How come nobody says that anymore? And what was a 'tarnation,' anyway?

Around here a common surprise remark is "My Land!" Occasionally you will hear the old "My Gosh!" I think the latter was an attempt to cover up the blasphemous "My God!"

You never hear 'Blasphemy' any more, either. I suppose what is blasphemous to you may be proper form to others.

I have a fondness for saying "See you," as a parting salute. It is the short version of the old "I'll be seeing you." The central character in my favorite all-time television series, The Prisoner, also known as 'Number Six,' would always say "Be seeing you..."

Down in Huntington West 'By-God' Virginia my dad's stepmother was fond of saying "Now layin' all jokes aside..." before unleashing one of her serious comments. I still recall us all sitting on those porch couches that swung back and forth parallel to the floor and sipping Royal Crown Cola in the tepid heat and humidity of August evenings, near to choking on the sulphurous smoke from the nearby foundry. There would be ice cream at some point, but the mosquitoes were always part of the conversation.

"Darn pesky skeeters! Bernie! Go fetch the swatter!"

Bernie would say, "I cain't Maw! I got me a crick in my back."