Betty MacDonald Fan Club. Join fans of the beloved writer Betty MacDonald (1907-58). The original Betty MacDonald Fan Club and literary Society. Welcome to Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Betty MacDonald Society - the official Betty MacDonald Fan Club Website with members in 40 countries.
Betty MacDonald, the author of The Egg and I and the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series is beloved all over the world. Don't miss Wolfgang Hampel's Betty MacDonald biography and his very witty interviews on CD and DVD!
Showing posts with label Betty MacDonald and the richest town on earth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betty MacDonald and the richest town on earth. Show all posts
Betty MacDonald fan club research team leader Tina will be delighted to hear from you.
Tina and her friends are working on various projects including a new documentary ' Betty MacDonald in Butte '. Betty MacDonald spent a very exciting childhood in Butte and her sister Mary Bard Jensen was born there. I visited Butte some years ago. It was once called ' The richest town on earth ' - but times have changed.
Come on and join ' Betty MacDonald fan club Butte research team '. You'll have lots of joy and fun!
We have a very special Betty MacDonald fan club surprise for you. Tell
us your favourite satirical text of Wolfgang Hampel's book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier,
please and you'll get several fascinating Betty MacDonald fan club items
for free. Wolfgang Hampel's very successful book is available in many countries around the world. ( see links below )
Don't miss this unique Betty MacDonald fan club offer, please.
Wolfgang Hampel's very witty book 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is No 1 Buecher de TOP List.
Wolfgang
Hampels sehr witziges Buch ' Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is
my favourite animal ) ist No 1 Buecher de TOP Liste. Many greetings - viele Grüße Mats
Ich habe dieses Buch gekauft, weil Krimi-Königin Ingrid Noll Wolfgang ... sehr, daß wir die monatliche literarische Veranstaltung Vita Magica von Wolfgang Hampel bald einmal besuchen können.
Our next Betty MacDonald fan club project is a collection of these unique dedications.
If you
share your dedication from your Betty MacDonald - and Mary Bard Jensen
collection you might be the winner of our new Betty MacDonald fan club
items.
Thank you so much in advance for your support.
Join our new Betty MacDonald fan club contest, please.
What happened to Betty MacDonald on October 30, 1938?
Send your answer, please and perhaps you'll be the lucky winner of several fascinating Betty MacDonald fan club items.
Deadline: October 31, 2016
Thank you so much for sending us your favourite Betty MacDonald quote.
More info are coming soon.
Wolfgang
Hampel's Betty MacDonald and Ma and Pa Kettle biography and Betty
MacDonald interviews have fans in 40 countries. I'm one of their many devoted fans.
Many Betty MacDonald - and Wolfgang Hampel fans are very interested in a Wolfgang Hampel CD and DVD with his
very funny poems and stories.
You made her day! We are going to publish new Betty MacDonald essays on Betty MacDonald's gardens and nature in Washington State. Tell us the names of this mysterious couple please and you can win a very new Betty MacDonald documentary.
Ex-'Apprentice' Contestant Summer Zervos Says Trump Made Unwanted Sexual Advances
byIrin Carmon
Summer Zervos, a contestant on Season 5 of "The
Apprentice," said she had "the utmost admiration" for Donald Trump, even
after she was "fired" from the show. But in a press conference Friday with attorney Gloria Allred at her side, Zervos became the latest in more than a dozen women who have described unwanted touching or assault at the hands of the Republican presidential candidate. In 2007, Zervos said she asked for lunch with
Trump to discuss employment opportunities. Instead, she met Trump at his
office, where she said he told her "he would love to have me work for
him," and kissed her on the lips twice. "This made me feel very nervous
and embarrassed," Zervos said. "This is not what I wanted or expected."
A few days later, Zervos said Trump asked to
meet her for dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She was instead escorted
to a bungalow where, she said, Trump "started kissing me open-mouthed"
and groped her breast. "I pushed his chest to put space between us, and I
said, Come on man, get real," Zervos said. "He repeated my words back
to me, 'get real' as he began thrusting his genitals. He tried to kiss
me again with my hands still on his chest, and I said, dude, you're
tripping right now, attempting to make it clear I was not interested." Trump eventually agreed to have dinner, Zervos
said, and the two talked business. Zervos said she was later offered a
job at a Trump golf course for half of what she had told Trump she was
seeking. Zervos said she called Trump to say "that I felt I was being
penalized for not sleeping with him. Mr. Trump said he was golfing and
could not discuss this at that time." Related: The Allegations Women Have Made Against Donald Trump NBC News has not independently verified the
allegations, and has reached out the Trump campaign for a response to
Zervos's account. Trump has denied all of the accusations thus
far. At a rally Friday, Trump said of the women who have come forward so
far, "Some are doing it for probably a little fame, they get some free
fame, it's a total set-up. Now, suddenly after many, many years, phony
accusers come out less than a month before one of the most important
elections in the history of our country."
