Odessa profile picture

Odessa

Just Thistle' n Dixie ©¿©¬img src=http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/paganhaven/Thistle small

About Me

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I am everyone's favorite aunt. I'm the one who lets you have cake for breakfast but only carrot cake because its kind of good for you (from the carrots, geez!). I will always get us into trouble but I will take all the blame. What an adventure, everyone should have an Auntie O !!
Life is big and broad and too short to be pigeon holed into one little box, it never fails to astonish me however, just how many people don't want you to be able to do more than one thing creatively... I refuse to subscribe to this impoverished way of thinking and plan to carry on writing poetry, making music, supper, photography, gardens, quilts, and writing stories until I drop.
Alabama The Beautiful in photos



In 2001 I moved to my childhood home and I lead a life of almost complete serenity in the magical deep piney woods of south Alabama. I read a lot, study the Bible, I garden all the time, planting trees, flowers, shrubs--mowing 2 acres each week with a push mower and have really transformed the outside of this old place. Having my hands in the earth is not only theraputic but it makes me feel so close to the Lord. I am very spiritual; I value close relationships; I look beyond the surface; get involved in causes; need harmony in my life; have a burning need to be creative; and I love to nurture people, plants and animals.
Thoreau said, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." And that's exactly why I came back here to the piney woods.
Click Here to see if: Are You A Yankee or A Southerner?
Me? I am 100% Dixie. It asked me if General Lee was my father? No, but he is a distant cousin!
The South is my home...my beloved Dixieland, sweet home Alabama. And I love everything about it. I love ... the ante-bellum homes, the oaks, the mimosa trees, cape jasmines, the swamps, the pines, the Spanish moss hanging from the trees, the bayous, the fields, the rivers, the lakes, the crawfish, the shrimp, the cotton fields, the sugar cane, pecans, pralines, beignets, gators and riverboats.
I love Southern rock, Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass and Zydeco. The French Quarter in October, The Mighty Mississippi, The Cajuns, Mint Juleps, The MudBugs, Confederate re-enactors and The Stars and Bars.
I love Southern hospitality, Southern charm, Southern gentlemen, red beans and rice, froglegs, hushpuppies, fried catfish, Gumbo, Etoufee, magnolias, dinner on the ground, roses, azaleas, scupernongs, dogwood,whippoorwills, mockingbirds, blackberries, strawberries and Jambalaya.
I love Alabama beaches, Tennessee hills, Louisiana bayous, Arkansas Ozarks, Mobile Mardi Gras, The Big Easy, Mississippi Mud , Georgia peaches, Indian mounds, Kentucky Derby, Virginia culture, The Carolinas, Oklahoma hills, Texas plains and the Missouri temperament.
I love cornbread, fried chicken, okra, butter beans, pecan pie, biscuits, fried green tomatoes, oh this could go on forever and I have only just begun.
_______________________
Alba mo dhuthaich gu deireadh mo la. Far off in sunlit places, sad are the Scottish faces, Yearning to feel the kiss of Sweet Scottish rain. Where tropic skies are beaming, Love sets the heart a-dreaming, Longing and dreaming for the homeland again. Scotland forever ! Ceud Mille Failte !
NOVEMBER PEOPLE: Have a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality.Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions.

