The cracking thing sets off my cutesy-etymology spidey sense.
It's always seemed synonymous with Georgia/Florida poor white although in North and Central Florida, at least, "cracker" denotes native-born, with no negative connotation.
I think cracker always refers to rural Southerners, with an implication of a lack of sophistication and conservative and sometimes racists views. There is a real theory that cracker came from whip cracking, but it was the whips of the some of the early settlers of North Florida/South Georgia, who were essentially cowboys raising cattle for meat on semi-unclaimed land. The slave thing is just nonsense. Even if true, the whip crackers were usually overseers, who were hardly rich.
It's muggy here in Kansas, too.
It's freaking me right out, frankly. I am ready to return to my lack of humidity.
Big annual board meeting tomorrow. I think I'm prepared, but as usual I'm fidgeting around with numbers right now, the night before. Hope we'll do well. Hope we all make the right decisions.
Our one out of town board member is in town already, and we've got our friend who's planning for his trip to Tuva coming in from the commune tomorrow. So far so good.
Muggy here too. House is cool, thought. Hopefully you won't have any storms on the way down, msbelle.
I *just* remembered to stop billing on gas and electric at the old place.
So, how are the adjustments going to the new place, sarameg? Are the cats settling in as well as you seem to be?
Oh, I'm definitely home. In chaos, but home.
Mister Kitty has finally migrated to sleeping on the bed all day. I think the cats are happy. Loki clearly is and Devi isn't hinky anymore, hanging out in whatever room I'm in (her usual behavior.) I can't believe the length of my short-term to-do list, but that is what it is.
Now to go assemble some furniture, find my sheets and towels and my hard drives....
although in North and Central Florida, at least, "cracker" denotes native-born, with no negative connotation.
A chunk of my family moved to Central Florida a few years ago (this not being the side of the family that is FROM Florida) and their native-Floridian neighbors proudly identify themselves (as opposed to the recent arrivals) as Crackers.
It doesn't seem to be dependant on income.
Edit: And so far as I know, only white people. I think I'd bust a gut laughing if I heard a black person refer to him/herself as a 'cracker'.
My family has always used cracker interchangeably with redneck. Mostly it is said to my dad, who considers either to be a compliment. Wacky Southerners.
Myself? My ancestors were North Carolina crackers. And I was born in California, which to those Southerners like my gramps, is "fancy". So I was a fancy cracker.
Which is why one of his terms of endearment for me was "Ritz".
Michelle Obama in the Ita dress:
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