This blog enters the Deep South

Goodbye literary angle. Hello commentaries on daily life. Welcome to this son of eastern Oregon becoming a transplanted son of the Deep South, with intervening times in northern California wine country and the Front Range of Colorado. It's not as tough a transition as one might believe.

I was getting a haircut a few weeks ago in my new hometown of Anderson, South Carolina, and I was wearing a T-shirt with a big yellow O on it. A young man in the chair as I waited my turn said, "Oh, you must be a fan of the Oregon Ducks." I hurried My  to correct him. "No, I am a Duck, an official graduate of the University of Oregon." He smiled and continued the conversation. "Being here must be a culture shock, this being the South and all." I had to correct him again. "I was raised in eastern Oregon, in an area where many people work in cherry orchards or on wheat ranches. It's not the Portlandia view of the state. People tend to be conservative, and they know the value of hard work when the sun is beating down and the temperature climbs in the hundreds." He smiled. I hope he understood. I also extolled the virtues of a state where there is no private ownership of ocean beaches and no sales tax. I didn't get into politics because that culture shock would have surfaced. Oregon is as far left as any state government, even one led by Jerry Brown. South Carolina is deep red, a place where a candidate can talk about being a Christian and an ardent supporter of protection of all life from the point of conception. Those folks have a strong base here.

With my new location and aim of my posts, the Fingertips on Keyboard moniker doesn't fit anymore. My literary posts are moving to my new blog, I Am Peril On Your Street. There I give bare-bones insights into what I write and why. This place will be the home of stories about my new home and the intricacies of life.

My next entry will tell the story of a strong supporter of the Confederacy, and how he's still honored in little ol' Anderson. It might be a good idea to get a big plate of BBQ ribs, collard greens, and fried okra just so you feel right at home. Maybe pull up a rocking chair and turn on that ceiling fan. Kick off your shoes and sit a spell. We'll just be sharing a chat for a little while.

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