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Lensman
Thank you.....yes, I love the name Elysian Fields, too.....it's got a lot of literary background....and, I will probably write about it a lot. Mama and I took a quick drive through there a couple of years ago on the way somewhere else.....and we drove by our old house.....I was so overwhelmed with emotion I couldn't believe it......I'm going to have to take a real trip back there soon and really spend some time with my memories....then maybe I can write some real stories about it. Thanks, again, for the sweet words of understanding about these kinds of memories...
posted by
Krisles
on April 15, 2006 at 7:48 PM
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teddy
Sorry to be so long in responding to you!!! Thank you so very, very much for that comment.....really appreciated, dear one.
posted by
Krisles
on April 15, 2006 at 7:44 PM
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Hi Krisles
Well, I hunted around and this must the one you said I missed. Boy, did I miss something. Very glad I've found it. Medusa's right, this has the makings of a memoir, and "Elysian Fields" would be a great title. It is a magical name indeed and what a terrific place to be able to say you're from. I also like the fact that the environment is so lush there. Makes it a perfect fit. You had a great childhood, Krisles. I think the world is forgetting how to give a child a childhood. If you wrote about yours, it could serve two purposes: a memoir for yourself and a reminder for others.
posted by
Lensman
on April 7, 2006 at 9:36 AM
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Medusa
I am so humbled......really. Your opinion means a lot to me and I appreciate what you've said here more than you can know. Yes, my childhood was wonderful....and I have many stories from it.....and many are from my time in Elysian Fields....I'm sure more will pop out.
posted by
Krisles
on April 2, 2006 at 12:24 PM
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Kris...truly extraordinary!
posted by
teddypoet_TheGoodByeFade
on April 2, 2006 at 9:05 AM
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Krisles....This should be the start of a novel....Wonderful prose...
Rich in imagery and feeling. What an incredible childhood. You took in alot with a big open heart, thanks to the good teachings from your mon and dad....A delightful account. I'm serious. This could be the start of your memoirs...Fine job! How did I miss this one?!
posted by
MedusaNextDoor
on April 2, 2006 at 8:45 AM
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Original_Influence
Thank you, so much! I appreciate your reading and commenting, and am sorry it took me so long to tell you so. I'm not in my usual life right now, and my rhythm and manners are just kind of by the wayside....I'll make it by your place soon.....
posted by
Krisles
on March 31, 2006 at 6:14 PM
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Mason
I'm sorry it took me so long to respond.....I've been working like a dog! I'm glad you connected with this post....I know the part of Oklahoma you speak of ....I lived in OKC for 8yrs and traveled the state for work. And, you and I are close in age, so we can definitely relate to lots of things......those were definitely different days.....here's to us
posted by
Krisles
on March 31, 2006 at 6:13 PM
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Offbeat
No, it wasn't in Marshall, just very close to it..... I've not been to the Canton flea market....heard so much about it, I really must go to it.....like I really need more "stuff" to worry about!!! Why don't you come down and visit me, and we'll go see all your favorite Texas haunts together?!!!!
posted by
Krisles
on March 31, 2006 at 6:11 PM
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Nice reading this...well done!
posted by
Original_Influence
on March 17, 2006 at 5:50 PM
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Hi Krisles...
...thank you for that marvelous post... you don't know the chords that you struck in me... My childhood in the 50's was very similar in the northeastern part of Oklahoma... the same sort of rural and often almost primitive environment.. mostly with American native Cherokees... I have full blood Cherokee aunts and uncles... and like you I didn't really know the ugly prejudices until as a teen I moved with my family to the north and then west... and like you some of my fondest memories are still back there in much simpler times... thanks for the memory revival, M
posted by
MasonGarrett
on March 16, 2006 at 11:46 PM
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Kris
You writing is anything but sinful...you grew up in Marshall? Tall pines..What about Canton? I love that flea market...
Yeah, some things never change I guess, some things change yet remain the same, just a different language.
posted by
Offy
on March 16, 2006 at 9:54 PM
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Madame
So glad to have your visit! See my answer to TAPS....I think her interest in mythology is probably why Elysia Fields chose her name ( think she drops the "n"....not sure and too lazy to look). When she first came on here, I got excited and mentioned Elysian Fields to her, but she didn't relate....and she seems to be really well read in the classics and such....so, I've kind of made that assumption..... And, you should know from past reads, that I am frequently long-winded....one of my many, many failures as a human being......
posted by
Krisles
on March 16, 2006 at 9:42 PM
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TAPS
You nailed it! Now, is it like that for us because it's paradise in Greek mythology, land of perfect peace and happiness so it just has acquired that connotation....or did they choose those words because the sound of them had that "sound" (well, of coure, I mean the words surely mean something but you know what I mean).....I'm always interested about which comes first...... Anyway, I remembered it meant paradise, but couldn't remember if it was Greek mythology or Viking legend or what and when I just went to check, learned that's the translation of Champs-Elysees(can't do little marks...but you know)....anyway!
I hear you on the Kansas/Missouri thing.....I run into it all the time....I tell people I live part time in Kansas City....instead of saying Overland Park, because I figure they'll recognize that....then it's, Kansas or Missouri?....sigh..... and I've really always been more of a Missourian since I moved there than a Kansan (in my heart and soul), and hate to say "Kansas", and then have to explain the whole Kansas/Missouri thing.....and then go on to explain the whole Texas/Kansas thing....sigh..... I'll be soooooo glad when I just get divorced and am in Texas .....but I will always miss KC .....Missouri!!!!
posted by
Krisles
on March 16, 2006 at 9:38 PM
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Passion
Thank you so much....I knew you'd be able to relate. And, it's everywhere, and in every color and gender and socio/economic level. My own is still a matter of how well I relate to someone...period. That move from one minority culture to another was the eye-opener on how the whole thing works for me, and I've seen it since. What amazes me is how blind folks are to their own prejudices while they are pointing the finger out....always brings the old thing about when pointing you have three fingers pointing back at you.
posted by
Krisles
on March 16, 2006 at 9:30 PM
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That's interesting ...
When I was little, I lived quite a "sheltered existence" (plus had private/"alternative" schooling), so I very rarely came into contact with minorities until I was an adult.
P.S. Isn't there a blogger named "Elysian Fields", too? Any connection?
P.P.S. This post was really long, btw.
"Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 16, 2006 at 9:16 PM
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Krisles
The name, Elysian Fields, sounds absolutely heavenly, like a dream place. I had the dubious pleasure of always having to tell everyone that I lived in Kansas City and then they would say, "Oh, you're from Kansas!" And, I would say, "No! I live in Missouri." And then, just being a kid, I had a heck of a time trying to explain when they thought I didn't know what I was talking about.
posted by
TAPS.
on March 16, 2006 at 9:07 PM
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Very lovely piece and well-written too!
Thanks for sharng your memories with us. It's really cool to relive them, isn't it? I was raised out in East Texas too, the Terrell area. There were a lot of blacks there and still are. My grandmother wouldn't walk on the same side of the street with one.
As you say, it was just that time in our history. We've come a long way since then, but we still have so far to go. Sometimes I think we're rushing the race evolution. We're trying to make things better too quickly. We're not allowing time and events to shape us and change us from within.
We want it all to be 'fixed' immediately. But it can't be. There are deep-rooted resentments on both sides. Mostly, we just pretend they don't exist and go about being politically correct in public. But our hearts are not changed.
posted by
Passionflower
on March 16, 2006 at 8:57 PM
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