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Across the Fence:  UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER  |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 03:34:19 AM
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lol! there have been so many of them. i guess the one i remember the best was this lady from my home town. most of the kids thought she was grumpy and mean, but really she was just different. she was a writter (since i have always loved to write, this facinated me) and raised dogs all by herself out in the country. she had this blue hat that was her going out hat and she wore it everywhere. when i was girl she helped me train my first dog and we had some really good talks. she really knew who she was and didn't care much what other people thought... i admired that.
btw...frannie...i love the music on your blog! how do you do that?
What we write today slipped into our souls some other day when we were alone and doing nothing.
-Brenda Ueland
http://quilandneedle.blogspot.com/ |
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Peanut
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jennifer
Waverly
Virginia
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 04:35:26 AM
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Hmmm...I'll have to think on this one. I live in a tiny little Southern town. Sometimes it's like a Faulkner novel or something out of Flannery O'Connor's stories. :)
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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JessieMae
True Blue Farmgirl
702 Posts
Jessie
Raleigh
North Carolina
USA
702 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 06:14:09 AM
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| Mama Newbourn, my great-grandmother, was the biggest character I ever knew. You could fill volumes with stories of her antics. The thing that I remember most about her was that she loved red. She wore red satin pajamas, red nail polish, and red lipstick all the time. One year around Christmas time, Granny (my granny - Mama Newbourn's daughter) bought her these big fake cardinals for her Christmas tree. When she saw them, she clapped her hands and said, "Oh, look what pretty birds. I'm going to have them put in my hair." We tried to convince her they were for the Christmas tree, but she wouldn't hear of it. She took them down to the beauty shop and had Jerry put them in her hair (she wore it in a big beehive then). A tiny little woman with a big, black beehive and these two fake birds looking out from it. I'll never forget it. |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 06:57:02 AM
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My father restored old cars when I was growing up and belonged to "Street Rod" car clubs...He had a few friends that also belonged that always had a sparkle in their eye and a trick up their sleeve! (ie. eating out in a restaurant and switching the "ladies" and "mens" signs on the bathroom!) Gosh maybe that's not funny when you are an adult trying to use the facilities; but it tickled my child hood funny bone!
My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Luke 1:46,47
www.beequilting.blogspot.com
http://beemoosie-picture-diary.blogspot.com/ |
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bohemiangel
True Blue Farmgirl
2087 Posts
Bridget
Ligonier
pa
USA
2087 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 07:23:16 AM
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hmm well this is a lil of an odd one but unforgettable came to mind. At my cousin's funeral (she was 19 and killed by a drunk driver a month before her 20th bday 5-2-84~4-2-04....and we were attending to the people paying respects. This guy comes up past my auntie me and my cousin's aunt and pushes auntie (cousin's mother) and goes up to the casket. We are in awe with open mouths and all. We're like do you know him? Noone did. Finally cousin's aunt asked how do you know her? oh I don't I just like to pay my respects. WHATTTTT!!!! So he pushes my auntie again and leaves. I wrote it off as comic relief sent from heaven from my cousin, but uh CREEPY and there is a name for that....
**~~Farmgirl Sister #60~~**
"... to thine ownself be true."
http://liggygirl.blogspot.com/
http://liggygirlslonggreen.blogspot.com/
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 07:27:47 AM
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hi corrine .. oh my gosh .. your 'character' sounds so very much like ANNIE MOON .. a pretty well known doll-maker who lived out in the woods down in southern virginia. she lived literally in a 'shack' as she tells it! with about nine huge dogs. her shack burnt down .. and some local 'hippie kids' rebuilt her home for her. for some reason, they didn't put a 'door' on it and she used olde quilts! she came up to annapolis to one of the fancy doll workshop seminars. and she had a HUGE festering gash in her legs. she said she came between two of her dogs when they were fighting ... to pull them apart .. and one of them bit her (she was sure he meant to bite the other dog!!) i begged her to go to the hospital to have it checked out. told me she had never been to one and wasn't going to start now. i simply could not convince her!
she came up to my home another time to give a dollmaking class to my doll club. i had 7 women staying there .. oh my .. i wish i could find the photos of all the guest rooms! i put annie in the 'angel fairie' room .. it was so delightful.
i got up early one STORMY morning and all the girls were hovered around annie at the door. when she saw me .. she looked so EMBARRASSED. i asked if something was wrong. she just hugged me and told me she was sooooooo sorry .. but she just couldn't bring herself to sleep in that lovely room .. she needed to be outdoors .. and had gone out to sleep in her beat up olde truck. (she had done it the night before too!) but this morning .. she had locked herself out of my house and was too embarrassed to ring the bell. some of the other girls had gotten up early and saw her and let her in.
