Hat Chick

I am just giddy, I tell you.

I have these books written by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays. They are part cookbook, part humor, and part homage to what it is to be raised as the daughter of a Southern Lady. There are three of these books - the pastel trilogy, I believe they call them.

If you are from the South, read them. You will laugh until you cry.

If you want to know what it was like to be a little girl raised in the South, read them. You'll know why your friends act and think they way they do.

The first one is:


I was introduced to this book by a friend who bought it in the Montgomery airport on her way home from a funeral. It lifted her spirits so much, she whipped out her highlighter and started marking the funniest parts. She passed it on to me and asked me to flag anything she had missed. I was happy to do so and was seriously happy that she shared this wonderful book with me. One of my favorite tape-flagged lines: "There are few things nicer than having your own cemetery." How true.

I didn't realize there were other books in the series until this one caught my eye in the book store. The title is what really got me because I had just finished a heated discussion with Skibbie over why she would be, despite her strong objections, attending Junior Cotillion.


I promise you that I spoke these exact words...."Some day you'll thank me for this."

Of course, I picked it up and when I read the back cover and discovered that I, indeed, fulfill most of the "Signs that you are the daughter of a Southern mother", I had to buy it. The sign that clinched it for me....."You believe some undeserving Yankee family is still using the silver that their ancestors stole from yours." See? I'm not alone.

I started reading "Some day" and decided that I might need to highlight as well. I was thoroughly enjoying it and started keeping it on my desk for reference.....in case I couldn't get Mama on the phone.

One day last week, I got an email from a sweet girl at church that the club where she worked was hosting an author, Charlotte Hays. ....You might enjoy hearing her speak since you are from Mississippi. She wrote these books..... the email said.

I nearly fell off my chair.

You mean this book that I'm keeping on my desk for reference? ....I replied to her.

A quick peek at the calendar showed that I couldn't attend the luncheon. I was disgusted. I had already committed to be the substitute teacher for Skibbie's class for the teacher appreciation luncheon. The times conflicted exactly. I had to decline the invitation.

Then she wrote back.......The author is my dad's cousin. Maybe you could come by the house later?......What!?! I get to meet her in a private setting?! I get to talk to her one-on-one?! I get to ask questions about these books?!

You know I ran to the book store to get more copies of the "Some day" book, then found the latest in the series:



I had to buy it to use as a reference for when Skibbie gets married. That will be a long time from now, so I had to secure a copy for fear it would not be available. And besides, what kind of fan shows up to a private meet-and-greet without at least one copy of every book? That would be rude. And you know I try not to be rude.

I admit that I may have been teetering on imposition when I showed up with four books in hand to be signed. I regret that my friend's highlighted, tape-flagged version was not available as she had loaned it to someone else to read!

Ms. Hays was delightful and gracious. She signed all the copies of my books and let me chatter on (like I do when I'm nervous). She told me stories about her family and growing up in Mississippi. She let me have permission to take her picture and post it on this blog.


The woman in the painting over the mantel is one of her ancestors who brought the first Arabian horse to Mississippi. After looking closely at this photo, you can see the family resemblance.



These books do contain some old, time-tested recipes, for anyone who is interested in that kind of thing. But since I don't cook, I just skipped over those parts.