I think I've mentioned that I'm an East Tennessee native. If you come to East Tennessee, to visit or settle, perhaps you should know a thing or two about us.

1. We love geneology. Great Uncle Max could discuss history, literature,  Bible history and doctrine, and the bloodlines of every family in Blount County while sitting in a rusted chair under his sour-cherry tree in the front yard wearing his trademark sleeveless t-shirt, faded green work pants, and dirty unlaced work boots. Grandmother viewed geneology as an explanation for current events. She described   why someone behaved as they do because "....don't you remember that his Granddaddy was a bootlegging, cardplaying, no-account scoundrel?" Of course, she was overlooking the fact the we had an equal number of preachers and bootleggers in our own family tree...

2. We love food, plain food, and lots of it. Daddy always bragged the Momma "...could make a meal out of nothing."  And often we had to. Momma used to say that the key to Southern cooking wasn't how fancy it was, but the time and love you put into it.  Ah, Momma's cooking. That's just something we all love no matter where we're from, isn't it?

3.  There are MANY, MANY Baptists in the here. I once heard a lady complain about how "Baptist" East Tennessee was. Being one myself, and a descendant of man whose first name was Baptist , and married to a Baptist preacher, I just have one piece of advice. Learn to love us. We may be as plentiful as common cold germs, but we're much nicer to have around and you don't need lysol when we depart the vicinity.

4. We are actually 3 states in one, sleek, pencil-like outline. East, Middle, and West Tennessee.  No native of Tennessee simply says, "I'm from Tennessee." You will be given one of the 3 grand divisions to clarify matters.

5. East Tennesseans have a special dialect. It's different slightly than even Middle Tennesseeans and North Gerogians. Western North Carolinians are our closest drawling-relatives. When some people think "Southern accent" they don't realize that there isn't just one. We also love words. We like the sound of them as they roll off the tongue. A well-turned phrase is as dear as a well-bred hunting dog.

6. Two inches of  snow is a reason to push the panic button.  At the mere mention of the white stuff, we clear out stores of bread, milk, and bologna---in that order.  We can't drive in snow, either. Years ago, many in the generation before mine "went North" to find work. The ones who came back generally said, "It's just too cold up there!"   I think the over-reaction to bad winter weather here is a type of post-traumatic stress flashback to howling blizzards during their time in the Northland.

7. We give directions by landmarks, not roadnames. My husband is an exception because he grew up in town.  He knows the names of roads. Now I'll give you directions that sound like, "Well, you go down this here road until you pass that house where that feller jumped out the upper window  because his fiance ran off with the preacher's son that road motorcycles and raced and smoked and THEN you turn left at the house with green shutters and red geraniums--not the one with red cannas--and go for about one chorus of Rocky Top until you get to this lonely stretch of road that looks like that scene in North by Northwest...."

8.  We take deer seriously. That's why we have a state law that says you can claim fresh roadkill.

9. We like potluck. See number 8.

10. We like to laugh--and can take a lot of good-natured ribbing at our own expense. Just be sure it's good-natured.