Why Six Green Peaches?

Did you wonder why I called my blog "Six Green Peaches"?

I've seen lots of blogs with cute, clever names. I want to be cute and clever too. I've seen lots of blogs with names that are literary/smart. I want to be literary and smart. Then I have seen blogs that have names that truly mean something. I gave up on cute and clever because I figured it would always sound like I was trying too hard. Literary is kinda important, though, since I'm an English teacher and all. But most of all, I wanted it to mean something to me....like I want my blog posts to all mean something to me and not be just throw-away fluff.

So....six green peaches. Anyone? Betcha my friend Dolly Anne could tell you why. She's the reason my blog has its name. I'm going to call her later today and see what she has to say about that. I'm gonna make her a cyberspace superstar! :) (Not that anyone outside my circle of friends is going to see this...but whatever. It sounds good. )

Has anyone out there read The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck? When Wang Lung goes to claim O-Lan, he brings a gift. A gift of six small green peaches. They were the first peaches of spring and would've been quite the extravagant gift for someone like O-Lan. However, they were also green, so not as great a gift as they could've been. Symbolic? Yes. But I have a more humorous and pedestrian reason for picking the name. Dolly Anne was my 10th grade English teacher...now, make no mistake, she is WAAAYYYY more than that and was even back then but that is important to the story. And she seems to LOOOVVVVEEEE The Good Earth. (I kinda love it too) When she sensed that we weren't reading the assignments for class, we would have a pop quiz. On one of these quizzes, she asked what gift Wang Lung brought to O-Lan. My friend answered six peaches. Dolly Anne only gave her half credit because she didn't write that they were green. It became a long-standing joke whenever we talked about someone being crazily specific or detail-oriented. And frankly, we just liked teasing Dolly Anne....and I still do. Her husband teases her too; it is like she has a neon sign blinking over her head that says, "Please give me grief."

Dolly Anne is one of the "other moms". We girls all seem to have "other moms"...and it isn't a dig at our real moms. Sometimes you just need that person with a different viewpoint. You need that person who can push you harder, challenge you without it feeling like a rejection of who you are. Dolly Anne did that for me lots of times, but specifically during The Good Earth unit. She made me face my shyness--my utter phobia of public speaking--by forcing me to give a speech. She didn't let the fact that we were "friends" stop her from having expectations of me. She didn't let my tears sway her. Tough love, baby. And it freakin pissed me off (oops, she doesn't like that expression--HACKED ME OFF) at the time and hurt my feelings, but after that my respect for her grew exponentially. She KNOWS parenting/mentoring. I will also tell you that she has NO qualms whatsoever about telling me when she thinks I'm being stupid or childish. (for example, she hates body piercings and body art...lol) and I love her for it.

So back to the blog. I want my blog to be a gift...but with a tart edge. I want to speak the truth about things that are ridiculous, and I want to celebrate things that are wonderful. I want to give shout-outs to the people I love and who have shaped my life. I want to share who I am and what interests me. I hope you want to come along for the ride.