Trump Claims Accusations Made 'For Probably A Little Fame'
1:10
Trump said in a statement Friday, "I vaguely
remember Ms. Zervos as one of the many contestants on The Apprentice
over the years," but added: "To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or
greeted her inappropriately a decade ago." "That is not who I am as a person, and it is not
how I've conducted my life," Trump said. "In fact, Ms. Zervos continued
to contact me for help, emailing my office on April 14th of this year
asking that I visit her restaurant in California." Allred said that Zervos had "not intended to come forward" until the release of a recently unearthed Access Hollywood outtake of Trump bragging about how being famous means you could do anything to women, even "grab them by the pussy."
"After hearing Mr. Trump on it, she decided it was her duty to speak
out," she said. Allred said she had spoken to two individuals who
confirmed Zervos had told them about her experience. In April 2016, Zervos said in her Friday
statement, she emailed Trump to tell him, in her words, "I have been
incredibly hurt by our previous interaction." She said she received no
reply. Related: Clinton Widens Battleground Map Lead After Tape Scandal, Debate On Friday evening, the Trump campaign released a
statement from a California man purporting to be Zervos' first cousin
in which he said he was "shocked and bewildered" by her accusations. "Ever since she was on 'The Apprentice' she has
had nothing but glowing things to say about Mr. Trump," John Barry said
in the statement. Barry accused Zervos of making the claims up because
she "wishes she could still be on reality TV, and in an effort to get
that back she's saying all of these negative things about Mr. Trump." At the press conference Friday, Allred said,
"Many more women have contacted me" with allegations against Trump.
"Will they be coming forward? I can't answer that question at this time.
They won't be coming forward today." Also Friday, the Washington Post reported on an account
by Kristin Anderson, who said she was at a New York City club in the
1990s when Trump without any prior contact reached under her skirt and
underwear to grope her vagina. Trump's campaign has denied the
allegation.
Donald Trump Turns Focus to Issues of Drugs, Criminal Justice Reform
byAli Vitaliher over dinner.
Trump paraphrased the letter Saturday as an
attestation that "what she said is a lie, that she was a huge fan of
Donald Trump, that she invited Donald Trump to her restaurant to have
dinner — which by the way, I didn't go to … but these allegations have
been, so many of them, already proven false." Trump's campaign had also provided an apparent
witness interview to the New York Post regarding a claim by Jessica
Leeds that Trump groped her on an airplane. Of Leeds, who Trump one day earlier disparaged
on the basis of her looks, the GOP nominee called her "crazy" and
suggested that no woman would allow themselves to be touched for 15
minutes on a plane. Related: Ex-'Apprentice' Contestant Describes Trump Advances "How about this: after 15 minutes, we don't know
each other, after 15 minutes she said well that was too much and I
decided — 15 minutes! With the ladies in this place, it would be one
second, then it would be smack," Trump said, making a slapping motion
with his hand. "It's a crazy world we live in," he said.
Donald Trump sexism tracker: Every offensive comment in one place
Donald Trump, with Miss Universe entrants, has been widely accused of sexismCredit:
Getty
Fat. Pig. Dog. Slob. Disgusting animal.
These are just some of the names that Donald Trump has
called women over the years. Yes, a man who's hoping to become President
of the United States and presumably persuade a few women to vote for
him, too.
The billionaire has
been widely called out for his objectification of women - he has a
tendency to criticise them for their looks - and sexist remarks.
Well, if you just can't get enough of Trump-grade sexism,
you're in luck. We've rounded up some of "The Donald's" most sexist
remarks.
To include them all might have broken the internet, but we'll keep updating the list as more emerge. Promise.
Brace yourself...
1990: When he belittled his wife
In an interview with Vanity Fair, while he was still married to Ivana, Trump said:
“I would never buy Ivana any decent jewels or pictures. Why give her negotiable assets?”
1991: When he called women ‘beautiful pieces of ass’
Back when George HW Bush was US President, Trump spoke to
Esquire magazine about the media: "You know, it doesn't really matter
what [they] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of
ass."
