"Conversation At The Supper Table"

Mable, Betty, Coretta, Joetta, Stella

They are talking about a million things. They all have a glass of wine. They need a glass of wine. It’s not a really good shot. I’ve seen this kind of mixture before.  They look concerned. Nobody’s happy, nor down. They are trying to take it all in. she realizes what they are talking about. A little complicated.  It’s a good picture. Definitely some kind of family party it might be something startling since everyone is looking at the little boy, Bobby. He’s getting attention from every direction. Somebody has something strange. The daddy, Paul, looks real interesting.  Real concerned about what the little boy has said. That’s a picture. You can’t tell what they are doing. Those two and the old man look surprised. How do you eat like this? (Do you think there is a problem?) I guess so. I know something is wrong. It could be as well as one or the other. All I know is I’m hungry. (what do you think the parents are thinking?) It depends on what kind of parents they are. Sometimes they get hostile, and sometimes not. They’re all concerned about the same thing. Paul is staring at Bobby from across the table. They seem very attentive. They seem like a good set of parents. They like to interrupt the little one, he talks a lot. They have to take time to vent. They have to take time to listen to each other. I don’t know which one is the listener. Why is it important to be a good listener? You might miss something.  If there’s a real problem, you find out about it and do something. Families have different arrangements, and this family’s arrangement is a good one.

Before and After- January 18, 2012

Barbara, Evonne, Stella, Alice, June, Margaret

"Before and After"

What would happen if one of the country folk ended up in the city? and the opposite?

Joe would go crazy. Joe has a wife and he has children, they have to be 16 to work all those tools. Depending on what the tools are. His children are taking care of the farm while he’s in the city. Yeah he’ll go crazy. He won’t like New York. I don’t think the average farmer will want to go to New York. He’ll get lost, it’s too busy, too noisy, and there’s no freedom. I mean there’s too many objects. No, I wouldn’t want to be in New York for love or money. Go to the empire state building. He will probably do it alone but there’s always someone in the elevator with you. He’ll get friendly.  Its not easy to get friendly with people in new York.  Tell him to go jump off the Eifel tower. He can’t make friends because everybody’s in a hurry and they’re not interested in giving him information because they are all interested in going home or going to get something to eat. If I were him I’d run like mad to get away. Joe is startled by the city. He’s going to see one of the shows. He has to adapt. Joe's wife has decided to come along. She’s use to all the country stuff. It’s going to be different for me. She’s used to having a garden, doing things at home and always doing everything herself. She has to find new things to do in the city. They will probably have problems. It’s completely different there.  I don’t think they will be in danger. I don’t think they will stay happy because they are not used to that lifestyle and they don’t like all the people.  I think they will argue about staying in New York but eventually go back to the country. A lot depends on their age. They will stay married for awhile at least. There are a lot of things to do in the country If he wants to be busy, but if he doesn’t want to stay busy he won’t and they’ll divorce. It is their own business. They will stay married. They will pretend like New York never happened. The farm is a mess when they get back since the children were taking care of it. They are 16 so they better be on alert. The plants are overgrown and there are weeds. The animals are ok, the kids kept fed them and kept them alive, like you would with your dog. Maybe they will get into a little bit of trouble but not a lot of trouble. If it were me they’d be in a lot of trouble. They’d be in trouble with me, I can assure you of that. The parents will say go out there and cut the weeds and clean this place up. They didn’t have any parties. They don’t know what a wild party is. Everybody lived happily ever after, to each is own. 

What if we would bring one of the city people and put them in the country? Some would go crazy. Some would enjoy the outdoors. They’d have free roaming. They’d have the freedom they don’t have in the city. No, I don’t think they’d like the country. There’s too much space and not enough people. The New Yorker would be thinking get me out of here. He’s just going to walk around and look at the trees and the countryside. Not have to deal with the traffic and the noise. They are going to farm.  He’s going to do the same thing quite different. Everybody’s going to go back to what they were used to and see no change.

They All Settled It, Didn't They?

(Same photo, different story.)

