__________
_____________________________
My grandmother had at least four sayings every day and they weren't always the same either. As my mom and I lived with her until I was five, I remembered so many of these: How could I not?
Summer after summer, I'd stay with her as both of my parents worked. Later on, as a teenager and into my adult years, I developed a great appreciation for these sayings for they truly meant something and are ingrained in my mind forever.
When I found the above website, I asked Beth Boswell Jacks, the owner, if I could submit these sayings to her. Lo and behold, she said yes and even more startling was that of all that of those sayings of my grandmother were "southern!" Makes sense when you consider that West Virginia used to be a part of Virginia till 1863. And even though my grandmother was born in Spencer, West Virginia, she spent most all of her lifetime in Charleston, West Virginia.
We absorb things from those around us and sometimes we remember them and other times, we cast them aside. My mother used those sayings and I used them around my now grown sons. As a teacher, I couldn't begin to count the times that these sayings invaded my daily routine. Imagine the shock look on my grandchildren's faces when I blurted out some of these sayings! One time when my granddaughter was six, we were about to open my front door: The tables to the right of the door were not level. I said to her, "Look at those tables! They're "whopper-jawed!" She ran with all of her might out to the sidewalk and was absolutely petrified. Running to her, I knew what was wrong: She thought that "whopper-jawed" meant something terrible. And so I had to explain to her what that saying meant and then she settled down enough that we were able to come into the house!
Should you get a chance to visit the above website operated by Beth Boswell Jacks and find the list of my grandmother's sayings, I hope that you will see a lot that are familiar to you. And enjoy!
Sherry Hill
Photo from: http://www.popularscreensavers.com/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories." Old-fashioned WV sayings are well-worth remembering, and some are quite colorful. I see that some of your grandmother's sayings paralleled fairly losely those of my own grandmothers'. That older generation new how to speak directly to their concerns! LOL
ReplyDeleteSorry, about the typing mistake - I meant "fairly CLOSELY..."
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Even though your grandfather and my grandmother were brother and sister, no doubt the "sayings" were really prevalent at that time and/or handed down. I love those sayings.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
This is great, Sherry! We'll have to get together sometime and compare our grandma's sayings. That would be fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peggy! And yes we will. You know what we want to do with these.:)
ReplyDelete