Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Welcome to the almost-spring edition of What You Think On Grows.  In 2 weeks, it'll officially be spring but the weather has been so erratic that it might as well be spring now.  We have 40 degree temp changes in the early parts of spring.  It starts out at 25 and ends up at 60 or so.  This means that I am wearing woolen things in the morning that I am carrying home in the afternoon.  This will go on for about a month until April comes in and sets things to rights.  April might not be too steady herself, but she's moreso than March.

Tomorrow morning, our IT guy is coming to "exchange" my computer for a new one.  I am currently working on a machine with 512 mg memory.  If you know anything about computers, you know this is NOTHING.  i don't know that much but I know that the lack of memory is part of the reason that my computer is slow.  We run Windows XP and an electronic medical records program that eats up memory so everyone is getting an upgraded computer. 

I use one of my favorite photos of Peter Kevin as my wallpaper and I had to make sure that I had a copy of it somewhere so I can put it on the new computer.  I found it on my flashdrive so I'm ok.  I love turning on the machine in the morning and seeing his smiling face and remembering what a fine day that was.

Today is Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Tuesday.  Wiki says  "In the United Kingdom and many other countries, the day is often known as Pancake Day. Making and eating such foods was considered a last feast with ingredients such as sugar, fat and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent."  I love pancakes, both the skinny crepe-y kind and the light fluffy kind that sop up lost of butter and maple syrup.  I think I know what we're having for dinner.

While I was looking at Google to find Shrove Tuesday (which has a longer page on Wiki if anyone is interested), I learned that today is the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day.    This year's theme is Equal access to education and science and technology; equal jobs.

Doesn't this all sound familiar?  Haven't we been fighting for these same things since women started to take those first tentative steps out of the kitchen?  I remember singing a song when I was in grade school for a show.  I Enjoy Being a Girl.

I'm a girl, and by me that's only great!
I am proud that my silhouette is curvy,
That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait
With my hips kind of swivelly and swervy.

I adore being dressed in something frilly
When my date comes to get me at my place.
Out I go with my Joe or John or Billy,
Like a filly who is ready for the race!

When I have a brand new hairdo
With my eyelashes all in curl,
I float as the clouds on air do,
I enjoy being a girl!

When men say I'm cute and funny
And my teeth aren't teeth, but pearl,
I just lap it up like honey
I enjoy being a girl!

I flip when a fellow sends me flowers,
I drool over dresses made of lace,
I talk on the telephone for hours
With a pound and a half of cream upon my face!

I'm strictly a female female
And my future I hope will be
In the home of a brave and free male
Who'll enjoy being a guy having a girl... like... me.

When men say I'm sweet as candy
As around in a dance we whirl,
It goes to my head like brandy,
I enjoy being a girl!

When someone with eyes that smoulder
Says he loves ev'ry silken curl
That falls on my iv'ry shoulder,
I enjoy being a girl!

When I hear the compliment'ry whistle
That greets my bikini by the sea,
I turn and I glower and I bristle,
But I happy to know the whistle's meant for me!

I'm strictly a female female
And my future I hope will be
In the home of a brave and free male
Who'll enjoy being a guy having a girl... like... me.
I sang this song with a chorus of girls and the funny thing is, we saw nothing in the least odd about it. We preened and strutted on the stage and not in an ironic way but in the spirit of the song.  It was the late 60's early 70's and this was women were still being taught to aspire too.
I can't imagine a chorus director even considering a song like this one today.
We've come a long way, baby.

(and thank goodness for that!)

6 comments:

roxie said...

I enjoy being female, too, but I also enjoy being brave and smart and strong. Maybe we should add verses. There's nothing wrong with girly things as long as they are only PART of your world.

Louiz said...

Pancake day rocks:) They should be crepe type, and eaten with lemon juice and sugar. And as many as you can convince the cook to make!

In this country Suffragettes wore purple and green (and white), so today I wore purple in their honour.

Rose Red said...

Oh that song! It's so awful. Like Roxie says, there's nothing wrong with talking on the phone and wearing frills etc, but there's so much more about being a woman that is good.

I'm glad to see it's spring on your blog. We are heading into autumn now, still warm days but much cooler in the night and early morning -it's lovely!

Galad said...

Do think that song needs an update to include all the options we have as women.

Yum to the pancakes - enjoy

Anonymous said...

oh i have been such a bad blog reader/commentor this week, and now i see spring has arrived and changed your colours. i hope you get some warmth soon. great picture of PK indeed. and bring on another 100 years of amazing women and more progress.

Alwen said...

I read a comment, I think on Twitter, that said wasn't it ironic that International Women's Day and Mardi Gras, with the whole flashing-for-beads thing, were on the same day?

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