Customer Reviews

Don't Cackle 'Til the Egg is Laid: Country Proverbs with Selected Translations for City Folks

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even though the limits largest city in Eastern Iowa was less than five miles away, I grew up in a rural area. Both of my grandparents lived within seven miles of our house and neither one had indoor plumbing. My paternal grandparents lived until they died in a house that had no electricity or running water. Sayings like those found in this book were regular fare on the radio and from many of the people that I interacted with. Since I went to an urban school system, many of the things that I could talk about were incomprehensible to my classmates.
These sayings appear in two forms, the true "country" form and a more urbanized form. Some examples are:

*) "Now, don't that just blow your dress up!"
*) "Roosters crow, hens deliver."
*) "If you have to fight, make sure you don't have the short stick."

My favorite was:

*) Twenty yards to the outhouse seems like a mile on a cold winter morning.

Since I spent a lot of overnights at my grandparents I can speak from experience that the prospect of walking out to the outhouse at 6 AM when it is below zero forces you into an internal debate. The question becomes, "Which is worse, wetting the bed or freezing your body parts." You really do debate this issue.
I enjoyed this collection of sayings, although the translations really aren't all that necessary. Most of the sayings are easy to understand and intelligent people will be able to discern the meaning.

My Husband is T. Bubba Bechtol and I am just wondering who you are......?~Bubba-Lishous (copyrighted)
BTW-I have not read your book, but I had to put something in as a star rating!