“The scout will be in today to hoover” ...... or, “They Talk Funny Around Here—Part I”
This is the first blog post since the end of Clinical Pastoral Education last Summer. I have not posted because my “Middler” year (second year) of Seminary was pretty uneventful and I envisioned the blog to be a way of describing interesting Seminary experiences rather than a diary. The year can be summed up quickly:
Ø I passed all courses;
Ø I was a Seminarian at St. John’s McLean for both Semesters;
Ø Darla and I did not go to Jerusalem in January as planned because Darla inconsiderately fell and broke her kneecap on Christmas afternoon;[1]
I will continue as a Seminarian at St. John’s next year. There are some interesting things happening there and I have some interesting plans for my Senior year of Seminary—but those will be the subject of a blog as we get nearer to the new semester.
As many of you know (and all of you who follow Darla’s Facebook page know) we are in England for most of the Summer. I am privileged to be an Intern at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England. Christ Church Cathedral is unique in the world in that it is the only cathedral that is also a part of a college. In return for my work, the Cathedral provides us with accommodations as well as lunch for me each day that I work. This brings me back to the “scout” and “hoover.”
For most of my life, when I heard the term “scout,” I immediately thought of Rowdy Yates—the character played by Clint Eastwood in the TV series Rawhidewhich appeared in the early and mid-60s. Rowdy Yates was the cool scout who rode ahead of the cattle drive and often “saved the day.”
“Hoover” is a city in North Shelby County, Alabama—and I’ve never heard it used as a verb.
It turns out that a “scout” in England is a housekeeper; and “to hoover” is to clean with a vacuum cleaner. The line in question was uttered by someone at the Cathedral as she handed us the key to our accommodations. Darla and I met our scout recently and she is a delightful lady by the name of Jean.
Regarding our accommodations: we are in a house owned by the Cathedral and it is just under a mile from the house to the Cathedral. Within the house, Darla and I have.........a room. There are seven rooms in the house that are occupied by graduate students, a cook at the Cathedral and us. We are on the ground floor with one other student, the dining room, a kitchen.....and one bathroom we share with the student on the floor.
For those of you keeping count: in 23 months, I’ve move Darla from a home in Mountain Brook, AL to a townhouse in Alexandria, VA to a room in a boarding house. I’m certain she’s on pins and needles in the excitement of anticipation for our next move.
Stay tuned for Part II of “They Talk Funny Around Here.”
[1]This is a very serious injury and Darla worked very hard in rehab. She has recovered remarkably well and I am very proud of her.
