Our Small Umbrella:The Blog Title

I grew up in a family obsessed with words. My mother is a writer, teacher and homemaker. My father is a computer programmer (with all those complex languages) and a word craft-er. My family loves words. While I lived with my parents dad and I would engage in punning wars, and mom and I would battle it out in Boggle tournaments. These Word Wars are now mostly restricted to holidays when we see my family.

As a result, when looking for a title for our blog Curt and I wanted something with multiple levels of meaning. We want this blog to cover several areas beneath the umbrella of our influence- our work at our University Library, Curt's Philosophy studies, cooking, writing, home decorating, and our growth as a couple.

We took the title from a song from the musical Little Women.  Small Umbrella in the Rain plays a significant role in our memories. This song holds Professor Bear's proposal to Jo. In fact, I'll just post the lyrics so you can follow.

Small Umbrella in the Rain
Professor Bhaer: (spoken) Jo. We are not at all alike. We have our differences. May I be blunt?

Jo: (Spoken) Be blunt. By all means.

Professor Bhaer: I think perhaps it looks like rain

Jo: The sky gets bluer by the hour

Professor Bhaer: The water falls in little drops

Jo: That’s why it’s called a sun shower

Professor Bhaer: Ah, now it stops

Jo: (spoken) You were about to be blunt?

My Brother and his girlfriend sharing my small umbrella

Professor Bhaer: If I say rain, then you say sun./ If I say yes, then you say no./ It seems before we start, we’re done./ We even argue at “hello”/ If I say, share with me/ This small umbrella

Jo: I say who cares if we get wet?

Professor Bhaer: We are as different as the/ Morning and the night

Jo: No, we’re as different as the/ Winter and the spring

Professor Bhaer: We always seem to fight

Jo: We disagree on everything

Professor Bhaer: And yet…/ You make me smile,/ You make me laugh,/ You make me care./ How can I explain?/ Inside my heart/ I feel a pain/ When you’re not there./
Though we’re not at all alike,/ You make me feel alive./
If we had that in common,/ That one small thing in common,/ Love could be like a small umbrella,/ In the rain.
When people discover passion,/ They’ve come upon something rare./ This fervor they have in common,/ Will shelter them anywhere./ Though the rest may be rough,/ With such passion to share,/ I think we have more than enough-/ Enough to make a marriage,/ If we dare.

Jo:(Spoken) You are proposing?

Professor Bhaer: (spoken) No. Yes! Yes! I do not mean today./ Or tomorrow, or even next month. In a year maybe, two years even. I am a patient man.

Jo: I won’t be sweet, won’t be demure

Professor Bhaer: This I prefer, this I adore

Jo: I’ll speak my mind, you can be sure

Professor Bhaer: I’ll be enchanted to the core.

Jo: If I say, let me share your/ Small umbrella.

Professor Bhaer: I’ll say, who cares if we get wet?

Jo: We’ll be as different as a/ Husband and a wife

Professor Bhaer: No, we’ll be as different as a/ Woman and a man

Jo:We’ll fight our way through life.

Professor Bhaer: We’ll disagree the best we can.

Jo: And yet…

Jo/Professor Bhaer:
You make me smile,
You make me laugh,
You make me care.
How can I explain?
Inside my heart
I feel a pain
When you’re not there.
Though we’re not at all alike,
You make me feel alive.

Jo: Yes, we have that in common

Professor Bhaer: That one small thing in common

Jo/Professor Bhaer: Our love is like a small umbrella/ In the rain


Let me clear up one thing right now- Curt and I do not disagree over everything. I do speak my mind, you can be sure, but we both do our best to express agreements and disagreements and concerns in tones of voice, and manner of action that does not  offend the other. We love debating with each other-but we do not let those things build up...
No, this song is special for a far different reason.
On the way to Reedy River in Greenville, SC September 18, 2009 I played this song for Curt to hear. It always made me crack up how Jo and the Professor went back and forth. Little did I know that Curt was planning that very evening to ask me to share with him his small umbrella. He could not believe that we were listening to this song on the way to ask me to marry him! Ever since this song has been a special favorite.

So, now you have the down low on our blog title!