Laugh When You Can: A Tale Of Brotherly *Love* + A Poem About Methuselah’s Diet

/ Ally Bean

Is this not true?

A Tale Of Brotherly *Love*

The other afternoon the temps were in the lower 80s so I went out onto our screened-in porch to enjoy fresh air and read a book.

I heard kids playing in the ravine behind the house. They were down in the creek bed that’s practically dry this time of year. Kids go exploring down there occasionally and in this case it was two boys, about 6 y.o. and 10 y.o.

I didn’t think a thing about it until I was jolted out of my reading by a loud  Dad voice coming from the other side of the ravine.

Dad said: Alexander, where is your brother?

{Small voice, indistinguishable words}

Dad again: Alexander, I asked you, where is your brother? Where is William!!

{Slightly louder small voice, somewhat indistinguishable, but saying words that included “I don’t know”}

Dad continued: Alexander, I don’t care. Go back down into the ravine and find William. NOW!

At this point I heard a small whimper coming from the bottom of the ravine. A whimper so pathetic that I put down my book, stood up and looked down into the ravine where I saw a small boy sitting on a log by himself, crying, but not hurt or in any danger.

He was pretty much playing up the drama of being left behind.

I shouted over to the Dad telling him that I could see the abandoned brother, that he was fine, and then explained where I was so Alexander, the reluctant keeper of his brother, could find William.

At which point the Dad shouted thanks over my way while giving Alexander one last clearly stated command, a guideline for how to treat your brother.

And maybe all of humanity.

Dad said: ALEXANDER WE DON’T LEAVE OUR BROTHER IN A RAVINE, ANY RAVINE, EVER. Now go find him.

Which Alexander did with some alacrity while I watched, amused, from above.

So sayeth Dad, so let it be.

A Poem About Methuselah’s Diet

I continue to sort through old family photos and papers. In one of the boxes I found the following pithy poem. My father had saved it by cutting it out a newspaper.

According to the introduction to the poem it was on the dinner cards of the 1890 Class, College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Researching online I discovered there’s no known author for the poem.

DIET

Methuselah ate what he found on his plate,

And never, as people do now

Did he note the amount of the caloric count;

He ate it because it was chow.

•🔸•

He wasn’t disturbed, as at dinner he sat,

Destroying a roast or a pie,

To think it was lacking in granular fat,

Or a couple of vitamins shy.

• 🔸•

He cheerfully chewed every species of food,

Untroubled by worries or fears,

Lest his health might be hurt by some fancy dessert––

And he lived over Nine Hundred Years!

Here is the poem as seen in print.

Questions of the Day

What have you laughed out loud about lately?

What’s the last thing you overheard that made you stop what you were doing and eavesdrop?

What do you think of Methuselah’s pragmatic diet plan?

• • ❤️ • •

207 thoughts on “Laugh When You Can: A Tale Of Brotherly *Love* + A Poem About Methuselah’s Diet”

  4. I especially love the Dad’s command to the older brother, “Alexander, we do not leave our brother in a ravine!” How was Alexander supposed to know that??!! 🤣😂 Ah, the joys of parenting. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jane, this conversation was priceless. Dad was very clear about what he was saying to the boys, for good reason of course. I don’t know when anything has tickled me this much. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I don’t remember what, but I have laughed at something very recently, possibly at my husband learning to walk properly after his knee surgery, He has been walking like a little old man for a few years now. Seeing him try to walk close to normal with the walker brings me a lot of joy. A laugh out loud amount of joy! I keep telling him that I am not ready to be married to a little old man.

    I eavesdrop on my neighbours all the time, even if I don’t want do. I can’t help it. Their voices carry in my direction. I don’t even have to stop what I am doing.

    I think the diet might be workable as long as avocado and turnip aren’t present. And maybe a few other things. I don’t count calories, but I also don’t have a sweet tooth. I do love the main course of my meals.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenn, I can imagine how funny, in a good way, it is to see your husband walk with his new & improved knee. I like your admonishment that you’re not ready to be married to an old man. Me neither.

      Sometimes voices carry over our ravine, but usually it’s difficult to know from which direction and hear the whole conversation. Lucky you to be able to hear it all regardless of your desire to do so. 🙄

      Not a fan of avocado or turnips, eh? They are an acquired taste. I don’t run to them, but can eat them. I don’t count calories either, like you it’s the savory I like, less so about the sweet.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Alexander’s dad is correct, we don’t leave anyone in a ravine.

    Oh, I’ve had days of family time, so I e overheard lots of interesting things. 😆

    I have a hard time believing that a diet with zero restrictions or quantities will create a long life. 😳

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suz, I rather liked the Dad’s admonishment, too. Seemed like it was applicable to many adult situations, too.

      I can only imagine what you’ve overheard lately. Hope it made you laugh.

