally, and now in rural California, (yes, there is some rural land in CA), in the Central Coast, where all the cotton-pickin' vineyards are, with their deer fences and political correctness up the ying-yang...they've planted vineyards up and down every piece of bare land in this state, and they have the nerve to complain that the cattle give up dangerous amounts of 'methane gas'....so vineyards are more desirable,right, we have lots of roadkill like nobody's business because of all the vineyards. By the way, we don't have accents in California, except for the hodge-podge of people passing through..., but I digress. What I'm getting at is not accents, but lifestyles carried over from a few years ago. We have squirrels out here, not gray, running on the ground and up the tree squirrels, like you all in Kentucky used to eat...(that's a joke, ok?). Our squirrels are ground squirrels and they live in burrows under the ground and do a lot of damage, carry rodent diseases, etc. and are so prevalent, we shoot them as a hobby and as a way of controlling them. (Don't faint, ladies, it's the way it is, ok). Anyway, us hard-working folks have a daughter who went to college up north, way up north in Santa Cruz, which is a 'liberal arts' college, and as many of you college grads know, kids from the country have been stereotyped. a lot . So one day, she's with some friends who ask where she's from and when she says, the Central Coast, they kidded her about 'did she ever shoot squirrels from off the back porch?' Well, quick thinker that she is, being a college grad and all, she said..'As a matter of fact..." They didn't laugh, but we all do whenever we get together as a family out here in rural California, (with roots back in the Midwest,and a low tolerance for squirrels). Have a good day. I like rural people, and our country's wonderful blend of backgrounds. I also like the traditions of all of us, and hope I did not hurt anyone's feelings in the above rant. We Midwesterners get alot of teasing. Just watch the jokes about 'Mrs. Olsen, the coffee lady, or the Golden Girls (St. Olaf College, yes, there is one, my dad went there), Woody on Cheers and all those Minnesota 'doncha' jokes. I guess we just have to appreciate some of the changes in our world (I do like wine).My mom brought home turtles on the way home from school during the depression for her mom to cook as a soup. So the eating gray squirrels wasn't meant to be harsh. I've learned to like quiches and biscotti and will never eat a mountain oyster or rabbit, no matter what my roots are. trish in ca

[Kichenwich]

G' Morning Trish from CA! No offense taken-hunting food is just a fact of life. I come from a family of hunters (Dad, 4 Brothers, then Hubby, and now, Son). However, we have a different "rule" than most, which I have found pretty much common all over the state with the locals: If you ain't gonna eat it, don't kill it. It's almost like I can hear my Dad's voice saying that to me and my brothers (he passed in 1998). I think the reason game hunting in this area is so popular is that many people in the depression era and for a years afterward relied heavily on the meat they hunted or trapped to feed their families. Many of the smaller rural towns either didn't have a store, or the store was tiny. It wasn't like now, go to Kroger or Wal Mart and pick your meat, nicely packaged.

Nothing ticked my Dad off worse than "sports hunters", as he felt that was wasting what God gave us to feed our bodies. Strange how this changes from area to area, state to state! Sounds like everyone carries a little stigma, even if it's just what we choose as a hobby-or as supper! lol ~joanna~

[kimmieyky]

If you ain't gonna eat it, don't kill it.

Amen, sister! The one thing I cannot tolerate is the hunting for sport. I've have seen out-of-towners come in during Deer season just to get that 'Buck Head' to hang on the wall. It's one thing to use part of it as a trophy - but you better be eating the rest!
Thankfully - I can say that we, too, have the same KY tradition. A few Deer in the freezer will go a long way - just like squirrel, rabbit and fish.

Hunting for sport is not something I grew up with, don't find much of around here - and along with growing our own vegetables for food and tobacco or soy beans for a living - that's just the way it is!

The only thing I have grown up with as far as killing from the back porch - shooting Starlings with a bee-bee gun or grain shot to scare them off. They take the food from the smaller birds. Like in the movie 'Nemo' where the Pelican is talking about the seagulls - Starlings are 'rats with wings' and will tear up a garden and shew off the other birds faster than anything!

[MoonlightMadness]

Originally Posted by kimmieyky

If you ain't gonna eat it, don't kill it.

Amen, sister! The one thing I cannot tolerate is the hunting for sport. I've have seen out-of-towners come in during Deer season just to get that 'Buck Head' to hang on the wall. It's one thing to use part of it as a trophy - but you better be eating the rest!
Thankfully - I can say that we, too, have the same KY tradition. A few Deer in the freezer will go a long way - just like squirrel, rabbit and fish.

Hunting for sport is not something I grew up with, don't find much of around here - and along with growing our own vegetables for food and tobacco or soy beans for a living - that's just the way it is!

The only thing I have grown up with as far as killing from the back porch - shooting Starlings with a bee-bee gun or grain shot to scare them off. They take the food from the smaller birds. Like in the movie 'Nemo' where the Pelican is talking about the seagulls - Starlings are 'rats with wings' and will tear up a garden and shew off the other birds faster than anything!

Oh those "nasty birds"! That's what I call them. If I put out dry catfood for the strays, those darn birds steal it. And they come in hordes! I'm forever banging on my backdoor to chase them away so I can bring in whatever's left in the bowl for the next cat that shows up in my yard. I like "rats w/ wings" but that's what we call pidgeons here in Philly. We call squirrels "rats w/ bushy tails".

[kimmieyky]

I know I am getting a little off topic here - so I'll try to say it in Kentucky-ese...
Ther wuz a gi-hugical turkey in mi yard taday - an we live 'n the city limits!

He's a gobbler lik yu've never seen, and the goofy bird was almosy eatin' frum my hand! I'll post pics soon. Amazin'!!!!

[trishinca]

P.S. While on the subject of squirrels and movies (Nemo), I did see an albino squirrel about 3 years ago on my way to work. He would stand up on his rock perch, surveying his kingdom or run like the dickens when other brown squirrels seemed to be chasing him away. I suppose in their own instinctive way, he was a threat to the rest of them, standing out like he did for all the predators to see. I got so I would look for him, secretly rooting for him to survive, maybe even raise a baby or two, which probably would not be albino as I'm sure he was carrying recessive genes. What got me, however, is when I noticed him (her) no longer around, I saw a 22 shell on the ground on the side of the road. Coincidence, perhaps, but my heart sank when I even thought about someone 'trophy-shooting' the little guy. Ok, back to accents. I love the southern accent as well as the Texas-Oklahoma accent. I wonder if anyone has an idea how and why they differ? Can't put my finger on this, except I think your southern accent is slower and deeper...(Should I capitalize Southern?) Bye for now.

[kimmieyky]

You are right about the difference in our accent (KY) and the one from Texas/Ok. My mil is from Ok - and while she has a very pronounced southern accent, it is absolutely different than here.

Her 'i's are all long like ice, nice, etc. - Most people turn the 'i' into a two syllable letter like 'ayh' - but hers are just one. Does that make sense? And they do seem to drawl out more, while staying very country.

The only way I know to explain it - if you have ever visited Paducah, Princeton - that area of KY - that is the same accent most in south easterm Ok have, whereas the accent in Texas area is slower and pronunciations different.

I grew up listening to people like 'Paula Dean' the cooking lady on the food network. That's what I'm used to, but being closer to Louisville, it was toned down somewhat. Still...you can tell be listening who was born here - almost exactly where - just by the inflection - and especially the pronunciation of 'Louisville'. Very funny - and always lets me know I am home!

[trishinca]

Just a little thing about being raised in the Midwest. We had Grandparents who still spoke Norwegian. My Grandpa played a Norwegian fiddle. My mom's mother played in a kitchen band, with each woman dressed in bonnets, aprons and playing some kind of household 'instrument', like the washboards and bass tubs of the South. She had ten kids, and I imagine in my mind how she must have got all dressed up and left Grandpa with all the kids to go play in her little band on Sunday nights. Love those memories and stories. Had a photo of her dressed up at one time, and I even tried to teach myself to play the 'spoons' out of an ache to carry on a little tradition. Am I silly? Families are so important to give you a sense of who you really are. I still use the word 'ya' instead of yes and probably always will. It's Norwegian and its in me like your Southern accents. When you think of all our country's settlers, think how similar some of our music is; bluegrass reminds me of old Irish fiddle music...polkas go back to the old country, and most cultures have a 'squeezebox' (accordion)of some kind. (Cajun, Mexican, Polish, Swiss, Scandinavians...) I LOVE all ethnic music.. Can't get enough of bluegreass and old time music. It makes my heart ache when I hear it. (That's a good thing, to feel life).

[kimmieyky]

Originally Posted by trishinca

Just a little thing about being raised in the Midwest. We had Grandparents who still spoke Norwegian. My Grandpa played a Norwegian fiddle. My mom's mother played in a kitchen band, with each woman dressed in bonnets, aprons and playing some kind of household 'instrument', like the washboards and bass tubs of the South. She had ten kids, and I imagine in my mind how she must have got all dressed up and left Grandpa with all the kids to go play in her little band on Sunday nights. Love those memories and stories. Had a photo of her dressed up at one time, and I even tried to teach myself to play the 'spoons' out of an ache to carry on a little tradition. Am I silly? Families are so important to give you a sense of who you really are. I still use the word 'ya' instead of yes and probably always will. It's Norwegian and its in me like your Southern accents. When you think of all our country's settlers, think how similar some of our music is; bluegrass reminds me of old Irish fiddle music...polkas go back to the old country, and most cultures have a 'squeezebox' (accordion)of some kind. (Cajun, Mexican, Polish, Swiss, Scandinavians...) I LOVE all ethnic music.. Can't get enough of bluegreass and old time music. It makes my heart ache when I hear it. (That's a good thing, to feel life).

Ahhh, the joy of being a true melting pot.....How wonderful!