He is currently married to 45-year old former supermodel Melania.
1997: When he said all women are gold diggers
From seminal tome Trump: The Art of the Comeback on prenuptial agreements:
“There are basically three types of women and reactions. One
is the good woman who very much loves her future husband, solely for
himself, but refuses to sign the agreement on principle. I fully
understand this, but the man should take a pass anyway and find someone
else. The other is the calculating woman who refuses to sign the
prenuptial agreement because she is expecting to take advantage of the
poor, unsuspecting sucker she’s got in her grasp. There is also the
woman who will openly and quickly sign a prenuptial agreement in order
to make a quick hit and take the money given to her.”
Donald Trump's wife Melania Credit:
David Goldman
2004: When he said he was irresistible to women
Back in 2004, Trump told the Daily News: "All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me - consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected."
2005: When he told a woman she’d ‘make a great wife’
According to one woman who appeared on the show, Trump told her: “I bet you make a great wife."
The comment never aired on TV. Can’t imagine why - standard job interview stuff, right?
March 7, 2006: When he cracked an incest gag
According to ABC News, Trump said: “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”
A spokesman later said it was a "joke".
2006: When he slagged off Rosie O’Donnell - part one
It’s no secret that
there’s no love lost between Trump and comedian O’Donnell. Perhaps his
most notorious rant against her came on American TV show Entertainment
Tonight in 2006, when he said: “Rosie O'Donnell is disgusting, both
inside and out. If you take a look at her, she's a slob. How does she
even get on television? If I were running The View, I'd fire Rosie. I'd
look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, 'Rosie, you're
fired.'
"We're all a little chubby but Rosie's just worse than most
of us. But it's not the chubbiness - Rosie is a very unattractive
person, both inside and out."
He also made a jibe at her love life and managed to offend
the LGBT community at the same time: "Rosie's a person who's very lucky
to have her girlfriend. And she better be careful or I'll send one of my
friends over to pick up her girlfriend, why would she stay with Rosie
if she had another choice?"
2007: When he compared women to architecture
This appears in his bible of business wisdom Trump 101: The Way to Success:
"Beauty and elegance, whether in a woman, a building, or a work of art, is not just superficial or something pretty to see."
At least our beauty isn’t superficial, eh ladies?
2007: When he called Angelina ‘not beautiful’
On Larry King’s CNN show, Trump addressed Jolie’s falling out with her father Jon Voight, saying:
“I really understand beauty. And I will tell you, she's not -
I do own Miss Universe. I do own Miss USA. I mean I own a lot of
different things. I do understand beauty, and she's not."
Trump said Angelina Jolie was "not beautiful"Credit:
Evan Agostini
June 2007: When he pitched ‘Lady or a Tramp?’
Yes, really. This was reported to be a reality show, in which ‘"out of control" party girls were sent to charm school to learn some manners. Because, God forbid a woman should be anything but demure.
Tragically, it was never made.
2008: When he called Anne Hathaway a gold digger
When the actress's marriage broke up, following her husband Raffello Follieri’s financial and legal troubles, Trump told Access Hollywood:
"So when he had plenty of money, she liked him. But then after that, not as good, right?
2009: ‘The Trump rule’
Beauty queen Carrie Prejean wrote about the ‘Trump rule’
in her book, referring to the Miss USA pageant, of which Trump was
co-owner. She claimed that the billionaire had the girls parade in front
of him so he could separate those he found attractive from those he
didn’t.
She wrote: “Many of the girls found this exercise
humiliating. Some of the girls were sobbing backstage after [he] left,
devastated to have failed even before the competition really began . . .
it was as though we had been stripped bare.”
Donald Trump was co-owner of the Miss Universe OrganisationCredit:
Reuters
November, 2010: When he asked men to rate women
According to a report in the New York Post, former female contestants on the show complained that Trump consistently objectified women.
Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy claimed: “So much of the boardroom
discussion concerned the appearance of the female contestant -
discussing the female contestants' looks - who he found to be hot.
“He asked the men to rate the women - he went down the line and asked the guys, ‘Who’s the most beautiful on the women’s team?’"
Gene Folkes, a 46-year-old financial adviser, said: “I think
it was most uncomfortable when he had one [female] contestant come
around the board table and twirl around.”
2011: When he called breastfeeding 'disgusting’
Trump was in court testifying in a deposition over a failed
Florida real estate project when lawyer Elizabeth Beck asked to take a
break to breastfeed her three-month old daughter.
