Annotations for Speaking Style: Rp

Okay. I'm ready. I've lived in Texas all my life. I was born in Titus County and uh, when I was five we moved to a farm near White House, which is southeast of Tyler. I liked growing up in the country, when my chores were done, I'd ride my horse climb trees or hike down to the creek to fish or swim. One time, uh, we, uh, tied a rope, uh, to a limb of a cypress tree and we'd swing out wide over the swimming hole and drop into the water. I'd pretend to be tarson swinging on a vine. In the spring, I'd fly kits and on summer nights, uh, we'd catch fireflies, but we call them lightning bugs. Once in a while we'd have fights with, uh, corn cobs or pine cos and the winter we'd build a fire in the fireplace and pop popcorn and roast peanuts and pecans. I guess I was a live wire when I was 19. I went to work in [[...]] at a [[...]] store.

I didn't like the city of life and for a long time I'd go home every chance I got. Mama would always cook my favorite foods. Fried okra hopping, John, that's, I, uh, that's [[...]] and black-eyed peas and pecan pie. We had lots of good times, but going home is not the same. Now after daddy died, mama sold the farm and moved to Tyler. I'd rather be living on a farm right now instead of here in the city. But my, uh, wife and kids don't understand me when I griped about city life and talk about moving to the country, my oldest child says, daddy, that's crazy. I just die. If I had to live on a farm. I almost cried the [[...]] she said that. I know Texas is changing, but I try to make sure we don't lose touch with our roots while we may live in a city. I want my kids to have a good feeling for the land, have a sense of place, and take pride in being, in being Texans. If they lose our ties to the land, the price of progress is too high.