tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post166005760699399652..comments2023-11-03T05:59:46.763-04:00Comments on Keeping Secrets: Telling TalesKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-52182875791467263142009-05-01T17:04:00.000-04:002009-05-01T17:04:00.000-04:00Vesper - You know, trying to make this semi-humoro...Vesper - You know, trying to make this semi-humorous is my way of dealing with it. The whole thing is true - both stories. I'm sure it didn't occur to my teacher that she should NOT eat the rabbit. She had a hard, hard life (I learned in adulthood). <br /><br />Here's an aside about the outhouse: my school even had one until I was in 5th grade! Can you imagine? LOLKarenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-2973445818649841832009-04-30T00:09:00.000-04:002009-04-30T00:09:00.000-04:00Karen, I've been waiting for this story since you’...Karen, I've been waiting for this story since you’ve mentioned it on my blog. <br /><br />Oops! <br /><br />Can't say I didn't imagine it coming... but I just can't take it. :-) My heart is sinking in the pit of my stomach.<br /><br />I know people, though, who very nonchalantly consider themselves rightfully at the top of the food pyramid.<br /><br />I had the opportunity to experience <I>the little brown shack out back,</I> and your description of it brought back memories...Vesperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417602625059442986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-23452651092429574372009-04-14T22:29:00.000-04:002009-04-14T22:29:00.000-04:00Calli - Thank you! I hope you had a happy day, too...Calli - Thank you! I hope you had a happy day, too.<br /><br />Jason - So you're a bunny eater, too, huh? Funny! A couple of the comments here have been about the cruelty of my teacher, but of course, I understand now that she was thrilled to have the rabbit for her food. That wasn't cruelty; it was survival. <br /><br />I'd love to hear roosters in the attic! Can you imagine that sound? LOLKarenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-63173644565575276302009-04-13T22:08:00.000-04:002009-04-13T22:08:00.000-04:00Loved the peep story!! My father used to get peep...Loved the peep story!! My father used to get peeps too. He told me about the ones which grew into roosters in the attic!!<br /><br />(Oh, I see Aine brought up the lab bunny story....)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-10840593653243070572009-04-12T20:52:00.000-04:002009-04-12T20:52:00.000-04:00A wonderful story, hon, though sad no doubt...awe ...A wonderful story, hon, though sad no doubt...awe poor creatures, and you as that little girl, I can understand your being crushed! <BR/><BR/>HAPPY EASTER KAREN!! :)Callihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00354988534434872490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-55428942576777098332009-04-12T05:45:00.000-04:002009-04-12T05:45:00.000-04:00Aine - Your comment cracks me up! I can just pictu...Aine - Your comment cracks me up! I can just picture the two of you, and especially you, forcing yourself to eat a Thumper! Real life is so much stranger than fiction!! :-)<BR/><BR/>Enjoy the EASTER BUNNY -- preferably in chocolate! LOLKarenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-41202874210255597332009-04-11T13:16:00.000-04:002009-04-11T13:16:00.000-04:00Oh Karen, these are such fantastic stories!! This ...Oh Karen, these are such fantastic stories!! This is the stuff of real life. Heartbreaking, but real!<BR/><BR/>I hesitate to mention that Jason has a story that somewhat resembles the rabbit story, although his is told from the other perspective. Let's just say we were in our poor, starving college student phase... And, I haven't eaten rabbit since...Ainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08402176500997528105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-22669680572486747762009-04-11T06:58:00.000-04:002009-04-11T06:58:00.000-04:00Sarah - Thankfully, my Thumper love was only days ...Sarah - Thankfully, my Thumper love was only days old, but truly, add that to Greenie, and I was done!!! LOL I laugh about it now, too. <BR/><BR/>I look back on my early life and think it really was a different world I lived in then, bearing no resemblance to the one I inhabit now but certainly shaping the way I view it. <BR/><BR/>I'm glad you enjoyed this.