In case this expression is new to you, putting on your bib and tucker means to put on your best clothes. When I first went off to college, the dean of women, Mrs. Emma Case would have meetings with the young girls and try to give them some guidance since we were all away from the watchful eye of our mothers. One thing that she told us to do was put on fresh clothes before we went into the Student Union Building for the evening meal. She said even if it were only a different blouse from what we had worn that day, to still change. I think that was a wise suggestion, as it put some closure on the study time of our day and introduced a change of pace.
Putting on your best bib and tucker could have another connotation. It might refer to your "best face" also, or putting your best foot forward, or applying it to everything you do for others. A job worth doing is worth doing well. We all slough over things at time, usually when it is for our eyes only. No one can be at the top of their game every minute of the day. And we know how much more pleasant it is to have a clerk in a store who is unusually helpful when we are shopping. It leaves us with a happy feeling.
Another warm fuzzy we get, is when in traffic someone is polite and permits us to squeeze in for a turn which we had not anticipated. Or yields to us instead of trying to whip in front of us. It is a good safe driving practice as well. Road rage is real, and could be avoided if good manners and consideration were adhered to when on the road.
I am reminded of a story, presumably true, about a vivacious girl who was dancing with a less than desirable young man. She looked so happy and charming to the ones looking on from the sideline. A friend said to her later, "How could you look like you were having such a good time"? She responded that someone looking on might see her having fun and want to dance with her also. She clearly had learned how to put forth her best effort.
There is a public discussion taking place now about employers who want to see the facebook page of prospective employees. They say they have a right to know what kind of person they are hiring. I am not sure which side of the discussion I want to support. Psychologists tell us that the brains of those under age 25 are not fully developed and they are notorious for doing really thoughtless things. They should not be judged solely on any thoughtless thing they put on facebook. I would hope that thoughtful employers are looking to hire well rounded persons to join forces with them in their business. No one is forced to share their facebook with potential employers but refusing to do so is tantamount to withdrawing the application.
Putting on your best bib and tucker may be an old saying and an old idea but it does have relevence in this age of electronic transparency.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Chira Came by Golf Cart
It has been a long time since very young children have visited here. All of the members in my family are aging and the younger ones are busy in school for now. So it was a pleasant event when I had visitors from England recently. The mother and her four year old were visiting with my neighbor. She had called the day before to see if a visit would be convenient. We established a day and she called to say they were on their way.
Since my house has a drive all the way around with a parking area in back they drove around the back in their golf cart. Grandmother driving, Chira beside her (with grandpa engineered seat belt) and Mother on the back seat seeing everything from that angle. I went to greet them and little Chira marched right in and removed her flip flops which mother took and then Chira began to explore.
With bare feet slapping the tile floor she headed right through the kitchen and into the living area. I had put a little "Pippa Longstocking" doll on the chair for her and directed her to that chair. She picked it up, put it down and went on to see other things. She saw a "potato basket" that I had made, sitting near the fireplace. She promptly put it on her head and asked about her bike. She was off and running in imaginary play. Her grandmother suggested a small stool in front of the fireplace could serve as a motor bike. We watched as she made herself comfortable on the stool. She did not perch on it as I had expected, but straddled it and with her feet scooted herself over the tile for her imaginary ridc.
She then made her way through the french doors onto the sun room. We did not follow her but sat chatting as she continued her play. She brought her grandmother a pillow and was asked asked where is the blanket? (thinking she would get her own favorite blanket she had carried in with her). But she went back out to the sunroom, found a throw rug and brought it back as a blanket.
It wasn't long before she discovered the curved stairs which have spaces between the steps. She peeped out from those openings with a big grin on her face so we went up to join her in the balcony. She spent some time looking at the family portraits hanging on the wall. I showed her my picture with I was a little girl and we looked for babies, etc. Off she went to a bedroom and I opened the blinds so she could see the road she had just traveled over in the golf cart. Then we found another window to look out toward the back where she could see her golf cart from above. We did not have time to sit up there for she was off again heading downstairs.
She went back to what attracted her at first (the helmet basket) and continued with her play. It was not long before she was at the front door all ready to leave this place. Her mother reminded her to put things back where she had found them and soon they were back in the golf cart and on to other places.
