Come....Sit a Spell!

  With all of the yard work happening on the Bayou as of late, my eye has been catching all sorts of things that need redoing.  While the wicker chairs still are in good shape, the wood and iron benches were looking a mite shabby.  Well, actually, worse than shabby.  They were more on the dangerous side!  The wood slats had seen better days and needed to be replaced before anyone took a notion to plop down on them.  Had anyone decided to take a seat, they probably would have wound up sitting among a heap of broken boards!  The benches were just that bad! Thank goodness, Son has been on a "fix-it" spree lately.  The seats were ripped apart, sanded, painted and then new slats were afixed on the first one.  The slats will be replaced on the other two as soon as the weather clears again.  Come sit for a spell!

  That phrase seems to be used a bit more down here in the Deep South than other places about the country.  Perhaps it is in reference to our laid back attitude about life.  There is no need to be in such a tizzy to get everything done immediately. Sit down, grab a glass of sweet tea or coffee (your choice) and take a load off your feet.  Sometimes when looking at the news (especially as of late), it seems as if that is what is wrong with folks.  Everyone seems to be riled up over one thing or another or are "offended" by something that was said but no one ever wants to sit down and have a neighborly chat to right things.  Back in the day, the front porch was the site of many of conferences where the troubles of the world were discussed, taken apart and put back together again in a reasonable order.  Down South, the front porch is our version of a "fireside" chat.  We sit on porches or out under the shade of an old oak and make amends instead of letting things ferment until they bubble out of control.  

  Now that my benches are repaired and are in "sitting" condition, it only seems proper to send out that neighborly invitation of "Come on over and sit a spell.  Have a glass of sweet tea and lets talk."  Life is good here on the Bayou.  It is too bad the rest of the country cannot be the same.