carolinastyle:

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

(Source: cvilletochucktown)

Marshall Tucker Band - Can’t You See

A little while ago at the recommendation of my grandfather, I began reading the Foxfire series.  It’s unlikely that many of y’all have heard of this series of field guides, but they’re quite an interesting read.  

Written and published in 1966 by a group of group of Appalachian high school students in Georgia, these books recorded the daily life of the hill-folk in the Appalachian mountains. The topics these books cover include everything from moonshining to log cabin building.  

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A section I found interesting was a short segment tucked away in the back on predicting weather.  

According to Appalachian lore, it will rain:

• “Within three days if the horns of the moon point down.”
• “If leaves show their backs.”
• “If cows are lying down in the pasture.”
• “If there is a ring around the moon.  Count the stars in the ring and it will rain within that many days.”
• “If the sun sets with clouds.”
• “Within three days, if you see a black snake in a tree.”
• “If an ant covers the hole to his ant hill.”
• “If smoke goes to the ground.”
• “The same time the next day, if  the sun shines while it rains.”
• “If earthworms come to the surface.”
• “If birds fly low.”

“If it hasn’t rained in a long time, and it starts before 7 a.m., it’ll quit before 11 a.m.”

“If it rains on Easter Sunday, it will rain every Sunday for seven weeks.”

“The first twelve days after Christmas indicate what each month in the next year will be like.”

“The weather will be fair if:

• “You hear a screech owl.”
• “Smoke rises.”
• “Crickets holler: the temperature will rise.”

Every Southerner (living in Appalachia or not) should give these books a read.  They cover so many topics and are so varied that there will surely be something to your liking in one of them!  

Source: Foxfire Book 1

I’ve been dreaming about making some of these lately… It’s about the only sweet cocktail I like!

cvilletochucktown:

Happy President’s Day

(Source: anchoredstyle)

Great idea!

Well, readers, I have recently read Bill of Rites for the American Man by K. Cooper Ray, better known for his blog Social Primer. I will admit to you that I was rather skeptical when I heard of this book, as I have read several books in this genre, notably John Bridges’ How To Be a Gentleman. For the record, I also have a copy of Emily Post’s big blue book, which is rather helpful at times, albeit dated. I must admit that I find much of his advice rather useful. However, what makes the book more useful for the modern man is that Mr. Ray condenses his advice into an easy read. I finished the entire book (yes the entire thing) in under an hour. 

There aren’t too many points I disagree with, though his analysis of the variant effects of Bourbon and Scotch are perhaps a little off :-) One area I think he neglected, though, was grooming. Which leads me to the next part of my review.

Recently, Mr. Ray posted a guide to grooming on his website. While many of his points were valid, there are a few i’d modify:

• Don’t shave in the shower. It’s rather cumbersome to do so, and really yields few benefits. If one is truly interested in a close, clean shave, I would suggest investing in a scrub of some sort to use every morning in the shower. After showering, apply a good shaving cream or soap with a brush (preferably badger). The benefits of this step is twofold: First, with a brush, your shaving cream or soap lasts longer, which means some cost savings. Additionally, you can get a good shaving cream made for a brush for under $5 easily online. Secondly, the brush exfoliates your skin and allows the razor to work more effectively. 
• Use a double edged razor. Preppyponderings has posted on this earlier, and he’s exactly right. The old fashioned, double edge razor is not only more cost effective, but delivers a far superior shave to a cartridge based system (2, 3, 4, 5, or whatever blades). Shaving with a double-edged razor is different from using a cartridge in that one doesn’t press down on his skin with the razor. Less pressure = less irritation. For me, I use a Merkur classic razor and Derby extra blades. The upfront cost of the razor was $30, but a 100-pack of blades set me back all of $8. As opposed to a Fusion/Mach3/Quattro/etc., I can have a new blade as often as I like (which usually ends up being every two days). Sharper, newer blades also reduce irritation. After getting one’s shaving technique down, the higher quality shave will be noticeable both to you, and I dare say, to the ladies as well ;-)
• You can wash your hair daily. For me, I wash my hair every day. If I don’t, my hair gets unruly. Modern shampoos are designed for daily use. Don’t worry about that. 
• If possible, go for the dry look. With the advent of Mad Men, the brylcreem look has taken off a bit. However, my not-so-scientific survey of the lovely ladies of Tumblr indicates that the dry look is preferred. ‘Product’ is valuable. A little pomade or even hair groom/brylcreem (think a dime-sized portion or less) can be helpful in keeping one’s hair from looking unruly during the day. The most important thing, however, is to make sure your hair is well combed and organized every day. Being well put together sends a positive message to those with whom you interact, most notably potential employers and, the ones all men care about, the ladies.

All in all, I enjoy much of what Social Primer puts out. The most important thing to remember is that the world is a stage, and every man is an actor. Making a good debut every time is possible with a little work at the beginning. Cheers!

-southandeast

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Not hold grudges. Holding onto all that anger and hostility towards someone is pointless. If you are pretending to like them in public and then cursing their name under your breath, it doesn’t hurt them. Holding a grudge only adds more negativity and pressure to your life. If you really don’t like someone, don’t associate with them; I know that is easier said then done. If you have to see someone because you work with them or live near them be cordial to them and realize, you don’t have to go to their houses for Christmas dinner, you just need to tolerate them, nothing more and nothing less. Simply put, grudges aren’t worth your time or energy.

HIGH COTTON: If you’re “high cotton” then you are mostly likely successful or part of high society.

FULL AS A TICK: This phrase is something my grandmother (and most likely yours too) would strongly disapprove of saying at the dinner table.  I’m sure you can figure out what it means but I’ve never heard this expression outside of the South.

VAPORS: Generally pronounced “Vaypuhs,” this little euphemism is a polite way of saying you’re sweating.  

RAISED IN A BARN: My father would ask me if I was raised in a barn for two reasons:

1. I left the door was wide open
2. My room was extremely messy

GOIN’ AROUND THE ELBOW TO GET TO THE THUMB: When you do this, you are basically overcomplicating things.