tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post8974001090215114833..comments2023-10-09T06:48:02.888-05:00Comments on Garden Girl: Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Nightgarden girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13284047851881823280noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-53125936910896312612008-11-09T19:29:00.000-06:002008-11-09T19:29:00.000-06:00Good story! esp the part about bats not squawking...Good story! esp the part about bats not squawking... <BR/><BR/>sounds like there were a lot of laughs at your home growing up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-27888187892044349762008-04-28T08:36:00.000-05:002008-04-28T08:36:00.000-05:00What a wonderful story but I'm so glad it didn't h...What a wonderful story but I'm so glad it didn't happen to me! I think I would have screamed :-)Melanie Chopayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05985844123815086844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-72052648265043518122008-04-27T12:21:00.000-05:002008-04-27T12:21:00.000-05:00Monica, I do remember reading that. Thanks!Rose, ...Monica, I do remember reading that. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>Rose, Mom has done a couple of other guest posts, and I hope she'll surprise me with more emails in the future that she's been inspired to write another, and another. . . <BR/><BR/>Annie, I'm glad you enjoyed the story. With all the critters Mom let us have growing up, she put her foot down on pet birds. The only birds we ever had were wild ones, and they were always only temporary guests seeking refuge from whatever storm it was in their lives that led us to them. <BR/><BR/>I can't remember Mom ever turning down a stray in need of help, animal or human.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Frances, I think one of the nicest things about Mom's and my relationship is it's never been taken for granted. Mother-daughter relationships can be very tricky. I never forget how lucky we are to have each other.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the compliment Frances! I do like a good story, and am especially fond of true stories with happy endings.<BR/><BR/>Blackbird is one of my all-time favorite Beatles songs. It's been playing in my head the last couple of days too. It's a good song to have playing in one's head!garden girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13284047851881823280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-81161720941902891532008-04-27T11:18:00.000-05:002008-04-27T11:18:00.000-05:00Linda, you and your mom are so very lucky to have ...Linda, you and your mom are so very lucky to have each other, and the siblings, as adults. I was wondering why you would name one of your own children 'Linda', then got it after your comment. It all fits together about not being scared, knowing the background of family trying to get you to respond to their teasings. All around a satisfying and entertaining tale. You, Linda, have inherited your mother's gift of telling a great story. Thanks. And thanks also for planting that song in my mind, it is one of my favorites.<BR/><BR/>Frances at Faire GardenFrances,https://www.blogger.com/profile/03616568389165362993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-2702434306282526072008-04-26T23:56:00.000-05:002008-04-26T23:56:00.000-05:00Thanks to Linda's mom and Linda for this great sto...Thanks to Linda's mom and Linda for this great story! I needed the clarification, too, at first thinking this was a more recent story. <BR/><BR/>The only birds in our house were a series of parakeets - not a 'raven', but I can sure relate to the setting. Back when the Beatles came to the USA I also lived with my brothers and sisters and parents in an owner-built house in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. <BR/><BR/>Annie at the Transplantable RoseAnnie in Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14662139490401110432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-87256890739066265192008-04-26T22:42:00.000-05:002008-04-26T22:42:00.000-05:00I didn't realize your mother had written this unti...I didn't realize your mother had written this until I got to the very end; thank her for sharing this. Loved the references to Poe, and I'm still humming the tune from your title.Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384059342847120951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-62114036980542529402008-04-26T17:50:00.000-05:002008-04-26T17:50:00.000-05:00Not sure if you check back to my comments for upda...Not sure if you check back to my comments for updates, so I'll duplicate: Good Lordy no, please don't start the E award cycle all over again! ;-) As I said, I'm not wild about the "snowball" effect, but I just wanted to call out blogs I enjoy reading, of which yours is one. And spending time in real gardens is always optimal! Blogging is much easier in winter, isn't it?!<BR/>~ MonicaMonica the Garden Faeriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369882350990949968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-9729863106216144852008-04-26T17:32:00.000-05:002008-04-26T17:32:00.000-05:00Linda, I don't know if you remember when we went t...Linda, I don't know if you remember when we went to the Kentucky State Reptile Garden in Bowling Green. The tour guide had some snakes to show. One was a very long - maybe 4 ft snake, that he offered to spectators to hold. I volunteered and one of the ladies near me almost fainted and had to leave. Another time, after your Dad passed away, I went to Florida and took an air boat tour of the Everglades. The pilot had a "pet" alligator that I held. It was about 5 ft long - small by alligator size. But interesting to notice how different critters feel when you touch them. It's also good to be cautious. If you don't know what the snake is, don't touch.Linda's Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15502116994883088106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-61978816205118089772008-04-26T17:09:00.000-05:002008-04-26T17:09:00.000-05:00Linda, I *finally* (huff puff--I'm out of breath) ...Linda, I *finally* (huff puff--I'm out of breath) wrote up my blog Excellence post! :)Monica the Garden Faeriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369882350990949968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-37916545148308642312008-04-26T16:30:00.000-05:002008-04-26T16:30:00.000-05:00Anna, she's a wonderful mom. She and I are very cl...Anna, she's a wonderful mom. She and I are very close, although we live over 200 miles away. We've been very close, kindred spirits as Anne of Green Gables would say, since I was born. <BR/><BR/>Threetaboos, yep, not being scared of critters is a good thing to pass along the generations I think. You've certainly had your share of critters too, albeit a smaller version of the menagerie I had as a child. <BR/><BR/>Your