Lock up your raccoons and potatoes!
In today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse, it is revealed that Elly’s story about her childhood consists of a story where she put a potato in her grandpa’s tailpipe and boiled a dead raccoon on her mother’s stove. For those of us who were expecting stories like Elly did the last time (i.e. stories about being a housewife and mom), these stories are a shock. It makes young Elly seem like a mischievous and interesting little girl, of the Tom Sawyer variety. In other words, it doesn’t seem even remotely like a girl who would end up being Elly Patterson.
For those of you interested in boiling raccoon, here and here are websites with raccoon recipes. I think Lynn Johnston considered this to be a practical joke, but if she did, it is not one I have ever heard of before. The same cannot be said for the classic “ potato in the tailpipe” trip. As to whether the “potato in the tailpipe” trick works, check out this website.
The real humour of the story is supposed to be that young Michael realizes that his mother did things he is not allowed to do, and therefore, his little mind is filled with ideas of things to do, for which he had been previously restrained. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander (or raccoon, as it may be). I suppose this means that since Elly did these things, then it is OK for Michael to do these things,
For those of you interested in boiling raccoon, here and here are websites with raccoon recipes. I think Lynn Johnston considered this to be a practical joke, but if she did, it is not one I have ever heard of before. The same cannot be said for the classic “ potato in the tailpipe” trip. As to whether the “potato in the tailpipe” trick works, check out this website.
The real humour of the story is supposed to be that young Michael realizes that his mother did things he is not allowed to do, and therefore, his little mind is filled with ideas of things to do, for which he had been previously restrained. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander (or raccoon, as it may be). I suppose this means that since Elly did these things, then it is OK for Michael to do these things,
posted by howard at 10:54 PM
6 Comments:
What I took away from this is something different; it seems to me that Elly spent Mike, Liz and April's childhoods stressing because she was worried that she'd have to deal with the sane sort of mayhem she inflicted on the world as a little girl. She seems to be the sort who has no intention of letting her kids sink to her level.
Shades of Adult Mike telling Meredith about Super Teddy. Though somehow, if Young Mike mimics the behaviors of Young Elly, I don't think Adult Elly share the amusement Adult Mike displayed towards Meredith.
According to at least one of Lynn's RealTrueLifeLil' Lynn Adventures, she once cajoled a school friend into urinating each and every other classmate's boots, until they were filled to capacity.
I suppose Elly may have similar nasty pranks festering in her memories.
DreadedCandiru2,
What I took away from this is something different; it seems to me that Elly spent Mike, Liz and April's childhoods stressing because she was worried that she'd have to deal with the sane sort of mayhem she inflicted on the world as a little girl.
She certainly seemed to have the worst expectations of her children’s behaviour over the years. This could be the explanation why.
aprilp_katje,
Though somehow, if Young Mike mimics the behaviors of Young Elly, I don't think Adult Elly share the amusement Adult Mike displayed towards Meredith.
True enough. As bad a parent as Adult Mike was, he rarely even seems to get as upset as his kids as Adult Elly did at hers.
Anonymous,
According to at least one of Lynn's RealTrueLifeLil' Lynn Adventures, she once cajoled a school friend into urinating each and every other classmate's boots, until they were filled to capacity.
That is a lot of urine, Anonymous. You tell the best Lynn stories. Do you have any more from the RealTrueLifeLil' Lynn Adventures?
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