“Up and at ‘em”

My mother often woke us up by saying “Up and at ‘em.” Sometimes, she’d be silly and say, “Up and at ‘em, Atom Ant,” although I used to think she said, “Up and Adam, Adam Ant,” which doesn’t really make sense, but I was a kid. Up and at 'em means there's a lot of work to be done, and there certainly is this week. Today should be the calm before the storm, but Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be whirlwind days when I will be hosting a special guest to the museum. Usually, I look forward to these guests. I get to entertain them and take them to nice dinners, but usually it’s over a three-day period. This time, it’s all packed in two days. So, when I woke up this morning, All I could think was my mother saying, “Up and at ‘em.” Actually, it felt like that was what Isabella was telling me this morning when she started trying to wake me up at 4 am. I kept sleeping until after 5 am. She was not pleased with me, but she forgave me when I finally got up.

 

I guess Dolly Parton sang it more accurately:

Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen

Pour myself a cup of ambition

And yawn and stretch and try to come to life

Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin'

Out on the street, the traffic starts jumpin'

With folks like me on the job from nine to five

I actually work eight to four, but you get the picture. It’s a busy week ahead.