“I bet that about killed her momma and daddy. They always thought they were a little better than everybody else, but they’s still good people.”
Tipper
p.s. Upcoming performances by The Pressley Girls
TODAY – September 1, 2018 @ 8:00 p.m. Vogel Park – Blairsville GA
September 2, 2018 @ 1:00 p.m. Mountain Heritage Festival – Blairsville GA
September 7, 2018 @ 7:00 p.m. Historic Union County Courthouse – Blairsville GA
September 8, 2018 @ 12:00 p.m. Cherokee County Indian Community Center Festival – Marble NC
September 22, 2018 @ 8:00 p.m. Unicoi State Park – Helen GA
Overheard: snippets of conversation I overhear in Southern Appalachia
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
I have not been able lately to post a comment. I’ve loved these “Overheard” sayings posted today. I’ve heard most of them used in Choestoe, my particular area of Appalachia where I was born and grew up; went away to college from there, and since, just back for short periods, mainly visits with relatives still living there. Did you read my “Lemonade in Choestoe” Tipper posted earlier this week? How I loved remembering Grandpa Collins’s house and that Lazy-Susan table, and that refreshing lemonade! Wonderful memories!
Well Tipper, I say, if you can’t say something good about somebody, don’t say nothing at all.
I said that about killed him yesterday afternoon . I was speaking about an older man whose son got into serious trouble when he did something illegal.
Somewhere in my studies we were taught to critique like a sandwich. The critique is hidden somewhere in the middle to soften the blow. Miss Cindy says it so well. My version would be “I have seen a great improvement in your nursing skills, and now if you can just work a little more on improving time management that would be great!” “You have the potential to be the best in this unit.” There, not nearly as humorous as Miss Cindy’s version, but it works. I was always afraid to say too much negative about anybody even if they deserved it because of the old warning, “What goes around comes around.” A friend from the Carolinas used to say, “A dog that brings a bone will carry a bone.” It brings to mind something I heard from several sources growing up, and that was that Preachers have the meanest kids. 🙂 I have no idea if that saying was strictly regional, but it did seem to have some truth. No offense to ministers, as I am just curious to its origin.
Ah, them kids. I was warned about them “getting off your toes and getting on your heart.” The last is hardest. We agonize about some of their decisions in fear they will turn out badly, yet knowing we can’t live their life for them and would feel we failed somehow if they wanted us to. For we who believe, we have to commit them to God.
That reminds me of a story I read once somewhere. Soldiers were pinned down by the fire from a pillbox. There was a call for a volunteer to take a satchel charge up to take it out. One soldier said, “I’ll go at 12:30.” The rest wanted to know why then. “Because,” he said, “my Momma promised she would pray for me at that time every day.” He went and he succeeded.
I meant to add, those manners police would sound as if they said, “Git cher feet outta the trough.”
I’ve heard and used the phrase often – one of those metaphorical things that adds importance or weight to the topic. Cindy’s comment about adding something nice is a tradition in my family too although I don’t notice people in the metropolitan areas of Central Texas doing it. It also reminds me of my grandmother saying that if you have something unpleasant or bad to say you should always put it in a “sugar sandwich”. I always used that in parent conferences when needed: Tell the parents a few good things, discuss the problem or concern, and close with some more positives. Some seemed to appreciate that; but some seemed to forget the problem and focus on the positives so that they never addressed the problem at home. Even so, I still like to address concerns that way.
That brings forth my motto again,
“Everybody is better than me except those who think they are!”
Yep, I’ve heard that kind of comment, using those exact words. That’s our way we say something that’s really not very nice but always balance it with something nice. We’ve all been taught to say something nice like….”she’s a real blabbermouth, but she’s got the purttiest teeth, don’t you think!.”
This one I’ve overheard and also said about some big feeling person. I would like to buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he’s worth.