daily prompt

Mart Twain

What book could you read over and over again?

I have read Mark Twain’s works over and over.

Though I have read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel many times, I particularly love Huckleberry Finn. The young vagabond for his moral development in his treatment of Jim, an escaped slave. Though Huck ascribes to the values of the pre-Civil South and believes he should turn Jim in, he chooses to sacrifice his soul rather than betray his friend. I wish we all had Huck’s purity.

Huckleberry Finn

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn seems to be a most admirable character. Having been brought up motherless by an alcoholic, abusive father, he is objective about relationships but accepting of true friendship. He is totally independent and nonjudgmental as evidenced by his treatment of the slave, Jim. The only time he shows a bit of loneliness is at his and Tom’s funeral when no one welcomes him home but is is accepting of loving kindness when it presents itself.

Best Friends

What animals make the best/worst pets?

For me, dogs make the best pets. I’ve had so many to love over the years. They fill the hole in my heart that my children left as they grew up. So many have found me when I wasn’t looking for them. One strayed up to my house and stole my heart. I picked one up on a freezing morning when I know she wouldn’t have lasted the day. We adopted one when just before he was euthanized. They are endlessly loving.

Croc
Izzy

On the opposite end of the scale, I think snakes make horrible pets.

https://youtu.be/zKL2_StD6XA?si=OLvOTXeKcWnM5PTj

Click the link if you need to see snakes.

Lassie

What TV shows did you watch as a kid?

I needed Lassie. I was sure if I’d had Lassie I could tackle anything that came my way. Timmy was such a dope, always falling in a well, getting in a mine cave-in, or getting stuck high in a tree. I could clearly see the danger that he was headed for, putting Lassie to the trouble of bailing Timmy out. If she wasn’t staring down a mountain lion, or nudging a branch toward Timmy stuck in quicksand, she’d race home in record time to bring back help. Can you imagine what she’d have accomplished had she been blessed with vocal cords and opposable thumbs?

Stone Patio

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

I built this flagstone patio several years ago. Bud installed the fire ring and helped me move and position the larger stones but I did the manageable ones on my own. The area was mostly level so that made things simpler. I laid the stones ln sand I moved from another area a wheelbarrow at a tme. We really enjoy this shady area.

What’s Important!

Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.

Wouldn’t it be a gift to be born knowing the opinion of one’s peers mattered little? So much of the angst of learning your way would be relieved. Often, a person wastes that time unlearning the basic rules learned as a child. Kindness, empathy, and decency may be discarded in pursuit of fun, friendship, and ambition. It’s good to mature and be authentic.

Ragtag Daily Prompt: Share […]

Broken Law

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

I’m sure I’ve broken traffic laws: speeding, driving the wrong way down a one-way street, that sort of thing. I carry a shovel in my truck and have dug up plants on the side of the road. The worst thing I did was go in an abandoned house and take a battered old sign that said “Plant Emporium.”

Yes, I have broken the law.

How Did I Get From There to Here?

If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?

Warning: use of the N word is used in context in this story.

I often wonder how I became the person I am.  I was born in 1950, a Baby Boomer, in the Deep South.  I was raised Southern Baptist by a very devout mother and a father who attended as often as his conscience prompted him.  The influence in our home was definitely ultra-conservative and racist. Everything was segregated.  Water fountains and business entrances were marked white and colored.  Should a black person come to our house, they knocked on the back door, 

I never knew a single black person by name till I met Rosie, a black lady who occasionally cleaned for Mother.  One day Rosie told me she had a little girl just my age, three years old,  I was enchanted, desperate to know more and perhaps play with her little girl.

Innocently, I blurted out, “Is she a nigger?” As young as I was, the hurt look on Rosie’s face showed me I’d said something horrible.

Kindly but firmly, she corrected me. “She’s the same color as me but it’s wrong to say nigger. Say colored.” Rosie was as kind as ever afterward. I was so glad she didn’t stay mad.

Not too long afterward, Rosie had no one to keep Cynthia, so she had to bring her along. I was ecstatic to get to play with her all day. I couldn’t wait to share news of my new friend the second Daddy walked in the door. Rosie had crossed the line. I never saw her or sweet little Cynthia again.

I pray we never go back to that hate-filled time.

Loved

Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?

I have been fortunate to be loved by family and friends but purest and sweetest love I’ve ever experienced is the wondrous love of my little ones seeking me out when they first awakened. I’d hear their little feet padding along as they dragged their blankets along looking for Mommy. We’d sit, wrapped together, enjoying the warmth. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to reach back and relive that treasured moment?