H.A. Espy. circa 1940s

Today seemed all about memories of Papa, my grandfather H.A. Espy (1876 – 1958).  I’m not sure why.  It’s not like it was his birthday which, as I remember, was in November.  I’m certain of the year, mostly because he was, too, even though he was off by a century by the time he reached his dotage.  “Yes,” he would chuckle, “our country and I were born in the same year — 1776!”  None of us ever disabused him of this notion.  After all, he stood for all the good things our nation stood for — back in the days when we were all young.

For whatever reason, as I was pouring my first cup of coffee this morning, I could have sworn I heard Papa’s voice.  “By cracky!” he said, apropos of nothing at all — unless it was something about the day that was about to break through the foggy-foggy-dew.  I hadn’t heard or thought of that expression in years and it reminded me of a lot of other expressions he used — most of them in lieu of swearing.

Sydney and Papa’s Car, 1941

As my venerable Uncle Willard wrote in Oysterville, Roads to Grandpa’s Village:  “Papa was the most powerful nonswearer I ever heard.  His most common expletives were Son of a sea cook!  Consarn it!  Dad durn it! Dad gum it! Dad cuss it! Ding bust it! and “Sou’wegian!  The ultimate in frustration emerged as Devil! or Devilation! These harmless-appearing epithets burst from his mouth like thunderbolts.”

Sydney and Sherry & Ray’s 1931 Model A Ford, 2021

I don’t think “By cracky” falls into the nonswearing category, however.  I think he used it, rather, as an exclamation, perhaps to emphasize a comment — as in “It’s going to be a fine day, by cracky!” And, it was, too.  But not so much in the weather-sense.  More in the Visitors-to-Oysterville-sense.

A couple came in their 1928 Model A and parked in front of the church.  I couldn’t resist telling them that that I had a photo of myself standing in front of our house with my grandfather’s Model A — taken in 1941.  Whereupon, they moved their car across the street, replicated the photo with me in front of their Model A, and photographed “us” eighty years later!  I do wonder what Papa would have said about that, by cracky!!