The Unbearable Banishment: i had blood on my hands

Sunday, March 22, 2009

i had blood on my hands

I took 2.5-Year Old Daughter to a local working farm. It's owned by the county and is run as a "period piece" from the 1890s. The volunteers all wear clothing from that era and use vintage farm tools to work the land. No electricity! Or iPods! It's meant to be educational but all I could think of was how horrible life must have been in the 1890s. What a cynic. God bless the 21st Century.

We (ho-hum) saw some sheep...



...and hens.


We walked up to the horse barn and saw a cute little kitty cat sitting outside. I reached down and gave him a little scratch under his chin. He got that eyes-half-closed look of ecstasy that cats get when they're being scratched and leaned into my hand for more.

Then he sneezed and sprayed blood all over the back of my hand. Here's a pic of the hay with some blood splashed on it.


I almost wretched. Proof positive that the city is the place for me.


* * *

Father and daughter share a tender moment:

2.5 Year-Old Daughter: What's that sound?

Me: Daddy had gas.

2.5 Year-Old Daughter: Daddy, you gas is beautiful.

Me: Yes, I know that.

11 Comments:

Blogger Barlinnie said...

Hah! Tender moment indeed. Kids are great when they come out with those innocent little quips.

March 22, 2009 at 6:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

omg, I laughed and I shouldn't because that cat could be carrying plague. I hope you had the anti-bacterial wet wipes with you.

March 22, 2009 at 6:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

how horrible life must have been in the 1890s.

It's kind of relative, really. It looks horrible now that you know about and are accustomed to the amenities of life that we have today.

Here's a horrific thought: What if we had to reduce our standard of living back a few notches toward that of the late 19th century?

Having known the "easier" life makes it much more difficult to contemplate "going back" than if you actually lived back then and didn't know anything else.

Humans are pretty adaptable, though, and some will be able to make the transition if or when it comes.

About the cat? Never touch an animal you do not know. Never.

March 22, 2009 at 7:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cats that sneeze blood? sounds like a Zombie cat to me... Blechhh... give your wife a shotgun before you go to bed tonight. Just in case. Tell her to be brave... it won't really be you any more....

March 22, 2009 at 7:40 PM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Jimmy: They’re great for now. Soon, it’ll be “It’s all your fault.”

Annie: It’s okay. I licked my hand clean.

Rob: Humans can adapt as needed but this was a fairly startling display of how people use to be. It was pretty scary stuff.

Daisy: I don’t know about the whole zombie cat thing. She seemed pretty happy. Except for the blood dripping out of nose.

March 22, 2009 at 8:38 PM  
Blogger A Free Man said...

1. Cats suck. Sneezing blood or no.

2. I've spent more time at all manner of animal enclosing places in the last 18 months than I have in the last 18 years and I imagine I will be doing for quite some time. It's OK, though, as you know their smiles make it worthwhile!

March 22, 2009 at 11:25 PM  
Blogger Sid said...

Cats sneeze blood? Your little daughter is so cute.

March 23, 2009 at 8:06 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

AFM: I accidently misread the last sentence in your comment as, “…the smells make it worthwhile!” What would Freud say?

Sid: I don't think they're suppose to but this one did. It came right out of his nose. Gross.

March 23, 2009 at 8:16 AM  
Blogger bob said...

"She seemed pretty happy. Except for the blood dripping out of nose."

Sounds like a lot of people I used to hang out with.

When's the field trip to the abatoir?

March 23, 2009 at 10:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

These old-timey places would be great if they made visitors wear period garb as well.

March 23, 2009 at 4:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And I thought you were getting ready to consider getting a four legged animal for a minute....had me fooled.
MT

March 23, 2009 at 9:06 PM  

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