      I’m with you about Methuselah’s diet, but it is a poem that was shared with a group of doctors so it has to be true, right? 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I laughed out loud at a part of the blog post I read just before yours! A lovely sustainable farmer who cruises the alleys in her small adjoining town for bags of leaves for her chicken house. So quintessentially describes who this person is.

    I eavesdrop regularly on the young couples who live at the other end of the building. They often sit outside at night. Lots of random 20 year old discussions.

    I think that diet was and is how so many people still eat! Probably not really best to frame our 2024 diet around a Biblical figure. Didn’t most everyone written about in the Bible live for hundreds of years? All I can really say is times have changed! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, that blogger sounds like a wonderful story teller, obviously with a sense of purpose. Bags of leaves, alleyways, chicken house? Yes, that’s funny.

      I don’t usually hear the specifics of conversations around here. I know people are talking, but that’s it. I bet 20 y.o. discussions are enlightening. 🤔

      You may be right about people still adhering to Methuselah’s diet plan. I don’t know how long most people in the Bible lived, maybe longer in the Old Testament than the New Testament. Accurate or not, the poem made me laugh.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Celi is a sustainable farmer in IL, originally from New Zealand. Amazing woman. Those neighbors are the ones I wrote about some time back who enjoy their marijuana and discussions about things like possible pregnancies… One couple is moving soon and the other is “separating” somewhat as the female was just accepted to a college program and must live on campus to keep her scholarship. Lots of changes afoot at this little 4-plex…

        Liked by 1 person

        • I remember her! She’s still around? That makes me happy. I used to follow her and she followed me, then she disappeared. Or I guess not! When bloggers drop me I let them go, figuring the relationship is over.

          You’re living in your own version of Peyton Place! What fun to be an observer.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Celi has been in and out and trying many different platforms and ideas with mixed results. There have been family things that impacted as well but she is renewing her farm stock. thekitchensgarden.com You should drop by again!

            Liked by 1 person

            • Thanks for the link. I never know what to do when a friendly blogger just stops visiting here. Did I offend? Did I misconstrue our bloggy friendship? Rhetorical questions, but ones I’ve asked myself a few times.

              Liked by 1 person

              • I get that! I find C is not a blogger who necessarily has the time to read or comment and then out of the blue there she is commenting on some post I wrote! Her internet is crap also- literally- so it’s often hard for her to even get her own posts out.

                Liked by 1 person

          • Yes! TKG was one of the very first blogs I started following so many years ago. Celi just feels like such a dear friend even though I have never met her IRL but I have experienced her in Zoom meetings. So genuine in everything she does.

            Liked by 2 people

          • I didn’t know she was still blogging. I enjoyed reading what she wrote and talking with her in the comments, hers & mine. Like many bloggers along the way we are ships that pass in the night.

            Liked by 1 person

  10. Lots of food for thought in BOTH stories, Ally!

    When did I laugh out loud lately? I can tell you: Reading Alexander McCall Smith’s Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers. I laughed out loud reading how his overbearing mother Irene somehow got locked in a sheik’s harem while visiting Dubai. More than 3 belly laughs there!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. One must not leave one’s brother in a ravine, no sir! Too funny (because no one was hurt, physically, of course).

    We went to my sister’s last night and had many an occasion to laugh as we shared our camping stories with Marc. At one point, tears of laughter were streaming down my sister’s face as she recounted the time the toilet blew up in her husband’s face. He was laughing, too, as it was many moons ago. Not so much when it happened, needless to say.

    That poem is a hoot and I can see why your dad kept it. Such “wise” words in there 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dale, you’re right, if one of the kids had gotten hurt this would be a different tale. But it ended well.

      NO! What a horrible thing to happen on a camping trip, but also I can see how it’d be funny in retrospect. You gotta roll with the punches– or exploding toilets.

      That poem is definitely my Dad’s sense of humor. Made me smile thinking of him laughing at it.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I wish I didn’t have to worry about calorie intake!
    The last thing I overheard that made me listen and laugh out loud was on July 4th. I was in Virginia City, NV full of rootin, tootin, cowboys and gun slingers…reenactors mostly. One of these actors was walking up the main street whipping a great whip with big loud cracks and snaps and telling everyone who was now looking his way that the gun show was starting in 10 minutes then he walked up onto the old boarded sidewalk, right up to another cowboy who was leaning on the corner of a building and asked, ” Are you drinkin’ enough”? The other cowboy smiled and said, ” Yeah”., To which the one with the whip said, ” I mean water! Are you drinkin water”?! LOL! I cracked up right there. It was the best thing I’ve over heard in some time.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. What a good dad, teaching the boys to protect each other. It’s what we all need to do.
    The diet Methusala ate was probably what he needed to survive back then. I’m trying to eat better, but am still addicted to sweets!
    I laughed yesterday when I read, “Dating when you’re older is like trying to find a cart with good wheels at Walmart,”

    Liked by 1 person

    • Beth, I thought the Dad was spot on with his command, stated so the boys would remember it.

