Do You Love As Good As You Look? (7.14.05)

Just a little tribute to the Bellamy Brothers. Last night while it was storming, Lee and I sat on the screen porch having some wine...and I decided that I was in the mood for some music from my childhood. Bellamy Brothers won.

When I was a little girl, I used to love to tag along with my Daddy. He was a football and baseball coach, so he spent lots of time outdoors. On the weekends, he was always at one field or the other...mowing the grass, dragging the infield, irrigating, putting up fences, you name it. I begged to be able to go with him - it was so much fun for me. Everytime I would ask, he would say (in his timeless Southern drawl), "Now, it's gon' be a little while..." Meaning: This is an all day event and I don't want to hear any whining or complaining. I was always ready and willing, though. Even in the 100 degree heat and suffocating humidity of South Georgia in August.

So off we went! I would crawl up into his pick up truck, he would roll down his window, usually put in a plug of chewing tobacco, turn on the radio, and we'd be on our way. The smells and sounds of those days come back to me so vividly - it's amazing. Fresh cut grass, gasoline for the mower, the crickets and tree frogs that lived near the fields, the sweet smell of tobacco, the hollow sounds of the aluminum bats in the dugout, honeysuckle plants, and most of all the music. Otis Redding, Hall & Oats, Steppenwolf, Dire Straits and, of course, The Bellamy Brothers.

After our long day of working (Daddy working, me staying out of the way and practicing my gymnastics floor routine), we would swing by the quickie store. This was the one time that I got to have a "bad for me" snack - away from the watchful eyes of my mother who preferred we eat healthy. My favorites: YooHoo to drink, fried pork rinds and beef jerky. Oh how I loved those trips to the store. I felt so deliciously sinful...eating "junk" with my Daddy. During the ride home, I would take my shoes off, devour my snacks and sing along to the radio. All of these memories take place when I was between the ages of about 5 and 9.

I am the only girl...and the oldest child. When we would get home to my Mother and baby brother, I looked like anything but the good mannered little lady she was trying to raise. Shoeless, dirty, eating horrible redneck-y snacks and singing Bellamy Brothers songs - with all their double meanings and suggestive innuendo - as loud as I could. "If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?" "Do you love as good as you look?" These were my two favorites...I didn't even understand them until about the 9th grade.

My Mother was understanding, though, and knew it was important for me to bond with my Daddy. And my Father was so patient to let me tag along while he worked. These are some of the best (and oldest) memories I have.

Long live unhealthy snacks, Daddy's and daughters, and the music that is the soundtrack of our youth.