So, settled down at Mother's, after she made me rub Vick onto the affected iffy joint area. In my Mother's world, Vick sorts EVERYTHING out:o) It is a saviour:o) lol Anyway, we gets nattering about things...mistakes, regrets, the world in general and slavery, of all things!! Today was one of those days when she let slip a bit more about her childhood. She never talks to my siblings like this. Maybe it's because she and I have this understanding. Don't know. Sometimes, I can see through her grumpiness and bitterness when my siblings just can't. But, we hardly know anything of our family's past, etc, so I am the Information Gatherer and Recorder!!
I mentioned Junior's packed week of meets and parties and we got onto Halloween. Mother does not believe, she says, in 'all that nonsense'. Never has, she says. Thinks it's a load of commercial tosh. There was nothing like that in 'her day', etc. Certainly, as a kid I never knew anything about Halloween. It was kept from us. I even got married on Halloween...oblivious of what other people, not on my wedding guest list, would be celebrating.
As a kid, she lived up in the Carpathian mountains in Eastern Europe, right on the border to 'another land'. In the past she's told me tales of her days..playing with catfish in the local river; playing with semi-precious stones in same said river, being chased by a bear, nearly dying because she ate too many nuts one time and the local 'herbalist' saved her!! How storks? used to nest on their roof.
She obviously had chores in those days and one was to go and tend the 'animals'...namely one cow and a few hens. Yes, my Granny was poor, bless her:o) My Grandad, the toerag, left her for another woman..just because she had more cows!! My Gran was very, very pretty but had such a hard life:o)) Mother is an only child.
The one and only cow was kept a bit away from their home, on some grazing land. She said she was quite scared at times, because the woods, coupled with the mountains, had their own 'atmosphere'. Houses (or more like little wooden cabins) were few and far between (no noise pollution, then!!).... and she was wary of being taken!! Taken? What did she mean by being taken? Well, yes, turns out there were child snatchers about, even in those days...so nothing changes. But, these people were not the norm. Apparently, the children were snatched. Vanished. People couldn't figure it out. Lost without a trace sort of thing.
Turns out they were taken for their blood..to be drunk. Eeeeew. So I asks 'Like vampire stuff?' I got the 'maybe' shrug then nothing else. Enough said. Too much information!! The 'people' responsible were hiding behind another religion but were 'removed' from the area. Local justice type of thing.
So, things sort of make sense now. It may seem a bit barmy to others, though. Anyhow, when one of us lot moves, Mother is straight up with her bottle of holy water and proceeds to bless the house and garden..Usually without us knowing. On the quiet sort of thing.
She really loves us and protects us, in her own way:o))
1 comment:
eugh a bit too scary that even for halloween, i bet you're itching to know more.
Post a Comment