My Interests

But my heart it is brighter
Than all of the many
Stars in the sky,
For it sparkles with Annie.
It glows with the light
Of the love of my Annie.
With the thought of the light
Of the eyes of my Annie.
~~~Edgar Allan Poe
My daughter interests me the most, she's so infinitely fascinating--though she might say that she wishes I wasn't so quite fascinated with her ! She is an incredible actor, a consumate Shakespearean actor; she's been on the stage since she was 4 years old.

As is the case for many Southerners, my ancestry is a mix of countries and religions, philosophies and professions, fortunes and foibles. What to some may seem like a family tree grown wild and untamed is actually a mighty oak that has weathered life's many storms and can still put out a rare and beautiful blossom like my daughter. However, I'm mostly interested in my Scottish heritage and all things Scottish.

I adore my little dog, Kepi--she's 13 years old but acts like a puppy. She was named after the caps the soldiers wore in The War Between the States. When my daughter and I were re-enacting, the Mississippi 7th Cavalry adopted Kepi as their mascot. Kepi even rode into battle with them once! Below is a video of Annie's and my re-enacting days. Gosh, we had so much fun !!!

A part of my heritage was that I came into this world with the blood of Confederate soldiers in my veins, soldiers who may have had nothing more to leave behind to me and to those who come after me except in heritage...a heritage so rich in honor and glory that it far surpasses any material wealth that could be mine. But it is mine, to cherish, to nurture and to make grace, and to pass along to those yet to come.

I love to garden, having my hands in the dirt and watching things grow gives me great joy.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.~~~ Nelson Henderson

Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it.~~~Native American Proverb

In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.~~~ from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as other creatures do. ~~~1972 Only One Earth Conference

Pleasure for one hour, a bottle of wine. Pleasure for one year a marriage; but pleasure for a lifetime, a garden.~~~ Chinese Proverb

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ~~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Photography has been a lifelong passion,
as is singing and playing my beautiful old Gibson 1959 guitar.
I love, love, love, LOVE to travel.

I'm a Looney Toon freak, cause "I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency".

I am Southern by the Grace of God ! God and family. I was raised not rich, nor so poor that we had our hands out. Wealthy in tradition, religion, beautiful lands, common causes, we Southerners seem to live life with all its problems together rather than opposites in constant conflict.

We hold our women sacred. And none should forget that many of us go back and forth every day to work, play, church and see a marker, a building, a cemetary that causes us to be mindful of the price we paid to become what we are today. Our pride is righteous, our glory real, and our path much more on order. Why else do northerners move here by the droves?

Auburn University

I'd like to meet:

shrub, so I could slap him.
Sun Tzu said in The Art of War(written in 544 B.C.) There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd like to walk in Galilee with Jesus and his merry band of apostles. I'd like to help hand out the fishes and the loaves !

My Saviour, Jesus Christ taught one thing, LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love.


I'd like to meet Queen Elizabeth I and her mother Anne Boleyn.

Read about Anne
I'd like to meet my grandfathers and great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers. Genealogy is a passion of mine.
Talking with Queen Boudica and her daughters would be so incredible
Queen Boudica
Who was Queen Boudica? Click here.
I'd sure like to sing with Bonnie Raitt, swap some harmonies with Tony Rice and watch Doc Watson play his guitar.
I'd love to sit down with the founding fathers of this country and have a long conversation with all of them.

HowManyOfMe.com

There is
1
person with my name
in the U.S.A. I'm the only one !
How many have your name?

Below is a video of my favorite movie star and his co-star in a Southern role.Enjoy.

Music:


I've been a musician all of my life, started out singing hymns at church when I was 5 years old. I play guitar and write songs. So I have a love for all types of music...except rap--why do they call it music?

Mozart
Vivaldi
The Tannahill Weavers
Runrig
Andrea Bocelli
Bonnie Raitt
The Allman Brothers

James Taylor
Drive-By Truckers
Tony Rice
Tony Rice Videos
Loreena McKennitt
Bonnie Raitt
Alison Krauss
Keb Mo
James Taylor
Taj Mahal
Ben Harper
Van Morrison
Drivin' Wheel (our old band)
Josh Groban
Charlotte Church
Asleep At The Wheel
Mahalia Jackson
The Broadman Hymnal
Cynthia Clawson

I am 67% Hippie.

.. You are a child of the 60’s and your heart is true to the cause, man. But you've grown up and you realize that being a hippie is not just bell bottoms and tie-dye. It was a political, social, and musical movement of the 1960’s and early seventies. Take the
Hippie Test
@ FualiDotCom

Remember the good old days when we drove to Flomaton every Sunday to buy Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill? Gosh, I'm glad I don't drink any longer.

Movies:


Gone With The Wind
Cold Mountain
Shenendoah
To Kill A Mockingbird
Forrest Gump
