I'm trying my best to "redneck" when I can, but I still speak too "eloquently" and the people 'round here would call that "one of dem big words"! I grew up just outside DC in Northern Virginia and my sixth grade English teacher made our spelling and comprehension tests from Reader's Digest "Towards More Picturesque Speech" segments. So I'm kind of permanently "eloquently retarded" (I'm allowed to say the "R" word, I have a special needs person in my family!). Plus I kissed the Blarney Stone, so I'm doubly afflicted with the speech thing...
But I'm working on it...I'm comfortable now saying stuff like, "'preciate y'all!". We have a road in the city named "Rio". That's how the locals know you "aint from 'round here". If you are a foreigner of this area, you cant help but pronounce it "ree-oh" like the "de janeiro"...but nope, it's pronounced "Rye-oh"! Named for a ridge where
General Custer got his arse handed to him a year before the Confederacy fell. You can tell a newbie from a real local just from that pronunciation! And the Rivanna river, where Custer was tasked to blow up a bridge...yep...pronounced "Rye-vanna".
When we moved to Central VA, it was like bieng in an old plantation with some people making the number four in to a two syllable word..."fowa". And saying stuff like, "ova-they-ya" ("over there" for those in Rio Linda). It's kind of endearing country-speak to me now. Many of the waitresses (yes we still call them that) around here still call you "honey", "sweetie" and "sugar". And we have freaking sweet tea! North of Fredericksburg that's a fading commodity...we dont drink sugar ourselves, but just sayin'...
There are times I think I'm the only one in our town without a gun. Target practice in your backyard is a common occurrence.
Chris
It's the sound of freedom to me. I wasn't used to that when we moved here either. I didn't even own a gun. Now I have three rifles, two shotguns, 5 pistols, several hunting/combat knives and a pellet rifle! Add that to the axe handle that always stays in my truck, and yea, there's not much crime around here! I leave my truck unlocked and dont even have a lock on my shed. It would be one stupid criminal to try to mess with anyone around here.
We harvest deer, legally, right on the property. Well, except for my dad feeding them it's legal...but he has a sign out there saying the corn is exclusively for squirrels, raccoons and other small animals, any deer violating this rule will be shot on sight!