Yesterday I had had it with winter. I just needed some fresh air in the house, even if it meant freezing us out. I was at the kitchen sink, doing dishes and decided to open the kitchen window, just a crack, to bring in some freshness. As I opened the window, I chuckled a little, at the sight of two wishbones in the windowsill. I believe they were remnants of Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinners, from my old habit of putting them there to dry out.  It was yet another realization that it’s been a long time since our two sons were little guys, excited about breaking the wishbone and making a wish. Then  I wondered, do parents even do that with their kids anymore? 

It got me thinking as I stood there washing dishes, how many of those fun, old traditions are even carried out these days? I can remember our dad telling us all kinds of crazy things, old wives’ tales, that they used to say or do when they were kids. One was a method of getting rid of warts. You were to grab a piece of hair from a horse’s tail and wrap it around the finger you had the wart on. Supposedly doing this for several nights when you went to bed would rid you of the wart.  I recall our mom telling us this wives’ tale: If you had a sty in your eye, it was from going “wee wee” in a ditch. (Huh???)  Another one that Dad used to tell us when we so wanted to go boating at the river and the weather was rainy or stormy, was to look to the sky. If we could find a patch of blue big enough to mend a Dutchman’s pants, the weather would soon clear up. Oh how we took that one to heart. All the kids, asking Dad over and over again, “Is that a big enough patch, Dad? Is that? is that?”  Dad always got such a kick out of our enthusiasm, and to this day, it’s a great memory for us old River Rats. 

So, do you have some age old traditions or wives’ tales you can share with your kids or grandkids? Kids just love those stories, don’t they?  And remember to save the wishbone! Have those kids make a wish!  Speaking of those discovered wishbones, later in the day yesterday, I was out shopping and what did I happen to find on sale at a department store? A pendant necklace of a wishbone with this saying on the box it was in: “May all your wishes come true.” Yes, I bought it. (Why would I pass on a $20 necklace on sale for $4?!) I don’t really think things happen by chance, do you? I think I am supposed to take that one to heart. I’ll let you know what I wished for, one day too!

Meanwhile, stay out of those ditches. You don’t want to get a sty in your eye, do you? (I know, that one was just plain crazy!)