Blue Moon Wikipedia
The fact that we had a “blue moon” on New Year’s made me think of all the old sayings that I grew up hearing. Like a lot of people, my mother said, “once in a blue moon” many times over our years together, but she had many, many more idioms that are certainly less common. My favorite that she said often was “she drove her ducks to a muddy pond,” usually meaning that some girl had selected the wrong mate or made some other horribly bad decision. Then there were the miserly people that she said were “tight as Dick’s hatband” or “he was so tight he squeaked.”
Mother could be quite descriptive, and when she saw someone who looked particularly bad she would say he “looked like Hell smoked black.” By this and other similar quotes one could tell Mom grew up in a Baptist setting with quips like “he could eat Hell and drink Jordan dry.” See, you have to have a little Biblical understanding to get that one, don’t you think? She said that saying came about as a result of watching the circuit preacher eat the very best and last piece of chicken at Sunday dinner with her family (Sunday dinner meaning at noon) before he rode his horse to the next church along his route.
Mom would be 100 years old this year if she were still with us, so many of her memories were of very long ago and very interesting. Of course, now I wish I had listened more intently, but as she would say, “we live and learn.”
She also used some of the same idioms that many of us have heard most of our lives, but a few that she said the most were “he’s barking up the wrong tree”; “she was fixed in her ways”; he’s got a long row to hoe”; and “you just can’t change a dog’s spots.”
Mom, who could make a dollar go further than anyone I know, couldn’t understand parents who never gave their children a little money all along. To her it didn’t make sense to save it and leave it until you “were dead and gone.” And in her later years that became even more significant and important to her and dad. Both wanted to be certain that they were doing what they could for their kids and grandkids while they were alive.
As retired school teachers, that didn’t mean loads of money, but what they had earned, they wanted to share. Often Mother would put a twenty dollar bill in my hand as I was leaving after a visit, and when I protested, she would always come back with “I want to touch the palm I put it in” or “there are no pockets in a shroud.” To this day many years later, I remember the love in her eyes when she folded that bill and slipped it from her hand to mine. Her “actions spoke louder than words.”
But the one I heard most often when I was leaving for a date was, “pretty is as pretty does.” That one rings in my ears!!!
Now this all started with a “blue moon.” I hope you saw it and enjoyed it because there will not be another one until New Year’s 2028. In the meantime, Good Luck and God Bless, and please continue to follow my blogs in this new year.
Paragraphs on Padre 
You protested? Man, I took the money and asked for more, but, I am the baby of the family. Mom, if your reading this…I love you!
Wow! You have brought back some great memories for me. My mother has a store of wonderful sayings. My father’s favorite sayings were not always “printable” which means that they probably shouldn’t have been said!
A couple which came to mind were “I’m busier than a one-armed paper hanger with an itch,” and “ugly enough to tree a snake.”
Before he passed away, I created a graphic using his favorite sayings and had it framed–makes me smile when I read it.
What a great idea to frame his sayings. I’m sure since he owned a funeral home, he would have needed to have a sense of humor and some clever sayings in order not to get depressed. Thanks for reading. Tell Marin I don’t see any comments from him!!!
I am feeling old because Bill & I both still say all those old sayings. But, the good news is we did see the Blue Moon with some of our best friends!
My Mom told me “pretty is as pretty does” every day before I went to school. What in the world does this one mean?? He is “as tall as a drink of water”? Loved the Blue Moon…glad it was a clear night in Austin for us to see!
Obviously they didn’t have sippy cups back then. There are a lot of those sayings that don’t make much sense these days, but you can be assured that I knew what my mother meant when she said “pretty is as pretty does.” Did I always remember????? Well, I just figured, “what she didn’t know, didn’t hurt her.” Ha!
you forgot “poor as Job’s turkey”,”every mamma cat thinks her kittens are the blackest”,”when hell freezes over”,”love gives itself”,”drunk as Cooter Brown”, ” he’s still going over fools mountain”and my all time favorite,” God helps those who help themselves”
Yep, you are so right. I had forgotten these, but I can almost see her saying these!
In reply to “Blue Moon”, and the fact that Cindy’s Mom would be 100 years old–mine was born in 1895–she would be 115 on Feb. 2010 if she was still with us. This is one of her comments, “we have to eat over a pound of dirt a day to stay healthy”. I think she was right, now we wash all of the good and bad bacteria away and all of a sudden we have supper-bugs. I don’t know if Mama actually meant eating the dirt or just putting up with it!! Happy New Year with good health to all. Pat Porter
I love to see you mention those favorite quotes of your Mom. Makes me think of my Mom and Grandma. I think about the “older” generation and the things they used to say. I wonder what people are going to say when my Granddaughters get my age. I did happen to see the “blue moon” and was amazed to see what it actually meant.