Flashback Friday # 176

Things Said By My Elders

Hi, Welcome back to another trip down memory lane. You may wonder at the title. I was going to put "Words of Wisdom From My Elders" but some of the things I came up with weren't all that wise. I didn't come from a family of Rhodes scholars, after all.

My maternal grandfather used to say "If it stays overnight at my house, it's mine." I was terrified about the idea of ever spending the night there, because I wouldn't be able to go back to my parents.

Whenever I would do something dumb, my mom would say "Don't act like your dad." Conversely, Dad would always say "Don't act like your mom."

If telling someone that she planned to do something, mom would always add "Lord willing & the creek don't rise."

I had an uncle who would say "I'm allowed to spoil them, I don't see them that often."

My paternal grandpa, upon returning home would say "Home sweet home. Where you can scratch where it itches."

When asked how he wanted his coffee, Dad would always tell the waitresses "I like my coffee like I like my women, strong & black" He also said that coffee "would put hair on your chest." I could never figure out why women wanted to drink coffee.

He also said "Treat every woman like a lady until she shows you otherwise."

I was told many-a-time "If you don't stop, I'll slap you to sleep."

If we asking where someone was, we were often told "He went to Timbuktu.","He went to the outhouse & fell in." or "He went to the outhouse & the hogs ate him."

Dad would always say "Don't throw that away, it might come in handy some day."

Aunt Shelly was famous for shouting "Take it outside." (usually when a couple of her kids were going at each other.)

As Dad would get ready to turn in for the night, he would say "I think I'll take this beautiful body to bed."

And I will close with what we were told at night "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. If they do, bite them back."