      Good point about Methuselah’s diet plan, eating what was around, probably not too many sweets though. After menopause sweets stopped calling to me. Go figure.

      LOVE the dating advice. I’m sure it’s the truth.

      Like

  14. Methuselah’s longevity sounds more like a curse than a blessing. Being stuck here for 900 years ~> NO THANKS! But I’m with him on not counting calories or examining vitamins and minerals in every morsel of food.

    Of course, we live in the age of ultra-processed food and must be a bit more wary. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nancy, you raise an excellent point about Methuselah’s longevity. I wouldn’t want that either. From the sound of his diet I suspect Methuselah would eat ultra-processed food with no concern. Wary didn’t seem to be his forte.

      Like

    • I generally laugh out loud over the dog and cat playing, but yesterday I was laughing over Trump’s white supremacist flunky getting testerical over how unfair it was that Biden left the race and Trump himself demanding a reimbursement for all the campaigning he’d done against Biden already.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Autumn, yep those are wonderful things to laugh about. I can’t help thinking that Biden played The Donald with the timing of his decision to drop out. Regardless, I like to smile at schadenfreude whenever I find it.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Biden’s timing was brilliant. After the RNC, after the running mate was picked, after the morning press shows, and after the primaries. This country is much more comfortable when men give women power (e.g., HRC got way less hate as Secretary of State than as a Presidential Candidate) than we are when women ask for it on their own merits. Which is just one infuriating element of our patriarchal culture.

          Liked by 1 person

  16. I love that so much, Ally; WE DON’T LEAVE OUR BROTHER IN A RAVINE, ANY RAVINE EVER. It’s good advice for life, and for brothers. I also love the poem! I think diet culture has messed up so many people, including myself, and Methusula has the right idea. Plus it is hilarious!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Michelle G., I liked the Dad advice, too. He was meaning it for the current situation, but it applied to life as well.

      I agree that diet culture had messed with everyone’s mind. Mine included. While the poem was meant to be tongue-in-cheek [I suppose] it does make you think about how *fussy* people can be about dinner now.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I like ‘not leaving anyone behind.’ I laughed out loud yesterday when I attempted to renew my husband’s library card and was told by a very nice librarian that he needed to call and let them know it was okay for his wife to renew his card. Who knew? 🙂 I went on a garden tour on Saturday and will admit I eavesdropped on fellow gardeners to hear their comments on the various gardens. Don’t tell. 🙂 I say Amen to M’s diet plan. Those were the days one meal was cooked, people sat down, conversed, and ate what was in front of them. I find it exhausting just watching younger women (mostly) try to prepare two, three, or four different meals at every sitting because different people don’t like certain foods. People back in the day also didn’t sit in front of computers all day so they worked off that piece of pie without a gym membership. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, ‘not leaving anyone behind’ is the unexpected line I didn’t know I needed to overhear. I find it fascinating that you couldn’t renew your husband’s library card without his ok. Seems odd.

      You’re right that many women attempt to cook multiple meals for each meal. I know my parents didn’t care if I liked what was for dinner or not. It was dinner, so eat it. Good point about our sedentary lifestyle. It catches up with everyone eventually. In that respect Methuselah had it better.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. The long, loud laughter I’ve experienced came a couple of weeks ago. Some of us gathered at a friend’s home on Galveston Island to share a meal prepared by her brother, who was visiting from California. Everyone was either a sailor, a Cajun, a bluecollar worker, or a combination of all three, and that meant story-telling. For twelve hours, there wasn’t a phone in sight, but there were some hilarious tales — and the more we laughed, the funnier everything became. Laughter is contagious.

    Since Biblical ages are metaphorical, I’m doubting 900 years, but ‘a long time’ still seems lucky, given that diet. I can imagine doctors laughing over it the same way I’ve laughed over friends who smoked, drank, ate whatever they wanted, and lived into their 90s. Genetics is the wild card!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, you’re right that laughter is contagious. I grew up in a family where everyone had stories to tell and did so at meals. I love knowing that there wasn’t a phone in sight.

      Well, I don’t know that the poem is gospel truth 😉, but it subtly makes a good point about living the life you’re given, eat what’s in front of you. Yep to genetics. Eventually we all have to face up to it.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I laughed really hard at my youngest dog trying to worm his way behind the TV to see where the dog food dog had got to.
    A few weeks ago in an art class I regularly attend, one of the women I know pretty well was having a bad day and engaged in a conversation about a tough family matter with another in the class. I was sitting right next to them. I actually said, I’ve been eavesdropping, and I want you to know I think you are fine in what you did and said, and I gave her a hug. It was exactly the right thing to do.
    After all, we never leave our sister in a ravine, any ravine, ever.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Bob Newhart was the absolute master of deadpan, and I agree with the quote from him. M (my husband) is extremely quick and funny and makes me laugh a lot. 😊

    Diet and food have become such a chore now. I love food, love to eat, but I’m curtailed by kidney disease (well controlled) and IBS (more of a problem). I’m also a 95% vegetarian. The collection of foods I eat is odd and dictated by my issues. I seriously miss the days when I could just enjoy a great meal and not think about what’s in it or what the hidden and/or visible consequences might be!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, I removed that image from this blog post before I published it. You should not be able to see it. I was going to use it later and now wonder how the heck you’re seeing it. Has my Media file been hacked again?

