Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Wow, last week's long awaited launch was a lot of fun
for me--and scary too! Things are moving pretty quickly
around here. (Hmmm...this is probably how the mad
scientist felt when he created Frankenstein!)
As a way of furthering our introduction, this week's
porch talk is a bit of an autobiography; I hope you enjoy
it. I'd love to hear more about each of you as well.
Drop me a line sometime.
I was nine when I wrote my first book, MARTHA AND HER
HORSE. It had eighty-seven pages and chapter titles like
"Trouble in the Pasture". Okay, so it wasn't WAR AND PEACE,
but I had a story in me-and I needed to tell it. My mother
proudly read excerpts of this literary wonder to anyone she
could lasso into listening.
I'm thirty-eight. I still love words and my reason
for writing hasn't changed; I need to tell stories.
Unfortunately, without Mama's strong-arm tactics, finding
an audience has proven more difficult. For years I scratched
my words on the back of grocery lists and children's dentists'
appointments, or piled them next to each other in notebooks
and crammed them in dresser drawers and closets. Then, about
a year ago, I admitted to myself that I wanted to tell my
stories to other people. And so began my odyssey into the
publishing world. Remember Dorothy waking up in Oz and Alice
falling down the rabbit hole? Good, the analogy works--
(Click here to read this article in its entirety online at
http://www.allthingssouthern.com)
Until next week...
Warm regards,
Shellie
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"Chuckles"
A big-city lawyer was representing the railroad
in a lawsuit filed by an old farmer whose
prize bull was missing from the section through
which the railroad passed. All the farmer wanted
was to be paid the fair value of the bull.
The case was scheduled to be tried before the
justice of the peace in the back room of the general
store.
On the day of the trial the attorney for the railroad
immediately cornered the farmer and tried to get him
to settle out of court. The lawyer did his best
selling job and finally the farmer agreed to take
half of what he was asking.
After the farmer signed the release and took
the check, the young lawyer couldn't resist gloating
a little over his success, telling the farmer, "You
know, I hate to tell you this, old man, but I put one
over on you. I couldn't have won the case.
The engineer was asleep and the fireman was in the
caboose when the train went through your farm that
morning. I didn't have a single witness to put on the
stand. I bluffed you!"
The old farmer replied, "Well, sir, I'll tell you,
I was a little worried about winning that case
myself. That darned bull came home this morning."
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"A Taste of the South"
Here's a recipe that takes advantage of the
abundant fresh produce of the South. Happy eating!
Okra, Corn, and Tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh corn
• one 14-16 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 Tbs. firmly packed Brown sugar
• 1/2 lb. fresh or frozen okra, trimmed and cut into
1/2 inch slices
In heavy saucepan, combine corn, tomatoes with juice,
onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper and simmer 2 minutes.
Stir in okra and simmer, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes,
or until okra is tender.
Yield: Serves 4
A big thank you to
http:///www.southerncookingandmore.com for this
week's recipe.
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"Spotlight on the South"
Did you know it's easy to overlook something special
in your own backyard? I do, so before I commit such
an oversight, I'm shining this week's spotlight on a
deserving subject right here in my own hometown.
I remember when the Louisiana Cotton Museum was just
an "idea". Now, six years later you can explore one
of the newest members of the Secretary of State's
official museums, and benefit from the hard labor of
those industrious folks who put flesh and blood (or
rather wood and nails) into seeing the project
realized.
Located 35 miles north of Interstate 20 on U.S.
Highway 65, the museum sits on the banks of beautiful
Lake Providence in East Carroll parish, headquartered
in what was once a cotton planter's home. The doors
were opened in March of 1995. The museum is dedicated
to preserving the history and heritage of cotton
cultivation, and its influence on life in Louisiana.
To meet this goal, there are currently four exhibits
on display: The History of Cotton, The Impact of
Cotton on Westward Expansion, The Impact of Cotton on
Society and Culture and The Impact of Cotton on the
Economy.
You can see the main building of the Museum at
here
but you should really plan a trip to town to get the full
story. The museum's gracious curator, Ms. Holly Howard
will show you around. (Tell Holly I said hello!) Come on
now, the history of King Cotton awaits...
The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM.
No admission is charged. For information, call (318)
559-2041, or write to the museum at P.O. Box 641,
Lake Providence, LA. 71254.
**************************************************************
"It's Been Said..."
Okay, so maybe this quote actually belongs in the
"Chuckles" section but I couldn't decide and I really wanted
to pass it along...
"Do Southerners laugh at different things than Northerners do?
Yes--Northerners."
Roy Blount
********************************
"Southern Comfort"
I was staring vaguely at a grassy field
from a window at home
and I almost didn't see the two people
walking along.
There was a girl picking flowers dancing
merrily around,
and a man smiling kindly--attentive to
her sounds.
Then he began talking and she drew to
his side,
I couldn't quite see his face but I heard him
confide--
"I wait for you daily,
listening for your voice.
I could demand your attention,
but I give you that choice.
Sometimes you're really earnest as you
listen for my words,
always I'm speaking, but seldom
have you heard.
For you can find me in a crowd,
and you can find me in a song,
But you'll never find me sweeter
Than when you find me alone."
I wanted so to glimpse his face,
And as I struggled to see,
The girl turned slowly
And I recognized me.
Shellie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Southern Exchange"
Where are y'all? This is your space! Want to say
something about this great region? Have a good joke
or recipe to share? Read a good book by a Southern
author lately? Let me hear from you.
Thanks for your emails last week! I got a ton but
they were all of the "you go girl" and
"congragulations" variety. I appreciate those for
sure, but I also want to know what you love about the
South! Maybe the media portrays the South in a way you
think is insulting and you'd like a place to vent. Well,
sound off folks; tomtom@allthingssouthern.com --
I'm listening.
====================================
My memoir "LESSONS LEARNED ON BULL RUN ROAD" will be
available in late September in paperback or, if you’d
prefer, in e-book style to be downloaded immediately.Why
not surf over to http://www.allthingssouthern.com/books.html
and check out the FREE sample chapter? I'd love to get
your feedback on it. You can also see the other projects
I'm working on under the "coming soon" button:
http://www.bayou.com/~tomtom/NewProjects.html
************************************
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All Rights Reserved Volume I, Issue II
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