150 Years Ago Today...

...the Southern Steel Magnolia was born.

via

A southern girl is a girl who knows full and well that she can open a door for herself, but prefers for the gentleman to do it because it demonstrates a sense of respect. We know how to make sweet tea and grits while telling you everything about any football team in the South. We pick our battles and fight with the heart of a pit-bull while still maintaining grace and elegance. Our mystique is that of a soft-spoken, mild-mannered southern belle who could direct an army, loves her momma and will always be daddy's little girl. ~Anonymous

In the words of the Sassy Steel Magnolia..."We’re strong and tough as Steel yet delicate and beautiful as a Magnolia.  We are often contradictory, as our names sake implies.  We can make you scratch your heads in confusion or frustration one minute and make you smile like a kid on Christmas morning the next.  We are made of many sides and colors and can often mold into a variety of situations.  All the while we stand firm in our values with roots stronger than the greatest of winds." 

If you don't think us Southern ladies are different than ladies raised in other parts of the country...well then 1. You must have never traveled south of the Mason-Dixon or 2. You are in denial. {By saying that I mean no disrespect to those of you that disagree or to those who were not raised in the south}

We are honestly a different bred, and it comes from our history.  This is where I explain why the Southern Steel Magnolia was born 150 years ago today.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops on James Island at Fort Johnson fired on Union troops at Fort Sumter positioned at the mouth of the Charleston Harbor.  This shot signaled to other troops stationed around the Harbor to begin firing.  It marked the start of the War Against Northern Aggression Civil War.  If it was not for the Civil War, us Southern Belles would probably be still fainting on couches.  After the war, we were no longer the delicate flowers of the past.  We had been left to fend for ourselves and become stronger through it all.  Just like any lady left on the home front during any war.


To commemorate the firing on Fort Sumter, cannon shots were fired at 6:45 this morning from Fort Johnson and other locations around the Harbor.  Hello wake-up call.  I live about five miles from Fort Johnson.  Shots were fired throughout the day and then again tonight.  You can scroll over this map and see where Fort Johnson and some of the other forts were located.

via

Soulfully,

Ashton