Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Produce

I'm all about production. I think I can trace this to many people who I've passed along the way. 'Produce or get of the pot' was an expression I first heard my French-Canadian born grandmother use. At first, I was confused. What did she mean? I realized at about 6, that it was her way of telling me to finish whatever I was doing. She explained in detail what the word 'produce' meant and what a 'pot' was. I laughed hysterically when she explained that one of the many meanings of 'pot' was a toilet. Get it done! Finish the job. Online this morning, the obituary of my eighth grade English teacher, Ms. Myrtle Storer, another woman who helped convince me that producing a solid, quality product was the way to go if you were going to put your name on anything in this world. Produce... wonderful word!

20 comments:

  1. il faut effet toujours essayer de finir ce que l'on a commence, mais cela n'est pas toujours facile, on peut etre attirer par un autre projet en cour de route et changer d'optique,cela m'arrive souvent et apres je le regrette

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  2. Hahaha!!!! It'll be hard to top this one!
    Enjoy your day, Birdman!

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  3. That eighth grade English teacher helped produce at least one wonderful storyteller, though I suspect she had a hand in the outcome of many more. I'm so sorry she has passed.

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  4. Sometimes I forget that it is indeed a wonderful world, whether we produce or not. I like the way your mind works. Kudos to both your grandmother and your eighth grade teacher.

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  5. You produced a nice story, Birdman. Btw, we have something in common: my grandmother was French Canadian too.

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  6. Sound advice from two wise women Birdman, which you are very obviously following!

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  7. Hmmm. I must admit when I first saw the photo and before I read the narrative I thought this was going to be about green beans and tomatoes!
    ________ or get off the pot is an expression I've heard a kajillion times but the word in the blank was not "produce."

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  8. That was a term my grandmother as well used ... funny! And good story!

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  9. I thought of a veggie stand when I first saw the picture but with your explanation I remember hearing it from my dad and probably when we lived in Caribou, ME. Only he had a small twist to the first word...."e" or get of the pot.

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  10. My initial thought was, "aaaaak" I need to get back to "producing" and so I shall.

    Thank you, Bird, for your message and wonderful story about "produce and pot."

    bises,
    Genie

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  11. And a beautiful photo to go with it.

    Sorry about your teacher. Makes us feel old...

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  12. Kathy's comment made me laugh because that is exactly how I always heard this expression, most often by my dad.

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  14. Well, to be perfectly honest, Josie sometimes used more graphic words in place of 'produce'. hahahaha

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  15. Yeah, I knew 'Josie'. Colorful was the word for her!
    The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

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  16. It is a nice word. And looks good in such a colorful context too!

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  17. I like the colorful sign. And, Birdman, I imagine she used the more common phrase most of the time. Sorry to learn of your teacher's passing.

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  18. Well, first of all, a wonderful photo with many layers of meaning. But the whole concept has a darker side: Publish or perish. New employee incentive program - work or be fired. Arbeit macht frei. Milton wrote in On His Blindness that "they also serve who only stand and wait."

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  19. This is fantastic! Glad I didn't miss it.

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