The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings ta ever one in western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill".
Here we are in October and Halloween is but four (4) weeks away. It looked ta me last Saturday a lot of bean platforms were set'n beside bean fields all ready ta start harvest'n those fields come Monday. Saturday night's three tenths (3/10) inch rain may have altered those plans a bit.
There were however, a combine or two harvest'n corn come late Sunday afternoon after the sun came out fer a spell. They appeared ta be tract'n some mud, but not bad fer the circumstances.
Memories
This past weekend was Heritage Trails for Henderson County (Sept. 29-30). With that thought in mind here is some information forwarded by a reader which aptly applies to our history:
Murgatroyd
Murgatroyd, remember that word? Would you believe the email spell checker did not recognize the word Murgatroyd?
Heavens to Murgatroyd!
Lost Words from our childhood: Words gone as fast as the buggy whip! Sad really!
The other day a not so elderly lady said something to her son of driving a Jalopy and he looked at her quizzically and said, "What the heck is a Jalopy?" He never had heard of the word jalopy!! She knew she was old...but not that old.
Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory after you read this and chuckle.
Here're some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology.
These phrases included "Don't touch that dial," "Carbon copy," You sound like a broken record" and "Hung out to dry."
Back in the olden days we had a lot of "moxie.' We'd put on our best "bib and tucker' to "straighten up and fly right'.
Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy moley!
We were "in like Flynn' and "living the life of Riley'.
Even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!
Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell?
Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A....of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, penny loafers, and pedal pushers...AND DON'T FORGET...Saddle Stitched Pants.
Oh, my aching back? Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore.
We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say. Well, I'll be "a monkey's uncle'
Or, This is a "fine kettle of fish'!
We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent, as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.
Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind.
We blink, and they're gone. Where have all those great phrases gone?
Long gone; Pshaw. The milkman did it. Hey! It's your nickel.
Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper. Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty.
I'll see you in the funny papers. Don't take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses.
It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills. This can be disturbing as "Carter's Little Liver Pills" are gone too!
We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeable times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age. We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once existed...and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory.
It's one of the greatest advantages of aging.
Leaves us to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth.
See ya later, alligator! Okidoki. Toodle do.
WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE FABULOUS 50'S.
Well there ya have it then something in words ta go along with Heritage Trails events last weekend. My how time flys!
As long as we are going to past times, here is something Burma Shave...remember these? Some of you folks might remember those signs from past times:
A man, a miss,
A car, a curve.
He kissed the miss,
And missed the curve.
Burma Shave
To My Old-As-Dirt friends and relatives who qualify as "old codgers."
For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and "40's.
Before there were interstates when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields. They were small red signs with white letters.
Five signs about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream:
DON'T STICK YOUR
ELBOW OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
Burma Shave
TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
"CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP.
Burma Shave
SHE KISSED THE HAIR
BRUSH BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE.
Burma Shave
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT.
Burma Shave
DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING.
Burma Shave
BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE.
Burma Shave
CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER.
Burma Shave
SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT.
Burma Shave
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE.
Burma Shave
AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave
NO MATTER THE PRICE
NOT MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU.
Burma Shave
A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN'
HE'S JUST HOPING.
Burma Shave
AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY.
Burma Shave
BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE.
Burma Shave
THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING.
Burma Shave
CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW.
Burma Shave
Do these bring back old memories? If not you're a young'n, if'n they do you're an "old codger" just like me!
There ya have it then, a little something ta spice up yer week and bring a smile. For those young'ns do'n field work, I'm sure ya got enough on yer minds, but maybe this will ease it up a bit.
See ya in the church of yer choice later this week.
Remember, wherever ya are, whatever ya be a do'n "BE A GOOD ONE!"
Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya later
BARNYARD BRUKE