Things my daddy taught me....

It's Father's Day weekend and as the day rolls around it makes me think back on things my daddy has taught me through life. 

As with most father's daddy taught me respect, honor, pride and love.  In addition to those normal lessons in life he taught me a lot more too, on Father's Day I like to look back on those things....

A look is more powerful than words  Growing up daddy had a "look" that you never wanted to see.  It was stern, solid and unflinching.  The look said more than words ever could.  The look would tell you to sit down, keep your mouth shut and pay attention.  The look would say, don't ever let me see you do that again.  The look would ask, what did you say?  You did NOT answer the look!

As I have grown older I have perfected the look.  I use it in business, I use it in my political life, I use it with the neighbor kids, I use it with my staff.  I try to be selective in my use of the look and only pull it out when absolutely necessary, but when I want to make sure my point is perfectly clear, I just remember a lesson from my daddy and give the look.

Some sugar is sweeter than others.  All my life I have heard my daddy tell people to "give me some sugar."  I learned long ago he wasn't talking about the white stuff you put in tea, but he was talking about a kiss.  Usually a kiss on the cheek, but it could mean a hug or both.  There is nothing better than a hug and kiss from a friend or loved one.  To my ears, give me some sugar is the ultimate compliment!

Family First.  I don't think that lesson is anything out of the ordinary for most people, but my daddy lived that motto on a daily basis.  After Tom died our family could have been torn apart, daddy made sure we weren't. 

On more than one occasion I heard my daddy make the comment, "I have already lost one, I won't lose another one."  By that I think he meant that he would fight for us and make sure that we did not leave the "family."  He would fight our enemies and protect us whenever needed to keep us together.  That role model is something that we all take with us in our family.  We may bicker and argue, but when it comes down to it we are family and will not be torn apart.

Woman's work is just.... work  Daddy used to joke that cooking and cleaning was "woman's work."  Early on in my life I learned that woman's work is just... work. 

Mama was sick and hospitalized a lot when I was young.  The wreck, the hospitalization after Tom died, migraines, she was sick a lot.  Early on, daddy learned to cook and clean and keep a perfect house.  When mama was sick that didn't mean we ate out, it meant we all chipped in and cooked dinner.  Daddy is one of the best cooks I have ever known, the only thing my mama could ever cook that he couldn't match was biscuits, so to make up for it we had a lot of cornbread.

Long before the women's movement, long before stay at home dads, long before Mr. Mom, there was Ray Rumsey.  A clean house, excellent meals, perfectly washed clothes, organized birthday parties and all the other typical "woman's work" chores around the house became just work in our house.  He was a trend setter long before it was considered cool, in our house it was just necessity.

A chicken ain't nothing but a bird.   Daddy has always has a way with words, but this is one of my favorites... a chicken ain't nothing but a bird.  Whenever I have been afraid to try something I have heard it.  Seven simple words that are very powerful. 

When you take the fear out of life it makes everything possible.  There is no room for being a chicken, after all a chicken ain't nothing but a bird.

Life lessons aren't taught in books.  Daddy was a school teacher and football coach.  He still teaches and coaches today, not in the formal sense but the life sense. 

Daddy taught 12th grade American Government.  I'm not sure we ever opened a text book during his class, but the life lessons that were taught in that class far outweigh any chapter and verse on the Constitution or rules of Congress than we could have ever been quizzed on.

Don't ever do anything to embarrass your mama.  I have mentioned this one many times in this blog.  It was the basis of my life and I still carry it with me today.  The greatest lesson my daddy ever taught me, because it was the hardest to live up to.

My daddy is an interesting character, someone who has touched the lives of many, someone who has always taught and someone who overflows with love.  I'm lucky and proud to call him my daddy.

Happy Father's Day.... I love you!

The Harvest of Thanks

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. There is no pressure for the perfect gift, it isn't about one single person, it is just a celebration of thanks.

The food, friends, family all combine to make Thanksgiving a special time.

As I have grown older, my Thanksgiving celebrations have changed. Since, moving to Florida I have always had to work the day after Thanksgiving, so travelling to Georgia has been out of the question. Now, I celebrate this special holiday with my Florida family, a collection of friends who have blessed my life in unimagined ways.

It is sad not to be with my family in Georgia on this holiday, but I know that they hold a special place in their hearts for me as they sit to enjoy the harvest of love they feast on at Thanksgiving.

As much as I loved those Thanksgiving celebrations in God's Country before moving to Florida, and as much as I love the ones I take part in here, my favorite Thanksgiving memories are from my early childhood, in a place called Rochelle, Ga.

