Play it Again #4: 'You Got This..."

First posted in July of 2015

                                      You Got This

Some slang words, like "cool", seem to hang around for generations. They simply work... or... no one has come up with a better choice that will work as well. Other words pass through the vernacular quickly -- sort of "run their course" and never make it into the urban dictionary or any dictionary for that matter. It works the same for phrases.  One phrase that I have been hearing for a while now and that I really like is "You got this".  I can only speculate as to its origin.  Maybe it is a derivative of "I get it" but going a step further somehow. But anyway, it works for me ... is somehow reassuring.... If someone says "You got this", it means that they feel that you are totally capable of handling whatever "it" is.  How nice.  I guess you could say "I got this" as well to convey that you will get it done, whatever "it" is.  It is confidence building either way.

Then again there are those temporarily popular words and phrases that have a short shelf life and most often we are glad about that. I mean ... it is hard to take a mature adult seriously when the word "rad" is spoken with a straight face. The current use of the phrase "on fleek" is particularly annoying to me.  I am hoping this one goes its own way very soon.

I have to tell you though, there are a few phrases that I never or rarely found the opportunity to use, but that still strike me funny years after their popularity has diminished.  Do you remember... 

• Gag me with a spoon (Actually I think I may have used that one once or twice.)
• All that and a bag of chips
• Talk to the hand (That is obnoxious to be sure... but still funny somehow.)

Language is so odd; it changes and evolves along with us.  Did you know, for instance, that in the 1920's the slang word "bimbo" was used to refer to a tough guy?   Just sayin'.... Odd as it may be, our ever-changing language does the best job that it can.  It comes in handy. For example...  Are you enjoying a few of the many difficult challenges of "getting older" or of life in general? Read carefully and "listen" to my words .... You got this. 

Play it again #3: " A Bond Among Strangers

Recently I noticed  that a lot of people were waving at me as I drove down the road.  You know how dark windshields are these days -- you can only see the hand waving and not the face?  I was a little confused. Why so many waves?  I checked to see that my tailgate was closed and then --  thought about it and decided that people were waving at my new vehicle thinking that I was someone else.  That was it for sure. There are a lot of vehicles like mine out there.  Then I noticed that it was only other Jeep Wrangler drivers who were waving at me.  What?  I mentioned this phenomenon to my cool/with-it daughter,  who suggested that it could be similar to how motorcyclists "wave" to each other -- a sort of comradery.  I wondered.  So -- I "hit" Google as I often do nowadays when confronted with some new thing, term, happening, etc. (I want to at least try to keep up with things.  I even know someone who has ordered an Apple Watch.)

This is what I found. According to several sources, including the Urban Dictionary, there is something called The Jeep Wave.  Jeep Talk even has an official "Guide to The Jeep Wave" which goes into humorous detail in delineating:

• the variety of acceptable waves
• the hierarchy of Jeeps, including a myriad of sub-categories
• the rules of the waving process
• the various explanations as to the origin of the wave

Jeep Talk has even assigned a point value to individual Jeeps based on age, experience, equipment, modifications, and my personal favorite -- battle scars, including scars on the driver that "Must be Jeep-related" in order to count (proof may be required).  Of all Jeeps, Wranglers of any vintage rank the highest -- of course. The older and more banged up the better -- apparently. There are even Jeep Wave Stickers and Decals available on E-bay and Amazon. I even saw one type of Jeep Wave in a Jeep TV commercial recently.  It's a whole other world out there that I am just now discovering.  

I wanted to share this information and experience with my daughter, son-in-law, and smart/cute grandkids, so last Saturday, we all piled into the Wrangler and headed to Duran's Farm Store on the "low" road between Waterford and Erie, PA.  We encountered several Wranglers and several Jeep waves as my son-in-law was driving/trying out my new vehicle.  We really "got into" the whole experience. Given our location,  I could not help but think that if Jeeps had been around in the Waterford/Fort Le Boeuf area during colonial times, George Washington would have had one for sure in which to cross French Creek on his way to deliver that message to the French.  Anyway -- it was fun.  Then -- when my daughter was driving on the way home, two of the Wranglers we met did not wave.  Oh no!  Either they didn't have "with it" drivers -- or -- were just not in a friendly mood -- or....  let's face it - sometimes 4-door Wranglers, like mine, are met with disdain by older, more well-used 2-door Wranglers. There is a hierarchy to be sure.  Plus -- I keep the doors on and take my Wrangler through a car wash. For sure --there are the "too conservative" (scaredy-cat) and the "too clean"  factors to consider also.  Notwithstanding the hierarchy,  I have to admit that we all heartily booed the non-wavers.  As a follow-up mention  -- my son-in-law shared with me the next day that he was totally snubbed earlier that morning when he sheepishly waved at a Wrangler --  from his Subaru. It's not an equal playing field, I guess.

Point of interest -- along with bikers, who have their own wave and protocol, I read that Mini Cooper drivers also have their own wave. What fun is this?  In times that sometimes seem harsh and cold, there are total strangers reaching out to one another to say a fun hello.  It's a bond among strangers for sure.  I am thinking that we need more fun things like this.   

