January 3, 2019

Well, hope you had a great holiday season.  Ours still has one more gathering then I may put the 24 inch (.6 M) fake tree away for another year.  I shall not bore you with the litany of trips, gifts and events over the last few weeks.  Let's just say that a lot of food was involved and maybe 3/4 of a stone is now added to my mid section.  Or there abouts.

I did complete the French bulletin board to replace our mirror that was broken in November.  When I by habit look at myself to make sure everything in tucked in place I see this:

Those are family and friends.  I have added more as they have arrived by snail mail.  It is wonderful to see the faces of all these folks that have been part of our various phases of life.  These are just the photos.  There were probably 75 or 80 cards as well.  I do love that part of the holidays, catching up with friends.

Changing directions entirely I read where a person was on their death bed.  That is not something one hears usually.  A person is on hospice or palliative care but never 'death bed'.  Or at 'death's door'.  I do still hear 'they haven't much longer.  Or time is short.  Are we being more precise in the care a person is receiving or just not sounding as final?

Needless to say this has me thinking about other expressions that have gone by the wayside of common usage. 

• Smart as a whip.  How is being as intelligent as a whip possible?  Is there a whip school I did not attend or even know about in our area?
• Slow as molasses. "In January" would be added to emphasis an even slower pace.  I would assume that the reduced use of molasses may have led to the infrequent use of this term.  However, one of the grands favorite treats are sorghum chewies.      
• Cute as a bug.  Okay, which bug?  Ticks, flies, mosquitoes, wasps, hornets are not especially cute to me.  Maybe a lady buy or dragon fly.  Not ants.
• Here is a list of some I never heard used.  Will not add to this list.
• Corporal punishment indicators.  
• A trip to the woodshed.  Not as many woodsheds to go to for a whoopin'.
• Slap you into the middle of next week.  Usually used on a "smart mouth".
• Slap you bug huntin'.  Similar to being slapped into the future but apparently looking for a cute bug.
• Take a strap to your backside.  The strap was a leather sharpening device for single blade razors.
• I'll swan.  To be slightly amazed or surprised.  "Well, I'll swan" = more amazed or surprised.  A very versatile expression as one would us when hearing possibly sad news like a person in the hospital.  I heard my Mom say it when someone unexpectedly came to visit.
• Good Sakes.  A favorite for my Grandma Rogers.  Usually expressing exasperation.
• For Goodness sake, a form of the above good sakes.  It was a more positive reaction like to an unexpected gift.

Times change, expressions change as contexts of life change.  After all the buggy whip makers showed they were smart as whips if they retooled to make maybe seat covers out of leather instead of whips.  Or maybe belts to run engines.  Let us do remember that there are still folks that use whips so there still are whip makers.  Will wonders never cease?

Janice