SquawkRadio Comments

Christina grew up in Idaho? I think i’ve met one person in my entire life who grew up in Idaho...and the ended up in Indiana...he was my German teacher freshman year of HS and he was way wierd

Wow...i graduated high school about 4.5 years ago and while homecoming and prom were a big deal, we never had anything like that decoration piece you’re talking about...i’ve never even heard of that...how interesting!

The prom lay thing is toooo funny to ignore :D

Poutine! Tim Hortons! Toques!

Well, maybe not quite traditions, but they’re Canadian, which is almost the same thing.

We don’t have homecoming.  Or football or a marching band.  Our school wasn’t all that into sports.  We had teams, but it wasn’t like the whole school went to games or cared all that much about how anyone did.  And we had more soccer, rugby, basketball than football.  Prom wasn’t (and isn’t, as far as I know) a big deal either.  At least at my school.  It’s more of a bigger dance that’s mostly for seniors.

We get pretty excited for hockey (even yours truly who doesn’t have a clue about how the game works), but that’s not limited to Vancouver.

Maybe our specialness is apathy when it comes to anything other than hockey?

I love the mums--what a fun tradition.  During football season when I was in high school (in Florida), we gave carnations.  You gave then to your friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, secret crush, etc.  I remember everyone waiting to see who would get a carnation. 

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Ok, I think I’m fresh out of doggie advise, but how about some football lore.
Borrowed from the DH’s family..college football mania..
The entire family went to the U. of Arkansas, and the amount of pig (hog) items are frightening. We had a party (Uof Ar, vs Auburn) and the ENTIRE house was decorated in Red and White. Hats, streamers, toilet paper (no kidding) all manner of paper products. Then all involved wore hog-hats..enormous red rubber pigs on their heads. Then every kick-off they yelled oooooo...pig! ALL of them!
Ark. won, thank God, but I had to lie down w/ motrin ! College football mania.

We had homecoming mums, all those many years ago but they definitely didn’t resemble the ones you describe.  Sounds like you need to be extra strong just to carry it! 

We have an outisde dog, a border collie so afraid no dog advice for you but now you will come up with something awesome.  You always do!

Glad you are back in the henhouse.  Enjoyed meeting you in Atlanta!

Wow. Mums have come a long way since I was in high school. Ours were real, too, with red and gold streamers, but the biggest decoration, other than the little plastic football dangler, was the glue-and-glitter lettering down one ribbon that said...stuff. I can’t remember what. I was on the dance team, though (we called it drill corps back then), and we had to buy our own if no one gave us one, and it always said something one one of the ribbons. I remember the glitter kept sticking to my uniform. (Maybe just SHS for Seneca High School. Hey, Jackie, if you’re reading, do you remember?)

Since you mention the Derby, that’s a huge deal where I am, filled with lots of traditions and parties you won’t find anywhere else. Hats, roses, horses, all take on a life of their own the last part of April, beginning of May.

Coming in late to say hi and welcome back, Geralyn! Sorry I missed yesterday. Am frantically trying to finish a book that was due...oh, a long time ago. BTW, I was in Waldens last night where, a week or so ago, they had GIVE HIM THE SLIP on an endcap, and now they’re ALL GONE. Glad I got my copy when I did. 

Hi Geralyn (Ger-a-LYN)! I, too am sorry I missed yesterday especially since I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you little wheel chair weinie dog!

Okay, until I read your blog Ihad no frickin’ clue what a homecoming “mum” was--none. Homecoming traditions up here include the guy finding the most odd and bizarre and public way possible to invite the girl. Doodah’s boyfriend lined up glow-in- the-dark tubes on the highway side of the I95 saying, “WILL U GO TO HOMECOMING WITH ME?” in giant letters. Strictly illegal. Then he drove her past them

Another guy rented a clown to go to the girl’s house at 4 a.m. and one enterprizing fellow had the local radio station play a song he’d taped at a specific time.

Thanks for coming to Squawk, Geralyn!!!

Connie

Um, I thought the picture was a dream catcher until I read the blog. That is one honkin’ big corsage!  The mum was a tradition when my mom went to high school, but I can’t remember anything like that when I was in high school.

