By Paula Mitchell
As a child, one may have thought that mother invented certain words. In fact, they were thought to be hers alone as one never saw them on spelling bees, on English tests, or even heard teachers use them.
Some of those words were dawdle, lollygag and dilly dally. One was never told what they meant and they didn’t sound like dictionary words.
Dawdle…an easy meaning. Charlie Chapman dawdled. It looked funny. People might get the wrong idea about oneself.
Lollygag…Mae West was definitely a lollygagger. Can one imagine her saying, “Come on up and lollygag sometime.” It actually means “loiter or lag.”
Dilly-dally…this can mean lots of things. The best meaning is to “procrastinate.”
Then there was “rambunctious.” Were one to hear mom say not to get too rambunctious, one would stop doing whatever one was doing.
When being cantankerous, one would usually be persnickety or having a hissy fit. That, or monkeyshines.
Then there were these phrases.
If not racing around like a bat out of he**, then perhaps one was slower than molasses in January. Ears were not just dirty; they could grow potatoes in them. When swallowing watermelon seeds, they would grow in the stomach. Sound like a regular farmer’s market. Then when not eating because hunger wasn’t in the cards, one would be told that “an empty sack wouldn’t stand up.” “It’s a sick bird that can’t carry its own feathers” was said when not wanting to wear a coat.
At one time, these words and phrases were in a common place in this community. Not too much anymore, sad to say.
Life’s little instructions include the following:
- Leave everything a little better than one found it.
- Keep it simple.
- Have a firm handshake.
- Don’t expect life to be fair.
- Be there when people needs one.
This week’s quotes are as follows:
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Our phones have created what I like to call SADD – social attention deficit disorder.” — Dan Levy
“Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance!” — Phyllis Diller
“Each of us is responsible for everything and to every human being.” — Simone De Beauvoir
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” — Source obscure
The porch swing is a great place to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Phil Downs has returned to his home following a three-week stint in Northern Virginia house sitting for Tara Kelley while she and Amelia Gibson toured Europe with the school band. While there, he visited with old friends in the area, toured Gunston Hall (George Mason’s home) and visited his mother’s and father’s gravesites.
Colby Simmons celebrated his 14th birthday at the pool with his friends. Happy birthday, Colby!
On Friday, “Pidge” and Charles Anderson went to Levels in Hampshire County to get peaches and apples. They had a good trip and enjoyed it.
Ben Puffenbarger, son of Wesley and Becky Puffenbarger, visited London, Paris, and several places in Italy including Pompeii. The members of the travel club of Pendleton County High School had a cooking class making desserts, They also enjoyed other excursions along the way. He, along with his group, under the leadership of Karen Propst, who engaged the ET Travel tour, had such a wonderful and memorable time.
Visiting Rosalee Grogg were Marleta and Junior Wimer, Diane Kuykendall of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Madison Grogg and Anthony and Asher Mauzy.
Clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- A sapphire from Montana is in the Crown Jewels of England.
- New Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world.
- President Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear in Mississippi. That’s how the teddy bear got its name.
- Sumter County in South Carolina is home to the world’s largest ginko farm.
- Leonardo Da Vinci designed a model helicopter almost 55 years ago.
August birthdays include Dustin Via, David Puffenbarger and Lonnie Conley, first; Tracy Armstrong, second; Nancy Enyart, third; Brittany Gumm, Junior Bolton and Skyler Frame, fourth; Charlotte Hoover, Doris Hoops, Paula Price, Steve Stump, Carter and Colby Hott, fifth; Pastor Jerry Smith, Junior Wimer and John Rexrode, sixth; Amanda Rexrode, Karen Peer, Carl Hevener and Gary Smith, eighth; Dolly Rexrode, ninth, Cerrigan and Corrine Hedrick, Sherman Bennett, Margaret Kiser and Derrin and Sara Olke, 10th; 11…Brandon Mitchell and Patsy Smith, 11th; Sandy Bennett, 13th; Moni Harman, 14th; Denise Neil, Bobby Shanholtz and Ina Evick. 15th; and Lynn Nelson and Wanda Rexrode, 16th.
Concerns for this week are many. They are as follows: Charles Anderson, Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Vernon “Fuzzy” Baldwin, Lynn Beatty, Marie Cole, Jed Conrad, Jeff Craig, Mary Eye, the Bob Fisher family, Donna Fleisher, Lola Graham, Jordan Greathouse, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Jackie Hill, Virgil Homan, Jr., Myrtle Hoover, Debbie Horst, the Clad Hoten family, the Dick Hueter family, Mike Jamison, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Danny Kimble, Dennis Kincaid, Kim Kline, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Angela Lung, Linda Malcolm, Betty Mallow, Roger and Skip Mallow, Neil McLaughlin, Melvin Moats, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, the Larry Neil family, Don Nilsen, Cheryl Paine, Barbara Parker, Sutton Parrack, Shirley Pratt, Alda Propst, Kathy Propst, Linda Propst, Harley Propst, Jason Rexrode, Jimmy Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Donna Ruddle, John Ruddle, Annie Simmons, Barry and Phyllis Simmons, Davey Simmons, Erin Simmons, Robbie Sites, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Amy Vaus, Judy Williams, Margaret Wimer and the Anna Wright family.
