"A blog is to a writer what a canvas is to an artist." ~ Colleen Redman

13: Bird is the Word

brdm41. Since hearing Nancy Sinatra’s old song “These Boots are Made for Walking” last week, while watching the PBS special on the history of feminism, I’ve been saying to Joe, when we’re getting ready to go someplace, “Are you ready, boots?”

2. My four-year-old grandson Bryce likes to play Mario and Luigi. Yesterday I asked him if Mario and Luigi have a mother. “Yes,” he answered, nonchalantly, “that’s why they say ‘mama mia!”’

3. He also said, “They don’t have cars in Italian. They just used boats and wheelbarrows.

4. After typing #3 I became intrigued with the word “wheelbarrow,” which I always thought should be “wheel barrel.” So I did some research and discovered that one very old meaning of the word “barrow” is an open container for carrying people or goods. The earliest barrows were carried by two people holding handles on either end. Add a wheel to one end and you have a wheelbarrow which can be handled by a single person.

5. “So I would “knock wood” to ward off bad luck; Italians would say “touch iron.” ~ Post from a Facebook friend who is currently in Italy

6. Mishearing song lyrics can result in some funny lines, like when my sister Sherry thought Yellow Submarine was Jealous of Marine. This week while babysitting Liam and Bryce, I heard Bryce singing, “I like big butts. I can’t apply.”

7. I recently read an online poem about violence towards women called V is for Violence and Violation. It was a good poem, but while reading it, I felt like sticking up for the letter V, which I consider to be one that vibrates with a powerful life force, such as in vibrant, vitality and victorious. Of course the words vicious, vindictive and vile also begin with V, and live can be twisted to spell evil.

8. V is the letter equivalent of the color red.

9. I hope there is no connection between the English calling a girl a “bird” and flipping the bird being called that because birds have a long association with taunting. ~ More on why giving the finger is also called flipping the bird HERE.

10. According to the article above, in Afghanistan, Iran, and a few other countries, the thumb, rather than the middle finger, represents the phallus. Flashing a thumbs-up to an Afghan with no exposure to Western habits is the equivalent of flipping him the bird.

11. In the spring of 2010, I wrote this in a 13 Thursday: So now that the bluebird of happiness (an indigo bunting) lives in my yard, what should I manifest next? How about the fountain of youth?

12. The bad news: There is no key to happiness. The good news: It isn’t locked. ~ quote seen on Facebook

13. THIS is the soundtrack song for this blog post.  It won out over THIS one.

_____________Thirteen Thursday

March 6th, 2013 colleen Posted in Thirteen Thursdays

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