" I'LL HAVE THE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS( With SOME GRITS AND GRAVY)!

Hi Kids! Thanksgiving is coming up and I am thankful that MY WORK is picking up! I have been doing some projects close to home... but soon I will be going back to LINEVILLE, Alabama... and I LOVE it over there!!! It's near Lake Wedowee, and I have been working over there off and on for a few years now.. Lineville is a small town.. you know what I am talking about- The TOWN SQUARE, THE traffic light( singular), the small country churches... it's SO relaxing... There's not a LOT of Yankees over there... you know what that means: People say Hello , wave, and talk to you for no particular reason( shocking.. I know)... It's so refreshing... A while back I was working in Lineville and I decided to drive into town and try out the MEXICAN restaurant(singular) in town. I pulled in the gravel( plural) parking lot and walked into the painted block building. My beautiful mexican wife has prepared several THOUSAND authentic mexican meals for me through the years.. so I was ready to give the Lineville Mexican Restaurant a try..ya NEVER know.... also I was looking forward to practicing my southern flavored Spanish with the servers...I walked in and saw a beautiful young lady sitting behind a counter- She had long black hair, dark complexion- "allright- I thought, she HAS to be Mexican.. I get to practice the old espanol today" I smiled, walked toward her and said ," Buenas Dias".!!!!.. and what happened next... almost gave me a heart attack... I heard a voice.... a southern voice... ( even more southern than mine- if thats possible).. She said" well Hey there- how YOU??? Now... think COUNTRY, think CAUCASIAN, think HILLBILLY( think Clay Callaway)... thats the voice I heard coming from that lovely Hispanic lady... She showed me to my booth, and told me about the chicken enchilada special( SPAY-shul.. she said)... Now most of the time THAT LOVELY SOUTHERN accent is telling me about FRied chicken, biscuits, grits, and gravy.. it AINT telling me about enchilada" Spay-shuls"- Her voice was lovely... I soaked it all in... ordered and asked her about her "story"... YES her parents are from Mexico- her dad came to Lineville to work - and SHE was born there, grew up there, went to school there- the only Latin girl in Lineville. Naturally she picked up the southern drawl of her hometown.. in her home they still speak spanish( mexican accent) but with the customers... its all SOUTHERN!!... I enjoyed the enchiladas... but more than anything I enjoyed hearing her story... I went away thinking about this experience... Her raven hair and dark complexion was a reminder of those proud warriors who suffered the invasion of the men from Spain - men who changed their language and their culture. HER southern accent told the story of another "people" who were also proud warriors- They TOO were invaded.- by men from the NORTH who changed their culture and way of life... and Yes... the YANKEES had SOME success.We have become "UNFRIENDLY"... LOTS of southerners DO'nt say Good Morning or HELLO. they wo'nt ask "HOW YOU"? or HOW'S Your FAMILY?..But the INVADERS did'nt completely conquer us... - SOME OF US held onto our beautiful southern drawl.... " Next time you are in LINEVILLE, ask for the Enchilada SPAY-SHUL"....