Detour
Viewing comments for Chapter 8 "Nothing's As It Seems (Rachelle)"Two very real women in not so real situation.
30 total reviews
Comment from Jim Wile
This was absolutely hysterical, Rachelle. The buildup to that final scene when the purpose of the corncobs was revealed is perfectly framed with
"Surely, I'm allowed to maintain SOME semblance of fashionable dignity!"
The icing on the cake was that operatic note you held and held when you realized the truth. Such a well written scene with the perfect amount of comic horror and wonderful, shocked reactions from all who witnessed it. This is comedy at its best--when a down and dirty embarrassing scene is visited upon an unsuspecting fashionista. Really well done.
I also loved hearing about your contrasting background. This was such a fun chapter.
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2024
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This was absolutely hysterical, Rachelle. The buildup to that final scene when the purpose of the corncobs was revealed is perfectly framed with
"Surely, I'm allowed to maintain SOME semblance of fashionable dignity!"
The icing on the cake was that operatic note you held and held when you realized the truth. Such a well written scene with the perfect amount of comic horror and wonderful, shocked reactions from all who witnessed it. This is comedy at its best--when a down and dirty embarrassing scene is visited upon an unsuspecting fashionista. Really well done.
I also loved hearing about your contrasting background. This was such a fun chapter.
Comment Written 18-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 18-Jul-2024
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Honestly, Jim, you always have the NICEST way of making me what I've written has been received in exactly the way I hoped. I love you for having connected the "SOME sembrance of fashionable dignity" comment with the debacle that followed. The Amish are very into being humble, and my wanting to still be "follicle-y special" led to my humiliation and horror. A million thank-you's for that!!!
We settle more into Amish life in the next chapter!
Thank you so very much for this wonderful review. xoxoxo
Comment from T B Botts
Hello Rachelle,
this was great! I was wondering at the time if you hadn't actually grown up on a farm. I can't believe that you never used the outhouse though. We didn't have a choice on the farm I lived at for ten years. I mean, we could go to the woods, but indoor plumbing was unheard of.
I know that Jews aren't supposed to eat pork and I believe you're not supposed to mix various things together, like cheese and hamburger, so I wonder if there is a way around the rules in a case like you've presented. This was delightful gal. Well done.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
reply by the author on 17-Jul-2024
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Hello Rachelle,
this was great! I was wondering at the time if you hadn't actually grown up on a farm. I can't believe that you never used the outhouse though. We didn't have a choice on the farm I lived at for ten years. I mean, we could go to the woods, but indoor plumbing was unheard of.
I know that Jews aren't supposed to eat pork and I believe you're not supposed to mix various things together, like cheese and hamburger, so I wonder if there is a way around the rules in a case like you've presented. This was delightful gal. Well done.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
Comment Written 17-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 17-Jul-2024
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Hi, Tom!
Thanks for the delightfully schmoozey review! I love it.
My parents bought a 175-year-old house, but although it had a dirt-floor cellar and a pump (which we didn't use) in the kitchen, it also had bathrooms and running water and complete electricity throughout. We weren't there long before we remodeled it from top to bottom and modernized every facet of it (including removing the pump from the middle of the kitchen)
Jews don't eat pork, and Orthodox Jews - which I actually used to be - ESPECIALLY don't. But in situations like those, we just eat fruits and vegetables and what isn't against the laws of kashrut. G-d would NOT be okay with us partaking of pork or, as you suggested, mixtures of meat and dairy or shellfish. (The Orthodoxy has SOO many rules!! I soo do not miss it!)
Anyway, thank you for the very nice review. Very much appreciated. xoxo
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Hi Rachelle,
I don't have a very good understanding of your religion, but I see that you're no longer practicing orthodox rules. Does that mean you can eat shrimp, crabs or catfish, or is it still against the rules? Whenever I read Leviticus, my head starts spinning. Too many rules.