Trump and his team objected, so she pulled out her breast pump to prove it. In an incident that the Republican presidential candidate "does not dispute", he walked out of the room, telling Beck she was "disgusting".
2011: When he called a female journalist a ‘dog’
After New York Times columnist Gail Collins wrote about rumours of Trump’s bankruptcy, he sent her a copy of her own article, with her picture circled and "the face of a dog!" scrawled across it.
April 3, 2012: When he joked about his penis
In 2012, transgender Miss Universe contestant Jenna Talackova was kicked out of the contest for
not having declared her trans status in her entry (the pageant does now
accept trans people). Talackova’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, angrily said
that no one had asked Trump to "prove" he was a man by showing his
anatomy.
In response, Trump called in to TMZ Live and said of his penis: “I think Gloria would be very impressed."
May 11, 2012: When he criticised Cher
In 2012, the singer criticised Trump’s friend and right-wing
politician Mitt Romney. His response? To attack her appearance, of
course.
August 28, 2012: When he insulted Arianna Huffington
Huffington Post editor
and co-founder Arianna Huffington is a regular target of Trump’s. But
instead of attacking her liberal views, he tends to criticise her looks
and make jokes about her divorce.
March 2, 2013: When he slagged off Rosie O’Donnell - part two
March 3, 2013 : When he made an oral sex joke
Former Playboy playmate
Brande Roderick was a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice in the US.
During a tense boardroom battle, she knelt in front of Trump – who takes
the Alan Sugar role – to ask him whether she could be the next project
manager.
After a six-second silence (an eternity on TV), during which
Trump presumably willed some blood to return to his head, he said: “It
must be a pretty picture. You dropping to your knee."
Because isn’t that a woman’s place in the boardroom – on her knees?
May 7, 2013: When he blamed sex assault on cohabitation
Rather than, say, questioning why so many assaults go
unreported or why so few perpetrators are brought to justice. Nope, it
must be down to the fact that women and men just can’t share the same
living quarters.
2015: When he did a u-turn on abortion
Having previously
supported the pro-choice lobby, Trump has now changed his stance on
abortion to fit in with the Republican party.
He’s also said he’d be willing to shut down the US
government to defund non-profit reproductive health organisation Planned
Parenthood.
He told the Des Moines Register in April: “In thinking about
it over the years, I’ve had instances, and one instance in particular, a
friend had a child who they were going to abort, and now they have it,
and the child is incredible. And the man, he changed his views also
because of that.”
April 7, 2015: When he called Arianna Huffington ugly - part two
April 16, 2015: When he said Hillary couldn’t ‘satisfy’
…and therefore couldn’t satisfy America, in a thinly veiled reference to Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.Where most of Trump’s
sexist tweets remain, this one has mysteriously disappeared from the
social media site. His office said one of the 10 staff who runs his
Twitter account was responsible.
The tweet about Hillary Clinton from @realDonaldTrumpCredit:
Twitter
August 8, 2015: When he used the word 'bimbo'
Journalist Megyn Kelly
recently hosted the first Republican debate of the US presidential
campaign and gave Trump a tough time over previous accusations of sexism
against him (really, we can’t imagine why).
After the debate, Trump responded by seeming to call her a "bimbo" on Twitter.
In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said of the German supermodel: “Heidi Klum. Sadly, she’s no longer a 10.”In response, Klum posted a video on Twitter in which she wore a T-shirt with ‘10’ written on it.
September 9, 2015: When he insulted Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina is the former Hewlett-Packard boss and Trump’s Republican candidate rival. According to Rolling Stone magazine, he said: "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?
"Can you imagine that, the face of our next next president? I
mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but
really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
November 10, 2015: When he insulted Fiorina - part two
At least, this time, Trump managed not to respond on Twitter himself or call the woman in question a "bimbo". #Winning.
March 30, 2016: When he said abortion was 'punishable'
Trump caused mass outage after advocating "some form of
punishment" for women who have abortions if the practice is banned
(which it likely will be if he gets his way).
The Republican front-runner said he has "evolved" on the issue of abortion. He was pro-choice for years before changing his position and backing a ban.
He believes the Supreme Court ruling legalising abortion
should be overturned and that individual states should be allowed to ban
it. His campaign said he believes abortion should be legal only in
instances of rape, incest or when the life of the mother was at stake.
