See? A Penny!

I picked up most if not all of the euphemisms I use on a regular basis from my parents and their siblings. Otherwise known as my aunts and uncles.

Though they were all different ages, they were, for all intents and purposes, from the same generation. The eldest member of the family was my aunt Loretta; she was the first born, in '03. That's 1903. Later, my Dad was born in '10. Same century as above. The youngest was my uncle Gene, born in '26. Yes, quite a spread there. Word is that my Grandfather said "It was the best afterthought we ever had".

Needless to say, I grew up with old people. I don't mean to be disrespectful by saying that, but it's the truth. But the interesting thing about growing up with all these great people, is that because they were from that generation, I was never really a part of the generation my friends were in. As an example, Marilee's Mom was 25 when she was born; my Mom was 38. Not a whole generation, mind you, but considering my Dad was 46, now that is a generation.

Early in life, I remember hearing swing music. Because that's what my parents grew up with. Even today, all the day, I enjoy listening to Tommy Dorsey as much as The Beatles.

I was lucky to have had that experience - hearing all those great sayings. The sad truth is that many of those sayings are disappearing. Words, too. The "youth" of today aren't even aware that words from earlier decades were colorful without being profane. And phrases - even rhymes - can appear in the least likeliest of places.

OK, so I've put in my two cents' worth.

Look for more Old Man Talk in the future.