There are a lot of country saying in WV and I think my grandma said every one of them at least once. And there are words commonly used when I was growing up that today might cause one to scratch your head. I remember when I was very young, my uncle asked me if I needed a poke. I just stood there and stared at him because I wasn’t at all sure what he was asking me. Did he want to hurt me? Was he teasing me? What was he going to poke me with…a stick? Ouch! Thank goodness my mom overheard and told me that was a word for a paper sack.
Then, it depends on how the word is used. For instance, if you got “a pig in a poke.” The term originated in the 1500’s Old English, which influences a lot of Appalachian colloquialisms. It means buying something you haven’t seen before. In olden times, farmers sold piglets in a sack and you didn’t see it before you bought it. You might get it home and find you bought the runt of the litter.
Which brings me to the story of the present I bought for my friend, Diane, for Christmas. She isn’t really hard to buy for, but I always like to find unique gifts for her. When a Facebook friend of mine posted last week that she had some of her original artwork for sale, I just fell in love with one. It was a painting of a hummingbird and had the look of mixed media, which I love. I thought it would be perfect for my friend who is an animal and bird lover who lives in the country.
I bought the painting and paid my artist friend through PayPal and waited. Mr. FixIt came in with the mail yesterday and there was a small padded envelope in his hand. I opened it up and there was the painting of the sweetest little hummingbird. Delicate, mid flight, hovering near a flower with other artistic elements in the background. It was exactly what I wanted!
Except…
It was SOOOOOO tiny!
I do not recall seeing any mention of the dimensions of the painting. I was imagining it at about 6”x6”…a typical small painting size I’ve seen frequently. I could do nothing but laugh. I had bought a “pig in a poke.” Not a BAD pig, mind you. I mean, the painting is exquisite! But still…kinda the “runt of the litter.” I was a little concerned Diane wouldn’t like it because she has three cats and I could see if I put this little painting on an easel for a table top, the cats would have a field day! I decided to confess my misgivings to her and lo and behold…she LOVED it. It turns out, another friend gave her a butterfly painting the same size and it will go with it nicely.
This is a good lesson, though. It will serve as a reminder to look INSIDE the poke before I buy it!
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“Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn’t worth a thing to God’s kingdom!””
Luke 9:62 CEV