Mississippi Dopers Roll Call

[Nichol_storm]

Okay, I did one of these last year, I think, but it got eaten by the board, so I decided to do one again. If you're a native of Mississippi (the state, not the river :rolleyes: ) then you're invited to drop in here and represent.

Me first. I was born in Natchez, but live now in Raleigh (the capitol of Smith County, not that you'd have heard of it). It's a small town, lost out in the woods, that consists almost entirely of me and 1, 300 of my relatives. And boy, do I have a lot of relatives! I'm attending Hinds in Raymond at the mo', but the semester finishes up in a few days and then it's back to Raleigh for me.

.:Nichol:.

[John Carter of Mars]

You're all alone, so alone over there......*Evil Laugh*

[NinetyWt]

You better watch that laffin', John Carter, or I be throwin' a Mo Jo on you.

NinetyWt was born & raised in Oxford, Miss., & currently lives in the general area of Metro Jackson.

I think Kniz is here somewhere but he's hard to catch.

[John Carter of Mars]

Doan' be comin' at me wit' no MoJo hand, NinetyWt. (Just my luck! Everytime there's a damsel in distress, a protectress shows up.)

Speakin' of Oxford, do any of you M'sipi folk get the Oxford American magazine? I think most dopers would like it. This month's issue is the annual music issue. A free CD comes with this issue, and there's some really great music on it.

If memory serves, Kniz lists his location as Pratts, Ms.

[Sophie]

I'm just south of Memphis.

[Lsura]

I'm not (though I lived just north of Jackson for a year, I left there in late 1999), but there's someone who lists their location as "The Garden Spot of the South" and somehow I've got the impression that s/he's in Mississippi somewhere - maybe near Corinth/Tupelo?

[jackelope]

I'm in Memphis, about ten miles from the Mississippi border. And about three from the River.

[Grace In Oz]

Im a native. Born in Jackson, raised in Clinton, went to California then came back for HS in Jackson. Went to Murrah HS, Hinds and Mississippi College. The library (http://www.jhlibrary.com/branches/ebal.htm) in Terry is named for my Great-Grandmother. My aunt is the director of public relations for the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Another great-great aunt taught school in Jackson for 52 years. Other family was born in Natchez at the turn of the century, and raised in houses with names. I have roots, I tell you!

Then I moved. I got to California, and figured that was far enough. I waffled on the choice, moved as close as Michigan, then no, too close - and went to Nevada.

Now I'm in Australia, and I figure this is far enough away. ;) I have managed to mostly drop the accent, too. (Though my stove still has eyes, and if I talk to my Grandaddy I get it right back in a very disturbing way.)

But my family still lives in Jackson, so I do go back now and then and say to myself, "Yes, it's still humid, with really big bugs and huge mosquitoes. And yes, I still really hate it here."

No offense to current Mizzippi Dopers, mind you. It's just not Somewhere I Want To Be.

Grace

[ioioio]

I'm not a native, but I've worked in Memphis for 8 years and have lived in MS for 2.5. I live in a sweet little lakeside community called Maywood, famous locally for its huge sandy-bottomed non-chlorinated swimming pool. It's beautiful here. I got great neighbors and a couple of good dogs.

[Nichol_storm]

Originally posted by Grace In Oz
No offense to current Mizzippi Dopers, mind you. It's just not Somewhere I Want To Be.

Ah, don't worry, Grace . You'll be back. All Southerners come home eventually, even if it's only in a pine box. :D

.:Nichol:.

[Sophie]

Originally posted by Nichol_storm
Ah, don't worry, Grace . You'll be back. All Southerners come home eventually, even if it's only in a pine box. :D

.:Nichol:.

Couldn't be more true. No one leaves forever. Funny, huh?

[NinetyWt]

I think Lsura you mean me.

John Carter I used to get the Oxford American years ago when I could afford such luxuries. My brother used to be in big with all those artsy people associated with it. And I think I gots me one o' those music CD's around here somewhere .. .it's pretty good. I was glad to see that the magazine made a comeback even if they did have to move to Arkansas.

[racinchikki]

I attended a semester and a half at Mississippi State University up in Starkville. The summer before that I lived with my sister in Biloxi, our apartment was right across Highway 90 from the Gulf of Mexico.

Mississippi was too yellow for my taste. The grass always looked parched and the dirt was a funny color.

[Grace In Oz]

Originally posted by Nichol_storm
Ah, don't worry, Grace . You'll be back. All Southerners come home eventually, even if it's only in a pine box. :D

.:Nichol:.

Ack!

Though...actually, this might be true as I'm informed that the last plot in the cemetary where the family is buried is mine "if I want it." :eek: Like I think to my 30 something year old self often....hey, time I decided where I wanna plant my corpse!

Since I don't intend to be moving back to the US any time soon, that might be quite the trip. Although dead, I won't be aware of the 20 hour plane flight. :D

Grace

[Nichol_storm]

Originally posted by racinchikki
Mississippi was too yellow for my taste. The grass always looked parched and the dirt was a funny color.

