Have you ever been told you have cow eyes? It’s supposed to be a compliment. Cow eyes are big and dark and kind of dreamy looking. That’s one reason to give up beef or at least to not get up close and friendly before a steak dinner.
Well, I once knew a man who had cow eyes. Let me explain.
While not identical, bovine eyes are very similar to human eyes. If you are a science teacher and you want your middle school students to learn first hand about the human eye by dissection, what do you do? You obviously don’t have access to human eyes.
A teacher I knew years ago had access to a butcher and this butcher had access to cow eyes. He was especially fond of the teacher and could not say no when she requested enough for each of her students. They made plans for her to pick them up on a certain day. Imagine his family’s dismay when he came home from work that day with a bucket full of cow eyes.
“I absolutely adore cows. They’re the most fascinating gentle and beautiful animals. Their eyes are so amazing. I have ten that live on the land around my house. I love to talk to them.” Mary Quant
Would you like an entertaining, easy-reading book? If you have an interest in medicine and if you love the Smokey Mountains, you’ll definitely enjoy “Medicine Men” by Carolyn Jourdan. Ms. Jourdan is a sophisticated Wall Street Journal bestselling author, who apparently never forgot her mountain roots. Her father was an “extreme Appalachian” doctor and she tells his stories as well as those of many other such physicians who she interviews. It is a fun read which made me want to return to the Smokies for a visit.
I heartily recommend this book which can easily be read in a day. As simple and funny as the stories are they stimulate thought regarding profound subjects and questions.
“Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery.” John Ruskin
You can always say you jumped into the pool with your smartphone in your pocket, but we know that is not only not smart, it is also not likely. What is far more likely is that you dropped your phone in the toilet!
It happened to a friend recently when we were together and I learned something new and possibly very helpful. I’ll share it with you.
Turn your iPhone off and place it in a bowl of dry uncooked rice. The rice should completely cover the phone and should be in a covered plastic bowl. Seal the bowl and leave the phone for three days. When you take it out if it still is not functioning, return it to the rice and check it every twenty-four hours.
Good luck!
“The cell phone has become the adult’s transitional object replacing the toddler’s teddy bear for comfort and a sense of belonging.” Margaret Heffernan
To those who do not live in this area, you cannot possibly know what you are missing by not ever having eaten a warm Krispy Kreme doughnut. Our family used to begin vacations with boxes of these glazed delights. The teens and kids would wear the Krispy Kreme hat as the ceremony took place. So yummy; such wonderful memories!
Disappointment
I recently realized that it was possibly the tradition as much as the doughnuts that made them so special. I was out early one morning, driving to an appointment. I had plenty of time and happened to notice the local Krispy Kreme shop up ahead. Without thinking I drove in, parked and went inside. It smelled so familiar. I ordered two warm glazed and a cup of coffee. I sat down in anticipation of a wonderful impromptu treat.
Alas, something had changed. My doughnuts were a disappointment. Was it them or was it me? I’ll probably never know. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten my last Krispy Kreme doughnut.
“You pretty much can’t get away from bacon or whiskey in the South. Put a doughnut in it and you’d be good to go.” Hillary Scott
Several more readers have weighed in on the Quiz of August 2. Surprisingly these additional answers skewed the results in two ways. First some readers do favor serious topics and eschew longer posts. Also, some of the last respondents follow other blogs. This will be the last update on the quiz.
racism | ˈrāˌsizəm | noun prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior: a program to combat racism. • the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races: theories of racism. Source: Webster’s Dictionary.
White Privilege
This is a subject I approach with much trepidation. I fear I will not state my opinions and thoughts clearly. Being misunderstood on such a sensitive topic is a real danger, but I feel this subject is important enough to take that chance. Reader opinions will vary just as our life experiences vary.
I, as a white person, know I have advantages and some I am not really cognizant of most of the time. The dominant race is always assured of unearned assets and privileges even though members may be poor or uneducated as was my early family. This notwithstanding I know I am a recipient of white privilege and I desire to even the playing field when I can. It begins by acknowledging that advantage.
