Finally, something to bring us all together – the searing pain of wintry weather. It seems like just about every part of the United states is experiencing some form of frostbitten misery this week.
It’s enough to make even the most self-indulgent winter-smug Minnesotan finally feel understood. And while we’ve been trained not to say it, the temptation is irresistible. Especially if it can be sung:
Though the weather outside if frightful.
Winter suffering’s insightful.
Don’t believe us? Well now you know!
Told you so, told you so, told you so!
While it’s true we don’t get typhoons here,
and we’ve just a few baboons here,
there’s calamity in the snow!
Told you so, told you so, told you so!
Though we surely complain enough,
You’ve reacted like you didn’t care.
Mother Nature has called your bluff.
Now there’s frostbite everywhere!
Feeling sympathy’s not verboten.
We are all part Minnesotan.
Hypothermia leaves a glow!
Told you so, told you so, told you so!
Ever say “told you so”?
Trail Baboon 
Good morning. I think it. I usually don’t say it. Some people just will not listen to the me when I tell them they are wrong. I would very much like to say “I told you so” when they find out I was right and they were wrong. Some of those people wouldn’t be slow to tell me “they told me so”. I have found there is very little to be gained by saying “I told you so”. However, I can’t resist thinking it even if I don’t say it.
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Please, I am the mother of a very academically bright but impractical teenager.
I have pretty much bit my tongue all the way through.
No one thanks you for saying it at work either.
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Funny how that works, huh? Told ya
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That’s hard on the tongue. One of the “joys” of being a parent.
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Yeah, I’m there with ya, and mine isn’t a teenager yet. Though the phrase here is the slightly more leading, “Now do you understand why I tell you ____?” Sigh.
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We are also fond of a phrase from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, “and what have we learned from this, Percy?”
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Rise and Shine Baboons!
Recently I wondered out loud if it was a good idea for my landlord to rent storefront space to Xfinity/Comcast for a demo store. Their internet signal has interfered with mine since the day they opened. Now the landlord has to get them to back it off, but the manager involved won’t even return calls.
Told her. Raspberry.
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Our family makes a joke out of those sorts of moments by saying “I told you yesterday that. . . . ” Daughter initially came up with the phrase when she was little, and we have used it ever since.
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Hey all! Sorry that everybody is suffering the season… I am feeling very very lucky to be warm this week.
Like the other parents on the trail, I have gotten quite good at keeping my mouth shut during “I told you so” moments. But aside from that, “I told you so” is too dangerous. Because eventually it will be your mistake and then someone else will say “I told you so” to you. So I’m hoping that keeping my mouth shut will help increase my karma!
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Magnanimous shall I never be named.
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I don’t think I’ve ever uttered these words in my life, but have said, “I was really worried about your decision and was afraid something like this would happen”. I guess that’s the Minnesota Nice version of the same thing?
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Saying “I told you so” is boorish and way out of line with Midwestern modesty. The whole point is to get others to say it of you. “Gee, that’s just what you told us would happen!” That’s pure gold. But giving yourself credit for being right . . . that’s just uncool!
Like my sister, I think I’ve never said those words. But I dated a woman who absolutely lived for those moments she could cackle and claim she’d told us so. After that experience, I knew I’d never say that.
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Well, I would like to tell some people “I told you so” because they refused to pay any attention to things I was trying to tell them that I knew were true. With people like that, it really doesn’t help to say “I told you so”. I think there are plenty of people like that here in Minnesota and probably everywhere. I’m sure they don’t refrain from saying “I told you so” even thought they do not want to hear it themselves. I run into difficult people way too often here and else where.
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Wish I could make that claim, but alas, I’m sure that phrase has occasionally slipped out no matter how hard I’ve tried to bite my tongue. It’s one of those obnoxious phrases that has a way of coming back and biting you in the butt.
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A fine example just happened in my very living room.
We’ve kept our old VCR hooked up to the tv, because we do have some old favorites only on tape-many old Christmas shows.
That VCR has been there, all along, but completely unnoticed by the resident delinquents until last night, when we decided it was time to pop in a Christmas tape. Watched it all the way through, turned off the tv and let the tape keep running so it would auto re-wind.
then the tape popped out. WOW!!! this must be investigated at length-so in goes the paw.