i made up a bed on our 8 foot sofa .. BY the window in the sunniest room in the house .. surrounded by trees and made her promise to sleep there that night.
i remember the first time i ever met annie moon was at a crafts show in her home-town .. i was seeing so much stuff that just wasn't 'me' .. and finally, it was as if i had walked into a magical forest. her 'creature' dolls (wizards, tree dwellers, etc.) just charmed me!
haven't heard anything about annie in years ... i wonder how she is.
fiddle music? let's see .. i think i clicked on the little icon .. and it led me to the site .. and i 'followed the yellow brick road'. if you need me to do it again and write down the steps .. i'll sure do it. let me know if it works for you first. (they don't have HUGE choices that i love though). xo
True Friends * Frannie
HEAR MY STORIES
come, visit my:
"GATHERING ROOM" ..
http://freedomvalleyfarm.blogspot.com
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. up for adoption:
http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 07:41:30 AM
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jennifer .. your town sounds great .. must be filled with unforgettable characters!
oh jessie .. mama newbourn sounds delightful! i love that she 'danced to the tune of her own music'!!! certainly not the typical 'old lady' growing olde gracefully .. but what a fun-loving being on this earth. i wish i'd known her! i think i'm gonna' get me a coupla' red cardinals for my hair!
oh lordy! tell us some more stories of her!!
bridget .. now he WAS a character. it could have been a sad interruption .. but i think you are right about your 'cousin' helping to ease the sorrow with a little laughter.
bonnie .. i love the 'free spirit' and fun tricks your daddy and his gang pulled. it's the 'spice of life' .. and unless one is a prude (o.k. .. MY opinon here gurlfrenz!) you would get a good funny 'lifetime' story to tell if YOU were the one walking into the wrong room!
when i worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in D.C. one of the 'VIP's' was leaving to take another job .. and we had a big farewell party for her. (she was SUCH a fun lady!) AND .. we were at a 'posh' DC restaurant! A bunch of us ladies all meandered to the bathroom at the same time (ladies do that!) .. we were in there laughing and giggling .. and plastering on some more make-up and fluffin' our hair .. i looked into the mirror and said: GIRLS .. LET'S TRADE CLOTHES!!
everyone went into a fit of laughter and started dis-robing right away. it was so funny ... because some of the women were 'larger or smaller' than others .. didn't matter .. we all just came 'as close' as we could!! even the high-powered 'guest of honor' got into the fracus ... (she wore MY dress). we pulled ourselves as together as we could .. trying desperately not to laugh as we all 'sauntered' back to the table! oh lordy! you should have seen the heads turning and twisting! the men-folk at our table .. well .. even THEY noticed! their mouths fell open and everyone roared!! it became contageous and we had the whole restaurant laughing and coming to the table to meet us and shake our hands for being such fun! oh my gosh .. i do love fun-loving people. AND we provided an 'unforgettable' memory for her to remember for all her days. i'll bet she (and the other guests) are still telling that story!
True Friends * Frannie
HEAR MY STORIES
come, visit my:
"GATHERING ROOM" ..
http://freedomvalleyfarm.blogspot.com
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. up for adoption:
http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 07:51:13 AM
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oh bonnie darlin' .. i'm asked that all the time .. and i simply reply: THIS is my book. i just send it to my friends 'in chapters' as the stories unfold or come to mind. gosh .. i usually can't remember what i ate at the last meal .. but if someone tells a story or brings up a subject ... my mind is like one of those olde-timey movie reels .. that can quickly RE-WIND and a story pops out of my memory! xo
True Friends * Frannie
HEAR MY STORIES
come, visit my:
"GATHERING ROOM" ..
http://freedomvalleyfarm.blogspot.com
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. up for adoption:
http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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bohemiangel
True Blue Farmgirl
2087 Posts
Bridget
Ligonier
pa
USA
2087 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 08:04:36 AM
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here's another one. I say this with a heart. There is a middle aged man that is slow in our town but everyone knows him and loves him (well some find him annoying and he can be) I worked at the local nice restaurant he'd come in everyday after work for a coke. Now this gentleman talks like an upbeat style and always says good day good day or something that he repeats often with an inflection to his voice that is upbeat but in a slow way. He will try to talk to you but most of the time its gibberish. I had had a horrible stressful day and just was upset and sad. He came in and it was a ray of light. His world is so simple and hardly any stress in it. It was so nice and refreshing. He also loved to guess how much a coke was....but he bought it everyday. He always tipped too. I tried to tell him you don't have to but he enjoyed doing it anywhere from 10cents to a dollar. Just one of god's special people that make you take a step back.
