Rain! All day long rain. It has been a wonderful cloudy day with soft slow rain with periods of downpours. It always amazes me how green the grass gets with just one REAL rain. The grass had become for the most part, as golden as a wheat field. I knew it had gone dormant, but with the heat this year, I thought for sure the lawn was a goner. One thing is for sure, no one has complained about the rain today. Everyone is grateful for the break in the weather. It’s too early to say the drought is ended, but it has brought a new sense of hope that it could be!
I know you will think I am fixated on Rattlesnakes, but on our trip earlier in the week, this is what we saw at every rest stop we stopped at. Yikes! I checked out the restrooms very carefully before I used them! By the way--I found them much cleaner and a safer bet than Mickie D’s or DQ. When you travel the back roads of Texas they are pretty chancy as well as few and far between.
On our road trip, we went through so many little towns with great names that I started writing them down, which led to thinking of other names. We went through my personal favorite; Happy, Texas. We also went through Hail Center, which led Hubby to tell an ironic story of his family looking for cover in a hail storm in Hail Center. We also went through Rising Star, Early, Good Night, White Deer, Quanah, Sweetwater, and something I personally want: Wisdom. When you are driving through West Texas and the Panhandle, there isn’t much to look at or listen to. We always take plenty of CD’s , and even though we were jamming out on ZZ Top, we started a game of naming all the Texas towns we could think of that sparked our interest. Hubby thought of Pep, Smiley, Rainbow, Sunray, and his personal favorite: Bacon! I like Comfort, Sweet Home, Friendship, and Paradise. You’ll always be on the Sunny Side in Sunny Side, Texas! You can talk turkey in Turkey, Texas. Or, if you are hungry, how ‘bout Noodle, Oatmeal, Trout, Salty, or Rice? There’s Cut and Shoot, Gun Barrel, Muleshoe, Frognot, Bigfoot, Hogeye, Notrees, Kickapoo, Dimebox, Ding Dong, or Best, Texas. Oh! But that’s not the best--there is Veribest, Texas. Of course there is plenty of sun in Texas. There is Sun City, Sunrise, Sunset, and Sundown. You can go to Paris, London, Ireland, Dublin, Athens, or Egypt--and it doesn’t require a passport! You can get down to Earth, Texas, or venture further to Venus! And of course, it’s not just towns. There are great names for creeks. We passed Wanderer’s Creek, which made me think of Honey Bear Creek, close to where we live. That made me think of another creek called Woman Hollering Creek, which has interesting folklore attached to it…but that is another story…
What funny or unique towns do you have where you live?
33 comments:
Isn't this rain glorious? I love a good thunderstorm! I've spent the better part of the day enjoying the rain and the cooler weather.
Hey Nola Girl!
With more rain in the forecast for tomorrow, I am doing the happy dance. I love the smell, I love the sound, and I sure do love what it does to the flowers.
I'm so pleased you got your much longed for rain, I think we must have had your share lately ;) When we have had short periods of drought in the past I have always been amazed how the seemingly 'dead' grass revives so quickly.
I was looking for UK place names of interest but although there are many, so many of them sound rude although they are real! Most are village names, one such being Piddle In The Hole! I will spare you the many others.
We have Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter and Chipping Sodbury which are quite amusing. Brightwell-cum-Sotwell always amuses me, I don't know why.
Then there is Noke, Middle Wallop and Greater Wallop.
There are places with pretty names like Christmas Common, Garlands, Truelove, Heart's Delight, Lover and many, many more.
I could list hundreds but you are probably already wishing you had never asked so I will leave it there ;)
PS. I nearly forgot Giggleswick and Great Snoring!
What a great idea! I'm going to check out town names in Pennsylvania. It's raining here too so I should have some time find odd names. A few that come to mind - Egypt, Intercourse and Dallas PA.
Bacon???? Yummmm! I too like funny town names. :)
What fun! Names of towns has always fascinated me-wondering how on earth they came to be. Our little town was named after a can of Baking Powder. One could probably write a book about names of towns and the story behind them.
So glad you are getting rain, Happy Dance!! Now if those rattlers will just go back to their own homes.
Dear Shy Songbird,
I just love all the fun town names. We have a Garland, Texas, but no Piddle in the Hole or Greater Wallop. Love the Heart's Delight. What fun!
Marie,
Oh my! Intercourse--that could be interesting. Let's not forget my favorite PA town--HERSHEY....yum!
Monica,
I want to start a new town and call it Chocolate! Imagine getting the keys to that city! It could be divided into sections--Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, Hot Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate...but I would probably live in the part of town called Chocolate Nuts. ;-)
Beckie,
I just hope the snakes don't like our neighborhood better than their old stomping grounds--well, snakes don't exactly stomp--but you know what I mean.
I too like the names of towns. I think that is why we enjoy driving on our trips rather than flying because you can explore and discover so much more about the area. A pilot would never get on the intercom and tell you, "We are flying over Ding Dong right now". Hee! Hee!
