Sense of Humor
We have a good sense of humor, although it is sometimes delivered in a deadpan fashion, in keeping with our sense of modesty and understatement. Humor is more than fun; it is a coping mechanism in sickness or hard times. We tend to poke fun at ourselves, saying self-deprecating things like, “I was hiding behind the door when the looks were passed out.” Our humor is tied up with our concept of the human condition. We see humor when people make pretensions to power and perfection and inevitably fail. We may poke fun at pompous people, or try to “get their goat” by playing practical jokes on them. We may say, for example, of those who aspire to learning, “Preachers and lawyers and buzzard’s eggs, there’s more hatched than come to perfection.”
—Loyal Jones – Appalachian Values
Granny’s family loved to tell jokes. There was so many jokes told on Sunday after Granny Gazzie’s delicious midday meal that Paul started telling them to when he was just a little bitty boy. He was never as backward as I was and he’d stand in front of everyone gathered in the living room and tell jokes and do impersonations. His best one was Howard Cosell 🙂
To this day Paul and my older brother Steve enjoy jokes. If they hear a good one they immediately share it with Granny.
Granny’s baby brother Lucky, who is the only sibling left living, recently had a bad fall. He’s been in the hospital at Gainesville and is now at a care center up at Hayesville. Paul has taken Granny to see him a few times.
After the recent trip I asked Granny if Lucky was any better. She said he was still awful sore, but Paul told him a few jokes that Uncle Henry and Uncle Byers used to tell at Gazzie’s and that cheered him up some.
Today’s Thankful November giveaway is a used copy of Appalachian Values written by Loyal Jones. Leave a comment on this post to be entered. *Giveaway ends November 29, 2023.
Last night’s video: 9 Brides & Granny Hite 16.
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A sense of humor and a lot of prayer can get you through lots of troubles.
Please enter my name in the drawing for Appalachian Values, I’d like to read this little book.
My lovely wife and i are opposites in this respect; she’s very shy & i’m more outgoing. As far as humor though, i prefer the dry sort.
Thank you.
I’ve been trying out a few ‘dad jokes’ on my grandson lately. Sometimes he gets them, but most time he doesn’t. Then he just rolls his eyes at me and lets me know how silly he thinks I’m being. It’s lots of fun for us to laugh over.
Hope Lucky gets better and can get home soon. Much love to you and yours, Tipper.
I hope Lucky feels better soon.
The fact that Dolly Parton has always had such self deprecating humor, has always appealed to me. Now, I understand it more, knowing where and how she was raised.
It can be a wonderful coping mechanism, as well as a universal language. Unfortunately, I’m finding it less in my daily life. As I wait in line, or go about my trips into the public here…. It seems most don’t want to communicate or have small talk or humor.
I am terrible at telling jokes and slow getting them but my husband jokes with everyone and makes me laugh. One of the reasons why I married him lol.
Self deprecating humor was a specialty of the older generation of my family as well.
My sweet Mamaw was widowed at 51. She found a widower who she’d known as a teenager and they decided to marry. At the reception she said (words to the effect of) I’m not much to look at now, but you know you’re going to eat good. To which he replied, I’ve known you since you was 14 and you look as fresh to me now as you did then. They were together till death did them part, and they were as devoted to each other as any two people could be.
John-love that story! Thank you for sharing it 🙂
My dad was the joke and story teller. we would sat around listening to daddy tell us anything he could. Sometimes he would sing to us and I miss that so much. Glad Granny got to see her brother.
We could all use more joy in our lives. 🙂
I love listening to jokes, but I’m not good at telling them. I can never remember the punchline!
It’s wise to keep a sense of humor-even during trials. I’m sorry to hear that about Granny’s brother. Glad that Paul could cheer him up! 🙂
I was so happy to eat Thanksgiving dinner, if I’d had a tail, it’d be wagging!
My wife can’t remember many jokes, but she has two she likes to tell if I remind her of the gist of them. 1. A man was hit by a bus in NYC. Lying in the street he asked for a priest several times to no avail. Finally someone stepped up and said he lived behind the Catholic Church and heard them quite often, so maybe he could offer some comfort. He leaned down close to the man and said, “B 6, N 39, G 60, O 72.”
2. A man is in bed dying and trying to confess some things to his wife. He told of an affair with her best friend and she urged him to just rest as she had always known about it. He tried to tell her about an affair with her sister with the same response. Then he tried to tell her about an affair with her mother. She then said, “Will you please lie still and quiet so the poison can work?”
