Here's to You

Here's to Foster family reunions at Island Park,

picking and eating fresh blackberries, strawberries, peaches, and pears,

driving to the top of Mount Ashland,

camping in a yurt at Valley of the Rogue State Park,

playing on rocks, and in rivers and mudholes,

eating picnics, running through sprinklers, dancing in swimsuits,

reading Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy and pretending to be Pa, Ma, Laura, Carrie and Almanzo day after day after day,

and to those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer.

Fiddledeedee

For some time, I've pondered about the word, "fiddledeedee" with amusement.

Who was the first exasperated soul to stub their toe on a bag of beets and exclaim, "fiddledeedee!" Why did Scarlett O'Hara use it in a playful banter with Rex in Gone with the Wind?

My first exposure to this fine word was in the Pehrson home in Driggs, Idaho. As a sophomore at Teton High School, I thought Amy Pehrson's Dad was quite the jester when he uttered it.

Much later, I discovered a family from Colorado who used the word whenever the opportunity arose. "Fiddledeedee" was one of Dad Hill's favorite words after watching The Great Race in his youth.

And now, I find myself revisiting the word when I watch one of the best Donald Duck episodes of all time with Trevor and the kids: Donald Duck: Early to Bed. For a good laugh, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghYUX5eeMrE

And while I sit at the computer tonight, catching up on emails and writing in my journal, I may just find myself uttering "fiddledeedee" when I think of the chocolate-chip cookies I burned while writing this post.