I guess it's true. Everything must be bigger in Texas, including the humor! I've had a lot of fun reading this post (found your comment on Prairie Rose's site), and now I'll really be looking for funny place names. When we first settled in this area, I thought the neighboring town had some special fondness for the poet Milton. But I know the name is just the result of another effort at commerce....
In Illinois you can visit Paris or Cairo. You can also experience Hope very briefly; there used to be Faith and Charity, too, but those towns died out:) But I think Texas has us beat by a mile when it comes to town names that bring a smile.
So glad you got some much-needed rain! We passed through southern Wyoming recently on our way to Oregon; rest stops were few and far between, but if I saw a sign for rattlesnakes, I think I'd try to hold it even longer!:)
I can't think of any odd town names close by but we used to live near a place called Shining Tree.
I enjoyed reading your list and perusing your garden photos...very nice.
Jackie at Meadowsweet
Hello Walk2Write!
I am so glad you found my blog, and I look forward to checking out yours and getting to know you. Keep us updated on any interesting towns you run across.
Hi Rose,
At least there is still Hope in Illinois! There is also Hope in Arkansas--I used to drive through there every summer to visit my grandmother...the kids and I would always stop and get a watermelon that Hope is so famous for. We would draw a face on it, and give it a place of honor complete with seatbelt to ensure a safe trip home. Funny the things that will spark a memory. ;-)
Hi Jackie! I am so glad you found my little blog. What a neat name for a town: Shining Tree. Doesn't it make you wonder what made them think to give a town that name?
Rain, we need it;)
Yikes, snakes. Can't stand 'em. That was the really bad part about living in the south. We always had to be on the lookout for copperheads around the barns and pastures. My girlfriend was bitten by one on the first day of her honeymoon.
Marnie
Glad you got wonderful rain too, Morning Glories - was starting to believe it would never happen!
Snakes in the rest rooms is freaking me out! I haven't been to many of the towns on your list, but after seeing the movie "Happy, Texas", thought it might be fun to see it.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Annie,
Wasn't that the sweetest movie? I can't remember the actress that starred in it, but she did a wonderful job.
It feels like Autumn in the air today. The rains have really cooled things down, and someone was burning leaves today when I went outside. I was immediately transported back to my hometown of Moline, IL, to crisp Fall days with the smell of burning leaves in the air, and a big carmel apple--yum!
MG, I had to look up the women but just the name of the town made me remember Jeremy Northam & Steve Zahn! Me and Jeremy have this thing going on. I watch him and he lets me.
IMDb says Ally Walker was the banker - Illeana Douglas the teacher.
Annie
Hi Jenny, yikes to the snakes! So glad you have had that much needed rain too. As for the town names, we also have Sweetwater, just up the road from us. In PA there was a town named Intercourse, an Amish village where several roads came together. Often mistaken for another meaning in jokes, bless their innocent hearts. :-)
Frances
Haha, what a great list of Texas towns. I'll have to check them out on the map to see what I can visit on our next trip. --Meredith
Hi Annie! Glad to hear you and Jeremy have an understanding--hee! hee! A song popped in my head when I read that--don't know if it's the title or not--Me and Mrs. Jones... ;-)
Isn't this weather GREAT? This is what we have been hanging on for all summer long! Loudon and I are living out in the garden this week.
Frances,
We are blissfully enjoying our good weather this week. Others may think mid 90's hot, but after the scorcher summer we have had, it is a welcome relief.
I can just imagine the jokes around Intercourse, PA. But what fun it is to hear all the funny names given towns!
Meredith,
Thanks for stopping by!
Every time we take a trip, I am always amused by the names of towns (it doesn't take much to amuse me) we come across.
Nothing as wonderful as those Texas city names comes to mind! Yippee on your rain! Double yippee! gail
This post made me think of home. I love the smell of rian on dry earth.
Hi Jen, can't think of any cute names of towns near us. They're all just boring old names, some french, some english. I do like some of the ones you've posted. Makes life interesting! And makes me laugh!
Rain at this time of year is refreshing, isn't it? We're getting more sun these days and enjoying it.
Hugs
Gail, we haven't had near the rain you have, but our weather has cooled down considerably. I am already feeling more grounded now that I can get out to play in the dirt! Yipee is right!
Yolanda,
Thanks for stopping by! Where is home? I agree--there is nothing like the smell of rain on the dry hot earth.
Wendy,
I am glad you have gotten some nice late summer weather to enjoy. I am loving our weather right now. Since our rain, the days are so much more enjoyable--especially since I can get out in the garden again. Ahhhhhhhh!
We stopped at the new rest area on the way up to Dallas and were really impressed. I bet those rattlers are out there today- driven out by the rain.
You really know your Texas towns. We met some people from Gun Barrel last year. We thought it was a riot, but then you also named some interesting ones too.
Hello Lancashire Rose,
Isn't this weather wonderful? I have heard forecasts that predict this rain to last all week. I can't remember the last time we had this cool weather the first day of Fall.
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