On my mother’s side of the family my granny Hyman loved to tell jokes my uncle Ennis (moms brother) took up joke telling. When he is around he always has a new joke to tell. I believe laughing is good medicine. Always wonder if laughing is happening in heaven if so granny Hyman is in the middle of it.
This book looks so interesting!!
I love family time with jokes & loving banter. I would love to join in but, mess up the punch lines! So glad Granny got to visit her brother. Praying Granny keeps getting better & y’all have a wonderful Christmas.
It is true. Laughter is like medicine.
The only thing better than love is absolutely humor and laughter. The old saying that laughter is the best medicine is very true.
Hi Tipper
Yes, for sure I believe laughter is the best medicine, as you know I am living in my family home and I am always going back to the memories of the good times here, especially my father, oh the fun we all had, always people coming in and out, my mother forever baking or cooking, aunts and uncles dropping in, how times have changed, they are all gone now, a few siblings left, I am delighted my brother is coming in for a few days next week, he is helping me with the renovations and for sure i will once again hear some of the familiar laughter again, time changes everything and I know it is good to remember and have all those memories but I heard it once said, “You can never go back”, that certainly rings true for me, I will carry all those memories with me but it will be in a different place and less painful for me living in this house and always reliving, Tipper thank you so much and all your beautiful family for giving us all so much love and light in our world which sadly has become a little darker.
Many members know how much I miss and loved my wife. We were married for almost 47 years when she passed away and went together 2 1/2 years before we married when she was 19 and I was 20 when we married. We started our married life out with $10 in our bank account. Notice I didn’t say mine or her bank account, I said ours, most everything was always ours. We would often tease one another, one favorite thing was for me to tease her about God punishing me for looking at the girls and not listening to the preacher. Our life together started one night in Jan, of 1972 when I asked after the Sunday night church service if I could call her. When I would tell her she had better be good to me, she wouldn’t find another one like me, she would tell me she prayed and ask God to never let her find anyone else like me if she ever got rid of me. Another thing she would say if I said I am sorry was you are low down too. I gave her a sympathy card one year instead of a valentine card one for putting up with me. Living without her is no fun.
Oh Randy we can just feel the love the two of you shared. Thanks for sharing. I will pray for your loneliness and the memories to bring you comfort.
My family is like that. The best funny stories come out in the darkest of times. Some of my best memories are of the family gatherings following a funeral. It’s healing to sit and laugh with your loved ones.
During moments like that, Mamaw would start telling a joke and get so tickled she never could spit out the punchline. I don’t think I ever heard her complete a joke. Papaw or daddy had to jump in to finish it for her. I miss that.
My mama’s side of the family loved telling jokes, stories and playing pranks on one another. It still continues with my cousins, young and old. I still hear about the pranks some of my older cousins played and even though a lot of the them are no longer around, if someone finds out I was kin to them, that’s the first thing I hear about and it brings a smile to my face. My granddaughter will tell me, “GiGi, I’ll always remember you for making me laugh.” I feel like laughter is definitely good medicine.
Lovely. As has been mentioned directly or indirectly by so many, humor is life-affirming. “Merry heart medicine” is good for what ails us all. Thank you, Tipper, for creating and sharing such beauty – and laughter.
Morning, Tipper! Laughter always filled my late husbands and my house. Our girls have great memories of their dad’s humor. In early days of our marriage when money was so tight and I wondered how we would pay for everything, he would say let’s call everyone who wants our money, tell them to stand below our window and toss it out. They can scramble to get it from each other. Laughter has carried us through some hard times, and now he’s gone, it has carried me through some hard times by myself. It also burns calories, LOL!! God’s blessings on you and your family, Tipper, and all your subscribers!
Thank you, Tipper, for once again lightening my heart with your ever sweet messages about your beautiful family antics. Blessings to all today and always.
This is for Gene and others. My father in law had a band member (Otis) that would tell jokes. One of his favorites jokes was about a lady and her baby riding a train and the lady crying her eyes our because of people talking about her baby being ugly. The train conductor didn’t know why she was crying but tried to comfort her. He went and brought her some coffee and then told her “ I brought a banana for you to give to your monkey”.
Our family lived at the foot of a mountain when I was growing up. We often would find animals that either wandered down from the mountain or had been dropped off by people who didn’t want them anymore. We were used to that. What we weren’t used to occurred late one dark, rainy, windy night. Mom and Dad were already asleep and the kids were in bed but were still awake. One of the kids heard a noise out on our front porch. The noise kept going ….click, click, click.
My sister started screaming, “it’s a bear, it’s a bear”.
Daddy came running into the room and asked “what is going on in here”?
