Miscommunication

My ears have slowly adjusted from northern accents to southern accents since returning to Kentucky. Still, there are times when dialectal differences will surprise me.

Yesterday, I asked a one of my little ones to tell me as many meanings as possible for the word "heel/heal."

"Oh, that's easy," she said. "Like I help you get better and..."

She paused and closed her eyes in deep thought.

"I got it!" she smiled. "Like when you go up a big heeeee-ll (hill)."

"Not hill," I said.  "Heel/heal."

"Right," she said, giving me a confused what-don't-you-get-lady look.  "Like I climbed a big heeeeeeeeee-ll."

Just a little miscommunication, that's all.