Tuesday, February 21, 2012

If Life Is A Bowl Of Cherries......


Today we celebrate the birthday of one of our greatest American humorist's, Erma Louise Bombeck, born in 1927.  Erma was best known for her newspaper column, "At Wits End" that was syndicated across America and Canada in 900 newspapers, delivering laughter to the breakfast table three times a week .  Erma had a means of describing everyday life, children, housework, and husbands with an amazing sense of humor.  She spread her wit to television, appearing weekly on Good Morning America as her popularity continued to rise.   Erma found there was lots of money to be made making people laugh, she began her weekly columns at the Dayton Herald for $50 a week and at her peak was laughing her way to the bank making over a million a year.  Unfortunately Erma died after receiving a kidney transplant due to polycystic kidney disease, a congenital defect on April 22, 1996 at the age of 69.  Too young, and too many more columns to write.  If she were alive today I am sure we would be reading her hilarious comments about cell phones, texting and the latest fashion craze, skinny jeans.   Here are just a few of my favorite's from Erma:
  • Ironed sheets are a health hazard.
  • Seize the moment, think of all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.
  • When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I do not have one single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything You gave me."
  • How come anything you buy goes on sale next week?
  • No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed.  I have known Mother's who remake the bed because there is a wrinkle in the spread, or the blanket is on crooked.  This is sick.
  • Who in their infinite wisdom decreed that Little League uniforms should be white?  Certainly not a Mother. 
  • There is something wrong with a Mother who washes a measuring cup with soap and water after she's only measured water in it.
  • A friend never defends a husband who gets his wife an electric skillet for her birthday.
  • Someone once threw me a small, brown, hairy kiwi fruit, I threw a wastebasket over it until it was dead.
  • The odds of going to the grocery store for only a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. 
  • If life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?
In honor of Erma, here is a small bowl of cherries, not full, ripe, juicy cherries (not in season yet) but a bowl of cherry jam with whole cherries....Happy Birthday, Erma!!


Please visit me tomorrow, Wednesday, at our collaborative blog, Focusing on Life where I will be musing on ??

Until next time.....


10 comments:

  1. Oh I loved Erma Bomback. I have several of her books, and I love her sense of humor. Love those favorite quotes.
    Karen

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  2. Wasn't Erma a treasure? Like you and Karen, I adored her, read her columns, read her books. What does it say about our age that we remember her? I can hear some younger people saying, "Erma WHO?" The loss is theirs.

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  3. I loved her - and my favorite quote of hers is that third one!

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  4. This is great! I didn't know much at all about Erma, very interesting and the quotes are hilarious, I love them all!

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  5. She was the best! It's too bad she left us so early -- so much wisdom and wit. :)

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  6. She was one funny lady. Thanks for the smile this morning..

    Hugs, Linda

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  7. Priceless! Thanks for the memories.

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  8. Thanks for reminding me of Erma Bombeck - I grew up reading her witticisms!

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