Changing Her Tune

This is my mom, Laura Gray. I am not sure of her age in the photograph, but I believe that she may have been 17. Laura was an intelligent, giving woman with a slightly wicked sense of humor. Although I cannot remember that she used many swear words, she did indeed have a colorful way of expressing herself. (See the September 16, 2006 entry.) One of example of this colorful expression was her response to bad drivers. Laura must have felt that she had a duty to let wayward drivers know that they should change their ways. Many times she would roll down her window and yell at the driver. “I bet that your mother comes out from under the porch and barks at you.” If the driver was especially inept, Mom would add, “You damn bastard.” I guess this last part was added to let the incompetent traveler know that she was really questioning his parentage in case he missed the first implication. This practice of trying to reform the driving population stopped when my mom overheard her two year old granddaughter singing this little ditty on our patio. The words to the song were simple, “Damp Bastar, Damp Bastar.”