Play it again #2: Stranger on the Porch

I am thinking that some city folks might not find this believable, but life on the edge of a pasture and woods can sometimes be very exciting.  I personally have had a couple of close encounters with bear with whom I share my blackberry patches, and one time a couple of baby bobcats took shelter on one of my porch chair cushions -- which were never quite the same after their stop over. Of course white-tailed deer pass through at least twice a day -- sometimes in large groups. We often chat in a manner of speaking. I talk; they appear to listen attentively. However -- the evening I am going to tell you about was a whole new kind of experience. 

It began during a winter storm, cold and windy... winter bleakness in general. It had been gray all day and almost totally dark out since about 4 PM.  If you live in NW PA, you know what I am talking about. Anyway -- I was enjoying dinner with my grandkids and daughter when we saw a strange creature "flying" through the yard. It was larger than a cat, thinner than a bear cub... very stringy looking. Unfortunately their dog, the Lovely Luna, was outside, and, as she has a tendency to bring all sorts of unusual things home, we were not surprised to find both her and her new mangy-looking acquaintance on my back porch. The two of them were making a tremendous amount of noise that sounded none too friendly as I am sure you can imagine. The grandkids ran into the laundry room with their dinner as -- naturally --it was way more fun to be scared in there than at the kitchen table.  My daughter managed to get her beast safely inside, but the mystery creature remained on the porch. Did I mention that it was about 12 degrees outside and this poor animal was not looking at all well?  

Now -- from previous experience with an ailing coyote, I have found that whenever a wild animal lands on your back porch, it's not a good thing. It was time to take action or ... to stay inside until Spring.

I tried to call the game warden for my township. No luck.
I called my neighbor who said to call the State Police. Helpful.
I called the State Police and they gave me a phone number for a game commission office that is about 60 miles from here. Not really what I wanted.

So we did what we should have done in the first place. My daughter called her brother-in-law who is a man we are all glad we know because in addition to being really nice, he can do anything, fix anything and is almost totally self-sufficient other than he doesn't build his own trucks from scratch - yet. He is a bit of a survivalist and therefore has appropriate weaponry. He came immediately - just had to finish feeding his chickens first.  His was an amazing entrance. The man fills a doorway. He arrived dressed in his usual camouflage and carrying a blowgun that is taller than I am at almost 5'3".  Oh how I wish I had taken a photograph so that I could have shared his appearance with you. This guy is about 6'5" tall in his stocking feet, but add large winter boots and a fur hat that resembles a full sized beaver -- and he is most impressive. With his hair almost to his waist and his significant beard, let me say he makes the Duck Dynasty bunch look wimpy.  Anyway - that stranger on my back porch took one look at him and vacated the premises.... hopefully never to be seen again. The blowgun was totally unnecessary. 

What surprises me in retrospect is that the kids were afraid of this small animal (probably a fox) and not at all affected by their uncle who resembled, on this occasion - an enlarged and scary Ewok.  I tell you what -- you would not want to run into him unexpectedly on your back porch.  No offense intended... honest.  He is my hero.    

Play it again, Sam

 

I am taking a bit of a break from writing this weekly blog because I need to catch up on some things for the next month or so. The most important of these is time with family. The "out of towners" arrive tomorrow. Fun times! That said -- for the next few weeks "blogwise", I am going to repost some of the more popular blogs since its beginning in 2014.  From Pencil Box to Keyboard has been viewed over 25,000 times now. With readers mostly from the US, but also from Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, South America, and, surprisingly to me, from Russia which, I just recently relearned, is part in Europe and part in Asia. It fun to see where in the world people are accessing my rambles. It is also fun to see which blogs, for whatever reason, have been the most read. Lucky for me, BlogSpot, which hosts my blog, keeps track of all the stats. 

That being said, here is "Play it again... #1"

                                    Purring Grandma

Recently I was chatting with a good friend of mine.  She was telling me about time spent with her Mom during the previous week..  They had spent several days together planning and working on a project. ( I was exhausted just listening to all that they had accomplished.) Anyway --  at one point her Mom, who is a young 88, sat down, put her feet up, closed her eyes and shortly thereafter began to purr softly. (That whole scenario makes me smile.)  My friend found this to be amazing and wonderful at the same time.  The thing that surprised her was not just the purring, but that her Mom actually stopped to take a bit of a nap.  Now I personally don't find the desire to take a bit of a nap at all surprising.  In fact I find it hard to believe that there are people who never nap and seem to take great pride in the fact that they don't.. I do believe them when the say they don't even feel the need, but I still find it necessary to "suspend my disbelief", if you know what I mean. Anyway -- I decided to take an informal poll.  I discovered that many people, including a random sampling at the local Walmart as well as of some of my friends, highly recommend napping on a regular basis. There are those who use strong terms like "power nap". Others just mumble as if napping needs to be a confession of some sort.   Actually there are many terms that people use in reference to napping.  It is sort of like areas of the country that have twenty-seven different words for snow. The more important the subject, the more words to describe it.  I was talking with my  three-year-old granddaughter just the other day about the importance and benefits of napping. As I was looking at her and gabbing away, she closed her eyes and tipped over on me sound asleep. I guess she doesn't need to be convinced. She is, after all, a fourth generation "napper". As I watched her sleep the sleep of a three year old, I wished that she too did a little soft purring. There is something so nice about that.