"There has to be some form of punishment," he told MSNBC, referring to women who would seek to defy the ban.Trump reversed his position two
hours later, with a statement saying that he would punish doctors who
performed abortions but not the women themselves. Well that's alright
then.
May 8, 2016: When he called Clinton an 'enabler'
After Clinton criticised his stance his stance on women's issues, Trump hit back the only way he knows how: by accusing her of being an “enabler” of her husband's affairs by destroying the lives of his mistresses.
At a rally, he said: “Bill Clinton was the worst in history
and I have to listen to her talking about it?" he said in Eugene,
Oregon. “Just remember this: She was an unbelievably nasty, mean
enabler.
"And what she did to a lot of those women is disgraceful. So put that in her bonnet and let's see what happens."
And on May 17, Trump tweeted:
May 18, 2016: When he 'apologised' to Megyn Kelly
Nine months after
suggesting Fox presenter Megyn Kelly was menstruating after she took him
to task over previous sexist comments, the Republican candidate apologised. Or tried to. When asked about calling Kelly a "bimbo", Trump replied: "Did I say that? Excuse me."
But he couldn't resist adding another jibe: "Over your life, Megyn, you've been called a lot worse, wouldn't you say?"
Charming.
September 26, 2016: The first televised presidential debate
It escaped almost no one's notice that Trump constantly interrupted Hillary Clinton (25 times in the first 26 minutes), talked over her and mansplained. It was painful to watch.
And that's before he questioned Clinton's health when she
was suffering from pneumonia last month, saying: "She doesn’t have the
look. She doesn’t have the stamina."
For which read: 'She's not strong enough to cope with the
job.' And that's before dissecting what a 'presidential look' is for a
woman in Trump's mind. Coming from a man who - as we've seen - likes to
comment on women's physical attributes, it's pretty un-presidential
stuff.
September 27, 2016: When he hinted at 'rough attacks'
After the first debate, Trump congratulated himself on not bringing up Bill Clinton's "sexual indiscretions" and hinted that he was considering "rough attacks" on Hillary and her family in the near future.
“I was going to hit her with her husband's women and I
decided I shouldn't do it because her daughter was in the room," he told
Fox News.
His comments were widely interpreted as a threat to bring
them up in future debates. Asked if that would expose him to attacks
about his own marital history, the twice-divorced Mr Trump said: "No not
at all, I have a very good history."
September 30, 2016: When he called a woman 'Miss Piggy'
This one actually dates
back to 1996. But in the early hours of the morning, in September 2016,
Trump posted a series of comments on Twitter continuing his attack on the former Miss Universe winner and Venezuelan actress Alicia Machado.Machado's name had been raised by Hillary Clinton,
during the first Presidential debate, when she accused the Republican
candidate of having called the model "fat". Miss Machado has claimed Mr
Trump called her "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping".
Mrs Clinton said the model had recently become a US citizen and "you can bet she's going to vote in November".
Having initially asked "Where did you find this?", Trump has
since refused to back down, saying Machado had increased in weight from
118 pounds to more than 160 pounds: "She was the winner and she gained
a massive amount of weight, and it was real problem for us."
America work up on Friday morning to a series of tweets, in
which he claimed the model had starred in a sex tape - something for
which there is no evidence. Clinton hit back, calling Trump "unhinged"
and asking: "What kind of man stays up all night to smear a woman with
lies and conspiracy theories?"
September 30, 2016: When he said 12-year-old Paris Hilton was 'attractive'
The next in a series of past comments that have come back to haunt Trump as the presidential race ramps up. This one courtesy of an old interview with Howard Stern, with whom Trump used to play a game called "Hot or Not".
Trump: “Now, somebody who a lot of people don’t give credit
to but in actuality is really beautiful is Paris Hilton. I’ve known
Paris Hilton from the time she’s 12, her parents are friends of mine,
and the first time I saw her she walked into the room and I said, ‘Who
the hell is that?’”
Stern: “Did you wanna bang her?”
Trump: “Well, at 12, I wasn’t interested. I’ve never been into that ... but she was beautiful.”
He then went on to admit he'd watched her sex tape.
October 3, 2016: When he rated Apprentice contestants' looks
Another day, another accusation. Associated Press spoke to insiders on reality show The Apprentice USA, who claim that former host Trump used to rate female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he'd like to have sex with.
Former crew members recalled that he repeatedly made lewd
comments about a camerawoman who he said had a nice rear, comparing her
beauty to that of his daughter, Ivanka. Others said Trump called for
female contestants to wear shorter dresses which also showed more
cleavage.
