Sorry, I replied to the wrong e-mail on that last one, silly me. Sally ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Meyer" <rmeyer@3-cities.com> To: <LCFlu@aol.com>; <WVMARSHA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2002 2:21 PM Subject: Re: From Linda Fluharty - New Page - PLEASE READ > Have your son get you some Nottingham lace while he is there. My son > brought me a few pieces and I picked up a few when we went to pick him up. > I made temple bags for my daughters out of them. > Sally > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <LCFlu@aol.com> > To: <WVMARSHA-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2002 12:29 PM > Subject: From Linda Fluharty - New Page - PLEASE READ > > > > Hi, Everyone: > > > > Not long ago, I put a new page on my Pleasants County site for the > writings > > of Jim Ruckman. It is called ROCKERTALK. Jim can explain what that > means; > > in fact, I should put the explanation on the site. > > > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvpleasa/rocker/rocker.htm > > > > <A HREF="http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvpleasa/rocker/rocker.htm">ROCKER > TALK</A> > > > > Jim, aka "Rockerbilly," is really smart and very funny. I think West > > Virginians and beyond will enjoy what he has to say... some hilarious and > > some deadly serious. > > > > I know Jim will be mad at me for saying this but .... Jim grew up in > > Pleasants County and graduated from WVU. He served 2 tours of duty in > Viet > > Nam and has 2 Purple Hearts. He also has 2 Masters Degrees. (I hope I > have > > this straight!) > > > > Jim is my idea of a hero. - - - He is a loyal patriot, a proud West > > Virginian and a wonderfully sincere man with incredible depth. > > > > The Ruckman family is associated with both Marshall & Pleasants Counties. > I > > know Jim from my Pleasants County site and I actually had the pleasure of > > meeting him last summer in St. Marys. > > > > This is the most recent addition to ROCKERTALK: > > > > The late Pat Gainer, Professor-Emeritus of English, West Virginia > > University, once noted in a class I attended that a West Virginian could > get > > away with the most awful kind of insult just as long as it was prefaced > with > > the words, "Bless her heart" or "Bless his heart." As in, "Bless his > heart, > > if they put his brain on the head of a pin, it'd roll around like a BB on > a > > six lane highway." > > > > Or, "Bless her heart, she's so buck toothed, she could eat an apple > through > > a picket fence." > > > > There are also the sneakier ones that I remember from the tongue-clucking > > old biddy types in the Billsville of my childhood: "You know, it's amazing > > that even though she had that baby seven months after they got married, > > bless her heart, it weighed 10 pounds!" > > > > As long as the heart is sufficiently blessed, the insult can't be all > bad -- > > at least that's what my Great Aunt Gladys used to say, bless her heart. > > > > I was thinking about this the other day when a neighbor was telling me > about > > his new Northern friend who was upset because her toddler is just > beginning > > to talk and has a Hillbilly accent. > > > > The neighbor, who is very kind, bless his heart, said he was justifiably > > miffed about this. But, after all, this man had CHOSEN to move to West > > Virginia a couple of years ago. > > > > "Can you believe it?" said the man's friend, "A child of mine is going to > be > > taaaallllkkin' liiiike thiiiissss." > > > > Now, don't get me wrong. Two of my good friends are from the North, bless > > their hearts. I welcome their perspective, their friendships and their > > recipes for authentic Northern Italian and Jewish food. I've even gotten > > past their endless complaints from them that you can't find good bread > > around here, bless our hearts. > > > > The ones who really gore my ox are the native Hillbillies who have begun > to > > act almost embarrassed about their speech. Bless their hearts, it's as if > > they want to bury it in the Hee Haw cornfield. I say we've already lost > too > > much. > > > > I was raised to swan, not swear, but you hardly ever hear anyone say that > > anymore, I swan you don't. And I've caught myself thinking twice before > > saying something is "right much," "right close" or "right good" > > because non-natives think this is right funny indeed, bless their hearts. > > > > I have an acquaintance from Bawston who thinks it's hilarious when I say > > I've got to "carry" someone to the doctor or "cut off" the light. He also > > gets a giggle every time I am "fixin'" to do somethin. > > > > My personal favorite was uttered by a St Marys lady who said, "Bless her > > heart, she can't help being ugly, but she could've stayed home." > > > > To those of you who're still a little embarrassed by your Hillbilliness, > > take two tent revivals and a dose of red-eye gravy and call me in the > > morning. Bless your heart! > > > > And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all > this > > Hillbilly stuff, bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes > > on Mountainspeak as a second language. > > > > > > Linda Cunningham Fluharty > > www.lindapages.com > > > > > > > > > > > > ============================== > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, > go to: > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > >