Note: Yackety-yak is from the A – Z Blogging Challenge

Upon scouring the dictionary for possible Y-word topics, I found an interesting pattern. Quite a few words dealt with the topic of talking:

Yak – to talk persistently and meaninglessly.

Yammer – to complain whimperingly or loudly.

Yap – to talk noisily or stupidly.

Yawp – to talk loudly, raucously, or coarsely.

The Aussies add another to the list: yabber – to talk rapidly, unintelligibly, or idly (our “jabber”).

Basically, you don’t want a Y word attached to the way you talk. And as if that isn’t enough, there are more words to describe the way we express ourselves:

Yell – to utter with a loud cry.

Yelp – to utter a short, sharp bark or cry. (Might only be used for critters, but the dictionary didn’t distinguish.)

Yowl – to say or utter with a long, loud, mournful cry.

Yes – used to express affirmation.

Yep – informal yes.

Yoo-hoo – used to call someone at a distance or gain someone’s attention.

Then there is you-all or, more commonly, y’all. While it doesn’t necessarily fit perfectly in this discussion, I love the uniqueness of this pronoun, particularly when traveling in the South. In Missouri, that’s below the Missouri River. I reside above it, so I don’t often hear the term in my neck of the woods. But I love it just the same.

So, today, I add my contribution to the Y discussion taking place in the blogosphere on this the second last day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge:

Yakety-yak – prolonged, sometimes senseless talk.

No yammering, please!

I am an Xer as defined by being born between 1965 – 1979, though some demographers argue the range to be 1961 – 1981 because, when asked, those born after1960 typically self identify as Generation X. If I were making the rules, I’d say 1960 – 1979, and, really, that fits nicely in with one of the aspects of being an Xer–not conforming to convention.

Sandwiched between two larger demographic groups–Baby Boomers and Millenials–we don’t seem to get as much attention these days, and that tends to suit us as we like to “just quietly do our thing.”

I found it interesting to do the research for this post. At times I read about my generation and nodded my head in recognition with such descriptions as private, self-reliant, and unimpressed by authority. I hasten to add that the latter doesn’t mean a lack of respect, but rather a lack of hero worship. Mike (Hubs) and I had a major discussion about what mentorship meant, with my intense dislike of the term, whereas he didn’t necessarily view it negatively.

Some points that didn’t fit me personally: edgy, skeptical (at one time I was, but a relationship with our Lord and Savior can work wonders in that respect), latchkey kid (my mother didn’t work outside the home), child of divorce (my parents were married for 54 years when my dad passed away), bleak, cynical, disaffected. Culturally, I don’t identify with MTV–we didn’t have cable tv growing up–or Friends. In fact, I found the cast of that tv show irritating. They certainly didn’t speak for me, nor did I hang out with people like them.

I liked (and still like) Seinfeld, though, and some grunge tunes found their way into my favorites when I was in my twenties. Some of the movies from my younger days bring back fond memories–Ferris Bueller’s Day Off  comes to mind. Bueller, Bueller. . .

Although once considered aimless and unfocused, our generation is responsible for an entrepreneurial spirit, creating many start ups and small businesses. Also dubbed Generation 1099, more Xers found themselves filing form 1099 rather than a W-2 when paying taxes, a fact I totally identify with as being self-employed most of my working years. I love being my own boss, not having anyone trying to micro-manage me or direct my life.

Oddly, when reviewing the different generations, I also discovered aspects of the Silent Generation that formed the person I am today. Growing up in rural America, on a farm with parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles of that generation, some of those good qualities were bound to rub off. Hard work, reverence, loyalty, responsibility, caring for your neighbor.

So what does that make me, a Silent Xer?

I found this in my files from roughly thirteen years ago when folks routinely forwarded little snippets of interest from around the Internet. I have no idea where it originated, but what follows here is the message exactly as I received it.

When we build our new home with designated laundry room, this will be framed and hanging over my washer.

Image courtesy of olddesignshop.com.

Amy

Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe
for washing clothes. It appears below just as it was written, and despite the spelling, has a bit of philosophy. This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook (with spelling errors and all).

1. Bilt fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.
2. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water.
4. Sort things, make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work
britches and rags.
5. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down
with bilin water.
6. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then
bile. Rub colored don’t bile, just rinch and starch.
7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and
starch.
8. Hang old rags on fence.
9. Spread tea towels on grass.
10. Pore rinch water in flower bed.
11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12. Turn tubs upside down.
13. Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea,
sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

* * * Paste this over your washer and dryer and next time when you think
things are bleak, read it again and give thanks for your blessings!