Who Is Cooter Brown? Because Yall It Is Hot As Heck Down Here In The Big Tex!

Who Is Cooter Brown? That has been my question for years. And it is one that I've never found the right answer to from my mom or granny. I've heard that phrase my whole life. Everybody grown would say it, but never told the kids what it meant.
Back in the day, when I was a little kid, it was not uncommon to be sent outside at the crack of dawn to play. In fact, every parent in my neighborhood sent their kiddos out as well.

I am originally from the deep south, near Shreveport, Louisiana, and by 8 am, it was already scorching hot. So, when I was out playing with the other children in the area, we would always sneak the water hose from out back of the house so we could make mud pies. Ya'll, we were bored and hot as (bleep).
For some reason, back in the day, as kids, we had to play outside in 2,000-degree weather until supper time. The phrase should have been it's hot as h-e double hockey sticks. But, as a kid, you dare not say such slang. lol:)
But when my granny, my momma, and my aunts came outside, it would never fail to reach my ears. Someone would say Lawd Jesus, it's hotter than cooter brown outside.
Now, I was a very nosey kid, but I never dared ask what a Cooter Brown was. I knew better because back then, old folks would slap you in the mouth and say Get out of grown folk business. lol #notjoking

So, growing up in Louisiana, I heard grown folks say, "It's hotter than Cooter Brown outside," and nobody ever stopped to explain who Cooter Brown was. Maybe that was one of those sayings that were for grown folk only to understand.

But, as a kid, you just knew it meant it was unbearably hot outside. Being a little black girl from the Southside of Shreveport, Louisiana, I heard that phrase a lot in my lifetime.

And it was years later that I found out nobody really knew if Cooter Brown was a real person or just a legendary Southern folk slang everybody would say. 

Honestly, if you grew up in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, or parts of Arkansas, you probably heard it from your grandparents or older folks like I did.

Whether that's true or not, the saying has been around for generations, and every time I hear it, I'm instantly transported back to my childhood.

Y'all, it was hot that day, and I did not feel like getting slapped into a deep sleep before having dinner. :) 

LOL ( those were some good ole' days now that I look back on it). #lifewassimplier

Every day at the same time, my sisters and I were sent outside to play. Without fail, the grown-up would come out and start the conversation off about how hot Cooter Brown was.


I tried to listen, but somehow the conversation always switched to gossiping about somebody else. For some reason, I really miss my family sitting on the porch gossiping.
I never could hear what all the gossip was about, so Cooter's name stayed in my head.

Now that I am in my fifties, I find myself saying the same thing almost daily. A week ago, Moriah asked me if she could talk to Cooter Brown as well. 

Because she, too, was super hot. 

Y'all, I fell out laughing. Then I told Moriah I don't know who Cooter Brown is myself. It is an old saying I heard my family say on the porch when drinking iced tea and using the church fans to stay calm. 

This week, I decided to do a quick Google search. Because, back in my day, there was no internet or apps to look up stuff like our kids do today.

I couldn't find any real answer. Wiki says he was a drunk man. Who knows?

But now I see restaurants going by the name Cooter Brown. One thing they have right is that it's a down south name, and real Southern folk remain true to it. 

By selling cold brew, oysters, fried catfish, and anything wrestled from the swamp in the south.

But that still doesn't answer my question. Then I spoke to my mom, who thinks I am nuttier than two uncooked fruit cakes. :)

Ha! I may be slightly nutty. 

But who is Cooter Brown? I wanted to ask her whether she was creeping with him. 

But Yall I am 50-something, and my mama will still slap the swamp taste right out of my mouth. 

In one phrase, this is what she says:

Chile Cooter Brown only means it's hot as Hell outside.

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTT! Drop the mic. But, I thought he was a man you and my aunts thought was hot.

LOL: My mother burst out laughing and hung up the phone. 

Lol, she did call me back after a few hours. And after the hours I know she spent gossiping about how dumb I was. lol:) 

lol:) It's funny to me now.

Yep, that's my life, and it is a true story.

Now that I am older, I find joy in the past things, and it is funny how everything in life comes back around.

Last but not least. My mom told me how I should dress for Cooter so I wouldn't sweat or get dehydrated. These are only my tips and shouldn't be used as facts. I will deny them if asked by the FBI. LOL:) #justjoking

Ok, here's the deal: Rico (the hubs) wanted to take me out for lunch. You know, somewhere non-fancy because it was on a Monday. Anywho, who really eats out on the first day of the week? Ok, we do, only because it's our off days.

Today, I was out and about, and I found myself laughing on the inside. Because it is 105 degrees in my city.

This is just the beginning of summer.

But I am not going to let a little heat keep me from enjoying my time with my man and the family.

I just wanted to pop on the blog today and share something with you guys. Stay tuned for the next post. 

I hope you guys are having a fantastic week thus far?

Until Next Time, Here's To Living Beyond Existing!

xo Tangie Bell