10,000 Things We Say to Say What We Mean

The various ways in which we Americans express our thoughts are as varied as our ancestry and the regions in which we live. Where you were raised has a lot to do with whether you refer to someone as being all gussied up or dressed to the nines. Using an expression familiar to me, you will find this book has no rhyme or reason.

You are correct. That is intentional.

This is not meant to be a textbook, not a scholarly essay on language. Its simply a collection of expressions that I (and, I hope, you) find interesting and at times amusing. These phrases are as much a part of our countrys culture and history as the dates and occurrences in a history textbook.

Gene Flowers is a man of many talents; he is a musician, teacher, writer, and artist. He was born in 1929 to parents who had no education, no jobs, and no promising future. He and his two siblings did their homework by coal oil lamps in a one-room shanty once used to house chickens. These years strengthened his desire and determination to achieve a better life.

Flowers was dealt a harsh blow during his junior year of high school when he lost his eye in a hunting accident. Later in life, he was dealt another blow when he developed macular degeneration in his remaining eye, leaving him nearly blind. He did not allow this handicap to deter his zest for life.

Flowers has now become nationally known through one-man art shows and newspaper articles, and he is featured on three television stations.

The Associated Press did a story on him and flooded American with the articles from coast to coast. Also, one of his articles was published in Country Magazine, published by Riemann Publications.