This recording needs a bit of backstory. We began talking about Jody’s life in Colorado, then on to random conversation from her notecards. The banter may read impassive, but there are many giggles and emotional sighs throughout. Like always, Jody has her notecards ready. Every week, she would make a list of the things she wanted to talk about. After we talked about it, she took the small, worn pencil from her smock pocket and marked each topic off her list.
Jody: When we were living at Birky’s and Pete was in vet
school, the college hired me to type up the necropsy reports. I got the job
because Pete was a student, and we needed the money. I usually rode Starboy
over to the vet college to drop the reports off or pick them up. This one day,
I tied Starboy outside and when I came back out, he had bolted from where he
had been grazing. Someone had turned on the building’s exhaust fan. I suppose
they didn’t expect anyone to tie their horse near the fan. They should have had
a sign Do not tie horses here. Of course, the smell from the exhaust fan
probably scared him, too. It was from inside where the students were performing
necropsies. I found him nearby. I never did that again.
Gina: He probably wanted to be found. The smell must have
been overwhelming.
Jody: Oh, it was, but only when they turned on the fan. Let
me see… what else. I told you about my experience with Edgar Cacey/A.R.E., if
thou be of Christ, didn’t I? Pete and I attended several A.R.E. meetings.
We were interested in Casey. We have several of his books. We studied the Urantia Book, too. It has the most lovely description of Christ. At any rate, one
night, after Pete died, I felt something in my room after I had gone to bed. Whatever
it was, it was standing over me. I wasn’t afraid, but said, “If thou be of
Christ, welcome. If not, be gone.” Whatever it was left because I’ve not
had that feeling again.
Gina: My dad is a fan of Casey’s, too. I have several of
his books.
Jody: There used to be a group of us who would meet and
discuss Casey’s books. I told you about the unicorns. Abbott, Pete’s dad, got
all bent out of shape because his daughter-in-law [Jody] had pictures of
unicorns everywhere.
Gina: Why would he dislike unicorns?
Jody: He thought it was folklore, and whatever.
Fortunately, I have the book that shows during the Middle Ages that unicorns
were the symbol of the purity and the mystery of Christ. Once I showed him
that, well, then he was fine. Of course, now, he would really be upset because
it symbolizes something else…
Gina: I was told unicorns were mischievous and they played
around, missed Noah’s Ark. But, then again, I read where “unicorn” was
mistranslated from the original text, and the real meaning is rhinoceros.
Jody: Well, I don’t know. I always liked unicorns. There’s
the art by Charles Addams of the two unicorns watching the Ark float away.
[Jody gets distracted by a very large dragonfly. It lands on the light fixture above our heads. She comments on how much she
loves dragonflies. We take a break, begin talking about a local story that can’t
be repeated, totally off-track. Jody looked at her notecards…]
Jody: I told you about Pat’s accident, didn’t I? The trial?
The accident on Court Street?
Gina: Not in detail.
Jody: I was invited to Helen Baker’s house to meet this
young man who had been an Ohio University student and was going to run for
judge in Athens. I was determined that the then current judge needed to be
replaced. During Pat’s trial… our attorney
was young… at any rate, the young woman who ran over Pat shows up dressed to
the nines, the whole bit. Her attorney was very good. By then, Pat wasn’t on crutches.
The judge came to the sentencing. “Well, young woman, since you turned yourself
in..”. Well, she didn’t. It was a hit and run. Hearing the judge, I jumped up and
began to disagree, but our attorney told me to sit down or I was going to be in
contempt of court. The investigator had to search for the woman, it was a hit
and run, she didn’t turn herself in… he told me to sit down. I have a
transcript of the trial. We made an appointment with the judge after the sentencing
for clarification. He said, “I know you’re upset, Mrs. Smith.” He was right. I
had the part highlighted on the report where the accident stated hit and run.
The judge said, “Well, if I had known that…”. The woman was given a choice of
two weekends that she couldn’t drive. She almost killed Pat. I’ve been meaning
to tell Jenny Lance that I really appreciate that she bought that piece of
property. It reminds me of that man. At any rate, I went to Helen Baker’s house
to learn about the new judge who was running. The judge had slept through Pat’s
trial. He needed to go. I remember going to church that Sunday morning. They
all had read my Letter to the Editor. A lot of people thought the case was
mishandled.
Gina: What an ordeal! Pat is a survivor.
Jody: Well, I finally came to terms with it. Let me see… [looking
at her notecards] …When I baked cookies, the kids would get one cookie and I
told them to break it in half and share it. If it was Jessica’s turn, she randomly broke
the cookie in two and gave Pat half. When Pat divided the cookie, he took
out his ruler and cut the cookie exactly in two. Years later, down at the
Clinic, someone asked Pat if he was going to become a vet, like his dad. He replied
that he just couldn’t afford it. He knew the many times we almost went
bankrupt.
Have a great week ahead.
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