At various points in time, Gram referred to the ladies in the family as Powerful Katrinka.
The Powerful Katrinka was a strong woman in the Toonerville Folks comic strip, so Gram called people Powerful Katrinka after a feat of strength. Mom would open a pickle jar Gram was struggling with, and that made her Powerful Katrinka. My sister would lift a box, and she was Powerful Katrinka.
I do not remember Gram bestowing the moniker on my two female cousins, but I am sure she did, especially the younger one. She was tough, with her patented wrestling move "The Atomic Sit," in which she would flop her 2- or 3-year-old self down on her brothers.
I wish Gram had seen the Powerful Katrinka on display a few days ago. Still a little stunned frankly.
I was headed inside when one side ran off the sidewalk and got stuck in gravel, just spinning. My 9-year-old niece saw this and before I could say, Go get your dad, she grabbed the back of my chair and started pulling.
I started reversing the chair to match her tugs, and darned if she didn't pull me free!
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13 comments:
so awesome. it's the hockey!
metc
time to get K a Wonder Woman outfit.
sdt
ha
Can't believe this! Because of our upper body strength, all the generations of women in my family are tagged "Powerful Katrinka" too. I never knew what that really meant until now. So funny!
Awesome!
we referred to my daughter as powerful katrinka and also her daughter..my granddaughter...who just told me she is the stronges kid in the gym class doing a move on the rings in the air....her and her mom have always been strong since toddlers..I heard years ago..my grandfather called my aunt that..but just now looked it up and saw the story of the origin..never knew it before
I too was called Powerful Katrinka by my father and grandfather. I never knew until recently who she was
same for me for the same reason (my dad called me ‘powerful Katrinka’ when I was little and had no idea where that came from until today...
My parents, born in 1908, the same year Powerful Katrinka was introduced in Toonerville comic strip, used to call me Powerful Katrinka from an early age. I'm 80 now and still strong, not as an ox, but pretty damn strong. So fun to find this totally by accident and finding out other people had the same nickname. WHEEEEEEE. @barkinglips. on Instagram, etc.
I believe the original is 'Katinka'....not Katrinka.
My mother, born in 1931, got the life long nick name Katrinka (later shortened to Trinka) as a toddler when she pushed even large pieces of furniture. Many never know her by any other name than Trinka.
My grandma also said “Powerful Katinka!” as an encouragement or praise of strength.
For most of my life (51 years) I always had this thing in the back of my mind that would come to the forefront when I would do something that required a lot strength. The words “Mighty Katrinka” always popped into my head and I never knew why. It was a total mystery to me. Then a few years ago mom told me that my grandmother, who died when I was 8, would call me that when I insisted on carrying things that were WAY too heavy when I was a toddler. I was amazed at how her words were were with me all these years and I didn’t even know it!
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