Rochelle, is a tiny town in south-western Georgia, approximately 60 miles from Macon. Not much happens in Rochelle, it is an agriculture community that thrives on pecan fields. Rochelle is where we lived the first year of my life.

We moved away from Rochelle, before my first birthday, but it has always held a special place in our hearts.

During our time in Rochelle, our family became part of a close-knit circle of friends the Hudsons, the Horns, the Mashburns, Whitworths, Conners, Reeds and others, an extended family much like the one I have created in Florida.

We had a special bond with the Hudsons, Newt, Gracie, Randy, Dixie and Suzanne.

For years after moving to God's Country, we would travel to Rochelle for Thanksgiving. Mama and daddy would pack up the car after school let out on Wednesday and we would travel into the night to our friend's in south-Georgia. A standing invitation was held for us at Newt and Gracie's house and we would revel in being there.

Newt was the County Extension Director and later became a State Legislator. Randy, their son, is the splitting image of his father in personality and actions.

Gracie was a combination of Paula Deen and Rose Kennedy. The loud, hilarious, protective matriarch of the family. Dixie is as much like Gracie as anyone could imagine.

Suzanne, the perfect combination of her father's quite dignity and her mother's rambunctious zest for life.

To me, Gracie was the funniest, kindest, most loving person I have ever known. She had an infectious laugh that would echo through the house, a love that was as poignant one on one as in a crowd, and a simple elegance that would capture every eye when she walked into a room.

Arriving in Rochelle for Thanksgiving meant one thing.... joy! Unbridled joy!

We would drive up to the Hudson house late into the evening and be engulfed in hugs, kisses and laughter that would last long past the time we returned to God's Country.

Without delay preparations would begin for the Harvest of Thanks that would be presented the next day. A table filled with turkey, ham, beef, fish, vegetables, salads, cakes and pies of every combination and most of all love.

My favorite memories of Gracie have nothing to do with the meal preparation, but special times sharing the bench of her organ, laughing and singing to her concert that in my mind was performed just for me.

Located in the den of the house was Gracie's organ, no music in sight, but the most important piece of furniture in their house in my young mind.

To this day, I recall asking repeatedly "Gracie, will you play the organ for me?" After some simple coaxing, she would always pull off her apron, take me by the hand, place me on the bench along side her and begin to play. Gracie played by ear, and in my mind she performed like the best of the best at Carnegie Hall.

I would sit along side Gracie and the rest of the family would join us in the den. She would play, she would sing, she would laugh and we would all join in. Those moments spent with Gracie are some of the most treasured of my life, I will never forget that time for as long as I live.

Mama and Gracie would continue preparations for the feast long into the night. Potatoes peeled, oranges crushed, cakes baked and a continuous round of basting the turkey throughout the night, this was a meal prepared with love for all those who would sit together the following day.

After a long night, preparations would again begin early in the morning. After a full breakfast, daddy, Newt, Tom, Sam and Randy would make their way to the Hudson's farm, a sprawling pecan orchard with grazing cows and catfish ponds. I stayed behind, tugging on Gracie's apron strings just enjoying the time with this lady I loved so much.

By lunchtime, the house was filled with all the other families who had been a part of our life in Rochelle. Providing their own dishes, there was easily enough food for the entire state and more laughter in one confined place than should be allowed.

We would gather together as time for the feast approached and Newt would lead us in prayer. All holding hands, families intermingled.... an extended family of love.

A Harvest of Thanks!

I treasure those times in Rochelle, the memories of those days still impact me some 30 years later.

As I grew older we didn't travel to Rochelle for Thanksgiving anymore. Ma-ma and Gramps were getting older and it was important for us to stay closer to God's Country, but that extended family still holds a special place in my heart.

We lost Gracie a few years back, I had not seen her in many years when she died and I regret that, but I know she loved me and I know she knew I loved her. She will always hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to sitting at her side again some day as she serenades the angels in heaven on her organ.

Yes, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, a time to tell those important to you that they are loved.... a time to give thanks!

Great Southern Kitchens.... The Varsity

When you think of great restaurants, fast food establishments don't always come to mind. That is unless you are a southerner.

In the south, we treasure our fast food, sometimes you just need some grease!

One of the greatest fast food restaurants in the world is The Varsity! A Georgia tradition, with six locations in the Atlanta metro area and Athens, The Varsity is unlike most any other restaurant you will visit.

Guests place their orders at a large stand up counter, spanning the length of the main atrium. Boisterous attendants take your order and shout the requests back to a kitchen in a lingo all their own. With terms like "naked dog" for a hot dog the attendants at the counter offer an entertainment all their own.

