Monday, 16 April 2012

A-Z Blogging Challenge "N"


Hi. Happy to See You!
As a very young girl I lived with my paternal grandmother for three formative years. Being an enthusiastic teacher and lover of words,
she invariably had quotations written all over the house... literally. On the backs of cupboard doors, on calendars, napkins or wherever she happened to be.  With this in mind I am finding the authors, in alphabetical sequence, of many of her favorite quotations and am adding some of those that are special to my family as well.  Hope you enjoy!








                                                                            "N"




Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry". Ogden Nash wrote over 500 pieces of comic verse. The best of his work was published in 14 volumes between 1931 and 1972.


                                                                       

                                                                                 

The Germ

A mighty creature is the germ,
Though smaller than the pachyderm.
His customary dwelling place
Is deep within the human race.
His childish pride he often pleases
By giving people strange diseases.
Do you, my poppet, feel infirm?
You probably contain a germ. 




                             ------------------------------------------------------------
My two sisters and I come from a long line of nurses,so who better to be my "N"  choice than .this.  Also, I thought it a good accompaniment to the above!!


Florence Nightingale( 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night. An Anglican, Nightingale believed that God had called her to be a nurse.
Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment, in 1860, of her nursing school at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, the first secular nursing school in the world, now part of King's College London. The Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses was named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday.




 I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm.



                                                                                 


12 comments:

  1. Great information Pat, I have heard of Nash but was not familiar with his background...Being a nurse I especially love "The Germ"...very cute!
    And of course every nurse is familiar with Florence Nightingale!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good ol' "Flo" was quite the lady. As much as we have complained, I'm willing to bet we never had it as bad as she did.!!
      Patricia, Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice

      Delete
  2. Great information. I had read that Nash poem before, but didn't know anything about him, and Florence Nightingale was an inspirational lady.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tyrean. I, too, am learning a lot with the A-Z Challenge. good luck with the 2nd half of the challenge.

      Patricia, Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice

      Delete
  3. my grandmother was an rn way back in the day--

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My sisters and I have/had 5 aunts and ? cousins that are/were RNs , so it's sort of in our blood..... pardon the pun!! Patricia, Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice

      Delete
  4. Thank you for your comment on our blog. Yes, many folks live vicariously through our posts, and one more would be great!

    My mother wanted me to be a nurse but I can't stand the sight of blood and guts...would not have been a good nurse because of that little bit of information!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Visiting from AtoZ. Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I feel honored by this post, to be associated, even a bit with Ms. Nightingale. I think she may be a little disappointed with some of our hospitals in this day, though.
    I love Mr. Nash's quote, too cute! And so clever of you to match them together.
    Kathy at Oak Lawn Images

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kathy. I agree with your comment re hospitals today. But, I doubt the nurses are quite the same either.

      Patricia, Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice

      Delete
  7. Yes medicine as been fulfilling for me as well. A pathologist by training and a daughter of a surgeon and nurse, it flows in my veins. Nice of you to visit my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I so enjoyed Ogden Nash's witty verse when I was young.

    Florence Nightingale has been an inspiration for nursing worldwide.

    ReplyDelete