My sister said “there’s a bear on the porch”. Just when Daddy was about to say there was no bear and to go back to sleep there was the sound again…click, click, click.
Daddy went and got his gun, told the kids to stay in bed and be quiet. He slipped into the living room, opened the front door just enough so he could get his gun through the space. He heard the click, click, click sound and saw some shadowy movement and he started shooting. He shot several times and finally the noise stopped. He decided the bear was dead so we all went to sleep. Next morning we rushed to the porch to see the dead animal. Imagine our surprise when what we found was a black, open umbrella which had been blown by the wind back and forth across the porch and was now completely full of holes. For many years our family laughed about the time Daddy shot a “bear”.
My 8 year great granddaughter Zoey loves to “get my goat” with those chicken for kids jokes. Wish I could remember all of them!
Today is the last Saturday for November 2023 so get out and enjoy!
Blessings to all.
When I was a kid my church would have an outdoor sermon on Sunday afternoon at our national park. Tradition would have our elders reading the same funny poem/story each year. I enjoy cowboy poetry which contains a lot of humor. This is one of my favorites.
SYMPATHY By Gail T. Burton
The cockeyed cowboy spurred his horse, /
Then down the street he tore, /
And ran into the bell that hung /
Outside the firehouse door. /
Amid clanging bell and squealing horse /
He bounced upon the ground /
And unconscious lay there in the dust /
As the gawkers gathered ‘round. /
Randy Jones and Booger Red Came walking down the street /
And stopped in contemplation /
Of the drunk there at their feet. /
”Who’s the waddie?” Randy asked, /
”With his nose broke I can’t tell.”/
”Don’t know his name,” was Red’s reply, /
”But his face sure rings a bell.”/
Here’s a family favorite joke:
Preacher always wanted a parrot but they were far too expensive. On the way to church every day he’d walk by the pet shop and visit the birds in the window. One day he went inside asked the shop keeper about the cost of the bird in the window. The shopkeeper replied $1000.
Dismayed, the preacher said he couldn’t afford it. As he started to leave the shopkeeper called the preacher back and said that he had a parrot in the back that the preacher could have for $10 if the preacher could train the bird to stop cussing. The preacher happily agreed and took the bird home.
When he came home with his new pet, the preacher uncovered the cage and that parrot let out a blue string of cuss words. The preacher grabbed him and put him in the freezer for 5 minutes. When preacher took him out the parrot started another blue string of cuss words, so back into the freezer he went, this time for 10 minutes. Coming back out, the parrot let loose his worst string of cuss words so this time preacher put him in the freezer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes the preacher took out the parrot. This time the parrot just sat there shivering, saying nothing. After a few minutes the parrot finally said: “Can I ask you something?”
Preacher replied, “Absolutely as long as you don’t cuss.”
Parrot said: “No, I won’t cuss anymore. But what did that turkey in there do?”
Great stories.
I love to laugh! I learned it from an early age. Somebody was always thinking us
a “funny” to play on anybody around. I like the good old-fashioned humor. A joke doesn’t have to be naughty to be funny but certainly the innuendos make it even funnier when an innocent person “just doesn’t get it!” When I was younger, I could remember a joke better but now I sometimes forget the “punch line” which sometimes makes it even funnier. As one of my dear friends often says, “It just makes you feel good to laugh.”
I think my favorites jokes are those that come about when your enjoying conversations with family and friends and they say something so out landish that you burst out laughing, can’t stop and it brings tears to your eyes. It’s usually something that they have said about themselves.
Wonderful stories, precious memories with laughter being the theme of them both. When families and friends can laugh together it makes for best gatherings that will be talked about for many years to come. Prayers continue for all your family.
My brother-in-law was the biggest jokester in the family until he had a sudden onset of Lewy body dementia. Sometimes his jokes were not funny but it was the way he told them that kept us rolling in laughter. I miss his jokes and the wonderful man he has always been. Thank God Granny finished her treatments without too many side effects. Love you Granny and we are still praying for more good news.
Sorry to hear of your Uncle Lucky’s fall. I’m sure who’s visits from Granny & Paul do him well. I was always told laughter is the best medicine. So thankful to have found you family’s channels. Much love & Prayers for y’all.
As old as I am I still can’t stand in front of people and talk, I almost failed English in high school because of it.
My husband and I both have a sense of humor, and we’re always making our silly jokes.
My grandson loves to tell jokes. I told him a good one. What do you call a dog in the middle of summer? A hot dog. He is 7 so he loves this joke and tells everyone. His eyes light up when he makes people laugh.
