"IT'S MY SNAKE!"

    By AUNT WILLA and MIL

    I have been very lucky to have "married into" a fine

    Christian family of Oklahomans. My wife's mother had

    five sisters and a brother. She married Denzil in 1935

    and they were a very devoted couple.

    Denzil was a  salt-of-the-earth guy---one who was always

    looked up to by his friends. He was always a chairman

    or president... of the deacons or the building committee,

    Rotary Club, or whatever. I admire him as one of the best 

    men I have ever known.

    Now, he had a great sense of humor and was happiest

    when he was poking fun at Pauline. He particularly 

    liked to tweak and correct her when she was telling a

    story; sometimes she needed it and other times he was

    merely teasing her, with that mischievous look on his

    face.

    After a few years of being in the family, I began to

    notice that she would cut him off, when he tried to 

    correct her---she sounded mostly good-natured about

    this correction...but occasionally there  was a bit of a

    bite in her tone: "DENZIL, IT'S MY SNAKE."

    After 57 years of marriage to the Beloved Editor, and

    sadly, after the passing of both these much-loved

    parents, I said to her one day: "Let's run down the

    origin of the snake thing; let's ask the aunts!"

    So ALL FAMILIES have cute, priceless, inside sayings

    that came out of some experience and they wouldn't

    sell them for a thousand dollars. After all, they are 

    "family" sayings, and a whole lot of love is attached 

    to them.

    It just happened that Aunt Willa was involved in this

    saying. Here is her tale (by Aunt Willa):

    Mil, I can revisit the snake story for you. When I was

    working in a classroom years ago. We had a story-teller

    come to tell stories to the class. He was telling a story

    about this snake.

    He started his story and as he continued, he said: "And

    the snake opened one eye and then the other." A 

    young student said: "But snakes don't close their

    eyes." 

    The story-teller said, and I quote: "This is my story and

     my snake, and it can do whatever I want."

     I told the story to Pauline and as Denzil often corrected

     her when she was telling things, she began saying:

     "Denzil, this is MY snake!"

     That would remind him not to correct her. This was a fun 

      thing and she used it often. Miss those two very much!

      (And so do we.) Thanks, Aunt Willa. We loved your story!

      *************

      We've  got several other inside family sayings, such as:

      "Who put the snow on?" "SLOSH, SLOSH, " and

      a brand new one: "Did you bring the Girl Scout cookies?!"

      My reader, tell me some of yours and I will tell you more

      of mine!

      

      *********30********

       MIL'S PLACE

       BY AUNT WILLA AND MIL

       12/03/13