Monday, June 6, 2011

Hillbilly Girl



While on my walk with Buddy this morning I thought a bit about the term "hillbilly." I never thought of myself as such when I was a child but by many standards set forth I did fit that category. We lived on the edge of the foothills where wolves could be heard sometimes at night as well as the cries of a lynx. Both would send us scrambling towards the safety of the porch light. I spent summers barefoot with mud squished between my toes, on the run from cowboys or Indians depending on which side I was on that particular summer day. To us, life wasn't meager. It had a fullness and richness that had nothing to do with our pocketbooks and everything to do with our hearts and our minds.

Like many mothers who want more for their children my mother made sure that gifts were special. She bought things that would remind us of the possibilities, things that were completely useless in the life we knew but we understood what they represented. On my eleventh birthday I received a boxed set of Maja perfume and dusting powder. The label showed a Spanish woman in a flowing red dress with black lace mantilla (I learned that word later). I couldn't relate but I could dream. I placed them carefully on the dresser next to my gift from the previous Christmas - a hand held mirror, satin backed with matching brush and comb in faux tortoise shell.

Today, Buddy and I stopped at a meadow full of what I call buttercups, a cluster of small yellow-orange flowers. I used to bring them to my mother, pulled from the ditch along our road, and I do mean pulled as they usually came complete with roots. As Buddy rolled around in the grass among them I sat down next to him, glad to be in such good company. The thing that came to mind while sitting there among those buttercups was that hillbilly is just a state of mind, and as states of mind go it's not a bad one.

I've been back in Minnesota almost two years now living less than twenty miles from where my childhood home still stands. I'm re-learning how to live harmoniously with the land and my surroundings. They say life is a circle, that everything is concentric. Nature certainly teaches us that: the rings in trees tell their story, circles in seashells talk of the ebb and flow of time, it's in the way a bird builds its nest. It's in everything, everywhere.

As we were heading for home this morning, Buddy emerged from the ferns along the river, his mouth full of little blue forget-me-nots. We trotted home together, this Buddha-boy and me, flowers flying.  It's a beautiful and mysterious thing to be alive, living within this circle.

Here is Greg Brown with "Hillbilly Girl."


32 comments:

  1. Teresa, you are the home of a great spirit. Please live a long time and, when you go, come back soon. You are a keystone and we can't do without those for long.

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  2. Thank you, Cletis, for touching my life with such kindness.

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  3. A shame that hillbilly has such a bad connotation among some. I like and appreciate all sorts of music, including jazz, classical - and bluegrass. My husband thought it was an awful thing to walk barefoot outside...until he actually tried it a few times. :) To be close to the earth is to be at peace, at least for me. And for you too, it seems.

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  4. You are a fine storyteller Teresa. It's fascinating to read this. I remember the Maja perfume and soap. I had a piece of Maja soap in a little metal box with a picture of Maja. I didn't use it. I kept it!
    I love that dog of yours. He sounds like he's a joyful funny fellow. With forgetmenots in his mouth ! I must say he's special.
    I wonder if there are still wolves in that neighbourhood where you live? Or have they disappeared now since your childhood ? Most wolves in Scandinavia have disappeared. There are only few left now.
    Thank you for sharing this story - and the lovely song.
    Cheers to you and a little nose-hug to Buddy!
    Grethe

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  5. I love the story of your special gift from your Mother. It is so nice that she would give you things to broaden your horizons. It brought back memories of the mirror, comb and brush set that my Father gave me as a child.
    Your morning walk sounds so peaceful...thanks for taking us along : )

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  6. Li, I love many styles of music, but bluegrass has a truth to it, something almost raw in it. Yes,w hen I really listen to the earth and stay with it even for a few minutes, a shift happens.

    Grethe, Thank you for your thoughtfulness. It's my understanding that the wolf population decreased significantly for many years, but is now coming back and that there are some near here. I haven't heard or seen them for many years, just coyotes, which is a very different sound. Buddy sends a nose -hug in return... :)

    LadyCat, I'm glad you stopped by. Thank you for your comments. I have just now visited your blog and it's lovely, elegant and yet playful, a great combination. I see we are "fans" of many of the same good people.

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  7. :) that was nice...you're right; hillbilly is a state of mind and a nice one at that.
    I like your thoughts of life being a circle=it truly is.
    great post.

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  8. "buying things that would remind us of the possibilities" - ah, that touches the soul and makes me wish that all children could receive such gifts. You learned this well from your mother, Teresa, as your writings so often do, indeed, remind me of the possibilities. Thank you

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  9. I wish that I would have had a mother who would have given me gifts that made me dream. I never really got that from her. Mostly material things that really didn't mean too much. Oh, the joy of the life you live with Buddy Boy! (You have a Buddha Boy and so do I: Bodhi). And the fact that he picks flowers the same way that you did as a young child: from the roots, makes it really special.