My humor has gotten me through some tough times. Hope Granny feels better today.
Praying for Granny and Lucky. Hugs, love and laughter will get us through.
I’m terrible at telling jokes, no yolk.
Hope Granny and y’all are getting rested up today, from the holiday. So much work. Also hope Granny’s brother is doing much better. Your blogs means a lot to so many.
Laughter is always the best medicine!
Humor is scriptural. PRO17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” One of Dad’s sayings was, “It’ll feel good when it quits hurting.” That’s a mighty dry humorous way of saying the pain won’t last forever and better times are coming. Not a huge help right then but enough to give some cheering up. I tend to not ever joke or tease because I’m normally a bit at odds with how most people think anyway; or so it seems to me. I wouldn’t hurt anybody’s feelings on purpose for the world so I just watch myself, maybe too much. I am not sensitive about being the subject of jokes though. I got to church early one Sunday, had gone in and sat down all alone. The next arrival was one of the deacons. He said, “Well, there’s Ron and all his friends.” I thought it was witty and funny, still do. But that is because I have a few more friends than that. I’m counting you all for one thing.
My daddy passed away in 1995 but he is still the funniest person I have ever known. My son, who I believe resembles him in his facial features, is a close second and that makes him even more special to me. When Daddy died, my older sister asked for my help with what to inscribe on his gravestone. I shared “The Storyteller’s Creed” which I had copied into a journal years before. So the last two lines are under Bill Thomas’s name and dates of birth and death and I think they tell a whole lot about the man who is buried beneath them.
Storyteller’s Creed:
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
That dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.
Humor has carried me through many a tough time!
My mom loved to tell riddles and jokes. Her and Daddy came to our house every weekend and she’d have a joke to tell Charley and the kids. you know what they say – Laughter is the Best Medicine.
Our family loves to laugh! Our younger son is so funny and really doesn’t try to be. Prayers for all. Take care and God bless ❣️
Everyone’s heard an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well I believe a good laugh does the same. It’s healing and as well energizing.
I totally agree that humor can defuse a situation or lighten a load in times of trouble. I’m sure I would agree with many of the Appalachian values and would love to read the book.
My brother was a jokester, he was always telling jokes, he passed away this year at the age of 91. I remember mama playing a joke on me when I was a little girl, I hadn’t noticed her going outside, I was sitting in the living room, it was a dark night, suddenly there was this thing in all white flopping in the window, I was scared to death then daddy started laughing, mama had went out and put a white sheet over her head. MEMORIES, I hadn’t thought about that in years. Laughter is good medicine. Blessings to all
Tipper, I’m sorry to hear brother Lucky of Granny’s is down. You guessed it- the prayers are going up that the Good Lord will restore Lucky to health in Jesus name! I miss all the joking myself my aunts used to do. Every holiday was filled with laughter, fun tricks, and jokes. I can still hear them in my mind if I think about it. My older brother John did an excellent NIXON, HERE COMES THE JUDGE AND GERALDINE!!! It was funny stuff then and it’s funny now! We all need a good laugh more than usual I believe!!! Laughter is better for the soul than any medication! A good doctor will tell you that! Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! It’s a cold morning here in southern WV. Cold enough to snow indeed!
Laughing is good medicine. A good belly laugh is also good exercise, hahaha. I hope Granny’s brother gets better real fast. I have added him to my prayer list. Sending love and prayers to all of you and Granny and Little Mama too.
Laughter is good medicine!
Humor , teasing, poking fun, etc has always been a big part of my life and my Daddy and father in law’s life. I tell people if they don’t see me teasing, joking, or going on or making a crack with/at someone it is because I don’t care for that person. Some of my dear friends laugh and tell me I wish you didn’t love me as much as you do. Many of the men I worked with were always picking on each other, not making anyone mad or to hurt feelings, but to help the time pass by faster. We would say if we didn’t do this we would be crying. One favorite thing to do was send and have a new hire take some Tylenol to one of the men we dearly loved and tell him those men over there said to give this to you, when Ken would ask why, he would be told because of being so ugly it has got to be painful. Ken would shake his fist at us and laugh. We often laugh and tell each other we wished y’all didn’t love me as much as y’all do. One cardinal rule for me and them was not teasing about any kind of physical problem someone might have, even being baldheaded unless they would joke about it themselves. I tell people I was so ugly when I was born Mother had to be blindfolded before she would let me nurse, after I got older she would sit me in a corner and shoot my food to me with a slingshot. By the way I didn’t outgrow it. Another thing I now tell people is I would have to get smarter before I could considered dumb or ignorant. I would love to win this book, it is on my short list of books to buy
I have wrote too much but one of my Ken stories, when my grandson was young, me, my wife and grandson saw Ken and his wife and granddaughter at a Christmas light show. I went back to work and told our supervisor about seeing Ken over the weekend and my grandson asking me why that man had a Halloween mask on at Christmas time. Our supervisor had soon spread it over the whole department. Ken laughed and threatened me with bodily harm.
