January 19, 2008

Northern Correction


I am becoming aware that the difference between the North and the South is more than the red state/blue state distinction. I am seeing things here in Florida that I just do not see at home.

Every other commercial vehicle on the road is a pest control truck. How can all these pest control businesses be supported? I guess that I do not want to know the answer. I also saw a truck for a company that traps wild animals. Again, I do not want to know the details.

One of the local shops is a Motorcycle Apparel Outlet. I didn’t know that there were stores devoted solely to motorcycle apparel. Apparently they are so plentiful that there are outlets to handle the overflow. I wonder if anyone would notice my motorcycle apparel when I am driving my motorhome.

On Route 301, which runs north and south in Central Florida, on Sundays you can watch mud bogging. I have not seen the actual races but my interest was raised by the name and by the big pits of mud. Apparently trucks race around and through the mud to some sort of dirty victory. Now that is real after-church entertainment.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the North and South hit me when I read the Ipswich Chronicle, my hometown newspaper. My mail is being forwarded so I get things a little late. Last week I had read an article about how successful the new Riverwalk has been in Ipswich. In fact, until the snow storm hit, the local Christmas parade was intended to have Santa sit and meet children on the Riverwalk. It was a nice local story.

The next week’s issue of the newspaper had a correction that read something like this: Correction: Last week’s article about the Riverwalk was intended to read Santa and not Satan.

Ah, except for the snow storm we would have had Satan listening to all those kids on the Riverwalk. Now that would have made for a story! I think that Ipswich, located in Northern climes, would have rolled with the story. Talking to Satan would have been mildly upsetting, but many Northern residents already equate the commercialization of Christmas with Satan.

I am not sure that Satan would have been so welled received in the South. This is a very conservative and highly religious area. Satan is taken seriously. I have a feeling he would not have been welcomed in their Christmas parade.

But maybe if Satan had dressed up in some motorcycle apparel outlet stuff and rode in his muddy truck, nobody would have noticed.

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