Producer Katherine Walker said Trump frequently talked about
women's bodies and said he speculated about which female contestant
would be "a tiger in bed". While a crew member who asked not to be
identified, recalled: "We were in the boardroom one time figuring out
who to blame for the task, and he just stopped in the middle and pointed
to someone and said, 'You'd f*** her, wouldn't you? I'd f*** her.
C'mon, wouldn't you?'"
The Trump campaign called the claims "outlandish, unsubstantiated, and totally false".
October 7, 2016: When a video emerged of him talking about 'grabbing (women) by the p----'
Mr Trump hit a new low after the emergence of a video in which he discusses "grabbing (women) by the p----" and states that “when you’re a star, they let you do it”.
The Republican presidential nominee uses lewd and sexually
aggressive language to brag about groping and trying to have sex with
women, including someone who was married, in footage obtained by the Washington Post.
Donald Trump with actress Arianne Zucker in the 2005 videoCredit:
Washington Post
In the video, Trump is
recorded talking about an unnamed woman to Billy Bush, who was a host
for Access Hollywood, a TV entertainment show.
“I moved on her and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump says. “I did try and f--- her. She was married.
“And I moved on her very heavily... I moved on her like a b----, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married."
Linda WhiteI
just finished again ,for not sure of how many times,All of Betty's
books except for the Mrs Piggle Wiggle.I only have one of those.I adore
Betty.
Linda WhiteMy
favorite is still the Egg and I but I so enjoy Onions In The Stew. She
lived life so fully and made such a mark.I always hate to finish them.I
read The Egg And I,The Plague and I and Onions In The Stew, all in a row
and wish there were more. Someone should have written about her life
from her success books until her death.
Linda WhiteJust
think how they turned a bad experience,of having tb, into such a good
thing.Betty made a difference in Kimi's life by encouraging her.We never
know when we are influencing others.
Linde LundDear Linda
did you ever hear Betty MacDonald's voice and the interview with Betty
MacDonald's very witty sister Alison Bard Burnett? It's really so funny
and interesting to listen.
Linde LundThere
are wonderful CD's and DVD's with Betty MacDonald and Alison Bard
Burnett. We'll have a special offer during October. I'll keep you
posted.
Copyright 2011/2016 by Letizia Mancino All rights reserved translated by Mary Holmes
We
were going to Canada in the summer. “When we are in Edmonton”, I said
to Christoph Cremer, “let’s make a quick trip to Seattle”. And that’s
how it happened. At Edmonton Airport we climbed into a plane and two
hours later we landed in the city where Betty had lived. I was so happy
to be in Seattle at last and to be able to trace Betty’s tracks!
Wolfgang Hampel had told Betty’s friends about our arrival. They
were happy to plan a small marathon through the town and it’s
surroundings with us. We only had a few days free. One should not
underestimate Wolfgang’s talent in speedily mobilizing Betty’s friends,
even though it was holiday time. E-mails flew backwards and forwards
between Heidelberg and Seattle, and soon a well prepared itinerary was
ready for us. Shortly before my departure Wolfgang handed me several
parcels, presents for Betty MacDonald's friends. I rushed to pack the
heavy gifts in my luggage but because of the extra weight had to throw
out a pair of pajamas!
After we had landed we took a taxi to the
Hotel in downtown Seattle. I was so curious to see everything. I
turned my head in all directions like one of the hungry hens from
Betty’s farm searching for food! Fortunately it was quite a short
journey otherwise I would have lost my head like a loose screw! Our
hotel room was on the 22nd floor and looked directly out onto the
16-lane highway. There might have been even more than 16 but it made me
too giddy to count! It was like a glimpse of hell! “And is this
Seattle?” I asked myself. I was horrified! The cars racing by were
enough to drive one mad. The traffic roared by day and night. We
immediately contacted Betty MacDonald's friends and let them know we had
arrived and they confirmed the times when we should see them.
On
the next morning I planned my first excursion tracing Betty’s tracks. I
spread out the map of Seattle. “Oh dear” I realized “the Olympic
Peninsula is much too far away for me to get there.” Betty nodded to me! “Very difficult, Letizia, without a car.”
