Weather, wither I go

It's all over the news here about the snow in the central portion of the US and the Northeast as well, and more is on the way. The NOAA weather guy used the word "freaky" to describe this week's upcoming weather . When the weathermen run out of words to describe it, well, that is freaky.

Florida all the way to Miami and Key West will get freezing weather, and we are having actual temps in the teens with wind chill of 5, but in a couple of days all that will be history and by Thursday they are predicting spring temps all over, including NY/New England. But then it cycles back and more snow...freaky!

When people around these parts hear the temps are going so low and they all go out and buy bread and milk...just kidding. That's a New England thing. When they hear snow is coming the first thing they do is run to the grocery store. There's always the ubiquitous local news shots of the grocery stores and people at check out lines. Like the world is coming to an end. But people in here in Georgia do suffer in temps this cold, it's a real trial for them.

My car conked out Sunday, wouldn't start after church, so it's sitting there in the church parking lot. AAA is coming to tow it over to my mechanic's but I have to be there when the tow guy gets there. Which means I have a ten minute walk in the 21 degree weather with wind chill of 10 and snow showers predicted.. and I just gave away all my coats! "It never gets cold hee. SOmeone else could use these." Joke's on me! Oh, well, at least some Georgian somewhere is warm in a real good coat.

I saw "The Great Debaters" with Denzel Washington yesterday with a couple of friends. A tremendous movie. Produced by Oprah's company, she does classy work. Emotionally powerful true story about the debate team from a small black college in Jim Crow South winning and taking on the national championship (white) team. I'd recommend seeing it!

We grabbed a sandwich at the Huddle House and everyone there was doing the black eyed peas and turnip greens thing. Here's a snippet about it-

A Southern Tradition for Luck and Prosperity in the New Year

From About.com: "If you are planning to celebrate the New Year in the Southeast, it is most likely that you will be offered black-eyed peas in some form, either just after midnight or on New Year's Day. From grand gala gourmet dinners to small casual gatherings with friends and family, these flavorful legumes are traditionally, according to Southern folklore, the first food to be eaten on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead."

"The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman's troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates."

"Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including: Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money."

Well, I did not eat greens nor did I eat black eyed peas. Do french fries count? ;)

Stay warm today and Happy new year!