It’s not every day that one happens upon a word as fabulous as:
Flibbertigibbet.
I mean, really, it’s almost addictive—you can’t help but giggle when you say it …
Flib-er-tee-jib-it.
Try it three times fast and see if you can keep a straight face.
Something of an unsung onomatopoeia, flibbertigibbet (see, I had to say it again) refers to a talkative, flighty, “light-headed” person. While its origin is obscure, Dictionary.com tells us that this 15th-century term “is thought have been formed as an imitative representation of the sound of chatter or gossip.”
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Flib-er-tee-flib-er-tee-flib-er-tee-JIB-IT!
Of course, here and now, amid the modernity of the 21st century, we politely shy away from placing gender restrictions upon our adjectives, but, for the record, flibbertigibbet is generally reserved for young women. So, I suppose this would be more fitting …
Photo by HerbertT via Wikimedia Commons
And, speaking of poultry, you may recall the gabbling goose in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web declaring, “I am no Flibberty-ibberty-gibbet.”
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Perhaps the one instance of flibbertigibbet’s utterance that packs the most parodic panache, however, is this (click to listen) …
Unless you’re one of the few devoted fans of the 1990 film Joe Versus the Volcano …
Theatrical release poster courtesy of Wikimedia
… you may not recognize the satirically sultry speaker as actress Meg Ryan, playing the ravishing (if a bit bird-brained) redhead, Angelica Graynamore.
Your turn to get flibbertigibbety. Cluck away in the comments, dear hens.
… but how about worm charmers?
On the Florida panhandle in a corner of the Apalachicola National Forest, Gary and Audrey Revell carry on a generations-old ritual they call worm grunting. Or worm charming. Or worm fiddling. Or worm calling. How about worm snoring? Whatever you call it, it’s a method of creating vibrations in the soil that mimic the sounds of moles, earthworm predators, and send the earthworms wriggling to the surface to escape … right into the hands of the grunters. And apparently, it works; Gary and Audrey have collected enough earthworms to reach the moon and back!
Gary uses a thin piece of metal rubbed against a wooden stake (creating an eerie “grunting” sound) while Audrey scoops up the bounty, but there are many methods to this particular madness. Some worm charmers simply sprinkle the earth with water, tea, or beer; some use a pitchfork; some tap dance; some saw a tree; and some even use knitting needles to lure the worms. (Do I hear a new Merit Badge coming on?) At England’s World Worm Charming Championships, 10-year-old Sophie Smith set the Guinness World Record for most worms charmed in 30 minutes (567) by simply sticking a fork into the ground and wiggling it around while hitting it with a stick.
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Bea Campbell!!!
Bea Campbell (#2575) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an Intermediate Level Herbs Merit Badge!
“This summer, my husband made a raised bed for me to start a herb garden. I have been doing some research and reading books on the subject. I didn’t want to use railroad ties or treated wood. And rough oak would need to be replaced eventually. So we used cedar. I got some lemon sage, dill, oregano, rosemary, and cilantro cuttings from a friend. I have used the cilantro for salsa and the oregano to season pasta sauce.
My herb garden is doing well. I got some mismatched forks at the Goodwill store and used wide-mouth canning lids to make markers for my herbs. It’s so nice to go out and cut fresh herbs for cooking.”
You’ve probably heard of Sisyphus, the mythical king who was punished for his evil behavior by having to endlessly roll a huge boulder up a steep hill.
Punishement of Sisyph by Titian via Wikimedia Commons
Apparently, so had Stuart Kettell, a 49-year-old videographer from the West Midlands, Wales. Stuart recently hiked up Wales’ highest peak, 3,500-foot Mount Snowdon, pushing a Brussels sprouts … with his nose! After four days on his aching knees and 22 Brussels sprouts, Stuart successfully met his goal to raise money for cancer support. (Do you think the current ice bucket challenge has a fund-raising challenger?)
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