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I'm Conservative now, so, no I cannot eat shrimp or shellfish of any kind or mix milk with meat or eat any animal that has a cloven hoof. But I've rather betrayed my faith by marrying a non-Jew, so it's pretty ridiculous that I observe the laws of kashrut. Our kitchen isn't kosher, but what I put on my plate is.
Reform Jews are allowed to eat anything they like (I have actually attended a Bar Mitzvah where shrimp was served - and pepperoni pizza! OY!!!)
You're definitely right about Leviticus. Too much to remember.
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Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions gal.
Blessings,
Tom
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Of course! I appreciate that you're interested. xoxo
Comment from nomi338
You told this chapter so convincingly that I accepted each word as being totally factual. You are that great at story telling. The Amish community is so foreign to most, especially African Americans that their customs seem to be from another time. Certainly not on coexisting alongside our own.
reply by the author on 17-Jul-2024
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You told this chapter so convincingly that I accepted each word as being totally factual. You are that great at story telling. The Amish community is so foreign to most, especially African Americans that their customs seem to be from another time. Certainly not on coexisting alongside our own.
Comment Written 17-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 17-Jul-2024
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Oh, no, they ARE from another time. They don't even have electricity or indoor plumbing a lot of them. They're all about working, being simple, and serving/trusting the Lord. They fascinate me. I got invested in a murder mystery/cop book series by Linda Castillo a couple years back, and the main character is a female police chief in a small Pennsylvania town, comprised of many Amish families, and the chief used to be Amish herself but left the fold. I learned SO MUCH about their culture! Plus, here in Upstate NY, there are Mennonites just one county over. They run a fabric store that makes me salivate whenever I patronize it! I quilt, so I LOVE to go in there. It's where I bought my wedding dress fabric.
I'm sorry, what's that? Did I just hear you ask if I have an "off" button? It's summer, so I'm teaching only part-time. Obviously, that is NOT enough socializing time!! Sorry, Nomi!!! hahahahaa.
xoxoxo
Comment from Gunner Lil
Another fine piece of work by this author that had this reader wanting more.
Excellent dialog that moved the story along. Very good flow and pace making it an easy read.
Loved the word, 'bucolic'.
Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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Another fine piece of work by this author that had this reader wanting more.
Excellent dialog that moved the story along. Very good flow and pace making it an easy read.
Loved the word, 'bucolic'.
Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 16-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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thank you, Gunner Lil; it really helps to read this specific kinds of comments. I appreciate your review so very much!! xo
Comment from Neonewman
This is hilarious! When she asked you if you knew what the corn cobs were for, I assumed you knew, but when you said curlers, I lost it! I have certainly enjoyed reading these few chapters between you two, It's like watching a sitcom.
God bless,
Steve
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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This is hilarious! When she asked you if you knew what the corn cobs were for, I assumed you knew, but when you said curlers, I lost it! I have certainly enjoyed reading these few chapters between you two, It's like watching a sitcom.
God bless,
Steve
Comment Written 16-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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Oh, wow!! What a nice compliment! Thank you, Steve. xo
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My pleasure, young lady!
Comment from Bill Schott
The best stories, as you well know, are taken from actual experiences which can form into the fictional application with the sound of authority. Picturing the corn cobs as rollers when they are actually poop scoopers has got to be as riotously funny to see as to read. Characters' reactions to the situations seem valid and believable. So much fun.
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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The best stories, as you well know, are taken from actual experiences which can form into the fictional application with the sound of authority. Picturing the corn cobs as rollers when they are actually poop scoopers has got to be as riotously funny to see as to read. Characters' reactions to the situations seem valid and believable. So much fun.
Comment Written 16-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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What a great review this is! I could not appreciate it more. Thank you, Bill!! xoxo
Comment from Michele Harber
Note to self: Never, ever, ever go on a road trip with Rachelle and, whatever you do, if she offers you corn on the cob, TURN IT DOWN!!!