A big play, and they are getting started on a production. They are discussing how to get started. They look different on the top, on the window panes. The lady with her hands on her face is just sitting there, just sitting there. She’s not in charge of the play, but she is thinking about what comes next. Now she is in charge. She is giving instructions about which way the place should run. The play is a friendly one, it is supposed to be half happy and half sad. The bad guys are in the middle. The one with the beard is named John, and the guy nearby is Alfred. The hero is the blurry one in the middle, a man called Jane. The hero is confronting the bad guys in the middle, and it is blurry because he is moving so fast, with such swiftness. [Will there be a fight?] No. The bad guys in the white, they make trouble. That’s a pair, these two. They work together. He’s getting ready to his other friend. They are having a talk. They will have to bring somebody else in it. They can bring this one, Claire, in it. Claire will get in trouble with Alfred, because she falls in love with John. Then the bad guys turn against each other. Have a fight between them and pick a winner. The other people will have to get in touch, get inside with them. Claire breaks them up because they are fighting together. The hero does not come in now, because they didn’t start anything. They probably get along fine. Not a fight, just people. It’s going to be okay. The little person must be getting mixed up with the bigger one. They are having words between them. Alfred is left out. So he should get in with John about what they are going to do next. John is a dog. That is a dog. He didn’t tell me what he wants. He wants to get the hero in the hair, pull the hair. The hero is a big lady with her hand way down to here [points at picture]. Looks like she is going to get in and tango with him. The hero gets tangled up with the picture on the wall. The picture is coming out of the top of her head. Claire will get friendly with this one here, have a brawl. They don’t fight. They fight. [Half happy and half sad, pick your own ending.]

Henry, Stella, Stella, Patricia, Alice

Living Happily Ever After

This is our fiftieth anniversary party - in sickness and in health. I saved his life more than once. I kept calling the doctor all the time, and the doctor would check him out. I’m very grateful.

Betty is a good worker. She picks up the rubbish. All the people wanted to have a party.

Mary has her hand on her face, and she’s talking to her friend.

They are all here in chairs, all lined up. They are all hired for the job, to be in the dining room. During the day in the basement with liquor or coffee. After they eat, they are yacking, exchanging comments from different ones.

Rosemary is talking to her husband, telling him to get back to work. He wants her to go cook. She doesn’t want to, she wants to play golf. She’s pretty good at golf. Rosemary was in a competition and she won a piece of paper with her picture on it.

She just left him. Disappeared. And we never saw her again. I think she left him for good, not coming back. She felt sort of hurt.

He was flabbergasted and said, “I can’t understand why!”

The man with the horrible beard is not connected to me, and I am not connected to him. We will call him Jim.

We can’t call him Jim, it’s illegal. You are going to be responsible. Young lady, you are daydreaming. We need to hide this. [She tears up the picture and leaves the workshop.]

Way in the back are the suits. They are probably talking business, trying to get this thing done. The one girl is bored, drinking coffee in the cup, taking in everything that she hears. She is praying for everything to last longer. She says, “He will come back to her.”

Looks like the weather is hot with no sleeves and a backless dress. They are extremely satisfied with things now all out of control, in the beginning to enjoy, give property if they want it, and it looks gentle knowing that the outside is there. You can’t always see everything if you want to see it.

They will end the party depending on how it goes. The party people didn’t think Rosemary should have called in front of everybody.

He said, “You spoiled my whole anniversary!” After that, there were no more fights.

It ends that everybody was happy to come to the anniversary party, and they enjoyed it very much.

I drank all the liquor, and I had a good time with bells on. Betty cleans up all the mess. Poor Betty. I would say, “Please stay! Please stay!” I thanked everybody for coming and gave each of them a remembrance, a toy, a round thing representative of the company.

