This winter has been long and cold. Polar vortex, much? I never thought I would live in a place where snow hangs out for more than one day but here I am. The cold and never-ending snow definitely has made me miss the South, where I don’t have to wear three pairs of gloves to feel my fingertips. Here are a few things that I’ve been missing lately about my old neck(s) of the woods.
- Sweet tea. Obviously I can sometimes get “sweet” tea here, but it’s really not the same. I like rot-your-teeth-off sweet tea. Adding two Splendas to a glass of unsweet doesn’t work. Unsweet tea is just dirty water. I like an Arnold Palmer every now and then, but if it doesn’t feel like my teeth hate me for it, it isn’t sweet enough.
- Trees. Or more specifically the woods, the boonies. I miss seeing tall pine trees bunched together without houses, monuments or urban sprawl next to them. I miss the nothing between the St. Johns River and Daytona. There were some pretty nice trees out by Mount Vernon, if I remember correctly. For some reason, Rock Creek Park doesn’t count. Sorry.
- Driving long distances. I learned how to drive on Mississippi highways and that stretch of I-10 after Pensacola but before Lake City (Tallahassee isn’t too scary if you stay in the middle lane), so driving in DC and Arlington has been an adjustment. I miss the drive between Ruston and West Monroe. I even am nostalgic about the drive from Roanoke to Lynchburg (however, I don’t miss the drive between Roanoke and Orlando or Ruston and DC; those are too long — especially without cruise control). Driving out to my dentist in Falls Church sort of helps, but dang. Sometimes you need a empty road and a good radio station. Speaking of…
- Country music radio stations. While DC has some awesome news radio stations and an NPR station that your car can get without driving to the top of a hill (true story in Ruston), I miss having several stations to choose from when I need my country music fix. Basically, I want Z107.5 to follow me where ever I may go. Thanks, Big Z-Country!
- Tex-Mex. Actually, I miss the Tia Maria’s in Ruston that closed several years ago. I will always remember your enchilada platters and salsa, Tia!
KRISTIN HODGES 