Watching her exploring reminded me of "Eloise" from the Eloise books where a little girl with lots of energy and imagination went to live at the "Ritz" in Paris. The books were first published in 1955 and there were a series of the books. I have given them as gifts to little girls, so they may still be available. Children are more entertaining that the book. I just wonder what the fictional Eloise would do on a golf cart. Chira was too young to drive one but I think she could have some great adventures anyway.
Since my house has a drive all the way around with a parking area in back they drove around the back in their golf cart. Grandmother driving, Chira beside her (with grandpa engineered seat belt) and Mother on the back seat seeing everything from that angle. I went to greet them and little Chira marched right in and removed her flip flops which mother took and then Chira began to explore.
With bare feet slapping the tile floor she headed right through the kitchen and into the living area. I had put a little "Pippa Longstocking" doll on the chair for her and directed her to that chair. She picked it up, put it down and went on to see other things. She saw a "potato basket" that I had made, sitting near the fireplace. She promptly put it on her head and asked about her bike. She was off and running in imaginary play. Her grandmother suggested a small stool in front of the fireplace could serve as a motor bike. We watched as she made herself comfortable on the stool. She did not perch on it as I had expected, but straddled it and with her feet scooted herself over the tile for her imaginary ridc.
She then made her way through the french doors onto the sun room. We did not follow her but sat chatting as she continued her play. She brought her grandmother a pillow and was asked asked where is the blanket? (thinking she would get her own favorite blanket she had carried in with her). But she went back out to the sunroom, found a throw rug and brought it back as a blanket.
It wasn't long before she discovered the curved stairs which have spaces between the steps. She peeped out from those openings with a big grin on her face so we went up to join her in the balcony. She spent some time looking at the family portraits hanging on the wall. I showed her my picture with I was a little girl and we looked for babies, etc. Off she went to a bedroom and I opened the blinds so she could see the road she had just traveled over in the golf cart. Then we found another window to look out toward the back where she could see her golf cart from above. We did not have time to sit up there for she was off again heading downstairs.
She went back to what attracted her at first (the helmet basket) and continued with her play. It was not long before she was at the front door all ready to leave this place. Her mother reminded her to put things back where she had found them and soon they were back in the golf cart and on to other places.
Watching her exploring reminded me of "Eloise" from the Eloise books where a little girl with lots of energy and imagination went to live at the "Ritz" in Paris. The books were first published in 1955 and there were a series of the books. I have given them as gifts to little girls, so they may still be available. Children are more entertaining that the book. I just wonder what the fictional Eloise would do on a golf cart. Chira was too young to drive one but I think she could have some great adventures anyway.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Walking Forward While Looking Backward
One of the perks of living into your 8th decade is being able to remember the interesting parts of your life. They may not be interesting to others and they may not all be laudable but they are there for recall whenever you want to review them. Sometimes they are beckoned to come forward by some action of others. A recent trip that my second grandson took to Nashville, Tennessee brought forth a string of memories. He was on a break from school and attending a social event at Vanderbilt College.
The memory that came into focus was in the 1950's when my husband was in school at Peabody college in Nashville. One of my "firsts" took place there. The famous Kefauver hearings were in progress in Washington D.C. and our landlord for the summer invited us to come in and watch them on television. That was a first time for me to see a television in action.
Our landlord informed us about other things as well. I had never heard of "hush puppies" and she explained the origin of that name. According to her during slavery times the slaves would be outdoors cooking on an open fire making cornbread balls and dropping them into a pot of grease. The dogs would be wandering around and whining for food. The cook would pick up a cooked ball of the bread and pitch it to the dogs saying "hush puppy". She told it as the truth and I was not able to dispute it.
My husband was the first to earn a Masters degree in our family, from Peabody in Nashville. This was during 1950 and incoming students to the colleges in Nashville were required to register for the draft (for the war in Korea). Having already served in the European theater of war he simply ignored the request and went on about the business of studying. He had heard that the state of Tennessee was taking their quota of recruits from the list of young men out of state who did register there for the draft. Not quite fair it would seem so probably that is why he ignored it as he was already registered in his state of Kentucky.
One of the firsts that I remember was speaking on a telephone. It was on the wall in my father's office. The hearing part was held up to the ear while the speaking part was still attached to the wall. He held me up in his arms so I could speak to my sister in town where she worked.
Another sister who was 17 years older than me was my first grade teacher. Being under her direction at school and having her living at home caused some confusion for me. I think it still causes confusion for children when more than one authority figure is present.