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-64522800156289979682009-04-10T23:32:00.000-04:002009-04-10T23:32:00.000-04:00Karen, I loved every word of this. Please, PLEASE ...Karen, I loved every word of this. Please, PLEASE recount more wonderful stories! Just effortlessly told and brought home. And I enjoyed learning more about your childhood. What a twist to the heart to hear one's beloved pet has become a meal. <BR/><BR/>Okay...now I'm feeling guilty about taking pleasure from such horrific moments of your life! But I couldn't help myself. I just love a story well told. ;)Sarah Hinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13888406261817690010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-9244385140023956992009-04-10T20:50:00.000-04:002009-04-10T20:50:00.000-04:00K - When I was writing this, I wanted to mention t...K - When I was writing this, I wanted to mention the smell, but I couldn't think how to describe it. Salty, barnyard...pungent. I had forgotten about the lamps! Embee's -- the only place to shop! LOL<BR/><BR/>Happy Easter@Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-69390320054561086362009-04-10T15:43:00.000-04:002009-04-10T15:43:00.000-04:00Karen - my sisters and I would pick out those poor...Karen - my sisters and I would pick out those poor little chicks every Easter season at Murphy's - right after buying our Easter outfits at Embee's. I can still smell those little colorful chicks, the heat lamps making the odor that much more offensive. I would take mine home and play with it for a couple of days until it died. Didn't they all die from being Dyed??? I still have bad dreams..... <BR/><BR/>Your reminiscences are so poignantly told. Thank you for sharing them. Happy Easter with love.K.Lawson Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11204234196229710524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-43474804107171598182009-04-10T08:54:00.000-04:002009-04-10T08:54:00.000-04:00I understand Karen.Your teacher must have had no c...I understand Karen.<BR/><BR/>Your teacher must have had no clue. :(<BR/><BR/>And I have the utmost respect for your parents. They seem so similar to mine in so many ways. Though me and my brother are yet to get our advanced degrees. :-D<BR/><BR/>But he is now the head of family of techos. And always makes faces when we try to get him to use something fancy. Like he hates the mouse pad on laptop and insists to use a USB mouse instead. And we have upgraded our home system with RAM, graphic card etc, to support the latest of games... and he still plays Solitaire. :-D<BR/><BR/>Its an honor to know a self made man. After reading your post, Now I at least know two.Aniket Thakkarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18311954967682696734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-69844236029444368922009-04-10T08:47:00.000-04:002009-04-10T08:47:00.000-04:00bsp, Jana - Thanks for sharing that about your dad...bsp, Jana - Thanks for sharing that about your dad. Somehow, I thought we had dibs on poverty! Now, I could tell some stories about my parents' lives that make my own look luxurious. I'm glad you got a laugh out of this. You should have seen her face -- pure joyous remembrance.<BR/><BR/>Aniket - In defense of my teacher: she probably saw that rabbit as a meal from the beginning. In my innocence, I didn't know that this was a possibility, but for her it was an opportunity. She had no idea I would be horrified.<BR/><BR/>As for the poverty, we didn't know we were poor at that time. Everyone else was the same. My parents worked very hard to drag us out of that -- and did. They insisted on education as the means to rise above our lot, and they now are head of a family of doctors, lawyers, educators, librarians, and technology gurus. All of their children and grandchildren have advanced degrees, and none lives in poverty. Through hard work, my parents rose above their lot in life and were, themselves, highly successful people. I'm very proud of them.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-28294307272274524462009-04-10T00:45:00.000-04:002009-04-10T00:45:00.000-04:00PS: This was a very welcome change Karen.We do lov...PS: This was a very welcome change Karen.<BR/><BR/>We do love your poetry but its fun to have such posts once in a while. Makes us know you better. :PAniket Thakkarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18311954967682696734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-15722216886111301342009-04-10T00:43:00.000-04:002009-04-10T00:43:00.000-04:00Karen... that was so so sad. I love bunnies (even ...Karen... that was so so sad. I love bunnies (even Bugs Bunny)... and well the "Delicious" part didn't make laugh but break my heart for the girl. How could she do that to a little girl?<BR/><BR/>And my dad has worked all his life to bring our family from "wall-to-wall poverty" to where we are now. Thankfully, I've never seen such days... but only heard stories of where my ancestors lived. And every time I think of it, I respect my Dad a little more.Aniket Thakkarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18311954967682696734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-35868802260110476932009-04-10T00:34:00.000-04:002009-04-10T00:34:00.000-04:00Reminds me of the stories my dad tells - only they...Reminds me of the stories my dad tells - only they lived in wall-to-wall poverty in the back woods of Washington State and on the high plains of Wyoming. With a family of nine children, they had a double seater outhouse that never stayed in one spot for too long. My dad and his brothers had the glorious job of digging the new hole and relocating the outhouse from year to year. <BR/><BR/>Hilarious horribleness are these stories you've told - "delicious" - that kills me! My cheeks hurt from laughing, but I feel so sorry for the dumbfounded little girl that had to harden her heart against bunny owning...bluesugarpoethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14775769108087898456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-78012142613235982522009-04-09T21:16:00.000-04:002009-04-09T21:16:00.000-04:00Julie - Actually, what my dad used to say was, "We...Julie - Actually, what my dad used to say was, "We have wall-to-wall poverty, instant nothin'."Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-58609507077956061032009-04-09T20:43:00.001-04:002009-04-09T20:43:00.001-04:00Rachel - Ya gotta laugh. Or you'll cry.Rachel - Ya gotta laugh. Or you'll cry.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-69760550874057237892009-04-09T20:43:00.000-04:002009-04-09T20:43:00.000-04:00Selchie - I like the way you put this - awful and ...Selchie - I like the way you put this - awful and funny at the same time. Thanks for coming back by.<BR/><BR/>Cat - I'm glad you found the time to stop by in the midst of all your work! I'm sure you needed a little break. And no, no whiskers. :-)<BR/><BR/>Julie - You know, for a long time, I really didn't want an animal, and these were my semi-humorous reasons. Of course, with three children and an animal-loving husband, I got over that pretty quickly. We have had at least one of each - could have started our own ark, I think - but we never ate any of them! ;-) <BR/><BR/>Thanks for your supportive comments.<BR/><BR/>Roberta - I love the beagle story! Honestly, as we say here, "takes one to know one," and I know you really do. Until the incident with Thumper, I didn't know people actually ate rabbits. I think that was the end of my innocence. :-)Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-61107784300590533892009-04-09T20:00:00.000-04:002009-04-09T20:00:00.000-04:00Karen, This made me laugh outloud. My grandfather...Karen, <BR/>This made me laugh outloud. My grandfather always bought us about a dozen of those colorful chicks every Easter. In July, my grandmother would fry them up and pray we would ask "who" we were eating. <BR/><BR/>Now talk about that outhouse. I have a story about beagle pups shut in one for the weekend while my Grandparents went to the Worlds Fair. They nuzzled the seat off the hole and well..........did you know that the combination of the stuff in the hole and a lye soap bath makes puppies lose their hair? <BR/><BR/>But my mom can make some rabbit! I would never eat it of course. Just smelled it and mumbled something about "Only carrots please."<BR/><BR/>You need to do more of this. The era and the history of Appalachia is so rich, even if it is "wall to wall" poverty.Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04225373495317509423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-27716419135564800862009-04-09T18:55:00.000-04:002009-04-09T18:55:00.000-04:00Oh, I'm sorry Karen. Ugh.Oh, I'm sorry Karen. Ugh.RachelWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18225401230724459199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-62180452433610889832009-04-09T18:43:00.000-04:002009-04-09T18:43:00.000-04:00I love your writing, Karen. What you say about ro...I love your writing, Karen. What you say about romanticizing "country rustic" is so true. I have seen those slick glossies now that try to make outhouses seem romantic. Either the people were looking at their memories through rose colored glasses or they have never lived in poverty. "Wall to wall" poverty is a perfect way to describe it. That entire description is so powerful.<BR/><BR/>The part about your bunny made me so sad! I still think it's beautiful, though. Your writing is beautiful. It inspires me...YOU inspire me...and I'm so glad to know you here in this lil' bloggy world of ours. You rock, woman!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-23317534991770540962009-04-09T18:12:00.000-04:002009-04-09T18:12:00.000-04:00Now you can't eat kitties, and probably not 'flush...Now you can't eat kitties, and probably not 'flush' them, but I understand your trauma. These were a delight to read on a day I'm not reading blogs because I am BURIED UP TO MY SKULL trying to finish you know what. :-)Catherine Viberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01354073276671196477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5474566446391728432.post-10638762212148913732009-04-09T17:49:00.000-04:002009-04-09T17:49:00.000-04:00That's awful and funny all at the same time.) Grea...That's awful and funny all at the same time.) Great post. I was transported. Hope you'll be taking us for a few more trips down memory lane. Happy day lovely.)<BR/><BR/>Selchiesarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05937564243594887739noreply@blogger.com