I called out the s&h to observe and snicker and we both thought, “that will end well”. Eventually, that game got old and I thought that was the end of it, until I heard a rather put-out Mrrrowww!
Somebody got their paw caught. somebody did not want any assistance either, thank you so much.
Crisis over now, as I moved the machine carefully to the floor and a personal extrication was effected.
Wonder if a lesson was learned-why yes, there was. Always have the camera ready.
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What a great story!
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I was kind of lost till “in goes the paw.”
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if you have to say i told you so to your cat you have a need to get out more
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I just heard from a relative who lives in Phoenix who thought it was very cold there when the temperature dropped to 47 degrees recently. He always lets us know about the good weather they are having when we are experiencing very cold winter weather here. I should send him a copy of today’s poetic offering from Dale.
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Quiet day here on the trail. I guess we are all out being polite and biting our tongues. One situation in which I can’t bite my tongue is when we hear on the news, yet again, about oilfield workers who are killed on an oil field highway in one of the numerous head on collisions we seem to be having, and the report invariably ends “None of the occupants were wearing seatbelts”. What do they think is going to happen on those two lane roads when people drive too fast? Some people out here are are starting to refer to the phenomenon as more evidence for Darwin’s theories about natural selection.
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I’m sure I’ve said some version of I told you so to Husband, Son, Sister, even maybe Parents. As has been noted above, it can be couched in politeness, but whoever is on the receiving end knows exactly what you mean. The one person I don’t remember saying that to is Wasband – because, of course, he was always right!
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p.s. I was laughing out loud, Dale, reading your new version of that song.
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Seems to be a common thread here today. Minnesota nice prevails, along with saying “I.T.Y.S.” is generally a waste of oxygen.
I used to say “I told you so,” thinking I was helping the person understand what they had done wrong. Then I realized the person rarely thanked me or changed their ways, so I said it only to make myself feel good for going on the record as being the wiser person. Then even doing that became too frustrating because all I was doing was artificially making myself out to be the almighty sage, which everyone resents because they see you as “Mr. Know-it-all.” Not something I want carved on my tombstone.
So now I don’t even bother except for saying, “Oh really? That cherry bomb exploded prematurely in your hand and blew it off? Aw-w-w, that’s a shame.” And I walk away, taking care to watch my backside until I get out of range.
Chris in Owatonna
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So what do you want carved on your tombstone, Chris?
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Wow, PJ! How did you know last night what today’s post was going to be?? I answered the Mars one on that post.
Here on Earth, I’m not planning on having a tombstone. Cremation seems to be the more sensible way to go. But if I had a tombstone, I’d probably go for something whimsical like, “Hey, I gave it a shot.”
Chris in O-town
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I used do a lot of ITYS with students. “I told you if you just kept trying you would get this.” t does have a positive side, too. My favorite was when kids would come visit after their first semester of college and tell me how well freshman comp was going. “I told you if we worked hard for four years on writing skills you would be breeze through freshman comp.”
OT #1: I had mentioned my son was laid off. But as of yesterday he has a new one, better job, more like he wants, better matching his talents, better pay. Staying in the Seattle area (Bellvue) so maybe we can go back out there again.
OT #2: I had mentioned my sister-in-law’s state. She did die Sunday evening. Which led to a warning I will give you to caveat emptor on flower orders.Two flower orders for Sandy: Florist #1 Took a local order, made one attempt to deliver. 30 hours later when pressed by the purchaser tells us to come in and get it. #2 A different florist took an order for an elaborate centerpiece but delivered a small poinsettia.
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So sorry, Clyde, for this loss. I can offer only this “Say not in grief ‘she is no more’ but live in thankfulness that she was.’
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Lovely
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hooray for the sons good fortune, thats great.
peace for you and sandy on the sister in law. tough stuff.
love the flower vignettes,, the visa cards can be reversed. all you have to do is ask
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Was reminded of this today. My favorite moment in television.
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great poem dale. thanks for the smile. sorry to be so late getting here today. happens that way sometimes
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I’m more likely to be the told than the teller. Wish it were otherwise.
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