Have any of you out there read "The Egg and I" by Betty MacDonald? It was published in1945, but as near as I can tell, was written in the early 30's. She later became well known,(and probably rich) by writing the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. Most older people (My age) remember the old, and very stupid Ma and Pa Kettle movies, starring Margarie Maine as Ma Kettle. However, the book is really pretty cool. After the first couple of chapters about her growing up, she gets down to the meat of the story, of her and her new husband and their "chicken ranch". You have to put up with a lot of bullsh*t, because she hated it, and her husband loved it, But if you can ignore her complaining, she tells a story of what most of us Countrysiders would consider Nivana. What they pay for their place will make you envious,of course, it WAS in the late 20's, early 30's, but she hits the nail on the head about baby chicks, chickens, predators, doing laundry by hand, putting up wood, and, in many ways, Men. Sorry guys! Hollywood took the success of the book and made a 40's movie starring (Heaven Forbid!) Fred McMurray as Bob, rewrote the whole thing, ruined it, and hence the Ma and Pa Kettle Movies. But while she's in the middle of all her complaining, she describes in perfect detail the weather in Western Washington, the Olympic Mountains, the rain, and of course, the sometimes lonliness of Homesteading. She hated all of it, but we who subscribe to Countryside want exactly what she complained about, and I read it every winter when the gray and dark become too much to bear! Many years ago, before we bought our farm,we put money down on a 10 acre piece on the "Egg and I" road in Chimicum, but were outbid by one of the Kettle descendents. No, you can't find their original homestead, and the author tried very hard to divert attention from where they really were....if you want to know, and have read the book, I can help you decipher a lot of if...Docktown, for instance, is Port Ludlow. If you've already read it, or do read it after having heard from me, it might do your heart good to know that the "Kettles" sued her for a lot of money, won, and now own most of the valley, and the hills above the valley. Also, the Kettle house, huge, still stands, and has been totally modernized, but is still surrounded by the orchard she describes, and there is also a huge barn, (NOT the one Pa burns down) but the barn is now separated from the house by "The Egg and I" Road. If you haven't read it..you'll love it, for those who have, please contact me, I love to share......Kathie p.s. there is some mild swearing, and she paints a dim picture of the Native Americans of that time.

-- Kathie in Western Washington (twinrosefarm@worldnet.att.net), January 12, 2001

Answers

Good read-forgotten about that one-I should read it again. thanks

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 12, 2001.

Kathie, oh yeah! This was part of our lives...and my mom bought us the film version for a Christmas gift a few years back (even though it was pretty silly. Like NW Coast Indians in buckskins. That sucked.)

We drove around over there one time, kind of looking for the house location. Now that I know it's a mystery, I'll just head out to Dungeness Spit, Hurricane Ridge, or whatever other destination we are headed for (Lake Ozette?)

Thanks for the review!

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), January 12, 2001.

I love the Marjorie MacDonald books, and own a few first editions. Ma Kettel has always been my hero and I follow her housekeeping and child rearing philosophy closely (putting it one place is just as good as another)

My husband and I know several of the Kettel clan. They are very nice people. One thing they all agree on is that as goofy as the movies are, they accurately portray Ma and Pa. Many of the Kettel grandchildren did not know the movie charactors were based on their grandparents until they were teenagers.

The thing about the Ma and Pa Kettle movies that always cracks me up are the trains to Neah Bay and Cape Flattery, and dust.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), January 12, 2001.

Hmmm. It's been YEARS since I read "The Egg and I". But my memory of her dissatisfaction with her life had most to do with her husband having big ideas that he would begin, then foist off on her, to leave her to cope with however she could, when she hadn't been interested in it in the first place. I will have to read it again. Certainly, my perspectives on life have changed since I read it! FWIW, she and her husband were divorced (not happily reconciled as in the movie), and she eventually remarried. I suspect that she "made light" of many things that were worse than as portrayed.

Before she remarried, she contracted TB and had to spend quite a long time in a TB sanitarium (or is that sanitorium?). She wrote a book about that as well, called "The Plague and I". I read it -- very interesting, though not as humorous as her other books.

She also wrote "Onions in the Stew", which concerned her life after remarrying. It was entertaining as well. My memory of that book is that they were living on an island off the coast of Washington, renovating a house, dealing with many animals, and still doing "homesteady" things. So, perhaps her earlier problems had as much to do with a conflict with her first husband as with the homesteading lifestyle.

In regard to her distaste for the local "Indians", I also had the impression that was more for the people they were than for their race. Having been gone to school with a number of Native Americans, I will attest that they are like everyone else -- some are nice and some are not!

From prowling around on the web, I have discovered there is a 4th book, called "Anybody Can Do Anything", which I did not know about and haven't read. This is a quote from a review on the Amazon site:
"This is a sweet, wonderful book about the a family living through the depression in a Seattle that bears little resemblance to the blandly affluent city that today bears its name. The writing is still fresh and entertaining even though the book is more than fifty years old.

This is a great book for kids, as it explains the realities of the depression in a way that is much more understandable than most historical accounts. I first read it in 1977 when I was 12, and it gave me a wonderful insight into the lives of my depression generation parents. I would recommend that everyone search out Betty's books and read them over and over, especially if you are a resident of Seattle or its environs. They are marvelous books from a marvelous author."

I also discovered that her sister, Mary Bard, wrote at least three books.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 12, 2001.

Kathie Thanks for the info I didnt realize the books were based in wa. although my 20 year old son did. We like vacationing on the penninsula and usually spend a week around Forks fishing and traveling every year, the road out to Neah bay is one of the most beautiful drives in Wa. in my opinion, although Neah bay itself is disappointing. This gives us something to do our family can read the books before our next trip to the Forks.

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), January 13, 2001.

I am an avid lover of Betty McDonald and her books. But I had never heard of her as being the author of the Piggley Wiggley books. No where in her biography is this mentioned. Are you sure about that? Betty died very young of cancer while still living on Vashone Island, I believe. She died Feb 7, 1958 Onions in the Stew was her last book. You can buy her books in paperback from The Akadine Press (Common Reader) They have a web site. Judith

-- Judith (JHaral2197@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

A few years ago, one of the teahouse regulars came in and said there had been a really good estate sale around the corner in Wallingford (in Seattle), at the house of the lady who wrote "The Egg & I". Also, I recently hired a young woman who had just moved back from Boston, but before that she had lived on Egg & I Road, in a dome. Is there a dome out there? Hmmmn. All these rumours.

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), January 17, 2001.

Snoozy...Betty's mother had a home in Seattle. She stayed there for some time after moving home from the island. She worked a lot of odd jobs and then contracted TB and had to go to the Sanatorium. She was there about a year and then returned to Seattle and her mother's house. So maybe that is the home that was mentioned. One or two sisters also lived there at the time. Judith

-- Judith (JHaral2197@aol.com), January 17, 2001.