The Songs Of The South

By Salene Hill

Step into a world where timeless tales intertwine cherished memories and family bonding. The dreams of the South invite you on a journey through the realms of childhood and wonder grown-up contemplations. Explore the enigmatic tapestry of past eras, where the trappings of tradition crumble beneath the weight of adult realities. Brace yourself for an unforgettable blend of adventures, bewitching enchantments, and the intricate dynamics of family life in the early South. Picture a whimsical stage set amidst the verdant woodlands of fables, where whispers of hidden excursions and untamed beginnings fill the air. Experience the opulence of joyous holidays and summer escapades that continue to resonate through the charm of a small town. Let the melodies of church bells resound, entwining with concealed passages and unbreakable ties. The Songs of the South beckons you towards a tale that will take your breath away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Salene Hill
• Release date: Nov 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223821236

Salene Hill

Salene Hill has been writing poems, proses, fiction and nonfiction for several years. Lately her writing craft has been created around: past history, current events, life stories, and positive thinking. Salene's next release will be a health secret of chance. 

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Table of Content

The Prologue

Chapter 1:  Childhood Dreams

Chapter 2:  Read the Ten Commandments

Chapter 3:  It Takes a Village

Chapter 4:  The First Years of Understanding

Chapter 5:  Summer Occurrences

Chapter 6:  The Productive Field

Chapter 7:  Life Etiquette

Chapter 8:  Confessions

Chapter 9:  A History Lesson

Chapter 10:  The Oath of Silence

Chapter 11:  Zooming Through the Years

Prologue

It was a year of humid skies, youthful adventures, and new beginnings. The Earth population grew to a minimum state, and people still understood the boundaries of life. Most adults took vacations each summer. The Christmas season was filled with candy canes and several weeks of presents. You could smell the lingering aroma of farm life and fields of daffodils. The music was a mix of hip-hop tunes and casual blues. If you strained your neck far enough, one could scan the mountaintops of North Carolina.

The days of traditional values, morals, and rocket religion were starting to be outdated. It was a rare occurrence to see women slightly dressed, and a man could not flaunt the thoughts of many women. Most people had only air conditioning, window fans, or the pure joy of wind blowing through cracks in their walls during the summer months. If you were one of those lucky people of rich estate, there was a type of more modern freezer-flowing equipment so you would not sweat at night.

The average family earned $25,000 a year in income. They lived from moment to moment on the rarest type of food and economy. A family that had an income of $60,000 a year was wealthy. Politicians and military administrators could boast that they were making the largest investments in history.

In a certain location, far behind a city, one could adventure in the rolling hills of Alabama. Different families still lived in log cabins and three-room houses. Children played outside until dark in the summertime. During the school months, children would hesitate to do their homework after stepping off the school bus and doing house chores.

Like most places in America, there was always a favorite episode on the old television set. Most families were lucky enough to enjoy a drive-in movie theater. The holiday season was a great source of excitement in the small towns of Alabama. People received hand-me-downs, but family members that traveled from larger cities were praised with new presents.

That was the tradition in the Southeast for many years. Looking back on that time, one would not consider that a certain race of people had gone through slavery. All the people seemed joyful and harmonious emotions. If a father had three business suits: one for church, one for work, and one for the holiday season, their family would be considered upper- and lower-class.

School was also another strange episode in the early 1970s. Most northern or larger cities had stepped away from using 40-year-old textbooks and welcomed the idea of modernization. On an average day, a southern school taught students the history of the Civil War and World War II. There were a few different languages taught in these schools. A school that welcomed foreign exchange students was considered exceptional. Students would enjoy a full day of learning multiplication, cursive writing, and algebra equations.

Only a few students could grasp more futuristic math equations if their parents were engineers or medical doctors. Those students who were not above average found it difficult to formulate a realistic math subject. It was not unusual for half a family to have children that were below average in learning proper grammar, mathematics, and another language. Students were mocked because of below-average grades by teachers, students, and family members. In the years to come, the world will undoubtedly regret the below-average calculations of the student learning process.

There were also good qualities that came from the traditional way of learning in this era. Both young women and men were taught to respect the elderly. Mothers raised their children to the best of their ability. Men did work one or two jobs to feed their family and loved ones. There was ever a moment in history when children learned every type of skilled craft in the textbook. The wardrobe of this time covers the entire body. A woman would wear a dress, usually below the knees. Sometimes individuals in high society would wear clothing with suggestive ideas or bright colors.

In a world that still had housekeepers and butlers, the Southeast paraded people of lower class throughout the area. For certain individuals, their daily chores included their own housework, mending fields, and the back damage of working for the wealthier masses. This moment in time was not spoken of openly or included in important conversations.

Children would silently question how a society could continue to thrive on the labor of others. It would not be until 40 years later that this type of forgotten history would resolve itself. One can still remember their parents waking up before daylight and going to work until sunset. These were the years when every nationality of mothers tried to distance themselves from the kitchen. Only the elderly women attended to the children’s care. The days of dreaming of uncontrollable adventures would be a token locked in the closet.

Everyone knew that hard work, constant school learning, and financial investing were the end goals. One could not remember a day when time slowed down and rest came easy. Young children would enjoy this time of life because they would play in the yards of their grandparents. The average adult or below-average family worked their hands to the bone. There were 10% of people who were above average in education and income. Those individuals separated themselves from most other people.

The television set of the day was black and white. Sometimes an upper-class person would be lucky to have a movie projector. Most Saturday’s children spent watching cartoons on certain local TV channels. Some of my favorite cartoons during that time were Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the cat, and Mickey Mouse.

Children would finish eating breakfast and do house chores early on a Saturday morning, so they could watch cartoons for several hours. The older children would ride their bikes to hiking trails just to get away from the mundane households. There was still a time for make-believe and tea parties for little girls.

The boys of the family played cards, rolled dice, or shot their new guns at rocks. If you were