yes, it's the south. deal with it.

So I tend to consider myself pretty impartial when stuff comes up about the north vs. the south.  I'm not talking about the extremists, either (down here especially: all the rednecks, southern pride, yada yada).  I'm talking about the mild slams that the northerners-at-heart who reside in the south make against the southerners.  And the slams that the ignorant southerners who've never been north of.....oh..... north carolina... make against "them yankees."

I mean, give me a break... I grew up in Anderson, SC, and I slept in the same bedroom from birth until I got married.  So I'd consider myself pretty southern as far as "roots" go.  I've never moved from the south.  But..... the love of my life is from NH, and that's still what he considers his home (and I love that).  My awesome college roommate is from there as well.  I've got family-in-laws up in NH and ME and have visited numerous times now, and it is beautiful.  Gorgeous.  Enough to make a southerner jealous that we don't have those colors and beauty down here.  I'd love to live up north.  Seriously.

All that being said........  The south is used to ice storms and a winter that isn't nearly as wonderland-ish as the north.  Usually, our winter weather consists of freezing rain, sleet, with maybe an inch of snow for the whole season.  And when that inch comes, everyone's ecstatic.  I know, right?  Weird.  That's why we get made fun of.  And we may deserve it, but we really don't know any better.

So am I pretty impartial?  I tend to think so.

But I'm pretty tired of hearing people from up north mocking the southerners during this most recent snow storm.  Give them/us a break.  Everywhere got at least 6 inches (remember me saying that 1 inch is usually the most for the WHOLE season?), with a layer of ice over the top (because it can't be a true winter storm in the south without ice involved).  And then in typical fashion the sun came out and started to melt it-BUT WAIT-the sun went down and temperatures fell below freezing and *oh no* suddenly you have roads that are solid sheets of ice.  The city's 2 snow plows did a pretty good job of clearing the main roads, but that does nothing for the secondary and back roads, which weren't salted.

The roads are going through daily phases of turning to slush and then refreezing at night because the temperature is falling below 20.  Even my father-in-law, who has spent more time living up north than in the south, said that the roads were treacherous.  And that doesn't mean he isn't capable of driving in it, it means the south just isn't equipped for it.

So just BACK OFF all you mockers.