The Divine Secrets of The-Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Steel Magnolias

The Lion In Winter

Blazing Saddles

'Monty Python and The Holy Grail'

Song of the South

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou

any Disney animated movie

Any period movie, I just love the costumes.

Brigadoon

Television:


The History Channel
The Andy Griffith Show
The Beverley Hillbillies
Masterpiece Theater
Warner Brothers Looney Toons
X Files
Amazing Stories
The Story Teller (both defunct shows, but they're on DVD now)
Lost
I love any and all gardening show
Heroes Kanji characters: 才 (Sai) meaning "Great Talent" and 与 (Yo) meaning "Godsend". It literally means "God sending great ability." Other characters have commented on the symbol; in the Heroes comic "It Takes a Village, Part 3", the Haitian's father draws the symbol as a representation of a snake who assimilated a crane's wings after eating the crane whole.

Books:


The Bible, the greatest book ever written!
I'm a voracious reader and will read anything I can get my hands on. My current reading project is to read every novel of any author born in Alabama. It's a mountainous list !!
Let's talk authors!! Some of my favorites are: Robert Burns, William Faulkner, Harper Lee, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sylvia Plath, Charles Dickens(my great-great uncle), Jules Verne, Edna Ferber, Oscar Wilde, Chistina Rossetti and Edith Wharton.
Then there's Sir Walter Scott, Louisa May Alcott, Howard Pyle,William Makepeace Thackeray, Alfred Tennyson, Nathaniel Hawthorne..the list goes on.
Gone With The Wind
The Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Robe
Walden
Jane Austen's novels
The Big Fisherman
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Gospel
The Farmer's Almanac
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Earth Children series by Jean Auel
Harry Potter series

Heroes:

Purchase a tag to support ovarian cancer research ! My Mama, who bravely fought a battle with ovarian cancer and my sister Mary who fought her battle with Multiple Schlerosis. Make a donation Learn more about MS
'Make your mark' against MS at MS site

Blackberry picking with my Mama, my sister Mary with her grace in all the weird permutations of McKenzie, my Daddy in everything. Every teacher I ever had.

Also on my list are my Sisters-in-law as well as Matilda Bryant and her Mama, Miss Eddie. The people of the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast who suffered through the Hurricane Katrina and who are still suffering. They didn't get the national attention as did their neighboring state.

My Blog

My Personality Profile

Your extraversion score indicates that you prefer to be alone rather than be forced into lots of social situations. Your approach to people (and problems) is usually low-key and deliberate, and you li...
Posted by Odessa on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:37:00 PST

Removing Anger From Your Life

Removing Anger From Your Life by Dean Van Leuven Making The Commitment Once you make the decision that you want to remove anger from your life  whether it is over a specific issue or represents a mor...
Posted by Odessa on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:52:00 PST

The Secret Of Being Older by ANNE LAMOTT

The Secret Of Being Older by ANNE LAMOTT ( from O magazine):   I was at a wedding Saturday with a lot of women in their 20s and 30s in sexy dresses, their youthful skin aglow. And even thou...
Posted by Odessa on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:21:00 PST

Saying Grace

Saying Grace:       Last week, I took my children to a restaurant.  My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.  As we bowed our heads he said, "God is g...
Posted by Odessa on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:14:00 PST

My Celebrity Look-alikes

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Posted by Odessa on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:10:00 PST

Goodbye Goondocks (spelling corrected)

Goodbye Goondocks, you Eden of halcyon days.Your vineyards, your orchard, your rare and luminous flowers.Fare thee well.Goodbye sheltering walls where for a brief span of time lifelong friends laughed...
Posted by Odessa on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:19:00 PST

Countdown

April, Double 0 Seven, it's a Bond year. We're all very excited about Annie's upcoming performance as  'Lotty'  in 'Enchanted April', her first starring role. (as an adult)  &...
Posted by Odessa on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:52:00 PST

Can George W. Bush Be Purged?

Can George W. Bush Be Purged? Mayan priests purified their sacred land after Shrub scurried off. Can we do the same? By Mark Morford, SF Gate ColumnistFriday, March 16, 2007   Sage is always...
Posted by Odessa on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:41:00 PST

What I Strive To Do Everday

1. Control the Power of the Word, saying only that which is good and constructive.2. Maintaining a happy disposition at all times. Happy thoughts are healthy thoughts.3. Eliminating temper, mood...
Posted by Odessa on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 07:48:00 PST

You might be a yankee if:

You might be a yankee if: 1. Your wife opens the door for you.2. You let doors slam in anyone's face (male or female).3. You think dinner & supper are the same meal.4. Your philosophy is "there oughta...
Posted by Odessa on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:04:00 PST