MY MAMA'S SAYIN'S All mothers, in caring for their offspring, devise, pilfer, copy or just started saying terse reminders to let their charges know who the real boss was in the home. Such unofficial rules and regulations were, at least in our household, mixed with humor and good cheer.
I think my mother sensed that such guidelines to more acceptable and proper conduct were more respected and most effective because they were almost always said with a background which showed we, as a family, had a sense of good humor
My grandfather on my mother's side was something of an actor as well as being quite capable and qualified to be a decent carpenter as means of earning a living. He, I think, as a small kid and into teen-hood, wanted to become a jolly musical personage. He ofgen joked about his having gone wrong and allowed himself himself to become what he called "a wood butcher." I have a idea many of mother's sayin's came, a one time or another, from under or through Grandfather John Loeffert's generous mustache.
"Never stick anything in you ear except your elbow!"
The immediate reaction, of course, was to try what he intimated could not be done. It couldn't and we learned some practical, common sense rules about being careful from a grown man who had been a carpenter all his life and still had all of his fingers. Even if the witticism was not his originally. I've known others who grew up hearing that one, but once they had Grandaddy's stamp of approval they seem to have become his.
Every time my older brother and I said anything about going either swimming or fishing - anything associated with water in quantity - mother would usually give her permission by warning: "...but, I don't want to see either one of you come home drown-ded!"
If, on an occasion when things were not moving as fast or as well as we thought they could, we'd look dissappointed; frown a lot , make ugly faces to express our displeasure and Mom would comment: "Some day your face is gonna freeze like that!"
I still get some verbal mileage out of one such sayin. It's best saved until the Fall of the year in November. Youngters still like it; older folks don't always think it is so funny. When you enter a room where others are present or when others enter a room where you are, issue a loud, friendly greeting announcing " Awright! Awright! You can take that funny face mask off now! Halloween is over!"
A.L.M. May 20, 2005 [c441wds]
