One day way back last month, Chief Billy Joe Laboucan challenged Solomon Ratt to take on a phrase from Stompin’ Tom Connors:
“There’s to it and at it; and at it and to it. And, if you don’t get at it when you get to it, you’ll never get to it to get at it again” … Stompin’ Tom Connors on a Newfoundlander’s sayin’ …
Although I wasn’t able to get at it right at that moment, Sol responded (typically, just a little sooner than humanly possible):
ihtakon otihta ihtakon itôta; ikwa itôta ikwa otihta. mâka îkâ itôtamani ispî otihtamani, nama wîhkâc kîhtwâm kikakî-otihtîn ta-itôtaman. Wanderin’ Solomon Ratt.
ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐣ ᐅᑎᐦᑕ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐣ ᐃᑑᑕ; ᐃᑿ ᐃᑑᑕ ᐃᑿ ᐅᑎᐦᑕ᙮ ᒫᑲ ᐄᑳ ᐃᑑᑕᒪᓂ ᐃᐢᐲ ᐅᑎᐦᑕᒪᓂ, ᓇᒪ ᐑᐦᑳᐨ ᑮᐦᑤᒼ ᑭᑲᑮ ᐅᑎᐦᑏᐣ ᑕ ᐃᑑᑕᒪᐣ᙮ … Wanderin’ Solomon Ratt.
Then (while my lips were still moving reading his words) he made it into a meme for us to share (as soon I could get to it!)
itôta ispî otihtamani!
ᐃᑑᑕ ᐃᐢᐲ ᐅᑎᐦᑕᒪᓂ!
Get at it when you get to it!
My personal takeaway from this lesson? Unlike Stompin’ Tom, or Wanderin’ Sol, I’m not always able to get at it when I get to it. But at least I take good notes! 😉