Okay, I don’t know what poutines, Tim Hortons or toques are.  Firefly?

Proms--It’d take me two days to blog about prom after going through that last year.  If homecoming mums are wild, proms are over the top. 

College football--Sooey Pigs!  I know those hog hats.  I am a HUGE college football fan.  I’ll have you know I’ve won $121,000 so far this season in my weekly pick-off game--okay, it’s imaginary money, but I only started with 10,000.  I’m a big Ohio State fan right now, mainly because my next door neighbors are t-sips (UofTexas) and I simply could not bear them winning the national championship again this year.  They kept those dadgum orange and white lights burning in their front yard for two months--until my daughter sneaked over one night and unscrewed them all.  My beloved Texas Aggies...aren’t good.

It was great to meet you, too, Deb.  Thanks for the book report Liz and Hiya, Connie, Lucy sends you a kiss.  (Connie and Lucy bonded when Connie visited.)

I remember those mums. I had one when I went to school in Texas. 

Geralyn,

for real? hahahahaha.. your description had me LOL as I read more and more… omg LOL.

anyway, you made me laugh.. around here, in ustate NY cow country they have a “drive your tractor to school day”.

:O).

I"ll help out firefly since I"m from Vancouver too -

Tim Hortons - donut shop chain started by an ex-hockey player (Tim Horton)

toques - knitted winter hats (with pom poms on top)

poutine - a Quebecois tradition of putting cheese curds and gravy on french fries.  No calories

Homecoming isn’t a big deal on the west coast of Canada, but it was at my university in Kingston.

Gerilyn, I read your book last night and it was AWESOME!! Can’t wait for the next one.

Lindsay

Poutine = french fries smothered with hot gravy and cheese curd.  Mmm.

Tim Hortons (or Timmy’s) sells coffee and donuts (and soups and sandwiches). Timbits = the donut centres. Also yummy.

Toque = beanie: http://www.ocanadagear.com/graphics/toque-foldrim-oc-red.jpg They don’t always have to have pom-poms

I, too, remember the mums!  I had them for high school and college.  Football was big at both of mine.  I just remember the streamers, colors of the school, and the big pipe cleaner letter for the school right smack dab in the middle of the mum. (color co-ordinated, of course) Oh, at my college, on every football Saturday, we used to hang red towels out of our dormitory windows!!  That was pretty cool to see!! 

I am in upstate NY now, but I’ve never heard of the drive your tractor to school day.  My kids dressed up for Halloween and had a thing on Valentine’s Day where they could send carnations to secret loves, but that’s about it.  Kinda boring really, isn’t it?

The picture of that mum was unreal.  Girls really wear those things??

oh the garbage plate in rochester.. Nick Taho’s.

if only you guys knew what I was talking about....

LOL.

I did not grow up in Texas, but am here now and my children have been through several homecomings.  The mums crack me up. I sit at the football games and smile while inside I am laughing my head off at the poor girls that can hardly stand up straight due to the weight of the mums, but they are sooo proud of them!  The young men also have a mum on a garter they wear on their arm.  The streamers hang down to their knees. 
The streamers usually say things like the girls name, the dstes name, what sport they play or club they are in and of course HOMECOMING 2006

I went to college in Central Virginia. We did something like a “mum” (although I’d never heard of them) with Convocation. Ever graduating senior received a tassle done by a close friend that had all kinds of in-jokes attached to it. You ended up having to hold your graduation cap on your head with one hand, but they were really fun.

The way it worked was that the person who gave you your tassle would be seated behind you in the arena. It was really fun. My tassle had all kinds of stuff on it. I don’t still have it, but I did for a long time.

$150!!

I think Mom may have spent that on total for all four of my mum’s through high school… and would have still had change left over to make one more!  If not more.

Mom made all our mums (there are three of us girls), plus I think she made mums for some of our friends.

I can’t fathom not making the mum.  Even before I was in high school , I remember going to the craft store with Mom and helping her pick out different things for the sisters’ mums (and they would come too).

And then going home and helping her cut the ribbon and put the letters on the ribbons and figuring out how to hang and attach the other features - the rabbit’s foot, the mustang, the teddy bear, the whistle… etc.