My first dentist was a family friend and I walked alone to his office for dental work. We walked everywhere then, it was the way to travel. My father had a car which he drove to his work, which was too far to walk. But from elementary through high school I walked to and from school, and some of those years I walked home for lunch. We did not have a lunchroom in school then.
I well remember my first whipping. Yes, it was done back then even in the best of families. I had been instructed to remove my new shoes after I got home from church and I did not. I remember being surprised by sudden stings on my legs as I was happily dancing around outside in my new shoes. My mother had applied the willow switch to remind me.
I was born into my first church, baptised there and married there. My membership stayed there until I moved away to another state and then I transferred it, at the suggestion of my mother. I suppose it "took" as I am still an active Presbyterian.
The first time I drove a car was in Texas on the Naval Air Base at Corpus Christi. My brother-in-law's brother was my teacher. He was an instructor at Rodd Field there and took it upon himself to teach me to drive. Since I had no car I did not continue driving. I had to learn all over again ten years later. This time the teacher was my husband and I do not recommend that as it can cause unintended consequences, like hurt feeling when corrected! I think I needed a lot of correcting the second time.
My first visit out of the country was while I lived in Texas and the trip was to Monterrey, Mexico. I went alone on a bus and loved it there. I still have silver jewelry that I purchased there and some pictures of the trip.
I was not ever "lucky" in winning things, but the first award I won was in a Teachers Fair when I was a new teacher in Georgia. I won for a project in teaching Language Arts to first graders. The prize was $25 in a local bank savings account. I was so totally surprised as I had not even considered being a winner. I was more focused on sharing an idea which worked well for me.
Maybe being surprised at pleasant things in your life is a nice bonus to put in the plus column. It is not particularly pleasant to recall the bad things that come along and we all have them at one time or another. Looking back on happy events can make the walking forward much more pleasant.
The memory that came into focus was in the 1950's when my husband was in school at Peabody college in Nashville. One of my "firsts" took place there. The famous Kefauver hearings were in progress in Washington D.C. and our landlord for the summer invited us to come in and watch them on television. That was a first time for me to see a television in action.
Our landlord informed us about other things as well. I had never heard of "hush puppies" and she explained the origin of that name. According to her during slavery times the slaves would be outdoors cooking on an open fire making cornbread balls and dropping them into a pot of grease. The dogs would be wandering around and whining for food. The cook would pick up a cooked ball of the bread and pitch it to the dogs saying "hush puppy". She told it as the truth and I was not able to dispute it.
My husband was the first to earn a Masters degree in our family, from Peabody in Nashville. This was during 1950 and incoming students to the colleges in Nashville were required to register for the draft (for the war in Korea). Having already served in the European theater of war he simply ignored the request and went on about the business of studying. He had heard that the state of Tennessee was taking their quota of recruits from the list of young men out of state who did register there for the draft. Not quite fair it would seem so probably that is why he ignored it as he was already registered in his state of Kentucky.
One of the firsts that I remember was speaking on a telephone. It was on the wall in my father's office. The hearing part was held up to the ear while the speaking part was still attached to the wall. He held me up in his arms so I could speak to my sister in town where she worked.
Another sister who was 17 years older than me was my first grade teacher. Being under her direction at school and having her living at home caused some confusion for me. I think it still causes confusion for children when more than one authority figure is present.
My first dentist was a family friend and I walked alone to his office for dental work. We walked everywhere then, it was the way to travel. My father had a car which he drove to his work, which was too far to walk. But from elementary through high school I walked to and from school, and some of those years I walked home for lunch. We did not have a lunchroom in school then.
I well remember my first whipping. Yes, it was done back then even in the best of families. I had been instructed to remove my new shoes after I got home from church and I did not. I remember being surprised by sudden stings on my legs as I was happily dancing around outside in my new shoes. My mother had applied the willow switch to remind me.
I was born into my first church, baptised there and married there. My membership stayed there until I moved away to another state and then I transferred it, at the suggestion of my mother. I suppose it "took" as I am still an active Presbyterian.
The first time I drove a car was in Texas on the Naval Air Base at Corpus Christi. My brother-in-law's brother was my teacher. He was an instructor at Rodd Field there and took it upon himself to teach me to drive. Since I had no car I did not continue driving. I had to learn all over again ten years later. This time the teacher was my husband and I do not recommend that as it can cause unintended consequences, like hurt feeling when corrected! I think I needed a lot of correcting the second time.