      You’re right that food is a chore anymore. I have to avoid certain foods for medical reasons, so it’s alway something! I agree about how great it was to just eat dinner without any concerns.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. We do not leave our brother in a ravine is wonderful advice. But, I can’t imagine being a parent who doesn’t go down and get the kid myself!

    I laughed out loud at a podcast yesterday. He was talking about when he uses the word, ‘interesting’ and that he’s really thinking WTF when he says it. My husband uses the word ‘interesting’ like that all the time, so it made me chuckle.

    Our house sits up high and the houses across the street sit low. I can hear entire conversations that they are having outdoors. Usually, it’s just their landscapers.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bijoux, maybe Dad thought by sending Alexander back into the ravine he was teaching him a lesson? I dunno how to explain it.

      I like the idea of ‘interesting’ meaning WTF. I feel like that’s often the case when I use the word.

      Your outdoor acoustics are similar to ours, but better. I can often hear voices across the way on the other side of the ravine, but rarely hear the actual words.

      Like

        • (Aside first: not sure what happened, had to scroll through all the comments on your post to see your response to mine… 🤷‍♀️ )

          I’d like to hope Alexander does take it to heart, but from your vivid description of the events, my impression is that he’ll look for (and find and/or create 😁) loopholes that allow him to continue … 🙃

          Liked by 1 person

          • EW, you’re right the ability to find loopholes starts early in some kids.

            As for the comments… DON’T GET ME STARTED ABOUT HOW SCREWED UP THE WP COMMENT SYSTEM HAS BEEN BEHAVING LATELY. I’ve given up trying to understand why some people cannot comment here, some can comment but don’t show up under my Notification tab, and why sometimes my replies aren’t where you’d expect them to be. Thanks for returning and finding a way to leave your reply. I appreciate it.

            Liked by 1 person

    • There’s this limited mini-series on Netflix called The Blue Zones where in one of the episodes they talk to a gentleman who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his 60s. He decided to go back to Italy, where he was originally from, and spend his remaining few months there and be buried in the land of his ancestors. When he got to Italy, he planted some olive trees, well aware that he would never see them grow, let alone enjoy the olives. They interviewed him on the show when he was in his 90s, having harvested from those trees many times over 🙂 He said maybe death forgot about him? 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  25. I doubt that Methuselah ate the quantity of food nor the fat/sugar that modern people do and no processed foods. He could eat as much meat and veggies as he wanted, sort of like the Atkins diet? I don’t mean to but I almost always eavesdrop; if someone is speaking loud enough for me to hear, does it really count as eavesdropping or just hearing? 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  26. I laughed out loud when I heard that Biden endorsed Harris for prez, a laugh of joy and relief 🙂

    I’m not sure if this would be called eavesdropping because I probably could have joined the conversation if I had wanted to: Upon gathering my mat and other gear after a yoga class, I heard a couple discussing the “joys” of living in Tallahassee with another student. My ears perked up because they were describing Tallahassee as if it’s a quaint, laid-back kind of town. It isn’t. The very reasons why we moved out of California (crush of humanity, high housing costs, commuter gridlock) have been happening here … exponentially. Turns out the couple are originally from Miami. Well, that explained their (misplaced) enthusiasm (as well as the rising housing costs, gridlock, etc.).

    Methuselah’s pragmatic diet plan sounds okay to me. I don’t count calories any more. If I feel I’m gaining weight, I try to increase my physical activity first, cut back on wine second, maybe skip the after-dinner cookies and tea. I don’t like to deny myself anything when it comes to food because that just makes me want it even more 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marie, I know you weren’t alone when you joyfully laughed about Joe endorsing Kamala.

      That’s an interesting conversation to overhear. Once you found out their context their comments made more sense, even if they don’t quite yet understand what they’ve gotten into.

      I’m with you. I don’t count calories either. I like your sensible way of taking control of your weight while not depriving yourself of what you like. I know the minute I say I won’t eat or drink something, that’s all I think about.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. Sign me up for Methuselah’s plan. My guideline is moderation; I can have a little of everything. Am I bigger than I once was? Yes. So be it. I’m not giving up pie or chocolate! (And especially not chocolate pie.)

    Poor Alexander! I like the metaphorical qualities of the rule he learned, though.

    Like

    • Rita, moderation is an excellent approach to diet. I do the same. Of course the older I get the less I want to eat, for some reason my appetite is waning. Not complaining about it, of course.