**~~Farmgirl Sister #60~~**
"... to thine ownself be true."
http://liggygirl.blogspot.com/
http://liggygirlslonggreen.blogspot.com/
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
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sherone_13
True Blue Farmgirl
2460 Posts
Sherone
Evanston
WY
USA
2460 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2008 : 08:11:16 AM
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The character I think of was the president of our church and recently passed away. He had such a great sense of humor, would wave his cane around and talk with it like you do with your hands. When he was giving a speech, he would always make us laugh. He made fun of his advanced age. (he died at 97) He was incredibly tenacious in his travels, even at his advanced years. He loved his wife and was not afraid to share it with the world. I think that if we all had his character, this world would be a much better place. He will be missed.
Sherone
www.taylorscountrystore.etsy.com
http://taylorscountrystore.blogspot.com/
http://sheronesgarden.tripod.com/
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2008 : 09:30:24 AM
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I love the stories of my Great Grandmother Chapman. She was a hardworking farmgirl who could outwork any man in her day, loved baseball and would attend the local games in her husbands old work jeans rolled up and his old flannel shirt and baseball cap (got to remember this was the 1930's), she kept farm animals in the house and my mom remembers her enjoying some "chew" with the farm help!! She was all of about 5' 2" but built like a truck and loved everyone!!!
Cheers,
Heather
FARMGIRL #90 |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2008 : 11:42:31 AM
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I grew up on a street of characters. It was an old neighborhood, with huge Victorian homes, and lots of elderly being the last of the line lived on that street.
There were the Old Maids, both hunchback, who wore rouge so bright you could see it across the street. They had no car and walked up and down the street to the store. Never spoke to anyone.
There was Miss Meisenbacher, who had black horsehair living room furniture, and never let a single child put a single foot in her yeard. Playing hide and seek always meant a detour of her yard, or you would get a broom waved at you.
There was Miss Valentine, white haired and a retired teacher, with over 30 cats. She wore bright lipstick and her hair was piled high on her head. I always remember, she had a banana peel under her sofa one day when I visited, and my mother was horrified!
There was Addie Keys, an old woman with the most beautiful pair of legs you ever saw on an older woman. She always wore silk blouses, and straight skirts and nylons. There was always a lace hankie in her waistband. She never "started" anything, she always "commenced" to do things, as she said. She had come from Chicago where she worked on the newspaper The Chicago Tribune - a liberated woman before her time. My mom loved her. Her older male cousin Luke lived with her, and he sat on the front porch and picked his whiskers all day. I was scared of him, at least cautious.....
There was my dance teacher, Miss CAskey, who wore black velvet toreador pants all the time. Under the piano in the studio, she had a dog, a big boxer named Beau, and he always wore a bow tie!
Those are only a few I could mention! Maybe more later. But I remember them all so clearly, like it was yesterday. So interesting they were.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
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Linder
True Blue Farmgirl
592 Posts
Linda
Lake Forest
IL
USA
592 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2008 : 10:39:11 AM
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No contest in my life my "character" was my great Aunt Tudie. She was 4 foot 8 and had an old Dodge Dart with extensions on the pedals so she could reach them. She was one of the first WAC's and a Sergeant to boot. I remember my Mother giving me over to Aunt Tudie when I was about 7 to teach me how to be a lady! (kind of a joke) Good God I was horrified and will never forget that week long experience. LOL! I will also never forget to put my napkin in my lap as soon as I'm seated at a table either!
What I remember best about Aunt Tudie was that she wore these nifty double knit polyester suits and/or big flowing caftans with these poofy girly heels. She was never without a glass of scotch in one hand and a cigarette with about a 3 in. long ash in the other! My poor Mother would run around after her with an ashtray.
Ahh, good times, great memories!
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk to blossom |
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joyfulmama
True Blue Farmgirl
1175 Posts
Debra
Silver Springs
NV
USA
1175 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2008 : 10:42:10 AM
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That would be Stanley. He was an old widow that I used to buy eggs from, get blueberries from and elderberries. I miss that old guy. We moved away and didn't keep in touch :-( He was a hoot to talk too..
Blessings, Debra
Psalms 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want."
http://myvintagehome.blogspot.com
http://woolieacres.net |
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Across the Fence: UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER |
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UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER
