Living in the South

I was once told that a lady doesn't sweat, she perspires. Deodorants tout their ability to be antiperspirant. But how do we really differentiate? Well, I am here to tell you that if you live in the Deep South, you sweat. Yes, and it doesn't matter which sex you are either. The moisture hangs in the air like a living thing. Sometimes when you walk outside, the blast is so hot, you would swear you just stepped into a sauna. I remember when I was living in Baton Route, LA, that it was 80 degrees on April 15th, and 100 percent humidity without a cloud in the sky. That's when I decided to leave BR and move back to SC! A little moisture on your forehead might be perspiration. My husband could be classified as a perspirer. He can be out in the hot sun at noon and he just gets a little wet in the face. He would have to be out there all day in the heat before he would actually perspire enough to call it sweat. I know a lot of people like that and some that I've never seen "...

We have a rather large house, but it's just the two of us and our pets. It's not that hard to take care of or clean, but I can't figure out why we have gotten so messy. Is it because we have more room to mess up? I used to be so organized. I knew where everything was and I sure wasn't a packrat. It just seems as if my brain was able to function on a higher level than it does now. I keep trying to retrain myself into good habits, like putting clothes away or in the hamper, but I inevitably leave them on the bed if I think I will wear them again. Leave mismatched socks on the dresser until I find their twin. Leave stuff on the dining room table and then have to clean if off quickly if company comes over. My studio is a wreck and it takes time to get started on a project because I must clear up space first. I am pretty good with follow-throught when I do a project, but it seems like lately I jump from thing to thing and never really get going gangbusters on any on...

I work with a friend in a small town doing small business accounting on the side. Last week my friend was burglarized for the 7th or 8th time since December. But he had put an alarm on the kitchen door the last time it was broken and fixed. So last week when the alarm sounded at 4:45 AM, he grabbed his shotgun and ran out the back door and around the side of the house and caught the guy. The guy tried to fight back and caused the shotgun to discharge hitting him in the shoulder. He then proceeded to run off down the street and ended up ringing the doorbell of a man two blocks away. Naturally he gave several stories before he finally confessed what had really happened. They medivac'd him out because of the gun shot wound, but he was in jail the next day. We also found out he has a criminal record of aggravated assault and burglary. Why is he roaming free? Meanwhile, my friend had called 911. He has COPD, so he was desperately gasping for air. I guess the 911 operator could...

It never fails that when the summer heat arrives, I get lazy. I don't mean slovenly lazy, but I just don' t feel like doing the same things I have the energy to do in the Spring and Fall when the weather cools. The humidity makes the air thick to breathe and it just seems to hang there. How is it that those of us who didn't have air conditioning when we were growing up, just can't seem to enjoy the heat. And how is it that folks who move here from colder climates enjoy the heat more that we who were born and raised here do. I remember when I was a kid we slept with a fan either blowing on us or a window fan that would at least create airflow. I still to this day have to have my ceiling fans going all the time. I just have to feel that air moving around. Even when it's cool and the heat pump fan doesn't come on, I turn it on just to get the air moving. When I make up my mind that I absolutely have to get outside and do some gardening, tending to the chicken...