      Yes we can hope that Dad’s advice sticks with Alexander, and William, for the rest of their lives.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. “WE DON’T LEAVE OUR BROTHER IN A RAVINE, ANY RAVINE, EVER.” I am dying, Ally! What a gem.

    Recently, I was hanging out with my friend and her 4-year-old, who’s favorite phases these last few months is, “Mama! Mind your own business!” and “Don’t talk to Auntie Erin! She’s MY best friend!!” I shouldn’t laugh, but her sincerity is sweet and hilarious… probably because I’m not spending 24/7 with the pint-sized tyrant.

    Ah, eavesdropping. We’re staying with my in-laws and I accidentally overhead them advising a visiting neighbor to tell their grown children that there would be an inheritance, but to change their will behind the scenes to leave everything to charity with a tone of “Rah rah, we earned it! They can just pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Kind of sad to hear, but it’s nice to know in advance they’re probably being disingenuous when they bring up inheritance.

    If Methuselah truly lived to over nine hundred years, he must be on to something…

    Liked by 1 person

    • Erin, I like your 4 y.o. bff’s awareness of what to say, who to befriend. It’s cute and like you said sincere.

      Well that’s quite a thing to overhear your in-laws say. I get what you’re thinking about how disingenuous they may be, probably are. Not sure how I’d take a revelation like that one.

      Good point about Methuselah’s diet plan. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  29. As kids, we left each other behind all the time. We roamed 640 acres at will. Our mother blew the horn when it was time to come in and eat.
    The cutest thing I heard was my 5 year old grandson talking to himself and saying, “I’ve got such a crush on Hazel.” I mean, really little dude. How do you even know what a crush is? He is definitely going to be a heartthrob when he grows up but I think Hazel thought he was just Annabelle’s little brother pain in the butt!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bernie, some kids around here play outside in nature, but not too many. I admit I was happy to know these brothers were outside goofing around.

      Cute kid. Sometimes little ones can surprise you with how much they know about adult society, like having a crush. A little brother pain in the butt… who’d of thunk it?

      Liked by 2 people

    • Wynne, the specificity of the Dad’s command is what struck me as funny. He knew his sons, how they’d find a way to twist his line around.

      I have no idea what Methuselah looked like. He didn’t take any selfies, so who knows! 😜

      Liked by 1 person

  31. I wish my son would adopt that diet plan rather than argue about nearly ever meal. :/
    I’m glad you were there to help locate the younger brother. Older brother learned a valuable lesson.
    I LOLed at something in a show or YouTube clip, but I can’t remember what it was now.
    My hearing isn’t good enough for eavesdropping. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Yes, I like Methuselah’s diet plan. Reminds me of my grandparents telling us to eat what’s on our plate. Unfortunately, it could be fishhead stew or lutefisk. The story of the left behind boy is so cute. But it reminded me when I came home one day to find my husband watching TV and our three-year-old son missing. After screaming around the house for him, I spotted his clothes at the edge of the pool. I was terrified. Then we noticed the gate to the yard open and we ran down the street to find him naked on the main drag walking our dog. Fortunately, our dog was a Rottweiler and nobody touched our son. I’ve never let my husband forget that day.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Our dog is scared to go out near dusk or after dark (it’s a fireworks thing). So my husband recently tried to get her to go out and he came in and basically said “the wolves are so disappointed that this is their descendant” and I don’t know why, but this made me laugh and laugh and laugh. Such a funny thing to say.

    Like

  34. Ah, sibling love and parental anguish. I laughed a few minutes ago when I told Mini to take a dose of Miralax. She’s been fighting me on this point and has had x-rays and blood work to see what is going on. In the meantime the doc suggested Miralax, but Mini was in the ‘But I’m not old like you’ camp. I said you put a cup full in your protein shake and it’ll be fine. I pointed at the cap- which is what I mean by ‘cup’, and I thought she understood. Come to find out, she THOUGHT I meant a measuring cup. Good thing I was still supervising her dosage, because that couldn’t gone terribly wrong. Anyway, that made me throw my head back and laugh. I think I thought I was saying capful but I was saying cupful.

    Um, I’m a foster mom, so EVERYTHING makes me stop what I’m doing and eavesdrop. 😉

    That poem is cute. Very old school way of eating, eat till your satisfied or full, nevermind calorie content.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ernie, Mini’s encounter with Miralax is TOO FUNNY! I understand how she misinterpreted what you said, but any adult would have understood you implicitly. I’m glad you were there to correct the dosage. Can you imagine if you hadn’t been‽

      Good point about being a foster mom, eavesdropping comes with the territory. Yes the diet plan was short on specifics, but big on common sense.