Henry, Margaret, Barbara, Betty, Margaret, Maxine, Evelyn, Anne, Alice

A Story about Animals

It’s a cow, isn’t it? I had an idea. Make sheets from heavy paper. Double wide. A wolf. Probably. They are looking for home. That’s what they want you to do. If I cut this in the middle. You can’t cut this. I want to make a home for all these animals. If we cut it in the middle. We have to split it in fifty pieces, twenty five each. Put the number and name of each animal. Make a whole set of drawings. I’ll give you pictures of animals. I have to go to school to see if I can get a whole pile of drawings. I found them wandering around in the woods, starving to death. They don’t hunt because they are too weak. They are weak because they can’t get food. The stronger ones can eat - find some food. We can work on this a little at a time. Make a book out of it. The sheep is full of fleas. The other one scratches his head. You have to have money to get food. A bag of dreams costs five dollars. Beside that, they need water. Put them near a pond. Now they are healthy. They feel better I guess so. We can get the state to give us money to buy food. I don’t want it to be a pretend story because I love animals. A young man in his fifties, with dark hair, dressed like a farmer is going to come and help the animals. He feeds them whatever he has, some grain, water, no meat though. I don’t think they have meat. You have to let me think and go through my accounts. Corn. I’d put them in something and feed them after I checked to see if they are not in danger. Five or six but not too much because he would be ill. Have you ever had a time when you are not ill, but you run into problems? It’s all sweaty. You don’t need that, but you need music for the ears. She didn’t go far. Ten dollars. I don’t know right now; I’ve been busy getting other things going. Horses are side by side. Maybe after a while they can go hunting, not now, because they are still run down. He has more food for them. They have a hiding place about this big [she holds her hands apart two feet] where they keep the food. One of them says to the other, “Are you my mother?” She says, “Yes!” [They clap their hands and smile.] They find the hiding place and have enough food to satisfy themselves.

Henry, June, Betty, Margaret, Gretchen, Maxine

It Takes Life to Make a Baby

Mergitroy’s jazzing it up. Patricia just found out that they are expecting a baby. His wife is playing the flute, while the husband sings a song. It goes like this, “My parking days are over. My sparkling lights are out. What used to be my sex appeal is now my water spout.” They are not children; they are adults. It is entirely different now. Mergitroy is juggling two apples, and he drops the apples. They just get along, that’s all. This is the first time she has ever been pregnant. They are excited and afraid, it’s something new. She was a cashier, and she told the boss at J.C. Penney. She rings up things that people are buying and shows them various objects that they are wanting to look at. She continues to work while she is pregnant. Mergitroy is a railroad man, he rides the rails and watches over them. She had her baby, a girl, six pounds and four ounces. The baby has blond hair and blue eyes. Giving birth was not too much trouble. They call her Abigail Loretta. You have to have bottles, diapers, everything else and whatnot to take care of the baby. She slept through the night and she was very comfortable. Patricia took six months off work. Make sure the baby has a good home to go to - that’s the first thing. She works eight hours a day. It makes it kind of rough. Mergitroy asks her, “Take a leave of absence while the baby is so young.” She says, “You take care of the baby.” He growls at her. She growls back at him and says, “I’m doing it may way.” He should help her out accordingly, get supper ready. He is good dad. He prepares, helps her prepare. Thank God! She quits her job. The dear little baby made up for everything. They work it out very well.

Thelma, Barbara, Christine, Gretchen, Patricia

Saving Rosemary

It’s pretty good. This is a masterpiece. Skinny legs on these two. They are really working hard, that’s for sure. Playing mostly, throwing that darn piece of wire around. This scribbly stuff, I’d say throw it away, it looks like it was used for something else. It reminds me of a cold winter’s night, and I wouldn’t have any use for it. It looks like frozen ground and the stuff out there, I grew up on a farm so that’s what it looks like. Long skinny people trying to go fishing with a net. I could never stand there and do that and not fall in the water. So far they have not had luck, and hopefully before the day is over, they will have something. There must be something there or they wouldn’t go after it. They come from Oregon. One is Rosemary, and Charlie is the man. Cart it all around like a Caesar. Make a boo boo here and there. Rosemary got a fish hook in her foot. Charlie helped her get the fish hook out of her foot. It wasn’t easy, but because it was cold, she didn’t feel a lot of pain. He straightened the fish hook and pulled it out, so that it wouldn’t be so painful. He probably does have more experience than she has. He learned that at his father’s knee. That’s how a lot of boys learn things. They follow their father. The guys throws a net, and it’s a good idea. From the back and from the front, everywhere the same picture. They got the fish hook out and lived happily ever after. They will do very well because a fish hook can be easily healed. She won’t limp forever. They won’t go fishing very much with a net now.

Alex, Gretchen, Barbara, Thelma, June, Stella, Alice