I never tired of admiring and loving our little Christmas trees. When
we cleared the back fields, Bob let me keep about ten of the prettiest
trees for future Christmas trees. The loveliest of all we sent home to
the family but the one I chose for our first Christmas was a dear, fat
little lady with her full green skirts hiding her feet and all of her
branches tipped with cones.
The Egg and I
by Betty MacDonald is a memoir of the years in the late 1920’s that Ms.
MacDonald and her first husband, Bob Heskett, spent running a small
chicken farm near Chimacum, Washington. The Egg and I was Betty
MacDonald’s first book, published in 1945, and she went on to write
several more volumes of memoir and the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books for
children.
I can see from the book why the divorce ensued. Betty MacDonald begins her story with a quotation from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew:
“Such duty as the subject owes the prince, even such a woman oweth to
her husband.” Berry MacDonald says she went into marriage with this sort of
dutiful attitude, along with adherence to her mother’s advice “that it
is a wife’s bounden duty to see that her husband is happy in his work.”
“Too many potentially great men are eating their hearts out in dull
jobs because of selfish wives,” quoth Mom, and Betty listened and found
herself supporting Bob in his dream of owning a chicken farm. With no
electricity. No indoor plumbing. No radio. No telephone. Bats hanging in
the cellar and flying into the house. Dropping boards and chicken lice.
Days that began at 4 AM and ended at midnight or thereafter. Homicidal
chickens. Bears and cougars. Ma and Pa Kettle as neighbors. Babies with
“fits”.
The Egg and I is very funny.
Betty MacDonald had a way with words. Some examples, chosen almost at random:
“Farmers’ wives who had the strength, endurance and energy of
locomotives and the appetites of dinosaurs were, according to them, so
delicate that if you accidentally brushed against them they would turn
brown like gardenias.”
“The parlor was clean and neat. . . I was amazed considering the
fifteen children and the appearance of the rest of the house. But when I
watched Maw come out of the bathroom, firmly shut the door, go over and
pull down the fringed shades clear to the bottom, test the bolt on the
door that led to the front hallway and finally shut and lock the door
after us as we went into the kitchen, I knew. The parlor was never used.
It was the clean white handkerchief in the breastpocket of the house.”
“Not me!” I screamed as he told me to put the chokers on the fir
trees and to shout directions for the pulling as he drove the team when
we cleared out the orchard. “Yes, you! I’m sure you’re not competent but
you’re the best help I can get at present,” and Bob laughed callously.
Bob’s attitude in that last quote from the book, repeated frequently
throughout, is probably the reason that Betty left him in 1931 and
returned to Seattle, civilization, and eventually a new husband, Mr.
Donald MacDonald, who presumably appreciated her desire to support him in his
work and returned the favor.
Vita Magica
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald forum
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French )
Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
we
got lots of great feedback from many Betty MacDonald fan club fans who
are delighted of Betty MacDonald's outstanding artwork.
More news very soon.
Betty MacDonald fan club fans,
Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter December does not only include photos of Betty MacDonald's homemade Christmas cards.
We'll have a wonderful Betty MacDonald fan club Christmas gift for you.
You can also see many cards of Betty
MacDonald's family and friends, for example from Betty MacDonald's
daughter Joan MacDonald Keil, Betty MacDonald's grandchildren, Betty
MacDonald's sister Alison Bard Burnett, Betty MacDonald's friend Monica Sone and many more very interesting items.
Join our new Betty MacDonald fan club contest, please.
You can order our new Betty MacDonald and Alison Bard Burnett CD and DVD!
DVD
and CD are different. You can see Betty MacDonald, her sister Alison
Bard Burnett and other family members and friends in front of the camera
for the first time!
We can offer you new wonderful Betty
MacDonald Fan Club Items and a new Betty MacDonald and Alison Bard
Burnett CD and DVD.
Alison Bard Burnett shares the most interesting stories about Mary,
Betty and the Bard family.
CD and DVD interviews are different ones.
New Betty MacDonald documentary will be very interesting with many new interviews.
Alison Bard Burnett and other Betty MacDonald fan club honor members will be included in Wolfgang Hampel's new project Vita Magica.
More
exciting news about Betty MacDonald's filmed interview will come soon.
Enjoy a wonderful breakfast with Brad and Nick, please.
Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli needs strong nerves for his many girl friends and the very complicated political affairs.
Wishing you a very nice Tuesday,
Tina
Vita Magica
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald forum
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French )
Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