Racism
COVER
The sender of this Christmas card which I received as a child meant no harm but it clearly demonstrates racial prejudice as does the advertisement from an old catalog of the same era. I am aware each is offensive, but that is why I have included them, to demonstrate that racism is a part of our collective history.
INSIDE
I realize this delicate subject can bring about controversy but that is not my intent. I will talk about my own experiences and evolution and each reader can, and I hope will, examine their own feelings on this delicate, but vital, subject.
Childhood
I was born into a rural white community. My first memory of encountering a person of color was when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I was with my parents when they stopped at a small store in Harrisonville, KY. I had never been there before and I was shocked to see the dark-skinned proprietor. Mr. Buesey smiled at me and extended his hand offering me a cookie. I did not take it, because I thought surely the black had rubbed off on the cookie. Although I remember nothing else about this experience, to this day I regret my childish reaction knowing I must have hurt this kind man’s feelings.
The next such memory I have must have been at around the same age because I still had a curiosity about the permanence of that black color. I was shopping with my Mother and Aunt in the big town of Frankfort, the capital of KY. When I saw a little black girl about my age I apparently had the courage to attempt to solve my question because I reached out and touched her arm. Again, I know I was rude and regret it. I definitely was not raised in an environment where I came into contact with other than white people on any regular basis.
Growing Up
All this changed when I moved to the small town of Taylorsville. While black children went to a separate school, I did see people of color around town and began to feel more comfortable. I hope I was also more polite. I was in High School before black students were allowed to integrate our “white” schools.
As an adult, I recall the busing era of the seventies when my own children were in school. I remember the demonstrations, the marches and the shouts at buses filled with black children being brought into the suburbs to integrate schools. I am ashamed to say when one of my daughters entering the ninth grade was assigned to an inner city High School we moved to another county. We were a part of white flight even though it was not the integration that concerned me but the fact that my child was being taken into an unknown community many miles from home. Regardless, I was part of the problem, not the solution.
Change
So much has changed in my lifetime and especially in my own mind and heart. I wish my journey had been different. I wish I had been brought up in an integrated community and that it had not been necessary to work to overcome a racial bias I did not even realize I had until later in adulthood.
Our country has a long way to go to overcome racism and even further to achieve racial equality. This is my opinion.
“It’s the people who don’t recognize the racism within themselves that can be the most damaging because they don’t see it.” Sterling K. Brown
Recommended reading about racism in America: the distant past “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriett Beecher Stowe and a contemporary account “White Rage” by Carol Anderson.
Thank you to the readers who responded to the quiz of August 2. Of the few I’ve heard from, the results are that there are no strong opinions regarding the seriousness or length of posts. Readers were not particular about scheduling. A positive for me, is that all readers agreed that photos and graphics add interest. I enjoy the addition of media, too. No readers follow other blogs regularly at this time.
Crooked Creek, the blog, began two years ago this month. Giving birth to this site was traumatic in so many ways but the biggest pain was the technology. Writing became easier along the way and the aggravation of the WordPress platform less challenging to deal with.
You readers and followers (190 to date) have made all the efforts worthwhile for me. I am grateful for each of you and for your comments along the way. Now, I am going to ask you for another favor. Would you please scan the True/False questions below and give me your answers to as many as you consider important? I will not publish your answers. They are for my instruction only.
Directions: In the comments section enter the question number and your answer as “true” or “false” to reflect your opinion.
I prefer serious rather than lighter subjects.
Posts would be just as interesting without photos or graphics.
It would be better if posts were published on a regular schedule.
I don’t read posts much on weekends.
Longer posts are less interesting/inviting to read.
I follow other bloggers.
Thank You!
Your opinions will be helpful going forward in year #3.
“I need someone who believes that the sun will rise again but who does not fear my darkness. Someone who can point out the rocks in my way without making me a child by carrying me. Someone who can stand in thunder and watch the lightning and believe in a rainbow.” Joe Mahoney
Crooked Creek by Sue Mattingly 