Thank you for a good laugh. I kind of got the hint, when Rebekah mentioned "outhouse," that the corn cobs and cloth strips were not for styling your hair (well, at least not the hair on your head). You did fool me in two instances, though. I suspected the trip to the "hot springs" would turn out to be a more family-friendly euphemism for a trip to the outhouse. I also expected you to get lost on your way back to the house, the idea of your being left alone in the hot spring just too good a springboard for that storyline. However, your "hair curler" plot line was just as funny.
You describe everything so clearly that it's easy to visualize all the characters and every action you reference. Of course, the funniest image is that of you, leopard-print-wearing fashion icon that you are, decked out in an oversized plain blue Amish dress and apron. But one thing I've always enjoyed in your work is the self-deprecation, and that image is just another humorous example. I'll look forward to the next chapter.
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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Note to self: Never, ever, ever go on a road trip with Rachelle and, whatever you do, if she offers you corn on the cob, TURN IT DOWN!!!
Thank you for a good laugh. I kind of got the hint, when Rebekah mentioned "outhouse," that the corn cobs and cloth strips were not for styling your hair (well, at least not the hair on your head). You did fool me in two instances, though. I suspected the trip to the "hot springs" would turn out to be a more family-friendly euphemism for a trip to the outhouse. I also expected you to get lost on your way back to the house, the idea of your being left alone in the hot spring just too good a springboard for that storyline. However, your "hair curler" plot line was just as funny.
You describe everything so clearly that it's easy to visualize all the characters and every action you reference. Of course, the funniest image is that of you, leopard-print-wearing fashion icon that you are, decked out in an oversized plain blue Amish dress and apron. But one thing I've always enjoyed in your work is the self-deprecation, and that image is just another humorous example. I'll look forward to the next chapter.
Comment Written 16-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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Thanks very much for all your observations and fun comments. xo
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Any time!
Comment from F. William Lester
LOL. I was rolling at the corncob confusion. I knew what they were usually used for, but I was also in the dark about the strips of fabric until you presented the curler idea. Sounded good to me, but then what do I know? Great story. The build up to the climax was exceptional. I loved it. Great work. Thanks for sharing it. Have a wonderful day.
reply by the author on 15-Jul-2024
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LOL. I was rolling at the corncob confusion. I knew what they were usually used for, but I was also in the dark about the strips of fabric until you presented the curler idea. Sounded good to me, but then what do I know? Great story. The build up to the climax was exceptional. I loved it. Great work. Thanks for sharing it. Have a wonderful day.
Comment Written 15-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 15-Jul-2024
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Thanks for this delightful review! It's a two-author story, so for my co-conspirator's version, be sure to check out GW Hargis. Each chapter we do from our own vantage point, so that makes it extra interesting.
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You're welcome. I will check out your co-author and see what she wrote from her POV. Thanks.
Comment from Marilyn Hamilton
lolol Amish Life sucks! What could possibly suck about wrapping your hair up in homemade toilet paper before chowing down on a homemade meal of scrapple. I can only imagine that everything is bound to get worse before it gets better. woohooooo
reply by the author on 15-Jul-2024
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lolol Amish Life sucks! What could possibly suck about wrapping your hair up in homemade toilet paper before chowing down on a homemade meal of scrapple. I can only imagine that everything is bound to get worse before it gets better. woohooooo
Comment Written 15-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 15-Jul-2024
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Well, be sure and stay tuned!!
Thanks for the fun review, Marilyn. I certainly do appreciate it. xo
Comment from Ulla
I enjoyed this chapter, Rachelle, and I get the the feeling that you're not fond of the Amish culture. I have to admit that the few times I have come across them, I found them different but fascinating. Ulla xcx
reply by the author on 15-Jul-2024
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I enjoyed this chapter, Rachelle, and I get the the feeling that you're not fond of the Amish culture. I have to admit that the few times I have come across them, I found them different but fascinating. Ulla xcx
Comment Written 15-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 15-Jul-2024
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Well, there have been a few glitches with their unique ways during this trip!!