A bushel and a peck… and a hug around the neck. I have heard this little ditty for about as long as I have memories. It is generally in a situation like this:
Wife: Do you love me?
Husband: A bushel and peck…
Wife looking expectant.
Husband: And a hug around the neck!
I have never really thought about it a much until recently. Being incredibly stupid or ignorant we made a trip to New Orleans the week after Mardi Gras 2020. We went as the trip had been planned for a while. The purpose of the trip was to visit an old family friend of Robin’s, Syble, who had recently entered a nursing home. The fear was if we did not make the trip soon it might be pointless later as she was in the early stages of dementia and not young.
While there we spent a lot of time with Syble’s son Lenny and his wife, Kay. Having been to New Orleans several times I had no big need to go to Jackson Square, but they wanted to take us. And it is always fun to go there. Walking down one side we encountered an artist of their acquaintance. Her specialty is small mixed media paintings that include a bird and a short saying. Lo and behold there was one with our ditty, “I love you a bushel and peck“. Lenny’s Korean wife got excited as apparently Lenny says this to her frequently. Robin and I got excited as I say this to her time and again. There is actually a hand written note from me to her with the ditty on it adhered to our refrigerator.
Both Lenny and I wanted to buy it, but we decided since I was from out of town it might be easier for him to get the artist to paint one for him. It turns out they already have several of the artist’s works in their home.
Long story, short I bought it and brought it back to St. Louis. It is now hanging in our kitchen in a prominent spot. I keep thinking what I need to do is contact the artist and get her to do a second one for us that has the last half of the ditty on it, “and a hug around the neck“. I did have the foresight to get her card. She has a couple Internet presences. One is her web site: JeanBird.com She also is on Etsy at JeanBird on Etsy And do not forget Facebook.
We did our little dance with the bushel and a peck the other morning and Robin wondered where it came from. For me it has always been in the air and I just accepted that it just was. Well to Señor Google we went. It turns out it is a song from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls. Doris Day recorded it in 1950 and made it popular. It seems to be have been covered by every well known artist of the 50s.
Just for grins and giggles here is Doris Day’s version of the song.
And as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
Keep well.