Opinion

Everyone has a mother!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Hi neighbors. This is Mother's Day weekend! I hope you all get to spend some time with your mothers.

Most of us have many fond memories of our mothers -- particularly the role they played in our lives when we were young.

Many of us were fortunate to discover our mothers becoming our best friends as years blended and the age differences seem to matter less and less.

Have you noticed as more time passes, that the things you most remember about your mom are her eccentricities? Or the times she did something so out of character it made it memorable.

Of course, mothers wouldn't be mothers without fathers! As children we sometimes forget what we learn quickly enough when we ourselves become parents.

Before the children are born, and after the children leave home -- there are the pair of lovebirds called mother and father by their brood.

When again alone together, the habits developed over years of fetch and carry for babes, children and teens sometimes go awry. The well-timed schedules maintained during all those years of getting children to school in the morning, activities in the evenings and family or church events on weekends fade away and seem to slip out of synchronicity.

When it comes down to just mom and pop at home -- things can get a bit testy.

I remember the first time I read this poem in high school. I laughed aloud so hard it hurt my sides. It is so easy to visualize this scenario. I hope you enjoy this old Scottish folksong.

"Get Up and Bar the Door"

It fell about the Martinmas time,

And a gay time it was then,

When our goodwife got puddings' to make,

And she's boild them in the pan.

The wind sae could blew south and north,

And blew into the floor;

Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,

"Gae out and bar the door."

"My hand is in my hussyfskap,

Goodman, as ye may see;

An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year,

It's no be barrd for me."

They made a paction tween them twa,

They made it firm and sure,

That the first word whaeer shoud speak,

Shoud rise and bar the door.

Then by there came two gentlemen,

At twelve o'clock at night,

And they could neither see house nor hall,

Nor coal nor candle-light.

"Now whether is this a rich man's house,

Or whether is it a poor?"

But neer a word wad ane o them speak,

For barring of the door.

And first they ate the white puddings,

And then they ate the black;

Tho muckle thought the goodwife to herself,

Yet neer a word she spake.

Then said the one unto the other,

"Here, man, tak ye my knife;

Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,

And I'll kiss the goodwife."

"But there's nae water in the house,

And what shall we do then?"

"What ails ye at the pudding-broo,

That boils into the pan?"

O up then started our good man,

An angry man was he:

"Will ye kiss my wife before my een,

And scad me wi pudding-bree?"

Then up and started our goodwife,

Gied three skips on the floor:

"Goodman, you've spoken the foremost word,

Get up and bar the door."

Until the next time friends remember at whatever age in her life, mothers always get the last word! Enjoy time with your mother and/or your children this weekend.