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  10. Tracy, Thank you so much.

    Penny, What a nice thing to say. Whenever anyone feels that I learned something of value from my mother, it makes me happy. Thank you.

    Teri, I received some fine gifts from my mom, some material, mostly spiritual. Aren't our boys special? So much Love. Your thoughts about our flower pickin' make me smile. Thank You.

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  11. Delightful post, Teresa! I enjoyed reading it. Funny you never write about bees among all those flowers. Here in Hawaii, I was stung quite a few times as a child -- something I'll never forget.

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  12. Ah. That post was truly soul soothing, Teresa. I could feel the feelings you felt, I could feel the mud, and I swear I could see Buddy with bluebells coming out of his contented grin. Blessings to you...

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  13. gigi, I don't know why, but bees have not been a problem. I hear them in amongst some of my flowers, but I'm not bothered by them. I wonder about the dwindling number that has been reported....

    DJan, My flower eating buddy's smile always makes me smile. It's impossible to stay unhappy with him. He simply will not allow it. :)

    And to you...

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  14. I remember gazing at the ads for Maja and thinking how exotic it was. I love the gifts your mom gave you. My mother was very practical, and more or less disapproved of big dreams. Somehow I happened on a few anyway! Love Greg Brown and that tune.

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  15. I became a "hillbilly girl" late in life but it was always in my blood. Now, I will die happier for being here on the mountain.
    I could see Buddy with the bluebells in his mouth....Wonderful post!

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  16. Hi Nancy, I thought you might like that Greg Brown. I don't understand why a parent would not encourage dreams for their children. I'm glad you rose above it and found your own. How sweet that is.

    farmlady, "Now, I will die happier for being here on the mountain." That is a nice grouping of words. Thank you for your comments. It's never too late to become a hillbilly girl. :)

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  17. Being a hillbilly
    Like I am
    Means viewing the world through wide eyes.
    Hillbillies keep their own council
    And tread warily in the flatland.

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  18. Paul, As in all walks of life, I think it depends on the "hillbilly."

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  19. Walking with buddy or buddha boy in the buttercups and bluebells, that would be a great line in a poem.

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  20. I have given some thought lately to just this thing... Thanks, Linda.

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  21. Teresa,
    How beautifully you write, I wish I had half your talent.

    By the way, I grew up in a very small town in Pennsylvania. I do not consider my self a hillbilly but more of a hick...

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  22. Terry, Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. I'm grateful for your comments and encouragement. My very best to you on this beautiful spring (almost summer!) day.

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  23. I Love Your Distinction Between relate & dream .
    I cant think of an English equivalent of "hillbilly" but I can personally relate to your thoughts on returning to the circle.It's odd really,returning to near where you left (I returned myself a few years back) One returns & things are ,of course, familiar yet one's personal perspectives have changed.You see whats familiar with a lot more depth + respect.

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  24. Tony, I really appreciate your comments, which summarize beautifully and concisely how I feel about "returning," also. "You see what's familiar with a lot more depth + respect." Exactly so. Thank you so much.

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  25. I'm proud to be a hillbilly in more ways than one. I really liked this post. I felt at home while you led us through your thoughts. Very, very nice, and thank you.

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  26. Wild Bill, We share roots that speak of being at home in the woods and among all aspects of nature, as do so many of us here, in bloggerland. I'm glad you enjoyed our walk. I certainly have enjoyed those you've shared with us. Thank you.

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  27. I like the song. That music has roots like the flowers you picked for your Mother. I've always loved winter because it gives so much more meaning to the Minnesota summers. To have too much of one thing, it loses it's vital meaning. Buddy with flowers in his mouth. Aren't they precious?

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  28. Hi Manzanita, Buddy is a constant source of inspiration on how to go through the day. And, yes, I do appreciate the greens of Minnesota summers. Thank You!

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  29. Hi Teresa
    What a wonderful post, full of life and joy, reflection and peace.
    How fortunate children were in those days. There was so much genuine value to life then, nothing money could ever buy. I feel sorry for children who have no idea what it feels like to squish mud between their toes, to play cowboys and Indians - all of which I did too. And lay in the meadow and watch insects in the grass, and have real adventures outdoors.

    I that is being a hillbilly girl, then I was one too.

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  30. Thank you, Friko. Having real adventures outdoors seems to be happening far too infrequently for children today. I think it would go a long way towards improving life for all.

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  31. Where are you. Can't take this absence much longer.

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