Every Old Crow Thinks Hers is the Blackest

Drake is practicing his grandparenting look

We have a new human baby in the family.  (As opposed to horse babies of which we have 2 out of 3 born this month.) Normally, I pay no attention to any family kid until they turn five.  However, this kid has a little twist - he's named after both his father and Drake!  OK, so he is cute, and he was cuter still because he never let out a peep while we were there with dinner. (See prior blog - about bringing food at birth.)  Of course, Lindsay and Eric, his parents, think he's the best thing to ever hit the planet. Watching them I was reminded of one of my mother's many sayings:  "Every old crow thinks hers is the blackest."  Said with a smile, this is just reminding everyone of the truth about parental love.  Said maliciously, it's a criticism of parents who think because their kid has hair, he's special.

I got intrigued about finding the origin of this phrase.  That was a complete dead end.  It's listed in the Dictionary of American Proverbs none of the listings have any etymology.  I found it in a scholarly article from the University of Nebraska where some English professor was desperate to publish, so he collected proverbs and sayings and cataloged them into categories. However, he neglected the REAL scholarship of running down the origins.  Gosh, even I can say, "Here's a list of proverbs referring to money."

Then, I remembered that I used to teach proverbs, cliches, and sayings as an exercise in critical thinking.  One day, I realized that the kids I taught really hadn't heard most of the sayings I grew up with, so I just channeled my mother, who LOVED proverbs, and went looking for the foreign equivalents.  Texas Monthly was kind enough to print an article with a list of Texas sayings which I also used.  (My favorite:  "I'm riding the gravy train on biscuit wheels!")   I concocted a list for 'translation' as a group exercise.  Here's the list if you want to play the game:

Whoever becomes a sheep is eaten by the wolf.  (Greek)

Lie down with dogs; get up with fleas.  (My mother’s version)

Love is evil, you will even fall in love with a goat. (Russian)

Love is blind (My mother’s version)

Dirty clothes are washed at home. (Spanish)

Don’t air your dirty laundry. (My mother’s version)

Don’t let the peasant know how good the cheese with pears is. (Italian)

Your eyes are bigger than your stomach. (My mother’s version)

Even if a baboon wears a gold ring, he’s still an ugly thing. (South Africa)

A leopard doesn’t change his spots. (My mother’s version)

Whoever steals an egg steals an ox. (France)
Once a thief, always a thief. (My mother’s version.)

Restless feet walk into a snake pit. (Africa)

Idle hands do the devil’s work. (My mother’s version)

ANSWERS:  Match these to the sayings above

People without purpose can drift into unsavory places and thoughts.

Know your place, don’t long for things you can’t afford.

Personal family problems should be sorted out in private, not in the view of everyone else.

Don’t be taken in by superficial changes in appearance

Strong emotion can blind you, and make you see someone for better than they really are.

Follow the wrong people, and you will fail with them.

It doesn't matter how much you steal.

Oh, and "I'm riding the gravy train with biscuit wheels" MEANS  You're in high cotton - at least that's what my mother would have said.