My daddy was from Tennessee and my mom from Kentucky, and when I was growing up, my Tennessean grandma lived down the street from us. Although I was born and raised in So. California, I didn't realize how southern I'd grown up until I read "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady" (which I can't even find these days). Whenever I talked to my mom (may she rest in peace) on the phone, my husband claimed that for the next hour at least I'd be "talking Southern." And he claims that now that I'm getting older, I'm starting to use more and more southernisms. Just gettin' back to my roots!