Randy, you were on a roll today. You could take that show on the road. I heard of a baby that was so homely its mother nursed it through a knothole in a board. My son lost his left index finger in an accident at sixteen. When he came to after surgery and we told him the doc was unable to reattach it, he said, “Well, that’s one less fingernail to clean.”
A good sense of humor allows one to weather everyday life embarrassing situations and can often help put someone “in their place.”
I would love a copy of Loyal Jones book “Appalachian Values.”
Matt and my husband have the same since of humor. I can also tell that he picks on you as a way of showing he loves you just like my husband does to me!
My family on my mom’s side loved to laugh and tell jokes. Laughter is good for the soul.
Hi Tipper, I enjoy watching your family on YouTube. I bet your mom is busy crocheting sweaters and blankets for the little newbie. I have one due in May, actually it will be great grand baby number 8 and its a boy.
I also like watching Matt cook, I bet Miss Cindy taught him when he was young, along with washing the dishes and cleaning up. I picked up on your Revier Ware pans, I grew up with them and even still have the play set that Santa brought when I was 5 or 6 plus I have the measuring cups too.
Take care,
Maggie Cooper
Indiana
Please take care,
Maggie Cooper
Indiana
I really enjoy subtle humor…my momma’s side of the family was great at delivering smiles and chuckles…
Never thought about it before reading your post but we southern/mountain people do use our sense of humor to get through the tough times in life. Thanks for the reminder of how our ingrained heritage is part of who we are and how humor helps us cope in today’s world.
Carolyn
So sorry to hear about Granny’s brother and his fall. Will be praying for his recovery! Jokes have always been big in my family, along with a few tall tales. Laughter is the best medicine!
Y’all are funny when Matt tries to pick at you and you get it, but just play it off and go on with your serious content. Y’all are perfect together.
Good morning missTipper
No joke here in northwest Ohio this morning. It’s a chilly 21°
Enjoyed the blog. We did the same thing in our family. I would say about my plain looks, “Well ya know I’m no oil painting” My dad was a dead pan joker. He had some young identical twin girls in the family. They were model beautiful Teenagers. They were at a gathering and he said to them “Ya know, I just can’t figure out which one of you is the ugliest”. The girls laughed till they cried. My mom was the serious one and she was mortified until she saw everyone laughing. She just shook her head.
Linda, I refer to my own plain features as “negative good looks.”
Granny is a gem and she is enjoyed by all who know her. I would love to sit down and pick her mind about things, people, experiences that she has had. I know that you have included her in a lot of your videos, but I bet a book would be wonderful for the rest of us. Something to think about??…Gonna try your Pralines today as the hubby watched that video and has made a request. See ya ‘one the farm’ so to speak. Praying for Granny to regain her strength after all her treatments and God Bless you guys.
This sounds like a wonderful book! As a child I never understood jokes but now I enjoy laughing at good, clean funny ones. There’s so much sadness in the world! We all need to be cheered up sometimes!
Laughter is a good medicine. It sure can get ya out of the mullygrubs.
God bless Granny Louzine Wilson with healing and health in Jesus name
I love your stories about family!!!
It has been said that humor can be the best medicine sometimes and I believe that.When my siblings and I are together we love to tell stories we remember about each other and laugh. Sometimes it all started from a joke. I continue to pray God’s blessings over your family.
I love a good joke, wish I could remember and deliver them like Paul.
It seems that all is going fairly well for you and your family. I like the values that you hold to. Today modern people seem so angry with no care for others because it’s what they see and what they want. I was not raised that way. Good to hear from you Tipper. Looking forward to your spring garden.
My neighbor and I share jokes by phone, text and in person. Our wives moan when we get together. My baby sister sends lame ones to me but the rest of the family takes after Dad. He was no nonsense personified. Mom had a dry sense of humor.
Laughing is the best medicine! I love a good joke and the cornier the better! I hope Lucky feels better soon. Blessing from New Jersey.
Hope Lucky gets better.
Laughter truly is the best medicine.
it is nice that Granny’s brother is close enough to visit. how wonderful that the adults in Granny’s family encouraged the kids to participate. what fun for them.