a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Frying Goldfish

Yep, that's me!  The girl in a dress (oh, the horror! Where are my overalls?) with Mr. and Mrs. German.  I'm guessing we've been fishing.

Dad worked road construction. Sometimes we traveled with him.  We would rent a house or a cabin and stay until Dad's job was done. We always came home to the farm but summers were extra special.

I was very lucky.  Our neighbors raised goldfish in long metal aerated tanks. Part of my "job" when I came to visit was picking out the floating goldfish. I was allowed to feed them to Mrs.German's cat.  During all this fun I decided it just wasn't right to feed the cat RAW goldfish. I presented my idea to Mrs. German. She was happy to comply.  She gave me a big jar lid and a fork and allowed me to stir and cook to my heart's content on their heating stove in their living room!  Of course the fish never got hot.  I tip toed to reach the top of the stove then I would politely and properly serve the cat his "cooked" meal.  The cat seems to enjoy the special service.

Mrs. German just smiled. Mr. German seemed to enjoy pulling my braid.    I was in trouble many times for slipping away to visit the neighbors without asking permission first. Mother taught me that lesson well.

28 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

When I saw the title, I thought maybe you'd scored some big koi! - lol

Elephant's Child said...

How considerate of you to serve Mrs German's cat cooked food.
They sound like truly wonderful neighbours.

Lux G. said...

Oh, those childhood memories.

24 Paws of Love said...

You had so many wonderful adventures as a kid! What a privilege to serve the cat his gourmet meal. That sounds awesome!

Jo said...

Wonderful childhood memories. You looked cute in a dress!

only slightly confused said...

What a lovely couple to humour a little girl.

Lynne said...

Cooking goldfish . . .
Now there is a gem from the past . . .
Love your stories!
And look at that catch of fish!

MadSnapper said...

with the photo of you I had no trouble picturing in my mind, you standing at the stove stirring goldfish cat food. to funny and a fond memory of your youth. that is a really big mess of fish they are holding. I bet they got cooked to

Buttons Thoughts said...

I am laughing I guess I think like you :)
You look nice in a dress. HUGS B

Arkansas Patti said...

That was some stringer of fish. I was like you about wearing a dress at that age.
How thoughtful of you to warm the fish for the cat. I'm sure you were the cat's favorite.

Susan said...

You don't look thrilled about the dress...I love this story! You seemed to have had the childhood I always dreamed of.

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a wonderful picture! Maybe he went fishing without you, because of the pretty dress you were wearing. You were a real animal lover even back then; a cooked goldfish feast for the cat! You sure were thoughtful for your age! This is an amazing story, and I can picture it all in my mind. So did the cat ever eat that fish?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

A special memory. Glad you were cooking the fish for the cat and not to eat.

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

What a delightful childhood memory. I could see it the whole way through the tale.
Hey, your package is in the mail and you should receive it tomorrow or Sat.
xoxo Linda (no goldfish though)

Anonymous said...

This is the stuff childhood should be made of. Good memories of good people, and lessons learned out of love. Of course, critters make it even better!

Connie said...

That was a sweet walk down memory lane and into your childhood. I think you were very loved my your neighbors and such a cutie pie. I remember catching big messes of fish like that, but now days we just never seem to get a bite.

Country Gal said...

Lovely child hood memories . I hated dresses and skirts when I was a little girl and I still do lol ! I remember the days when my dad and I took off from the farm to go fishing I love fishing . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

LilliStJohn said...

What a great catch of fish. ....a pastime I shared very much with my Dad and brothers. Dam, you wore a dress.......hehe...I woulda said the same thing.....where's my overalls? Great story about cooking the goldfish....gentle heart.

Martha said...

I love your stories. You have such fun memories. And you were just adorable! Also, I can certainly relate to the horror of wearing a dress. I was a tomboy and wearing a dress was definitely not for me! Still isn't.

Just J said...

Such a delightful story, and such an adorable little girl in her dress! How blessed you were to have neighbors that shared their time and love with you, and allowed you to "cook" fish for their cat. I can imagine you went home so happy after that day! And I also understand your mother's concerns about you slipping away without telling her. We wonder why mothers have gray hair! ;-)

Sandy Livesay said...

You look so precious in this picture.....I can only imagine you were dying to get that dress off and get into your pants.
Ha!!! Sneaking off to the neighbors....too much fun :-)

Lee said...

Happy childhood memories...memories that are cherished. :)

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely story and a lovely photo of you ... I think you looked nice in your dress.

Memories are so good to cherish and share.

All the best Jan

1st Man said...

Gosh, and I came here for a fancy new recipe!!! HAHAHA!!!!

What a great memory. You share such wonderful details.

Dreaming said...

Oh, bleech! I guess my suburban upbringing left me a bit soft! But heck, I shouldn't say anything - I was the kid who threw bugs in spider webs to watch them encase them in spider silk!

Truedessa said...

Sounds like you have a nice memory, I feel a bit sorry for the fish though..sorry, I haven't been visiting. How is your dragon?

Lee said...

It's a while between posts, Gail...and I don't mean fence posts. I hope all is okay up your way. Take care.

Anonymous said...

Keep in touch, my friend.

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