Last week The Blonde in the house and I were in Maine so that we could watch a grandson graduate from Bowdoin College – and a fine place it is. While we there I found myself for some reason thinking of a Broadway show. The one with the smarmy guy who is teaching the poor ignorant woman to speak proper English. To aid in that pursuit, he gets her to learn to sing “The rain in Maine falls mainly on the plain”. (Be patient)
I guess that the first reason for my thinking of this was the fact that the day we got there it was a cold damp day and had been raining quite extensively including on the plains. We walked a few blocks to a drugstore and about froze to death -which is often what happens to Floridians who are not used to Maine in late May. However, the next day which was graduation day even left us Floridians unprepared. The temperature shot up 25 degrees to 85 degrees. The graduation was outside in the sun and everybody melted.
The poor graduates suffered the most as they had dress clothes like coats and ties for the men under black robes. However, they persevered knowing that now that college was finished they would face times when matters were not always perfect. Therefore our good grandson received his degree with a major in bio-chemistry. Connor (his name) also participated in a performing group called the Meddiebempsters who have a long tradition at Bowdoin. They sing a cappella, but in a dynamic presentation manner that is beyond my poor descriptive powers.
Neither The Blonde nor I know from whence he received his singing talents, but are certain that it was not from our genes. Since we are not only biased grandparents, but also recognize great talent, we always felt that the Meddiebempsters should come to The Sharon. They would be a hit, no question!
The one thing that is constant when I write is that The Blonde reviews it prior to anyone else getting with an internet length of it. Now, she is going to read this, and the first words out of her mouth will be – “It’s the rain in Spain not Maine”. I am going to have to differ with her on that score. It is not my fault that the composer of the song did not know that Maine rhymes equally as well with rain. In addition, Maine has an average of 44” of rain per year while Spain has only 25”. Consequently, it is obvious that Maine is a better choice. Also Spain has an area of 194,897 sq. mi, while Maine has only 2668 sq. mi. Spain has part of the Alps and other high places so the plains in Maine are definitely going to better soaked than those in Spain. Eliza would unquestionably have picked up English faster if the proper location had been used.
I rest my case!
Villager Barry Evans writes about Life in The Villages for Villages-News.com