“Lord a mercy I orta know’d it wouldn’t a fit me.”
Tipper
Overheard: snippets of conversation I overhear in Southern Appalachia
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Come cook with me!
MOUNTAIN FLAVORS – TRADITIONAL APPALACHIAN COOKING
Location: John C. Campbell Folk School – Brasstown, NC
Date: Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, June 29, 2019
Instructors: Carolyn Anderson, Tipper Pressley
Experience the traditional Appalachian method of cooking, putting up, and preserving the bounty from nature’s garden. Receive hands-on training to make and process a variety of jellies, jams, and pickles for winter eating. You’ll also learn the importance of dessert in Appalachian culture and discover how to easily make the fanciest of traditional cakes. Completing this week of cultural foods, a day of bread making will produce biscuits and cornbread. All levels welcome.
Along with all that goodness Carolyn and I have planned a couple of field trips to allow students to see how local folks produce food for their families. The Folk School offers scholarships you can go here to find out more about them. For the rest of the class details go here.
I agree with Janis- I can hear their voices- my Meemaw, too! (N. AL, E. TN) I’m plumb tickled to death!
You orta know we love you by now
I still say it today Tipper. I love the way we talk. I guess i will talk it till im gone. God Bless!
Yes I’ve heard the “orta” but the preceding statement got me. When there was a calamity of some sort I would hear the “Lord have Mercy,” “Lord A Mercy,” or “Mercy” statements.
If you lived closer to me, I’d swear that was me talking (to myself) when you overheard that conversation. I’ve been saying that a right smart lately while doing some spring cleaning in my closet.
Yes, I have had a many a one ‘I orta knowed’ moments, like the time recently when I ordered boots a half size too small.
By the way everybody, I commented awhile back about the D R Mayo Seed Co. being a good source of garden seed. But I learned yesterday they are now out of business.
That’s it, perfectly, enunciated in the language we call ‘country’!
“Lord a-mercy!… ” Music to my ears – I can hear my mother and her sisters talking in my head! It brings back so many memories of life in the Piedmont! Thanks!
Funny, I was just this morning looking at an old pair of huntn boots that are to small for me, but I just can’t bare to let them go, I paid good money for them thangs, and I purposely bought them a little big so I could put on thick socks when I used them and now my feet will not comfortably fit, what’s happening to me.
Probably not just Appalachian but recently heard. That woman would gripe if you hung her with a brand new rope.
Funny the difference in the way we normally write it, and the way we normally say it. Just yesterday at work I remember someone saying “Ortn’t we’d a ast somebody afore we did this”.