Nothin’ Like a Texas Gal

By: Samantha S. Daviss

Sadly our area of Texas has been hit pretty hard by Mother Nature. In the past nine months our little town, our lakes, and our rivers have survived torrential amounts of rainfall, flooding, flooded homes, flooded roads, you name it we have seen it and survived it. But what makes me most proud is how we as a community (being Texans) have pulled together to fight and battle through this.

We always need the rain and the moisture, just as most do, but not all at once. But through it all I have never been more proud to be a Southern, nay a Texan, with Texas pride. We are those that have that Southern congeniality, but know how to kick some butt in a back alley; we will strap a square bale of hay on our backs just to get it relocated, we will manage, maneuver, and handle our house, our kids, a job, and volunteering all with a smile on our face and fresh lipstick on our lips. Yep, I am just talking about a Texas woman.

Through this painful time in our state, I heard from a number of my friends, as I was checking in on them all constantly. Without hesitation I found myself surrounded by some amazing women with unbelievable stories and spirits.

One friend went home in the rain to check on her animals in the barn only to find herself being sprayed head to toe by a skunk. After a few minutes hovered between her trucks and losing her lunch, she pulled herself up by her boot straps, washed her entire being in Dawn liquid soap, and kept on going to make sure her family and all her horses were doing okay in the weather.

Then another friend put her safety before those she loved most, her kids. As they were headed home down their road, she came upon a low spot. And without hesitation, she got out of her car, removed her shoes, and walked through the low spot to ensure that her car and her kids would make it across safely, without the slightest hesitation for her safety in the rushing water.

Another friend had to deal with a flooded sunroom while her husband was out of town for nine days. Do you think she cried? No. She selected her favorite wine, had a glass, and started pumping it out to the front street.

And finally, my other friend had her entire ceiling fall in one of her bedrooms from moisture leaking in near her chimney. What did she do? She messaged us all and told us how many glasses of wine she needed before she started cleaning up the mess.

There is nothing wimpy about a Texas Gal, and if you think otherwise you are sadly mistaken. We can go from ball cap to ball gown in about 2.5 seconds and you wouldn’t be the wiser. We can get our nails done, haul hay, and sheetrock a room; without ruining that pretty manicure we just had done. 

But the best part about a Texas gal is we do it all without complaining. We go beyond the Southern Charm, it’s Deep South stamina.

We can be sweet and adoring, all the while run the farm as well as any man, plus tend to the house, and the kids. So remember, it’s not the muggers in New York City I would fear, it the Texas Gal whose cow just got out, kid just got hurt, or property that just got damaged that I would be fearful of in a back alley.