So to me, the mum wasn’t just something I got because of homecoming, but it was spending time with Mom (hehe… she made me mini one when I was in seventh grade - since it was going to be my brother’s homecoming - he was a freshman in high school at the time).

What I don’t get is that some girls would be walking around the halls with MULTIPLE mums.  One from their parents, one from their date to the dance, one from their respectable org (cheerleaders, flag corp, dance team… ) It is INSANE!  I saw one girl one year with two on her front, one pinned at her waist, and one on her back!

OOPS!  I meant that my brother was a fish in college at the time!

Firefly, you are making me hungry!! I’m in Ottawa, hubby’s in the Navy, and poutine and Timmy’s are a staple of life.

Many of the Navy folk are only half joking when they say that when you aren’t sure how to find your way back to the ship after a night of drinking, just look for the Timmy’s and then follow the crowd home.

Tradition: In Greece, every summer, the day the schools shut, be it junior,secondary of high school, all children play “bougelo”. This is translated in filling plastic bottles with water and throw it at each other(sometimes with the bottle!). Oh, and they tear their books apart and litter the school yards(and the streets and pavements).

Dog tip: My dog, a not so pedigree pekinua, lifts its left front leg and stokes our leg in an attempt to make us do the same for him. It always works, so now, whenever he wants to be petted he just lifts that leg and strokes us first. Oh, he also does the same when he wants too “confront/scare” the cats.(I’m sure he learnt it from them!LOL!)

Geralyn HUGE FAN! I loved Give Him the Slip and all the Looking for Luke Trailers. Grrrrr.... I hating waiting for the final one that comes out the end of the month.

I’m from TX (die hard Aggie) but sadly was sent away for school so missed out on all the mums and Homecoming madness. At my boarding school, the big homecoming thing to do was to try to steal items of clothing (hats, t-shirts) from our all boy-school rivals. It was a badge of honor to go the game wearing someone’s sweaty, nasty shirt that of course had a daring story atached to its theft.

Ah, yes, I live in rural Texas where high school football is the reason we have autumn, and I remember being in school and waiting in agony as the list of students who had mums delivered to them was read over the loudspeaker.  One year I was in heaven because my mom *and* the guy I was dating sent me mums.  Yes, I wore them both, one stacked over the other!  If you went to Homecoming with no mum, it could only mean that nobody loved you.  lol

Maraki, we have a cat who does that--puts both paws on our shins and pets us when she wants us to pet her. It’s so cute. Weird, but cute.

Geralyn,

Seeing that mum brought back memories.  Yes, friends, this year marks 10 years being out of high school.  So many stories....

I remember selling mums and garters (what the boys would wear) as a Junior in high school and I made ‘special decorations’ to the ones I sold (especially to this cute boy who’s locker was next to mine and I was able to sell one to him).  I’m from Texas and Football is King.  Thursday afternoons were for Homecoming Parades and then to the bonfire.......the whole community got involved. 

There are just some things you just don’t mess with.

g

I remember mums from my days as a high school teacher, but they were much more modest than the Texas version.

I too live in a region where football is a religion. One of the religious rituals at my particular university is rolling a big tree with toilet paper after a victory. A few years ago some idiot set a roll on fire and tossed it into the tree. The tree survived; so did the idiot.

And, Ms. Mary, we only talk about “THAT GAME” down here when we can have appropriate dirges playing in the background.

One question I’ve always had about mums…

Even back in my day, they had cowbells hanging on the ribbons.

I loved the noise that hundreds of mums made in the school hallways, but really, a cowbell?  The suggestion there is not at all flattering…

We had mums at my high school in Louisiana, but nothing as elaborate as you’ve described. More along the lines of Liz’s description. Ribbons, plastic footballs in the center, etc…

I never went to the dance at my high school, so I never got one personally, but I loved to see the ones our court members had. I finally! went to the dance at my high school in Georgia, and of course, NO MUMS!

By the time, my little sister was in high school, Homecoming had become a much dressier affair. I can’t believe it now, how special is prom when you wear the same kind of dress to homecoming? I remember our court members wore very nice dress suits for the game and just REALLY nice dresses for the dance.