“But I so much wanted to see your chicken farm”
“My chickens are no longer there and you can admire the mountains from a distance”
But
I wanted to go there. I left the hotel and walked to the waterfront
where the State Ferry terminal is. Mamma mia, the streets in Seattle are
so steep! I couldn’t prevent my feet from running down the hill. Why
hadn’t I asked for brakes to be fixed on my shoes? I looked at the
drivers. How incredibly good they must be to accelerate away from the
red traffic lights. The people were walking uphill towards me as briskly
as agile salmon. Good heavens, these Americans! I tried to keep my
balance. The force of gravity is relentless. I grasped hold of objects
where I could and staggered down. In Canada a friend had warned me that in Seattle I would see a lot of people with crutches.
Betty laughed. “ It’s not surprising, Letizia, walking salmon don’t fall directly into the soft mouth of a bear!” “ Betty, stop making these gruesome remarks. We are not in Firlands!”
I
went further. Like a small deranged ant at the foot of a palace monster
I came to a tunnel. The noise was unbearable. On the motorway, “The
Alaskan Way Viaduct”, cars, busses and trucks were driving at the speed
of light right over my head. They puffed out their poisonous gas into
the open balconies and cultivated terraces of the luxurious sky-
scrapers without a thought in the world. America! You are crazy! “Betty,
are all people in Seattle deaf? Or is it perhaps a privilege for
wealthy people to be able to enjoy having cars so near to their eyes and
noses to save them from boredom?”
“When the fog democratically allows everything to disappear into nothing, it makes a bit of a change, Letizia”
“ Your irony is incorrigible, Betty, but tell me, Seattle is meant to be a beautiful city, But where?” I had at last reached the State Ferry terminal.
“No
Madam, the ferry for Vashon Island doesn’t start from here,” one of the
men in the ticket office tells me. ”Take a buss and go to the ferry
terminal in West Seattle.” Betty explained to me “The island lies in
Puget Sound and not in Elliott Bay! It is opposite the airport. You must
have seen it when you were landing!” “Betty, when I am landing I shut my eyes and pray!”
It’s time for lunch. The weather is beautiful and warm. Who said to me that it always rains here? “Sure
to be some envious man who wanted to frighten you away from coming to
Seattle. The city is really beautiful, you’ll see. Stay by the
waterfront, choose the best restaurant with a view of Elliott Bay and
enjoy it.” “Thank you Betty!” I find a table on the
terrace of “Elliott’s Oyster House”. The view of the island is
wonderful. It lies quietly in the sun like a green fleecy cushion on the
blue water. Betty plays with my words: “Vashon Island is a big
cushion, even bigger than Bainbridge which you see in front of your
eyes, Letizia. The islands look similar. They have well kept houses and
beautiful gardens”.
I relax during this introduction, “Bainbridge” you are Vashon Island, and order a mineral water.
“At one time the hotel belonging to the parents of Monica Sone stood on the waterfront.” “Oh, of your friend Kimi!” Unfortunately I forget to ask Betty exactly where it was.
My mind wanders and I think of my mountain hike back to the hotel! “Why is there no donkey for tourists?” Betty laughs:
“I’m sure you can walk back to the hotel. “Letizia can do everything.””
“Yes, Betty, I am my own donkey!” But
I don’t remember that San Francisco is so steep. It doesn’t matter, I
sit and wait. The waiter comes and brings me the menu. I almost fall off
my chair! “ What, you have geoduck on the menu! I have to try it” (I
confess I hate the look of geoduck meat. Betty’s recipe with the pieces
made me feel quite sick – I must try Betty’s favourite dish!) “Proof that you love me!” said Betty enthusiastically “ Isn’t the way to the heart through the stomach?”
I order the geoduck. The waiter looks at me. He would have liked to recommend oysters. “Geoduck no good for you!” Had he perhaps read my deepest thoughts? Fate! Then no geoduck. “No good for me.” “Neither geoduck nor tuberculosis in Seattle” whispered Betty in my ear! “Oh Betty, my best friend, you take such good care of me!”
I order salmon with salad.
“Which salmon? Those that swim in water or those that run through Seattle?”
“Betty, I believe you want me to have a taste of your black humour.”
“Enjoy it then, Letizia.” During lunch we talked about tuberculosis, and that quite spoilt our appetite. “Have you read my book “The Plague and I”?”
“Oh Betty, I’ve started to read it twice but both times I felt so sad I had to stop again!”
“But
why?” asked Betty “Nearly everybody has tuberculosis! I recovered very
quickly and put on 20 pounds! There was no talk of me wasting away! What
did you think of my jokes in the book?”