My first visit out of the country was while I lived in Texas and the trip was to Monterrey, Mexico. I went alone on a bus and loved it there. I still have silver jewelry that I purchased there and some pictures of the trip.
I was not ever "lucky" in winning things, but the first award I won was in a Teachers Fair when I was a new teacher in Georgia. I won for a project in teaching Language Arts to first graders. The prize was $25 in a local bank savings account. I was so totally surprised as I had not even considered being a winner. I was more focused on sharing an idea which worked well for me.
Maybe being surprised at pleasant things in your life is a nice bonus to put in the plus column. It is not particularly pleasant to recall the bad things that come along and we all have them at one time or another. Looking back on happy events can make the walking forward much more pleasant.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Calendar vs Plants
The date today is March 2, 2012, and we should be having cold windy weather, but it is very pleasant outdoors. I took a saunter around my house and saw that plants are popping up before their usual scheduled appearance. No matter that the weather predictors have warned us about storms, hail and even tornadoes.
I could see the daffodils from my window and the beautiful red camellia but it always blooms at this time. The periwinkle around my house is full of those tiny blue blooms. A beautiful saucer magnolia is showing lots of purple/pink/white blooms all over the top and side. Sedum (Autumn Joy) is popping up in front of my stone wall. Dianthus (Bath Pink) is ready to pop open with blooms. Paper White Narcissus is up but being rather secretive about showing any blooms. I saw the red blooms on the maple by my shed, getting ready to show it's red wings. The red Peony is beginning to come up too. All of this and I still have two Muscadine vines to prune. All of the other eager beavers on this place need to calm down and wait for the calendar to lead the way.
It is not that I do not enjoy seeing all of the early risers, I just do not want them to get the cold shoulder from Mother Nature and have to suffer an early freeze. At least the bluebirds have not started building their nests. They must be waiting for me to pull up the front door of their house. I had to open it so the squirrels would not overwinter in them. I would much prefer to have the birds in there than the gnawing squirrels.
At least my blueberries are behaving as they normally do. It would really be a loss if they were frozen out. The weather always has surprises for us. When I was a young girl we were all ready to wear our new Easter clothes and a winter storm brought in heavy snow. Needless to say we put them away and went to the Easter service in warm and comfortable clothes.
In the mid 1960s our entire neighborhood in Arnold, Maryland was taken aback one year when Christmas day turned out to be a short sleeve day. You may be sure all of our neighbors were out discussing this turn of events as we walked around in our short sleeves. By the time that the hot summer months come along we no doubt will be back to our normal weather pattern, nothing seems to deter those hot humid days in the south.
I could see the daffodils from my window and the beautiful red camellia but it always blooms at this time. The periwinkle around my house is full of those tiny blue blooms. A beautiful saucer magnolia is showing lots of purple/pink/white blooms all over the top and side. Sedum (Autumn Joy) is popping up in front of my stone wall. Dianthus (Bath Pink) is ready to pop open with blooms. Paper White Narcissus is up but being rather secretive about showing any blooms. I saw the red blooms on the maple by my shed, getting ready to show it's red wings. The red Peony is beginning to come up too. All of this and I still have two Muscadine vines to prune. All of the other eager beavers on this place need to calm down and wait for the calendar to lead the way.
It is not that I do not enjoy seeing all of the early risers, I just do not want them to get the cold shoulder from Mother Nature and have to suffer an early freeze. At least the bluebirds have not started building their nests. They must be waiting for me to pull up the front door of their house. I had to open it so the squirrels would not overwinter in them. I would much prefer to have the birds in there than the gnawing squirrels.
At least my blueberries are behaving as they normally do. It would really be a loss if they were frozen out. The weather always has surprises for us. When I was a young girl we were all ready to wear our new Easter clothes and a winter storm brought in heavy snow. Needless to say we put them away and went to the Easter service in warm and comfortable clothes.
In the mid 1960s our entire neighborhood in Arnold, Maryland was taken aback one year when Christmas day turned out to be a short sleeve day. You may be sure all of our neighbors were out discussing this turn of events as we walked around in our short sleeves. By the time that the hot summer months come along we no doubt will be back to our normal weather pattern, nothing seems to deter those hot humid days in the south.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)