"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A Mutt by any other name would smell as sweet . . .

I'm a mutt - a mixed breed. My mom used to call our background 'the seven best breeds in the county' - what it meant was that we had seven nationalities in our background. We were not pure anything - we were not thoroughbreds - pedigrees - or anything like that.

I am part Irish - my grandson and I hadn't decorated for a year or two and I couldn't remember why so I went to the basement to get our stuff and when we went out I remembered why - he only wanted to play in the dirt.



He wanted to take tools and dig and pound the ground!



Then I remembered why we hadn't done it for awhile.



He digs and I work - I could just let him out to dig! I made him follow through and help me because he committed to me he would.



I think when you make a promise you should keep it - it is a duty to your family.



So when I told him he had to do his 'duty' - he about died laughing - 3rd graders minds are in the toilet!

Okay back to heritage. My husband is 100% Polish. I remember telling the kids that when they were little that they were only half Polish and half Mutt - my son cried out, "I want to be all Polish" - wonder if he'd say that now - I'll have to ask him. lol

So for me - Irish, English, French, Germany, Dutch, Swedish, and ? Wish I could ask my mom the other one.

So what is your nationality? Do you know how your family got here? I have a story for tomorrow. My husband's grandparents came over directly from Poland.

Happy Birthday Abe - from Wikipedia

In 1982, People magazine erroneously declared him dead. Vigoda took the error with good humor, posing for a photograph showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding the magazine in question. This rumor was nearly started again in 1987 when a reporter for Secaucus, New Jersey television station WWOR, Channel 9 erroneously referred to him as "the late Abe Vigoda". She corrected herself on the air the next day.

Erroneous reports of Vigoda's death as well as questions of whether he is alive or dead have become a running joke.

20 comments:

Cheri said...

I won't be able to come to the Diana showing,wish I could, but thanks for sharing.

Nationalities: I am German, Irish and English

Changes in the wind said...

Chatty, my maternal grandparents immigrated here from Sweden and on my Fathers side they came from Russia further back in time.

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Good morning, I have to say I'm a little mix of it all..lol..My Daddy's was 1/2 Irish (his father) and 1/2 French Arcadian (his Mom)
I loved looking up their family tree. Very interesting. Her family left French by the way of Canada before coming to south Louisiana
My Mom's Daddy was mostly Scotch/Irish with a smidgen of Chocktaw along the way and my Dear Grandma on Mom's side was pure Dutch. So all and all I'm a Mutt also.

Knitty said...

I am a German mix (Pennsylvania Dutch) on my dad's side and Serbian and Croatian on my mom's. I wish my parents were still here so that I could ask questions now that weren't as interesting or important to me 30 years ago.

Your post today gave me an unintentional laugh. My cursor was directly over the M in Mutt, obscuring it. Apparently your third grade grandson isn't the only with his mind in the toilet. I read your post title as "A butt by any other name would smell as sweet..."

betty said...

cute decorations and I agree with your thought Sandie to have your grandson be involved in completing it since it was his idea; will help him learn those "lessons of life"

Like your husband, I'm 100% Polish (isn't that funny, you don't come across too many "pure breds") I'm second generation American on my mom's side and first generation American on my dad's side. He was born in Poland and came over here after WW2. My mom's parents were born in Poland and came over here early 1900s and all their 10 kids were born in Pennsylvania.

looking forward to your story you'll share tomorrow :)

betty

Unknown said...

a bit of english, welsh, french, polish, salt, pepper, tsp. mustard, 1 T vinegar. oh sorry i got sidetracked. back to heritage yeah. i'll save the potatoe salad recipe for anohter day! yeah, i try to be funny but it usually backfires. have a great day!

Good to be a Queen said...

Hey There my fellow Steel Magnolia...Thanks for the Princess Diana tip, I loved her and thought she was beautiful...I am from the mountains, so we are Scotch-Irish(and who knows what else).

Deb said...

I, too, am Polish on both sides and my husband is Dutch, English and German. My lovely son...does not claim the Polish blood. He is such a sh*t. Nuff said!

Mary Bergfeld said...

It's always nice to get to know more about fellow bloggers. I'm Scotch-Irish and American Indian. My Mothers family came on the Mayflower. My Dad's with the second wave of famine Irish. Guess which group was responsible for the Indian :-).

Susan said...

Hi Sandie....My father's parents immigrated from Lithuania. My mother's parents both came from Poland. So we are all a mix of something! I have to admit, I love most Polish food and dig the polka music! Take care. Sincerely, Susan from writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com

A Palmer said...

Hi Sandie! Thanks so much for the award. I'm going to get on with sending it out this weekend - when I can breathe! My nationality is mixed as well - half German and half English. Definitely a WASP. My daughter has some Scotch mixed in and my son has some Portuguese so we're expanding the blend with every generation.

Together We Save said...

I am a mix of something....I know a little cherokee, some irish... and who knows, allI can say is we al all really a mix of something and we should love one another.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Hi, Sandie! Checking in for a brief second before I leave today on another trip! LOL!

My ancestry on my father's lines is very well documented. For the most part, his family hailed from England and Scotland. There are some French Hugenots as well. And there is a sprinkling of Irish. I have one "gateway" line on that side that goes back for generation after generation, and that one is fascinating and snakes through Europe... England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Russia, France, Italy, etc. More on that later. I won't bore you to tears. My mother's lines are primiarly English, Scottish, and Scotch-Irish (which were really Scots living in Ireland who then came to America).

For the most part, I think that most Americans whose families have been here for generations are all a bit of a mixed bag. Makes life more interesting.

Outta here. Will catch up with what I've missed next week...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Angela said...

Hey Sandie!

I love your St. Patrick's Day decorations! I seen a few houses in town last week all decorated and it made me want to do it!

I'll have to send you some links so you can research your family tree!

I'm a German, Irish, Appalachian, Hillbilly American!

Hugs,
Angela

The Muse said...

lol...mutt here and proud...

american indian to holland/dutch
to german and irish...

ah...it takes just the right spice to make a good muse :)

^..^Corgidogmama said...

Well, my brothers and I are second generation American. My paternal grandparents came over on the boat to Ellis Island. Grandma as a child, and Grandpa as an adult.
She came from what was called then, Bohemia...later the Czech nation. Grandpa went to college in Vienna, Austria. So we are Czech, Austrian, English on my mother's side. Visiting Grandma in Bay City, Michigan we would listen to the Czech radio station, and eat ethnic foods. I miss those days.

Sue said...

Hey...noting wrong with being Polish...or a Pollack as my father always called himself....I am 50% Polish and 50% Italian....so we call me a "PolWop".....and who deosn't love Abe Vigoda....Did you see him lately in the Betty White commercial for Snickers....very funny....

ocmist said...

Thanks for the info on Abe... I've always loved his humor!

My Mama was Spanish (from Spain) and Mexican, and my Daddy was French and German. My sister went back about 10 years ago to Germany and visited with some of my Grandma's relatives.

ClassyChassy said...

Interesting looking at your yard decor - and, I'm part polish, Syrian, and Danish. Guess I'm a "mutt" too! Love your blog look - you've been having fun changing it lately, haven't you??

Anonymous said...

For me, Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, German, Dutch, and Native American!

- Sally