Pony Party, Self-Indulgent Reminiscing

My grandmother has been forward in my mind here lately for a few reasons.  Firstly, she died 20 years ago in January.  Then there’s the fact that she was born and raised in Brooklyn, and had a super soft spot for NY teams (of which she always considered the Dodgers one), and would have been tickled to see the Giants win Sunday.

And lastly, because she was a first-generation American, and took democracy seriously.  She worked for the Democratic party in what is now PA-08, and had me at the polls with her from the time I could stand.  We used to stand outside the polls and hand out buttons and stickers (those were the days).  In ’72, when my brother was born, I BEGGED my parents to name him George McGovern.  They didnt.  

So today, with Grandmom Rose in mind, I thought I would share 2 of the folksier sayings that I learned in her house….one she used, and one my grandfather used about her.

My grandmother was a teeny little italian woman, and as such was a scrapper at heart.  She was very forward-thinking on issues like racism and women’s rights, and was particularly chuffed by women who would let their husbands ‘fight their battles’ for them.  She would say:

She makes the snowballs, and he throws them.

This quote would also apply to the ‘pot-stirrer’ type who would make trouble and then hide behind someone while the trouble played out.

And my grandmother…actually, all of the women in my family…were/are chatty, gregarious types.  My grandfather used to say:

If Rosie fell in a hole, she’d make 2 friends on the way down, and run into someone she knows at the bottom.

Is that not the most adorable saying you’ve ever heard?  I thought so  😉

Thank you so much for indulging my little reminisces today….

~73v