Sorry MS looked like that -- musta been a dry spell. It's gorgeous now, even if it is stiffling hot and humid. My campus is covered with thick green foliage and huge blooming flowers that are lovely to look at but which wrech havoc on everyone's sinuses. Together was clear and bright. We've had some tornaders recently, one just the other day in Madison Co. A few close calls, but I've always managed to avoid 'em. I guess Oz doesn't want me. :p

Grace In Oz -- HAH! What'd I mean you? Pine box, baby, pine box!

.:Nichol:.

[racinchikki]

One of these days, for old times' sake, I'm gonna drag Gunslinger back to Mississippi. I wasn't overly fond of it, I'll admit, but hell, it was home for a little while, and there's a really nice hotel in Jackson, and I'm sure we could find something to do for a day or a weekend. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to hit it on a good year, and see the fabled beauty of the Deep South. :)

[jacksen9]

Me first. I was born in Natchez, but live now in Raleigh (the capitol of Smith County, not that you'd have heard of it). It's a small town, lost out in the woods, that consists almost entirely of me and 1, 300 of my relatives

Small world. I am related to tons of people from Smith County. I attended Taylorsville High School, University of Southern Mississippi, and graduated from Ole Miss.

I think about moving home almost every day. I visit Crystal Springs as often as possible. I love going back.

SoSo... is it still there?

[Lsura]

Originally posted by racinchikki
Maybe we'll be lucky enough to hit it on a good year, and see the fabled beauty of the Deep South. :)

There's a town I used to drive through as I drove from Jackson to Natchez....one of the Civil War generals called it "Too beautiful to burn". Let me google it and see if I find it...

That's Port Gibson (http://www.win.net/~kudzu/portgibs.html). I always wanted to be able to stop and check it out for a while, but since I was always on my way out for the week or my way home on a Friday afternoon, I never did.

[jackelope]

Port Gibson looks great. I spent a weekend at the Harbour Oaks Inn (http://www.inntravels.com/usa/ms/ho.html) in Pass Christian a few years ago. It was gorgeous; if you can get away from the &%!@#$^ casinos, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is fantastic.

[Nichol_storm]

Originally posted by jacksen9
Me first. I was born in Natchez, but live now in Raleigh (the capitol of Smith County, not that you'd have heard of it). It's a small town, lost out in the woods, that consists almost entirely of me and 1, 300 of my relatives

Small world. I am related to tons of people from Smith County. I attended Taylorsville High School, University of Southern Mississippi, and graduated from Ole Miss.

I think about moving home almost every day. I visit Crystal Springs as often as possible. I love going back.

SoSo... is it still there?

Kewl! So who are your people? My mama is a Chisholm, I'm related to the Crafts, Headricks, Thompsons, etc. Just about everybody.

Yep, SoSo is still there, at least according to the USGS (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.GetDetail?tab=Y&id=677983), but it's only got about 300 people.

Lsura -- my father is from Port Gibson. Both it and Natchez are lovely.

.:Nichol:.

[NinetyWt]

Nichol - that Madison County tornado passed just a couple miles north of me on Tuesday nite. I was at Bunco.

And no, we didn't stop playing. I mean, it was Bunco, ya know.


p.s. I found out that Pam at the gym graduated from Raleigh (High?) ten years ago.

[jacksen9]

Nichol, I confess that I have done a very poor job of keeping up with family. My mom and dad divorced and when he died, I did not make the effort to keep in touch. :(

But... my dad's mother was a Parker before she married. I am related to the Vaughn's, McWilliams, White's, and by marriage...Henderson's. Julian Henderson married my first cousin. They are divorced now unfortunately. He lived in Center Ridge. I am related to Wilma Lightsey, and my favorite uncle of all time, Marvin Lightsey.

I usually visit Mississippi a couple of times a year. I go to Crystal Springs to visit a few friends that I have kept up with over the years. We started driving toward Taylorsville once because I wanted to visit all of my "kin". However, I chickened out in Magee and turned around. I will sometimes get this "I haven't done it so I refuse to do it" thing going.

I will move back home someday. I hope within the next three or four years. I have been saying that for the past ten years.

:D

[Purple Scottie]

Just another Mississippi gal checking in and trying to survive the first day above 90 this year!

[Nichol_storm]

jacksen -- Come on down sometime and see everyone. Don't be afraid, we don't bite. Well, not hard.

By the way, my great-grandmother was a Henderson. Not sure she was related to your Hendersons, but probably.

clipper -- Welcome! Nice ta meet ya.

NinetyWt -- Heehee! My boyfriend told me yesterday that the tornadoes never bother me because they know better. ;)

.:Nichol:.

[Omorka]

I'm from Mississippi originally - raised in Columbus, and went to high school at MSMS. I left to go to college and never looked back, but I'm glad to see someone's keeping up the fight against ignorance back home . . .