Colleen

Actually, I’m originally from California and went to high school in Idaho. And yes, everyone from Idaho is really weird ... my husband doesn’t read the blog, so I can say that.

My daughters both went to high school in Texas, and when people started talking about mums I just pretended like I knew what they were talking about until I could catch on. I never did quite figure out what the point was (Geralyn? Any idea how this weird thing got started?) but my girls both have theirs. I loved going to the football games and seeing the girls wandering around in silky dresses weighted down by these huge mums.

Wow this is all totally new to me. I’m from LA (as in southern cal) born and bred, and we never had anything like mums. My little high school didn’t even have a football team - what an education I’m getting!

Speaking of education, I keep getting confused with this Texas aggie talk, because I go to UC Davis and we’re The Aggies! I didn’t even know there were aggies in Texas. Is it U of T? Please explain!

At my prom, they had all the senior girls in the center of the dance floor.  All of the guys would then proceed to grab each other’s shoulders and circle the girls at an alarmingly fast pace.  It was a pretty big circle with a lot of tripping (even running into the girls and knocking them down) and a lot of wind.  You would be surprised by how much wind this circling generated.  Don’t ask how this started.  I just know that they do it every year.  Luckily, I was hiding behind a fern at the time they dragged the girls onto the dance floor.

Around where I live, the towns are big on having corn roasts.  Basically everyone gets together for a parade, car show, raffles, and, you guessed it, corn!  Every event I have been to around my home has roasted corn.  I don’t know if that is unusual or if everyone else does it.  I just think it’s sort of funny.

By the way, I’m from northeast Ohio.  In case anyone was wondering.

I’m with TerriJo-- I thought that thing was a dream-catcher!  I’ve never heard of a mum--I guess they didn’t make it all the way north to Minnesota.

Which is actually great because now I think about it, I would have been utterly demoralized not to have a date to homecoming and have everyone know because I didn’t have a mum!

Eloisa

Lila Ahronowitz said…

“Speaking of education, I keep getting confused with this Texas aggie talk, because I go to UC Davis and we’re The Aggies! I didn’t even know there were aggies in Texas. Is it U of T? Please explain! “

Ooooh… you did not just say that!  Something like that could bring the wraith of millions upon you!

But I will protect you since you don’t know.

Texas Aggies are from Texas A&M University, here… in College Station TX - about 90 miles NW of Houston.

UT, or tu, aka the University of Texas in Austin, or texas university, is the rival of Texas Aggies.

Neither of us like to be mistaken for the other.

And the Aggies colors are White and Maroon (we bleeeeeed Maroon), and UTs are white and burnt orange.

In Tennessee we have homecoming week.....pajama day (they wear pj’s to school) Tacky Day, Spirit Day, Twin Day (you and a friend dress alike) and Celebrity day, all followed by Powderpuff football games (the boys cross dress as cheer;eaders and the girls play ball)...it is elaborate.
For prom the big thing is an up=do which is hair up in a fancy knot that costs a lot to have done…

I’ll never forget my last mum (in HOUSTON!), my boyfriends mom hated me but she was still a competitive mom. She made the thing so huge it covered my entire front and the ribbons were so long I tripped going up the stairs at school. Luckily, football player caught me before I could hit my face! Yeah, he was probably impressed by my ‘school spirit’!
I went back to class and hacked a couple of inches off the darn thing....
I might have to pull it out so my girls can laugh at it too!

Eloisa, I never heard of it here in PA either and I agree.  I wouldn’t want everyone to know I didn’t have a date!  lol

The Sacrifice to the Cookie Gods!! It’s my secret weapon against all those other chocolate-chip-cookie-makers out there; mine always end up the best! 

Why, you ask? The Sacrifice, of course! I swear, it works! The two times that I have forgotten to do it, my cookies came out burnt and nasty. The third time, the butter was rancid. So you see, I’m a firm believer.

You want to know the secret? Ok, I’ll tell you what it is! All it is is a simple eating of 3 chocolate chips before adding them to the dough (each person in the house who plans to eat a cookie must have 3, elsewise the gods won’t feel satisfied...), then when the chips are mixed in, everyone eats one spoonful (however large or small) of the dough.

