When the Cows Come Home

On the few times when he ran out of money and was temporarily sober, I listened in awe to the petite Nea Nae spinning fairy tales to his neighbors who listened to him mesmerized as well even though they knew none of them actually happened;

Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh , Bio and Archives--September 12, 2026

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This idiomatic expression in English refers humorously to an argument without a conclusion, something that will last not just an extended period but potentially forever.

The same phrase has a concrete meaning in Romanian and brings to mind a childhood experience from long ago and a shepherd named Nae whom everyone called Nea Nae, a form of respect, like an uncle.

Nea Nae was the village drunk in my maternal grandparents’ village

Nea Nae was the village drunk in my maternal grandparents’ village. He was also the cows’ shepherd. The village had about 10,000 inhabitants with a population density of 215 people per square kilometer. Homes were clustered close to each other with enough yards for an outhouse and a........

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