My Mother always had a good vocabulary and was a good speller and ever since I can remember, she and Gramps always did crosswords puzzles. I was never sure why Granny got the morning crossword puzzle and Gramps the afternoon but that was the way it seemed to work. My mother's childhood was spent, of course, in a simpler time with draft horses and such and no cars much until she was half grown.
As a child, if one of us children would ask Mom how to spell a word, she would tell us "look it up". She thought we would remember it better next time, if we looked it up this time. Mom always read, had taken Latin for Pete's sake in high school (ancient? I thought so!)knew her geography and math.
Now, Mom, in a regular conversation struggles to find the word she wants or to put them together in the right order. This evening, tho, using a list of old fashioned words, Mom was able to define and explain. She told me what a sickle is and what is is used for, she described a horse's trace and not quite so sure of herself, the brace. She knows quite well what a furrow is and described something to me called a gang saw and a gang plow -- then corrected my pronunciation. Scythe, she said, is pronounced "sigthhh".
Thank God. Some things never change!
2 comments:
Amazing that Granny was taught Latin. And in a country school, I reckon?
Boy, I always hated it when you told me to "look it up"! I wanted the answer right then, when I was asking, not after I looked it up. Well, I suppose I have Granny to thank for that! And, I should also thank her (and you) for my good vocabulary. Although, I am still having problems with macabre--I want to say mac-a-bray!! And I say Penelope--pen-a-lope!!! Okay, maybe it's not that good!
I can't pronounce macabre . . . or waft. But you do have a very good vocabulary and yes, we have Granny to thank. Actually, probably her mother, your great Granny who also had a love of books and who was a teacher for a few years.
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