Sissified Southerners

It was all people talked about at work today. When I went into work at noon, it was sixty four degrees. Another server who was raised in Orlando, said to me "Did you turn the heat on in your house today?" I told him we have never even turned the heater on in our house since moving here in late September of 2016.

I thought he was yanking my chain ... he wasn't.

 People back in Georgia where we moved from would be elated for a sixty four degree day about now.

To me, it's just a roll down the sleeves of your shirt day and button up one more button. I guess the constant breeze makes it feel much colder, especially to people used to it being summer pretty much year round.

My dogs, on the other hand, now act like we are locking them out in a blizzard when the temp drops below sixty five degrees when we put them in the backyard to do their business... and they all three wear fur coats!

The only time the heat has been turned on in our house was when our dog sitter had to turn it on when she stayed over while we went back for Massey's college graduation. Granted the temps here dropped into the mid thirties, and we would have turned it on as well.


 There's a few things which strike me as strange, now that we live here in north central Florida.

Number one, the minute temps drop down to sixty they all wear parkas with fur lined hoods pulled up, wool scarves and Ugg boots.

Number two, I don't care what holiday it is, they shoot off fireworks...big ones. I am well over fifty six years old and have never heard fireworks shot off on Halloween, not to mention Easter.

Number three, am not too sure how fast you have to drive to get a speeding ticket here but rarely ever see someone pulled over for it or cops pulled to the side with a radar gun,waiting to catch them. Must be part of their 'Tourism First' motto.

Number four, and most importantly, can't believe how much I have come to actually love living here.

Every city has their own social and racial dynamic. Atlanta is overwhelmingly an African American community which I was totally comfortable with, growing up in the totally integrated city of East Point, on the south side of the Atlanta city limits. Best childhood ever, learning to judge peeps by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.

Now I've moved to 'Brown Town'. Not only do I work with with peeps born in Orlando, but from Honduras, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Nicaragua and even Spain.

And to think I thought Atlanta was a melting pot?

I'm just glad they all ended up here, in a country (my own country) as great as this one, even with its many faults.

Tim and I tossed around many songs from our youth to end this blog with.

I think we made an excellent choice.


This world is one world we all live in. One  place...and we are all people together.

Enjoy, and love all  the fellow human beings around you.

Till next time and next year, a very grateful COTTON