



Time to get back on the computer and visit my friends.
for me.
Here's wishing for a wonderful weekend for you and yours too!
I spent the evening, yesterday, teaching my children and the neighbors' children to dance to "Cotton Eye Joe." Some of you might have heard that song when it was sang by a european group called "Rednex." If you have never seen the video, you really must (be sure to click on the little video icon and you can see it). It is interesting to see how europeans perceive those in the south and appalachia, roflmao (and they didn't even do the dance right! LOL).
Back in the 1980's when I was in high school, I used to go to a dance hall to clog. For those of you unfamiliar with clogging, it is a traditional appalachian form of dancing that stems from our deep Irish roots (you have seen River Dance & the jigs they do...it's similar). That is where all of our music originated from (bluegrass); it is nothing more than Irish and Celtic in it's origins. At any rate...
I would go to the Jamboree each Saturday night. It was a fun place for the young and old. No alcohol allowed, it had a concession stand, great bluegrass music, and lots and lots of squaredancing and clogging. It was just a blast! One of our favorite dances was "Cotton Eye Joe." It didn't sound like what the "Rednex" put out in 1995. It was rich with a lot of fiddles, banjos, and mandolins. The version I remember had very few lyrics.
When I saw this "Rednex" video, it made me kind of chuckle at the sheer stereotyping that is blatant by this Swedish band. The video seems to be a bastard rendition of what they might envision the Jamboree to be and the types of people there. I have lived in West Virginia for my entire life and I have only seen people who looked like that once. That is another story for another entry (and trust me, I will write about it! It's fascinating.) I have travelled many places and I can honestly say that I have not found many places I would prefer to live over West Virginia. The people here are kind, honest, and hard working. And, despite what many might think...VERY intelligent. Some are "book" intelligent and some are intelligent in ways that go much deeper than any college or university can provide. The older people in WV pass along many traditions and roots that extend across the Atlantic to Ireland. It's a rich and cultural society here in West Virginia.
Don't get me wrong...I am not offended by the "Rednex" video. Not at all! I quite enjoy the song. What brought all this up is that Jared learned the song in music class and it was WAY too slow (the version he was singing). So I decided to ejukate him (whoops! I mean educate, haha!). I played him this crazy version and also the version by Ricky Skaggs. He much preferred the latter and enjoyed the dance!
Yeeeeehawwww y'all! 