From my last post about my Dad's greens in his garden, I am happy to inform you that the dark green leaves ARE the collards, and the lighter greens are the turnip greens. I will see my Dad in a few hours for our family's Thanksgiving get-together but I spoke with him last night and he told me (for sure) which was which! Funny isn't it, how we can't think very well when we are tired...I had no idea what to type about those greens in my post, but the next morning, I felt certain that I knew the identity of the greens!
Now, you know that he will have a "mess" of collards today and does anyone else call them that? Or is it just my family and other Southerners? I typed a "mess" of greens and read someone who thought only Jethro Bodine said that on "The Beverly Hillbillies". Do you remember that show? Oh my, we loved it as kids, and we certainly loved the song at the beginning. Sing along with it if you want to! Do you know it by heart? You know I do!
Hope everyone in the USA has a happy Thanksgiving day. And if you are reading this in another country, have a happy Thursday and wish us well!
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| BROCCOLI IN MY DAD'S GARDEN! REALLY, I PROMISE IT IS! |
"Mess" derives from the Latin "missus" meaning a portion of food or a course at a meal. This also was the earliest meaning in English, as in the Bible story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a "mess of pottage". "Mess" came to mean any group of people, like the military, who regularly eat together. And also, if you are in the South, and someone laughs and calls someone a "mess", that does not mean that they are messy, it just means that they like to cut up and laugh and have a good time. My Dad is a real mess!
Wishing you and your family the Happiest Thanksgiving, Kay.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Tracey! And happy trails to you! xx
DeleteKay, I love the photos of your father. I knew the meaning of mess. My mother was from the south. I used to hate when she cooked greens...I hate them. I used to say the only thing green that I like is beans and money. Mom would say"oh stop that".LOL I sure miss my parents today. Happy thanksgiving to you and yours. xo, Susie
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susie! Of course, I would not touch greens when I was a kid but I love them now.
DeleteHope you are having a wonderful weekend!
I loved the Beverly Hillbillies when I was a kid! Have a great Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debra! And of course, all Southern women look like Ellie Mae Clampett, I WISH! :-)
DeleteThen you won't mind me calling you a real mess too!I remember seeing that show, and I still like the theme tune. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Kay.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sulky Kitten, I would love to be considered a mess, although, I'm afraid I am more like what most people think of when they think of that word!
DeleteThe Beverly Hillbillies was one of my favourites growing up :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration and enjoy whatever 'mess' you all get yourselves into!! Say Hi to Dad for me!
ReplyDeleteHey, you even look a bit like Ellie Mae, remember her with the raccoon draped over her shoulder?
DeleteThanks, Jane, for your good wishes!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Kay, and your lovely family! Here in Germany, it is just a normal Thursday, but we'll have a family gathering on Sunday when my Mum is going to make a Sunday roast - goose is traditional in Germany for this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Meike! Sunday roast, that sounds really good!
DeleteAnd I hope YOU have a great time with your family.
Please tell your Mum that how much I love the socks that I won in the giveaway. They are perfectly wonderful.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Kay! I would love to sit down and share a meal with you, and some cold drinks. Maybe one day...
ReplyDeleteI loved the Beverly Hillbillies! My husband and I still bring up the show, and joke about it.
Dear Martha,
DeleteThank you! I love the idea of sharing a meal with you. One day! I love that you got to meet Jane, that is one of my favorite posts, seeing the two of you together!
Oh, and I know that show was so over the top, but it was still funny, and they would get SOME aspects of Southern life correctly. Not much on TV about the South when I was a kid, nothing much positive anyway.
Happy Thanksgiving, have a messy time (I think?) :) x
ReplyDeleteHA HA, Cheryl, YOU are a mess too! :-)
DeleteCheers!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours - may you all have a super time!
ReplyDeleteThanks, John! Hope you have a nice weekend, busy with your kitten!
DeleteWe have a few messes in our family, too. They are my favorite people. Glad you got the collard green mystery solved. Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving to you, your Dad and family- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteDiana,
DeleteYou are just a MESS! Strange that I couldn't think straight enough to identify those greens, but I could the very next morning. I must have my sleep to function properly!
Hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
Yep, I can sing that song!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thansgiving!
Yep, I knew you could!
DeleteStick with me and you will hear about every single TV show from the 60's, I know them ALL!