students were enriched and enjoyed hands-on learning in a way that kids who read about chicks hatching, what lizard skin feels like, how to compost, etc., don't get to experience. <BR/><BR/>They'll never have another teacher like you, and you've made a lasting impression and a difference in their lives.garden girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13284047851881823280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-73818221845326960472008-04-25T22:46:00.000-05:002008-04-25T22:46:00.000-05:00Well, it definitely seems to run in the family. In...Well, it definitely seems to run in the family. In my classroom we had a praying mantis (and her decapitated husband and babies), a tarantula, composting worms, and from time to time a huge guest lizard (and some fish, a parakeet and hatchling chicks). From day one my students knew I was kind of different in the creepy crawly department, and I think in the end they appreciated having a teacher who loved gross stuff as much as they did. I guess having a mom and grandma who could handle a wiggly earthworm or confused squawking crow with ease helped me on my way to being grossout-proof.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-12377609568952016652008-04-25T22:30:00.000-05:002008-04-25T22:30:00.000-05:00Barbee and I were thinking the same thing--Edgar A...Barbee and I were thinking the same thing--Edgar Allen Poe! I was also thinking you were too young to be writing this. Good story mom. And what a great mom you are also. My mom was scared of her shadow. I had three brothers who tortured her to pieces.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-52862484730212929632008-04-25T21:03:00.000-05:002008-04-25T21:03:00.000-05:00Mom, I always thought it was cool that you weren't...Mom, I always thought it was cool that you weren't scared of bugs and snakes and stuff. You were a role model to me in that regard, and I ain't scared of 'em either, don't remember a time when I ever was. <BR/><BR/>Y'all, One memory I have of my Grandparents' Missouri Ozarks farm was Mom finding a little green garter snake and showing it to us children. She raised us not to be afraid of creatures many people fear. She appealed to our natural childhood sense of wonder at how awesome nature is. <BR/><BR/>My sister was afraid of spiders. Interesting how she thought to scare Mom with a tarantula, don't you think?<BR/><BR/>Sometime either Mom or I might tell the story of all the critters we got to have when we were growing up, and the baby critters we got to see being born. We grew up seeing babies born, and sick and old critters die. We saw nature's cruelty many times, once when a mother guinea pig ate her own babies. We experienced great joy and great loss with our menagerie, and learned so much in the process.garden girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13284047851881823280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-53922424358227006092008-04-25T15:47:00.000-05:002008-04-25T15:47:00.000-05:00What equanimity!I'd have been really, really cross...What equanimity!<BR/><BR/>I'd have been really, really cross!<BR/><BR/>Esther<BR/><A HREF="http://estherinthegarden.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">ESTHER IN THE GARDEN</A>Esther Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05412078991551799972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-48502820377775168682008-04-25T13:39:00.000-05:002008-04-25T13:39:00.000-05:00Shades of Edgar Allen Poe!Shades of Edgar Allen Poe!Barbee'https://www.blogger.com/profile/11316077390373348067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-11968413939391936382008-04-25T12:57:00.000-05:002008-04-25T12:57:00.000-05:00Thanks for all your positive feedback on the story...Thanks for all your positive feedback on the story. Linda's two younger brothers and her sister loved to test me. We lived in an area with some open fields the kids called prairie. The neighborhood children traveled around with their "finds", taking penny or nickel bets on whose Mom wouldn't be grossed out by whatever slimy, creepy crawlie they brought. My children always won the bets so they quit coming to our door. Linda's sister tried one last time. She was in Arizona as a graduation gift from us. She brought back a tarantula in a cottage cheese carton, thinking that would be the end-all gross out. (It had been between the tarantula and a horned toad.)(When that didn't work, either, I think they all kind of gave up on me. What can you say about a Mom that used to play with snakes and lizards when she was young?Linda's Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15502116994883088106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-21392798840225015912008-04-25T09:39:00.000-05:002008-04-25T09:39:00.000-05:00What a story that is :)Have a nice weekend :)What a story that is :)<BR/><BR/>Have a nice weekend :)Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07390455875023239060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-23005738528860933092008-04-25T08:36:00.000-05:002008-04-25T08:36:00.000-05:00Jane Marie, This is a guest post from my mom. I'm ...Jane Marie, This is a guest post from my mom. I'm older than I look, and grew up on the Beatles during the 60's. Mom has eclectic tastes in music, which she passed on to me. It was really fun growing up with a mom who appreciated contemporary music. We are very close, and it was one more thing we shared.<BR/><BR/>Cindee, Dad was full of fun and surprises! <BR/><BR/>It's so rewarding rescuing birds. We've had our share of hopeless cases, but the ones that made it inspired us to give each one the best chance we could.garden girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13284047851881823280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-42402157173678553672008-04-25T08:12:00.000-05:002008-04-25T08:12:00.000-05:00That is a great story(-: I just love when someone ...That is a great story(-: I just love when someone tries to scare me that way...(-: You did real good keeping a straight face. That makes it all the more funny!!! <BR/>I am glad the bird was rescued and he recovered to fly away(-: I also love to rescue strays(-: We have done our share of rescues over the years too.CiNdEe's GaRdEnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118389145887562360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7447389184218295999.post-83133697402474372772008-04-25T07:49:00.000-05:002008-04-25T07:49:00.000-05:00Nice story, and by the title it sounds like you ar...Nice story, and by the title it sounds like you are a fellow Beatles fan. I think you're kind of young for that though, but then again I did a good job of raising both of my daughters to know and love all of their songs. So "take these broken wings and learn to fly, all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise" :)Jane O'https://www.blogger.com/profile/06426526301234517692noreply@blogger.com