“Don’t call me hillbilly,” Grandma always told us. “I was raised in Kentucky. I’m a hill-William!”

My sister and I giggled and plotted the next time we could raise her ire.

You see, there is the South, complete with gentle southerners; and there are the hills where gun-toting, moonshine-swilling, revenooer-hating hillbillies lived.

I grew up in the city surrounded by concrete, humanity and black-belching buses, from “the Bottoms,” a neighborhood mostly forgotten by the rest of Columbus. Nevertheless, it was not country – or hillbilly heaven – or southern.

They each have their place. I’m a city girl. My place was home.

hillbilly
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Written for Tara’s 100 Word Challenge: SOUTH. My sister and I loved to get Grandma’s ire up. Calling her hillbilly was just one of many ways.

5 responses

  1. Tara R. says:

    Being from the south, I self-identify as a hillbilly. Just don’t call me a “redneck.” 🙂

  2. barbara says:

    wouldn’t think of it, Tara 🙂

  3. Nice piece 🙂 You painted a vivid, nostalgic image with very few words!

  4. Tina says:

    The South encompasses a diverse group of people, which completely ignores stereotypes. Very vivid slice of life–I enjoyed it!

  5. Gina says:

    I live part-time in a large city, and the other half in rural Indiana. Love both for, obviously, different reasons! Funny thing is I fit in and feel at home both places. Ah, “home” is the key!!!

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