Hope you are having a great Thanksgiving weekend! x
Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteYes, we call it a "mess" of greens, and Sweetie loves them.
Of course, my friend from Louisiana would say a "mess" too! Hope you enjoyed your "mess" of greens and Sweetie too!
DeleteHi Kay
ReplyDelete3 things:
1. Happy thanksgiving! ( I know I'm late, but act as if I'm not!)
2. I'm sorry for the "spoiler post," didn't know you were watching that show as well. ( did you read the whole post?!)
3. I apologize for being AWOL yet again. Been busy with office work (I miss being a student) and working on my new blog at http://www.successilism.com
:)
Hey!
DeleteThat's okay, I don't know why it takes longer for us to get things here in the USA, but better late than never, right? Yes, I did read the whole post. It's okay, it is just a TV show and not real life. I was very moved by the comment from the woman who DID go through this but survived!
If you are busy, that is a good thing! :-) Take care!
I love to know the history of words, and the history of a "mess" was new to me. Thanks for your sharing of your life and surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I also love to know where and why we use the words that we do! I was so pleased to read that about "mess", since I had heard my Dad say that my whole life.
DeleteAnd I thank you very much for reading my writing, I really appreciate it.
I loved that flash back to the Beverly Hillbillies! Thanks/ And I still know all the words!
ReplyDeleteKay, your Dad looks like he enjoys to 'mess around'....that glint in his eyes!
We don't call collards collards here. I believe we just stick with 'greens' whatever type they may be.....like beet greens, turnip greens.....my fav is swiss chard greens.
Good to 'see' you today at my post and a belated Happy Thanks giving to you and yours!
Jim
Hey Jim!
DeleteGlad you like the Beverly Hillbillies too! Kids these days don't have any good songs to sing along with on TV, it's a shame!
You are so right about my Dad. If you ever see the movie, "Coal Miner's Daughter", pay attention to Doolittle, Loretta's husband, he is so much like my Dad! And of course, that is one of my favorite movies, and my Dad's too!
Swiss chard greens sounds good, really good!
My Dad gave me romaine lettuce and it tasted so GOOD!
VERY good to see YOUR comment here. Ya'll come back now, ya hear? :-)
Cheesy potatoes are our Thanksgiving tradition, but oops, not until now did I remember it to be so! In a country with so many different types of potatoes, I find it curious that shredded potatoes (hashbrowns)and tater tots are not offered here. As I won't be hand shredding my potatoes, I think our cheesy potatoes will have to wait until the summer when I can get my yummy hashbrowns :) Happy Thanksgiving weekend!
ReplyDeleteCheesy potatoes sound pretty darn good to me but I must say you have wonderful potatoes in England! Believe it or not, Richard always photographs a bag of potatoes when we are in Sainsbury's in England, they look so perfect!
DeleteThank you for you Thanksgiving wishes, and I hope you will get your hashbrowns this summer! xx
Hi Kay! I hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our was quiet and relaxing as we decided to stay home rather than drive up to my parents. It's made the weekend seem SO LONG. What a luxury!
ReplyDeleteHey Audrey!
DeleteYes! It was great! Here is what my Dad cooked: one big turkey, cornbread dressing, a mess of collards (from his garden), peas (also from his garden), the BEST Mac & cheese in the world! and a sweet potato cobbler that would make you cry! (Oh, and TWO pumpkin pies, just in case we were still hungry.)
Hope you are enjoying your l-o-n-g weekend, luxury indeed! ;-)
Hi Kay
ReplyDeleteThe BH was a favourite when I was growing up and, even now, I know all the words. In fact, not a month goes by without the song churning around in my head.
I use 'mess' in the same sense as you. A popular dessert here is Eton Mess. It sounds 'posh' but isn't: indeed it is so easy to make even the mother- in law can't 'mess' it up.
And 'mess of pottage' is a term I am very fond of. It well describes the actions of fools who look only to short term benefit.
Henry
Little did you know that you would meet a real hillbilly like me one day!
DeleteOh yes, I think I remember seeing a recipe for Eton Mess. I didn't think of it when I was typing that post though, that is my trouble, I can't recall things until AFTER I hit the publish button! And even your mother-in-law can't mess it up? Oh, that's funny but you better not let her read my blog, you will be in trouble!
Ah, mess of pottage, have I read that was really leek soup? And I know that you know it is from the Bible, but I wonder how many kids would know that reference today?