During The Great Depression, people had to wear it out, use it up, or make do. Inner tubes were a valuable commodity, used for everything from cutting into strips to use as elastic for clothes, making overshoes, to wrapping pipes. They were the duct tape of the era. One of the favorite stories about Cousin Bobo demonstrated his excellent taste and Continue reading
embarrassment
Are You Wearing Panties?
An employee’s husband called her at work, A new employee routed him to me, the nursing supervisor, not his wife, by mistake. We are both Linda. When I answered, all I heard was heavy breathing, then,”Are you wearing panties?” Continue reading
Bungarendeen
When warning the children not to eat potato salad that had been sitting on the counter for a week, or the need to clean and dress a cut, generally instructing them in infection avoidance instead of going into the specifics Bud would say, for example, “Don’t eat that. You’ll get bungarendeen.” He was a nurse, after all, and didn’t know better.
My daughter was in high school; her teacher was discussing various dread bacteria. Never hearing the one she’d been waiting for, she raised her hand. “What about bungarendeen?”
She was rewarded was generalized hysteria. When the teacher quit laughing, she said. “You must be John’s sister. He asked that same question three years ago.”
Never Gonna Keep Up
Repost
Having attended a tiny rural high school, fearing I could never compete with those from large urban high schools, I was sensitive about my educational shortcomings. Expecting to be labeled a bumpkin and hustled back to the farm “with my own kind,” in my mind, I had gotten to college with little to recommend me but a good vocabulary, a love of Continue reading
His Thing is Growing!
My adorable three-year-old niece had just gotten in from church. While still dressed in all her Sunday finery, Though we were gathering for Sunday dinner, she took time out of her busy day to examine Chester, their patient Lhaso Apso. Deftly rolling him on his back, she parted the hair on his belly, announcing to all those present, “Well, Chulster’s thing is growing. He’s just got so much hair you can’t see it.!”
What a relief! The dinner guests had all been so worried!
Thou Shalt Not Thong
The pastor’s vocabulary could have used a little updating before he addressed his concerns that the young people were taking casual dress at morning services just a bit too far. “I’ll bet half of the young ladies out there are wearing thongs this morning.” Though he was thinking of the ” flip flop” shoes of his youth, not sexy underwear, he certainly had everyone’s attention.
Just One Orange Cap Too Far
Billy was Daddy’s shadow, making every step he made. One evening, they were sitting with several of the guys on logs around a fire telling tales. Billy had worked hard to keep up with his new orange hunting cap all day, only too aware of how lucky he was to Continue reading
World Championship Foot In Mouth Award
I am the World Champion at talking when I should have been listening. More than thirty years ago, I had a dear friend in Nursing School who was valiantly struggling with morbidly obesity serious enough to interfere with ambulation and other life activities, not to mention the psychic and social pain she dealt with daily. Working Continue reading
Boo Hoo to You, Too
I wrote this in response to Trish’s post yesterday on Ten Years a Single on Mom about crying about a broken washing machine. I’ve done worse.
Here’s the whole sorry story. Daddy had died after sudden illness days before. I was a mess, but making a great effort to keep my emotions in check, knowing my mother was in Continue reading
Nutsrok 