Homestead mailing list

[SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>]

Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:
> ............"James, can you tell me how I can get a phone card."
> "Well, Stewart, contact your phone carrier and after they check your credit 
> and account, they will issue you a phone card in a few days."
> "It's as much trouble (troooble) as that, is it?"
> "I'm afraid so."
> "I was hoping you'd have one in here somewhere and I could just use it."
> "A phone card?"
> "Yes."
> "They don't trust me with such."
> "Ah, well, I'm not used to the way of things here yet.  I wanted to move me 
> desk just a wee, but I canny plug in the phone when I do.  I just needed a new 
> phone card, maybe six feet or so."
>
>   
A few years ago, I needed more digging done than we could manage in the 
allotted time, and some electric/plumbing stuff done to hook things back 
up after the last fire.  I hired a Scotsman, a red-haired Duncan, no 
less, for the 3 day job and was fascinated to listen to him burst out in 
long runs of obscenities (In all fairness, I live in a very rocky part 
of the world).  The way he said them was hilarious, and in long strings 
so that  I didn't always get it on the first run by.  One of my kids and 
I were working in here and could hear him off and on going off like a 
rocket.  Part of it was way his outbursts punctuated the beautiful lazy 
fall day but most of it was just listening to him go on. 

I never did learn to say 'flower' the way he did.  And now he's gone off 
to London, too bad.  He came to be part of our gardening group and 
always was fun to hear....missed by many now.  Last we heard he'd taken 
up Buddhist leanings, or learnings, maybe.  But he was one of many folks 
here 'from away'; it's one of the things that has made living here so 
interesting these last years, folks from farms all over the world make 
for a good mix.

Curious thing is, if he'd been using the usually-heard pronunciations it 
wouldn't have been funny, in fact, I'm not sure I wouldn't have found it 
offensive, but hearing him blow off steam with that accent and his own 
pronunciations entertained us well for the several days he was here.  We 
chuckle about it still. 

Susan Jane, in Maine