The wife is the key of the house

In a day and age of gender equality does this saying still apply?

The traditional housewife might have been thought of as subservient to her husband but most men used to refer to their wives as "the boss". The lady of the house was the home manager controlling the budget and making most of the decisions. Would the average male still be living in a cave if it wasn't for his better half nagging for something grander?

This saying recognises the traditional arrangement where the man was the nominal head of the family but the real power lay with the demure little lady. The power of a sharp tongue has sent many a physically powerful man cringing to his lair. "Yes, dear. Of course, dear." Anything for a bit of peace!

But again old-fashioned true love might have had something to do with it.

Women's Wisdom

The first sigh of love is the last of wisdom

As this blog is dedicated to understanding the wisdom of proverbs and sayings, perhaps the subject of love should be left well alone, but at this time of year it is rather hard to ignore.

The custom of St. Valentine's Day is supposed to date to the time when it was believed that birds chose their mates for the breeding season, (the changes to the calendar have altered the season a bit) People coming alive again after the dark, cold, miserable days of winter could once again look to the joy and pleasure of being alive and finding true love.

Before the day and age of cinema, television and the like people found winters more dreary than we do today, and they therefore delighted in, and were more influenced by, the arrival of increased sunshine, wild flowers and bird song.

Perfectly sane, sensible people, cautious and wise in their ways, will often exhibit a form of behavior akin to madness when they fall in love. In the past it was often likened to falling under a spell, and, indeed, some ladies were accused of using witchcraft as a means of ensnaring their lovers. Well, it was a good excuse for the men to justify their behavior!

If you were asked to choose the ideal moment in a human's life would you agree that on a blissfully sunny, spring morning with the birds singing, and the scent of new flowers all around, being a teenager, head over heels in love, would get top marks; or would you prefer brilliantly solving a very difficult quadratic equation and getting a pat on the head from teacher? It shouldn't take long to answer.

The Proverb Practitioner 3
The promised video is still delayed but I sent the dog round hunting bones again and, at the risk of chasing two hares, I have another one ready. It is a tragic love tale involving that most romantic of birds -- the gracefully beautiful swan. If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again has been much used today and after upload the video has been distorted, so I will not post the link until I have had another go. Patience is a virtue and I will need a lot more before this is right.