As a child, one of my favorite stops on College Football Saturdays would be a visit to The Varsity. We would pull up to the curb-side stand and place our orders. The food we ordered at The Varsity would then turn into our tailgate party once we arrived at the stadium.

The menu is quite simple, hot dogs, chili dogs, french fries, onion rings, pimento cheese sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches and the like. In addition to the traditional fast food fare, you can also get some of the best fried pies and frosted orange drinks you could ever ask for.

The Varsity is such a tradition in the south, that any serious politician running for national office always makes a stop there. Celebrities, sports heroes and common folk mix and mingle within the confines of The Varsity.

Today, when I fly into Atlanta, my first stop is usually The Varsity. Without fail, when I begin to plan for a trip home, I always get a craving for the fare of my favorite fast food joint. Daddy used to ask if I wanted to stop, now, he doesn't even have to open the conversation for discussion he KNOWS I want to stop.

The restaurant is broken up into "TV rooms." Small dining areas with 10 -12 tables each. Inside each dining area, the TV is tuned to a different station, hence the name.

On our stops at The Varsity, I have run into family members, old friends I haven't seen in years and past acquaintances, it never fails, you will always see someone you know at The Varsity.

My choice of food at The Varsity is always the same. (Now if you are a calorie counter, you may want to skip this part!) I order a hamburger, chili dog, onion rings, french fries and large diet coke.... yeah, I know the diet coke part is kind of defeated with the other items!

Nothing at The Varsity is typical. The onion rings are made from authentic Vidalia onions, the french fries are individually cut from real potatoes and the chili is homemade....nothing frozen here, all made the day of for cooking.

The next time you travel through Atlanta or Athens, do yourself a favor, stop in at The Varsity, one Great Southern Kitchen!

Great Southern Kitchens.... LaPrade's

We weren't rich growing up, my parents had to work hard for us to have what we had and daddy had a second job selling real estate between the school year. We were a middle class family plain and simple.

We didn't travel a lot, other than to visit family and friends in Florida and South Georgia, but when you grow up in "God's Country" you don't really have to travel far to find everything you could want.

For a small town Clayton, Ga had some fairly well known restaurants, some of which can easily be described as Great Southern Kitchens. One such restaurant was LaPrade's.

LaPrade's was only open from Memorial Day until Labor Day, it sat high atop a hill on the banks of Lake Burton. Nestled between huge azalea bushes and rhododendron, LaPrades was a family style restaurant that attracted the Lake Burton well to do and the locals of the area each time the doors opened. Served all you can eat and at a reasonable price, LaPrade's was perfect for our middle class tastes.

We often found ourselves at LaPrade's for lunch after Church on Sundays. Ma-ma and Gramps would meet us there as Lake Burton was 1/2 way between my parents house and their house.

LaPrade's served two seating's for lunch and two for supper, one hour each, and the menu was basically the same ever day. People from all over would gather on the sweeping front porch of the lodge prior to going in for their meal time. The porch provided a gorgeous view of the lake and the boats speeding by with water skiers or fishermen.

When I was a child, daddy never let my brothers or I play carnival games, he said they were a waste of money, but when we went to LaPrades he would let us play the electric bowling machine and we would have family tournaments on those lanes with the miniature balls and pins.

Once the bell was rung and guests were admitted into the dining room diners would file in and find a seat at one of the 4 long tables lined with benches. Each table was probably 50' long and you never knew who you may be sitting by during the dining experience. The President of major corporations would be seated next to farmers and so on down the tables as approximately 200 people enjoyed each seating.

The food was served family style, huge platters of fried chicken, country ham, pork chops, fresh green beans, squash and fried okra along with corn, mashed potatoes, slaw and biscuits and gravy. Home made chocolate cake was always served for dessert. Everything was fresh from the garden, no frozen foods here, just good ole country dining at its best.

Servers ran a constant marathon back and forth to the kitchen bringing out platter after platter of deep fried, dripping in butter, stick to your ribs country cooking. Feeding time lasted for 60 minutes, so to get all you could eat during those sessions the eating was constant, but the conversation of the guests never wained and the families gathered together around this massive table became one.

Once the meal time was over, we would file out just as we came in, although stuffed to the gills and ready for a nice long nap, after a feast prepared with pride.

LaPrade's closed down in the late 80's as fast food and chain restaurants invaded God's Country, during the last year it was open my family made one last visit to our old stomping ground.

On that last visit my sister-in-law was very pregnant with my niece. After dinner we all took a walk down the hill, to the lakefront and back up the mountain, we did this in hopes that the exercise would encourage my niece to make her entry into the world, I don't think that walk made any difference in her arrival date, but it made one last memory for my family and I at LaPrades, a Great Southern Kitchen.