Fifty acres and a poodle
A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm
by
Jeanne Marie Laskas
The poodle was good. Also the mule, the horse, the ladybugs, and even the invasive multiflora briars. Loved the neighbors and workmen, especially Billy and all the Joes. Billy is a hoot--
"When I was a kid, everybody took a gun to school," he says. "Not with the intention of shooting anybody. But just to kill supper on the way home. What else was there to do with your spare time?"
"Um, well, we watched TV," I say meekly. "Did you ever see Green Acres?"
He smiles. "I'm a little older than you," he says. "But I've seen reruns."
One funny thing--I noticed after finishing that the entire story is written in present tense. Present tense usually annoys me, but I didn't even notice it. But possibly, just possibly, that's why I found the book so easy to put down and so hard to pick up again.
The author's interior dialog and attempts to relate her struggle with aloneness just didn't grip me. They seemed to be repetitive, unchanging, and boring. And sadly, (having to admit a defect of my character here) I found myself skipping or skimming those parts. Frequently I skipped too far and missed some of the good stuff. Which sucked.
But the book didn't suck. It was great. Laugh-out loud a couple of times and excruciatingly painful only twice when it had to be.
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