I’m telling you, it really works! (This tradition has been passed down my dad’s side of the family--we are well known for our cookies!  )

Lila, I see Sarah has me covered on the Aggie explanation.  I can’t begin to describe the intensity of the rivalry between the Aggies and the Longhorns.  Just know it’s REALLY serious.

Thanks, Nearhere and Lindsay for your kind words about GIVE HIM THE SLIP.  So very glad you enjoyed Luke and Maddie’s story.  Wrote a love scene for Matt today, by the way.

I didn’t know what to expect with my mum blog today, but this has been too much fun.  I loved hearing about everyone’s high school traditions.  Glad we didn’t get into the prom lay, however. 

Christina, you asked how it got started...the homecoming corsage has been around forever, but today’s monstrosities arrived with silk flowers and glue guns.  I don’t see them going away, though...not as long as we play football in Texas which will be forever.  Cherry, I loved your line about football being the reason we have autumn! So true…

I’m one of those Québécoise and Poutine is really good, just not a staple… We ate stuff like Ragoût de boulettes and Tourtière.

In the Spring, one of our traditions is to go eat at the Cabane à Sucre (Sugar Shack) where you’re served Fèves au lard (baked beans), Oeufs brouillés (scrambled eggs), Jambon (ham), Oreilles de christ (pork rinds), Crêpes (pancakes) all smothered in Maple sirup and to finish that very filling meal, Tire d’Érable (maple taffy)... Sweeeeet! 

I grew up in Québec City and another must was to attend the Carnaval every February.  The magnificent ice sculptures, the crowning of the Queen, going down the huge tobogan slide at the Château Frontenac and going to see the Parade.  I miss it!

Wow. I only intended to peak at today’s blog. But...wow. You guys are crazy I’ve never heard of a mum, either--still recovering from the description!

Here’s something strange. FilmPhan gave a description of that circling dance the boys do and as I was reading it, I was put in mind of some research I did recently for my WIP. The Shawnee did similar dances described in first-person accounts (which have been incredibly helpful to me--thank you, long-dead adventurers).

So I kept trying to picture what FilmPhan said and, as an updated/bastardized version of this type of dance, it sounded mildly plausible this could be so. And then you said you’re from Northeastern Ohio...verra interesting, since that’s the area the Shawnee were in during the time period I’m referring to. It seems INCREDIBLY unlikely the two could be related. But not impossible...

Geralyn, I loved the “Looking for Luke” promos.  They were really clever.  Give Him the Slip sounds like fun.  I plan to add it to my TBRs next time I go shopping. 

Laura T mentioned earlier today about “drive your tractor to school day” in upstate NY, we have that tradition down here in Western KY too during FFA week.

Basketball is king in my area.  After hearing from the Aggie fans today I think basketball is to UK fans as football is to the Aggie fans. 

Homecoming hasn’t become that big a deal at my former high school. I think it is because everyone goes so overboard on prom.

oh oops I am so sorry! Please don’t be offended! I feel a kinship with you guys since we’re both aggies (I’m serious! uc davis students really are called aggies and our newspaper is called the aggie and our mascot....is a mustang, but it’s more generally known as an aggie). our colors are blue and gold, though, so I’m sure we can coexist.

Thank you for the background information Lacey.  It is very interesting.  That would be interesting if it was like the Shawnee dances.  It does provide a least one possible reason to why they do the dance.

So...I am a little late, but: GIG ‘EM AGGIES! (Sorry everyone, I’m a Senior @ A&M - it is a compulsive reaction!)

I must say, when I dsicovered that mums weren’t a nation-wide tradtion, I was shocked. They really are SUCH a big deal when you are in high school down here.  And you haven’t lived until you’ve seen what a 16 year-old boy can produce with a glue gun and 80 yards of ribbon...truly frightening.

This year my younger brother is a freshman in high school, he was so terrified of making mums and getting it wrong. He finally called me and arranged a deal - If I came home and made his and his best friend’s mums, they would wash, wax, and vacuum my car. Needless to say, I ended up making two very lovely mums.