      Like

  35. Great post, as expected, Ally! My comments seem to need structure today:
    1- Was Alexander the older or younger brother, I need to know! Older, probably, but then a younger one would be more likely to leave the other one behind 🧐
    2-The poem made me think, not of this practical diet, but whether they really talked of vitamins and caloric count already in 1890?
    3-My kids make me laugh out loud regularly. Unfortunately, I can’t think of an anecdote right now, severe writer’s block! Something that usually makes me smile, though, is how broad their vocabulary is at 7 years of age. They use big words, entirely correctly, but it sounds so sweet coming with a child’s voice and the sort of intonation they reserve for storytelling, specifically.
    4-Eavesdropping? I heard two young women talking at a bus stop (maybe 18-20 years old). One of them was stressing the fact that she had to make a phone call to some place, like a phone company or something, to report something or ask something. But the point was, she had never made such a phone call before and was giggling with her friend. “What would I even say?!?! Like, when they pick up?” Her friend didn’t know, either. I felt old!

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Snow Melts Somewhere, Alexander was older than William and left his little brother behind.

      I wondered about the issue of caloric count in 1890 too. It might have been a theoretical concept then, more than actual scientific fact. No idea about when vitamins came into mainstream culture.

      A broad vocabulary is a gift for life. I can imagine how they sound using big words correctly, coming out of the youthful mouths. I’d smile too.

      Your eavesdrop story is amazing. I have no difficulty believing those young women were clueless about what to say when initiating a phone call BUT feel ancient thinking back to how in elementary school we were formally taught how to call a company, introduce ourself, explain your reason for the call. ☎️

      Liked by 1 person

    • Kari, you’ve explained Alexander’s reasoning and it is normal. Funny to watch from afar.

      900 years of anything would be too much for me. Yet Methuselah seemed to have done fine courtesy of his diet.

      Liked by 1 person

  41. Fathers have a way being profound by accident. I like Methuselah’s approach to food. I think we can become obsessed with what we eat and why.

    The last time I decided to listen to a conversation, it was on the relative meanness of fans in New York vs. Philadelphia.

    Like

    • Dan, yes this was an example of accidental profundity. Dad got his message across and made me smile in the process.

      Mean fans! Doesn’t surprise me that was a topic. Forget meanness, around here there are still arguments going on about Pete Rose. I hear people talking, oh yes I do.

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  42. I laugh out loud a lot, everything from cat videos to jokes by Stephen Colbert.

    You had a good seat for a beautiful story. Thanks for remembering it and sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicki, I laugh out loud a lot, too. At the same things you mention. And much more.

      You know how some stories just appear out of nowhere? This was one of them, happy I got the chance to see and hear it play out.

      Like

  43. Right before I read your blog, I looked at some punny comics posted by “Bluebird of Bitterness ” blog – definitely had me laughing out loud! I am all for Methuselah’s eating habit. As for eavesdropping, I’m pathetically bad at doing it, for a writer.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Eilene, I like puns and comics often get me laughing out loud, too. It’s impossible to argue against Methuselah’s approach, considering how long he lived. I try not to eavesdrop but I do hear what’s being said more often than I want. Although in this case it was priceless.

      Liked by 1 person

  46. The poem made me laugh, but the little boy alone in the ravine sent fear up my spine. I guess that’s the preschool teacher in me although I’m all for children taking risks and having freedom to play. Best to you, Ally.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jennie, I thought the poem was funny, too. Finding it among my Dad’s papers made me smile, definitely his sense of humor.

      I take your point about kids in the ravine. I’ve lived here 25 years and have yet to hear of any kid getting hurt while exploring down there. A few have had to be helped out of the ravine by adults when the kids couldn’t scale the sides to get back up to flat land, but they were no worse for the wear.

      Liked by 1 person

  47. I like the implication that, if you want to leave your brother in other places, it’s more acceptable, like perhaps a department store or a public restroom. JUST NEVER A RAVINE!

    (And let’s hope Alexander doesn’t have a sister; she could soon end up in that ravine if Alexander is a Literalist.)

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    • nance, I adore your take on this conversation. I’m sure that the father didn’t think through ALL the implications of his command, more into getting William home in one piece in the moment.

      Also agree that a little sister could be abandoned in the ravine and Alexander would think he could rest easy. To my knowledge there’s no little sister, so all’s good on that front.

      Like

    • Julia, well I suppose it could be that. I don’t know how seriously any doctor would take the advice in the poem, but you never know. It could have encouraged a few of them way back when to ignore diet + nutrition.

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  49. Oh, Ally. I hate it when I get behind in reading. I missed the best laugh of the day yesterday…but I think it will work for ANY day…words to live by…’never, ever leave your brother in a ravine’. OMG…OMG…OMG. 🤣

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  50. Pingback: Funny diets and eavesdropping | Questions of the day – A weirdo with…

  51. Poor William. I don’t know why it reminds of when my older sister was. to sit with me when the parents were out and for some reason I kept being “stored” in the backyard shed where I’d “be safe there.” And now that’s the last thing that made me laugh out loud. And the time before that was reading Methuselah’s diet!

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  54. Methuselah lived in a time with unprocessed foods. Lucky guy. It’s the processed foods available now that we have to be so wary of. Wish we could just enjoy a meal without worrying about what is in it.

