Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
There are some interesting facts that hail from the 1500s. At one time, urine was used to tan animal skins, so families used to all “pee” in a pot. Once the pot was full, it was taken and sold to the tannery. When one did this they were considered “Piss Poor.” However, really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot were of the lowest of the low and “didn’t have a pot to piss in.”
Most people got married in June because it followed the yearly bath in May. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. This is how the custom of carrying a bouquet of flowers came to be.
In those days, baths consisted of a big tub that was filled with hot water. The nice clean water was first used by the man of the house, then all the other sons and men, followed by the women and then finally the children. Last of all were the babies. By then, the water was so dirty that one could actually get lost in the water. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!”
In those days, houses had thatched roofs that were made of thick straw piled very high with no wood underneath. This was a place that the animals could get warm, so all the cats, mice, bugs, etc., lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery causing the animals to slip and fall off the roof. That is how the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs” came to be. Now, there was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. Bugs and other droppings could really mess up nice clean beds, hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That is how the canopy came into existence.
Except for the wealthy, most houses had dirt floors. Hence, the saying “dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that oftentimes became slippery. Straw would be spread on the floor to keep their footing in the wintertime. As the winter wore on, more thresh would be added with a piece of wood being placed in the entrance way to keep the thresh from slipping out. Hence, the language included “a threshhold.”
Perhaps a little of history behind the coined phrases one uses, helps one to better understand that way of life.
Life’s little instructions will enhance daily living:
- Call a friend.
- Avoid clutter.
- Think of planting a garden this spring.
- Avoid junk food.
- Get regular checkups.
This past week’s Worm Moon is the last full moon of the winter season. It ushers in a season of winter melt and the return of earthworms to the surface of the earth. It dates back to writings from the 1760s about worms and beetle larvae coming out with the spring thaw. Other names for the March moon used by tribes in the northeastern U.S. include the Crow Moon and Sap or Sugar Moon.
Even though Sunday proved that winter is still in one’s grasp, with snow measuring 1-2 inches, it did not linger long on the roadways. This week shows signs of colder temperatures and winds. On another note, spring is just around the corner!
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons.” — Denzil Washington
“To have a cricket in the hearth, is the luckiest thing in all the world!” — Charles Dickens
“All one’s life is music if one touches notes rightly and in time.” — John Ruskin
“Lord make us mindful of the little things that grow and blossom in these days to make the world beautiful for us.” — W.E. Dubois
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” — Pablo Neruda
Sitting by the fire is the best place to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
This was just “in” from Grey Cassell: “Nastiest curve finally removed by Virginia Department of Transportation on Shenandoah Mountain!!! March 2023!! It would be hard to estimate the number of wrecks this curve caused due to negligence on the part of Virginia!!!! Thanks, Virginia for finally taking care of this!!! Now hope the state will take action on the rest of the Virginia side of the Shenandoah Mountain!!!”
The time changed to Daylight Saving Time. That’s all about that subject.
A birthday supper was held Friday at the Clover Hill Schoolhouse for Eugene Varner, Roger and Reda Shrewsbury, Wanda Pitsenbarger, Ronnie Pitsenbarger, and Evelyn Varner. Others joining in on the celebration were Randy and Lorella Whetzel, Will Hoosier, Judy Costello, Janet Judy, Terry Harper, Kitty and L.J. Purcell, Richard and Joyce Marshall, Erma Moats, Karen Pitsenbarger and Cindy Varner. This was a great occasion to celebrate.
Wes, Becky, Ben, Emma and Nathan Puffenbarger spent Saturday in Lynchburg, Virginia, visiting SeaQuest where Emma got to feed and play with a baby sloth. On the way home, they drove through Buckingham, Virginia, where Wesley likes to hunt. Friday, Ben, Emma, and Nathan spent the day with grandparents, Robert and Nancy Hodges, since school was canceled.
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- In ancient China, one could tell a person’s social rank by the color of their fingernails.
- All clouds are white. Some look grey because they are very thick and little sunlight can pass through them.
- Seagulls sometimes travel 700 miles in a single day.
- Invisible ink was invented by Sir James Jay for use during the Revolutionary War.
- The first galoshes were wooden sandals worn by French monarchs to protect their silken shoes.
- A person can find names of 26 U.S. states on the back of a five-dollar bill.
The remainder of the March birthdays are as follows: Chloe Simmons, 15th; Julie Smith, 16th; Gernon Hoover, 17th; Allison Hoover, Jaiden Mitts and Brad Gumm, 18th; Jean Thompson, 19th; Jennifer Hoover, Sharon Harr, Robbie Sites, David Marsh and Cindy Wilkins, 21st; Wanda Messerly, Michael Eye, Shirley Pratt and Christy Harper, 22nd; Connor Armstrong, 23rd; Debbie Cayton, 25th; Kraista Walls, 26th; Patty Harper, 27th; Andrew Kiser, 29th; Rudi Mitts, 30th; and Gene Boggs and Doyle Moats, Jr., 31st.
Concerns for this week are many. They are as follows: Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Vernon “Fuzzy” Baldwin, Nathan Beachler, Lynn Beatty, Debbie Beeal, Jed Conrad, Jeff Craig, Mary Eye, Mia Felici, Donna Fleisher, Ron Gilkerson, Lola Graham, Jordan Greathouse, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Gary and Jackie Hills, Virgil Homan, Jr., Myrtle Hoover, Debbie Horst, Anna Gae Hughes, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Dennis Kincaid, Kim Kline, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Angela Lung, Linda Malcolm, Betty Mallow, Roger and Skip Mallow, Neil McLaughlin, Gary Mitchell, Jamie Mitchell, Melvin Moats, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Don Nilsen, Cheryl Paine, Sutton Parrack, Shirley Pratt, Alda Propst, Kara Propst, Kathy Propst, Linda Propst, Mike Propst, Stanley Propst, Sheldon Propst, K.D. Puffenbarger, Dick Rexrode, Gary Rexrode, Jason Rexrode, Jimmy Rexrode, Robbie Sites, Ona Smith, Sandra Vandevander, Pam Rexrode, Max Rodriguez, Donna Ruddle, Annie Simmons, Barry and Phyllis Simmons, Davey Simmons, Amy Vaus, Judy Williams, Margaret Wimer, people in Ukraine and Yemen, earthquake victims in Turkey and victims of East Palestine, Ohio.
