Usually, I'm fairly good at jokes. I remember punchlines, and my timing is decent. But sometimes I remember the punchline, and can't remember the joke. "I'm never doing that for two bucks again" is one, the other is "Artie chokes three for a dollar." The last came to mind, because I got some very nice artichokes today, have eaten one, the other is cooking now. I somehow figured I wouldn't eat two, but then decided I would. D is not a fan of the vegetable. I learned to eat if from a Cypriot Greek friend, long, long ago. I used softened butter with lemon peel spice instead of mayo this time. I can't remember the last time I bought mayonnaise. Anymore than ketchup.
We had lunch with D's parents. They are not quite the exemplars of my Massachusetts cousins - who have made all their children into friends, and all comers welcome - in a way neither D nor I had ever experienced before. But they are lovely people, mellowed over the years and become less presuming, more just folks. I am very glad of them. My MIL assured me she likes all her DILs, all five of us. I realized slightly later that I am the eldest and most senior of them. D's older brother has been married a few times, the latest seems to be staying - so far. The next younger is on #2. The next two are still with wife #1. And so I get to be both oldest and longest lasting. We take some pride in this, although only privately.
MIL bothered on my behalf about not being told about my dead father. I really appreciate her being on my side. She also hoped I thought of them as parents. She is actually not quite old enough to be my mother, but I do think of them that way. On the way to meet them, I thanked D for sharing them with me. I'm glad to have folks.
I've not really felt any need for parents, not for a very long time. But for kinship, acceptance, yes. And that I already have.
17 comments:
So good to have kin. Don't have to be blood-kin, necessarily. As you commented on my place. Prost!
P.S. I have two jokes. They will both bring down the house. My other jokes are mediocre.
Rou,
Tell us your jokes. Here, or at your home. Please.
Good indeed to have kin, and special too when they are in-laws.
Nothing wrong with surrogate parents.
There is only one joke that I can ever remember and it isn't one told in polite company. I heard it at a time that such a joke would really have stuck, and it has.
Phil,
Anything scatological is quite useful for rote memorization, very valuable for my anatomy classes. I was very good at coming up with obscene mnemonics. Swear words are processed in a different part of the brain than other language.
I know a lot of jokes I would never tell my in-laws. They do go through my head at inappropriate times. The first punchline above is one of them.
I am happy for you that you have good in-laws who appreciate you; cool beans, Z.
I have one joke I learned when I was 7 or 8, and got it from Children's Digest magazine. (I remembered it because it made my father laugh long and hard, something he rarely ever did with his kids.)
Q: How are lobsters and politicians alike?
A: They both turn red when the water gets hot.
I went through a phase of telling jokes a lot, now I seem to have exhausted my repertoire and it's a bit of a relief, though sometimes one bobs to the surface. I started feeling a bit uncomfortable with playing the role of the person with the jokes.
Love artichokes though, always with butter and lemon.
Z! One joke is very long and involves accents ... really has to be told in person for the full effect to be felt. However, here's the one that never fails with language-loving folks:
A bilingual cat walks into the local telegraph office one day wanting to wire a telegram. The human clerk asks him for the message, to which the cat replies, "Meow. Meow meeeow, meow!" The clerk counts the number of words and tells the cat, "we're running a special today - you can send up to five words for a dollar, so you can add another word for the same price!" The cat looks at him and says, "But then it wouldn't make any sense!"
Rou,
There's a version of that with a dog, "bark, bark, bark bark."
"It is five words for one price, would you like to add another 'bark'?"
Dog looks puzzled, "... but, that wouldn't make any sense!"
Or, Three French Canadian cats get into a leaky boat. Un, deux, trois, catre, sank.
Good to have family. And tell us some half remembered jokes and let us make up the punchlines!
My Welsh Nanna always used to sing out 'Artichokes for the hearty-jokes my Father used to tell', whenever she bought the veg. Where that came from we have no idea.
I like them too (also aspargus)with butter and black pepper and a large napkin under my chin!
Kin are where you find them I reckon.
That would be asparAgus!
I dont have any family left, but I have grown fond of some ofmy partner's kin.
I am trying to imagine Lucy telling a joke... I shall insist next time I see her. We usually just go in for witty asides.
I'll have D's artichoke. We call them hearty blokes in our house.
I don't have jokes so much as a perpetually sarcastic demeanour.
ha ha ha .... I finally get it!
(I'm a little slow)
Rou,
What my family would call someone who enjoyed a joke three times. The first time when they laughed to be polite, the second time when the joke is explained, and a third time when they finally get it the next day.
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