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  55. My cats and rabbit make me laugh out loud every day – too many times to count.
    Yesterday some ladies were gabbing loudly in the street outside my house. So loudly I had to stop and look to see what was going on. Nothing was going on, but boy, some people don’t realize how their voices carry.
    I envy Methuselah.

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Travel Architect, I’ve no doubt your pets are a built-in entertainment system for you. The loud talking on the street, that happens here, too. I agree, some people don’t come with a volume control– or self awareness.

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  56. Oh my goodness! It is a miracle any kid survives childhood!! I did some really dumb things as a kid so I am grateful to have survived. Also glad you saw where William was.
    I was thinking about how back in the day the use of lard, sugar, and butter were considered good. My great-grandfather died at the age of 99 on that sort of diet. While that’s not Methuselah’s length of years, it is considered a long life in our day.

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, ain’t it the truth? William was fine and even hugged Alexander when he came back for him.

      Good point about lard and sugar and butter, while I don’t use lard I do occasionally bake something with sugar and butter. I’d say, considering the times, your great-grandfather’s longevity rivals Methuselah’s!

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  58. Enjoy food and everything in moderation seems to be a practice that works for many of us. Methuselah can get stuffed – which he probably was – after all who wants to live for 900 years.

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  59. “We don’t leave our brothers in ravines” is a GREAT line. They might be laughing at that for a lifetime, haha. “Remember that time you left me in a ravine and our neighbor had to find me???”

    Liked by 1 person

    • Stephany, I thought it was an inadvertently profoundly hilarious thing for the Dad to say. Alexander was rescued, but the Dad advice will stay with me forever.

      Like

  60. Thank you for sharing both of those tidbits, Ally. They definitely made me chuckle and think at the same time. As for Methuselah’s diet, I agree wholeheartedly if we had more natural food to choose from. I love the simple instruction to eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. And I might add, include a variety.

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  61. Ally, I’m giggling over the Dad’s words -ones that will no doubt be quoted back to him ad infinitum!😀 There is one sure film that will have me laughing out so much that I can’t breathe, even talking about it I will chuckle away. A silly one but with the superb Robin Williams always a winner – ‘RV’! It seems you’re having light moments in all the sorting, Ally. Did the new shredder work out okay? Have a great weekend. xx ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • Annika, I know I’ll forever remember Dad’s words, practical and profound. I’ve never heard of RV and like Robin Williams so I’ll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

      The new shredder is a dream machine. [And there’s a sentence I never would have thought I’d ever write.] I feel a sense of finality when I use it, like I’ve made a proper decision and followed through. I’m making progress.

      Happy Weekend to you, too.

      Liked by 1 person

  62. I don’t have any kids in the ‘hood that I hear interacting with one another but I laughed out loud over myself today. We’ve had a good weather week, so I’ve made many long walks, both near and far and today I decided to go to two venues I’ve wanted to visit in a while as the heat/humidity and stormy weather will soon be back. The two venues were actually on last Saturday’s agenda, but I got lost, so I went somewhere else and tabled it to this week. The Google reviews looked great, but when I got to one it was literally a postage-stamped sized parking area and a sign in a field and the other venue had nowhere to park. It was a cute, little beachfront community but “private parking” signs greeted me at every twist and turn of the narrow, one-lane road – one side of the road was a canal, the other side homeowners’ ditches at the end of their property.

    So, I passed by still another place I wanted to try for years and got there, trudged about five miles in the hot sun and saw a couple of seagulls and a frog … not a stellar day. So much for variety is the spice of life.

    I get to eavesdrop at the Park a lot, except sometimes I think I should study Spanish, not French, as a good deal of the conversations are in that language.

    I liked the poem and that did make me LOL. People lived to a ripe old age and didn’t concern themselves with bottled water or a ton of supplements or special diets. Yesterday the oldest woman in the U.S. celebrated her 115th birthday – she lives with her 94-year-old daughter. I went back and found the story as I had heard her tip for a long, happy life: “Speak your mind and don’t hold your tongue.” Hmm. I do that … but I don’t want to live to 115 thank you very much.

    Like

    • Linda, I hear ‘ya. I’ve had the same thing happen: a postage-stamped sized parking area and a sign in a field and the other venue had nowhere to park. It’s frustrating because I’m curious, read about small parks here like the ones you have there, then can’t visit them. I can see them from the road, but that’s not interesting.

      I overhear conversations in Spanish and French about equally here. I can only understand a word or two of each when spoken, do better when seeing the written words.

      I like the longevity tip. It’s about 180º opposite of how I was raised, but I’m getting better at just saying stuff. I’m a kind person, but have my limits as to how much BS I’ll put up with.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ally, I usually scope out a place with Google reviews, but you can’t always trust that either, whether it is a business, food or a park.

