Living in Mississippi

There are some things I guess I may never get used to about living in Mississippi.  For one, I can't for the life of me understand why Ward's is such a popular place!  Their slogan- We Got Big Ones- is an admission that quantity trumps quality.  I also can't understand why the dirt is so red.

There are many similarities between Hattiesburg, Mississippi and where I grew up in Louisiana.  The Southern hospitality, the rubber-boots-in-public proclivities, the abundance of activities for outdoorsmen and sportsmen.

The fact that football is a religion (we just worship a more powerful deity in Baton Rouge than they do in Starkville or Oxford)!
 

The churches on every corner, the Waffle Houses on every corner opposite the churches, Krispy Kreme donuts, and sweet tea to name a few.

However, the differences between the two places couldn't be more stark.  Baton Rouge is a considerably large city and fairly cosmopolitan.  Things seem to move a little faster there, the people seem to have more drive.  Granted, it's no Manhattan or Chicago, but folks move with a sense of purpose for the most part.  In Mississippi, the people move with the same urgency of that great muddy river that borders their state- slow and steady.  As if treading through molasses, the folks here seem to be headed in no particular direction for no particular reason- but somehow they get there.  I guess I'll learn that Hardy Street is no College Drive and that Highway 49 isn't I-10 (thank God!) and to slow down a bit myself.  No sense getting all in a hurry, nobody is going anywhere anytime soon.