The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



The Wisdom of Barnyard Bruke: Memories, Murgatroyd, Burma Shave, The Good Ole Days

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