        Same here with my French. My last year in school, I had a class where we spoke no English at all. That was in 1978, so I’ve crammed a lot more into my brain since then. I need more RAM memory for my brain and maybe all that vocabulary is still lurking up there. I’m still interested in studying French again – we’ve discussed this before as you learned Spanish. I’m better at the written words too. I’m not into the Olympics but wanted to see Celine Dion sing in French at the Eiffel Tower – well that song flew right over my head.

        That’s not how I was raised either but sometimes the absurdity and BS leads me into uncharted territory for me.

        Like

  63. I like that your dad cut that poem out from a newspaper to save it; I like it even more that you decided to keep what your dad saved. Ironically, my most recent eavesdropping occurred while I was on my own screened-in porch. I learned that both neighbor spouses in the next condo building over (who were sitting on their own porch talking) each spent time in prison. Clearly an eye-opener to hear about. – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, the newspaper clipping is priceless. It’s my father’s sense of humor through and through. Your experience with eavesdropping is much more exciting than what I heard. I’m intrigued, hope you get more of the skinny on them.

      Liked by 1 person

  64. I love that story of the brothers, and hope the one learned to never leave his brother in the ravine. I love a happy ending.

    Some foods are definitely healthier than others, but I think anything in moderation is fine.

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    • J, I liked overhearing this conversation. When sitting outside on the screened-in porch I don’t usually hear words specifically, more just aware that people are talking.

      I’m with you about moderation. I eat a wide variety of foods, some more than others. I think Methuselah would approve!

      Like

  65. I agree with your Dad across the street. Brothers don’t leave brothers in the ravine. Ever. My father didn’t teach that to my brothers. He thought they should fight it out. As far as I know, they still don’t talk to each other.

    I also agree with your friend Methuselah. I think that’s the healthiest approach to food and one that I will never succeed at. Food was a punishment. Food was a reward. Food was definitely not a way to nourish your body. I’m afraid it’s too late to change those now.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Zazzy, that’s an interesting observation about your father and his influence on your brothers to this day. Of course not all siblings get along, but still… kind of sad.

      I understand what you mean about how food was presented to us growing up and then as adults, women especially. It never was just nourishment, there was a subtext. I like Methuselah’s diet approach and the poem makes me laugh.

      Like

    • Neil, good reasoning. Our food is far from what Methuselah ate. I have no idea what Methuselah did for a living, but no doubt it involved more activity than what I do [or don’t do] every day.

      Liked by 1 person

  67. Haha, I loved the “Alexander, we don’t leave our brother in the ravine, ANY RAVINE” LOL good advice! 🙂

    900 years, oh my. I want to know more about that diet. Is that even better than the Mediterranean Diet? 😉

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    • San, I’ll never forget the dad advice. It was profound yet pragmatic. And I, of course, was laughing.

      I don’t know if Methuselah’s diet is better than the Mediterranean diet [that I adore] but I know I’m more inclined to follow the Mediterranean one. Forget 900 years.

      Like

  68. Hi Ally
    I hope your summer is going well
    It sounds like it is as I could imagine you reading ona nice summer day (as the brothers came your way)
    The last think I laughed out loud about?
    We have been playing Monopoly this week and when someone was rolling the dice – as a joke they got all
    Serious and blew on the dice and shook their hands
    They did end up rolling doubles!!
    So hey….
    🎲🎲

    Like

    • Yvette! Great to see you here. How ‘ya been? I’ve been having a mellow summer, productive and lazy in equal parts.

      I love that someone actually got doubles after blowing on the dice. You see that in movies, but in real life not so much. Monopoly, now there’s a game I haven’t played in ages.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ally- our new Monoploy game had some surprising new tokens for moving round the board
        Not sure if you have seen them….
        But they are Penguin, Rubber Ducky, a ship, and… a t-Rex!
        Really – a Dino 🦖 token
        Either way – it was fun to play twice this summer
        —
        And things have been pretty good – I was ready to come back to blogging a while ago but my schedule has not included it for so long – it has been hard to post!
        But just like we ease into a break – I guess we ease back in!

        Liked by 1 person

        • No, I didn’t know about the new tokens. They sound cute. Our game is ancient and looks it too. Suddenly I’m curious, might need a new game.

          I get what you’re saying. I know that whenever I’ve taken a blogging break the worst part is jumping back in. Easy to put it off, but eventually I realized I just had to decide to do it. So I did!

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          • How cool that you have a “classic” game! If/when you get it out – please let me know if you have the thimble ? Or a purse token? Just curious
            I kind of wish we never got rid of our original Monoploy – but we did! And this smaller modern game was a nice purchase this year.

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              • I have not heard of that!
                I will check it out because we are back in that season of playing games when we visit family if when they visit us!
                It seems like we all got away from it for years – but then recently many of us realized how bonding it can be
                Oh and last night we all played Yahtzee – and it was fun because we had the “deluxe edition ”
                With sparkle dice ? Hahaha

                I will check out the monopoly card game
                Keep you posted on that!

                Liked by 1 person

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