Brrrrr . . .

Easter was yesterday. Handel's Hallelujah chorus, pews filled to bursting from balcony to front row, and a gorgeous blue sky. Lovely ladies in snappy Spring ensembles (black and white geometric and floral prints predominated), kids in cool new duds, and flowers bedecking the cross. Oh, yes, and it was FREEZING.

That's the South for you. Just when you think you have it pegged, March comes marching in with some crazy weather. I'm wearing light khakis and a twin set and longing for my heavy black Einstein. But nooooo. Wearing winter wool after Easter is not "proper." Tomorrow morning comes with a freeze warning, but I will shiver in my spring things. I can't help it. I am bound by my Southern upbringing. Easter and Memorial Day bind our definition of proper attire as surely as cheap acrylic yarn pills.

Thank goodness I invested in that lovely knee-length khaki trench coat. I probably won't take it off all morning.

Dunwoody is innately Southern, from the monogrammed, smocked dresses on preschool girls to the personalized note cards attached to every gift. We welcome all newcomers from points north and east and throughout the world, then work quickly to help them get into the Southern mindset.

• Slow down. Don't talk so fast. Savor each word and put a little song into it.
• The most cutting thing you can say about someone is "bless his/her heart." As in, "She really has a special way with fashion, bless her heart." Or, "He's trying really hard with that lawn mower, bless his heart."
  
• If someone says they're rooting for Georgia, they don't mean the state. Or Georgia Tech. It's GEORGIA - the one in Athens.
• Biscuits are a meal unto themselves.
  
• If you're in a long line of traffic anywhere in Dunwoody, it's an unwritten rule to let people in who are waiting on side streets and driveways. Slow down, flash your headlights and motion them in with your hand. The proper thank you for such courtesy is a wave of the right hand so the driver behind you can see your gratitude.
• Impromptu cul-de-sac weekend evening parties are a summer tradition, but it's improper to enjoy that camouflaged beer or wine too much while the kids are playing nearby. (One of the preschoolers I teach assured me last year during a lesson on spelling "wide" - misunderstanding me to say "wine" - that his mom likes wine a lot, but his dad likes beer better.)
  

On to the knitting front.

I'm designing a new bag, finished both mukluks and felted them, and will shortly embellish them and attach the soles. It's a busy week, filled with Scouts, softball, work and a freelance writing assignment, but that's life as usual.

Stay warm. I'm going to go add wood to the fireplace now. Imagine. A roaring fire in MARCH!