“Those would have been a
good reason for choosing another sanitorium. I would have been afraid
of becoming a victim of your humour! You would have certainly given me a
nickname! You always thought up such amusing names!” Betty laughed.
“You’re
right. I would have called you “Roman nose”. I would have said to Urbi
and Orbi “ Early this morning “Roman nose” was brought here. She speaks
broken English, doesn’t eat geoduck but she does love cats.”
“Oh
Betty, I would have felt so ashamed to cough. To cough in your presence,
how embarrassing! You would have talked about how I coughed, how many
coughs!”
“It depends on that “how”, Letizia!”
“Please,
leave Goethe quotations out of it. You have certainly learnt from the
Indians how to differentiate between noises. It’s incredible how you
can distinguish between so many sorts of cough! At least 10!”
“So few?”
”And
also your descriptions of the patients and the nurses were pitiless. An
artistic revenge! The smallest pimple on their face didn’t escape your
notice! Amazing.”
“ I was also pitiless to myself. Don’t forget my irony against myself!”
Betty
was silent. She was thinking about Kimi, the “Princess” from Japan! No,
she had only written good things about her best friend, Monica Sone, in
her book “The Plague and I”. A deep friendship had started in the
hospital. The pearl that developed from the illness. “Isn’t it
wonderful, Betty, that an unknown seed can make its way into a mollusk
in the sea and develop into a beautiful jewel?” Betty is paying
attention.
“Betty, the friendship between you and Monica reminds
me of Goethe’s poem “Gingo-Biloba”. You must know it?” Betty nods and I
begin to recite it:
The leaf of this Eastern tree Which has been entrusted to my garden Offers a feast of secret significance, For the edification of the initiate.
Is it one living thing. That has become divided within itself? Are these two who have chosen each other, So that we know them as one?
The
friendship with Monica is like the wonderful gingo-biloba leaf, the
tree from the east. Betty was touched. There was a deep feeling of trust
between us. “Our friendship never broke up, partly because she was
in distress, endangered by the deadly illness. We understood and
supplemented each other. We were like one lung with two lobes, one from
the east and one from the west!” “A beautiful picture, Betty. You were like two red gingo-biloba leaves!”
Betty
was sad and said ” Monica, although Japanese, before she really knew me
felt she was also an American. But she was interned in America,
Letizia, during the second world war. Isn’t that terrible?”
“Betty,
I never knew her personally. I have only seen her on a video, but what
dignity in her face, and she speaks and moves so gracefully!”
“Fate could not change her”
“Yes, Betty, like the gingo-biloba tree in Hiroshima. It was the only tree that blossomed again after the atom bomb!”
The
bill came and I paid at once. In America one is urged away from the
table when one has finished eating. If one wants to go on chatting one
has to order something else. “That’s why all those people gossiping
at the tables are so fat!” Betty remarks. “Haven’t you seen how many
massively obese people walk around in the streets of America. Like
dustbins that have never been emptied!” With this typically
unsentimental remark Betty ended our conversation.
Ciao! I so
enjoyed the talk; the humour, the irony and the empathy. I waved to her
and now I too felt like moving! I take a lovely walk along the
waterfront.
Now I am back in Heidelberg and when I think about
how Betty’s “Princessin” left this world on September 5th and that in
August I was speaking about her with Betty in Seattle I feel very sad.
The readers who knew her well (we feel that every author and hero of a
book is nearer to us than our fleeting neighbours next door) yes we, who
thought of her as immortal, cannot believe that even she would die
after 92 years. How unforeseen and unexpected that her death should come
four days after her birthday on September 1th. On September 5th I was
on my way to Turkey, once again in seventh heaven, looking back on the
unforgettable days in Seattle. I was flying from west to east towards
the rising sun.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club, founded by Wolfgang Hampel, has members in 40 countries.
Wolfgang Hampel, author of Betty MacDonald biography interviewed Betty MacDonald's family and friends. His Interviews have been published on CD and DVD by Betty MacDonald Fan Club. If you are interested in the Betty MacDonald Biography or the Betty MacDonald Interviews send us a mail, please.
Several original Interviews with Betty MacDonald are available.
We are also organizing international Betty MacDonald Fan Club Events for example, Betty MacDonald Fan Club Eurovision Song Contest Meetings in Oslo and Düsseldorf, Royal Wedding Betty MacDonald Fan Club Event in Stockholm and Betty MacDonald Fan Club Fifa Worldcup Conferences in South Africa and Germany.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honour Members are Monica Sone, author of Nisei Daughter and described as Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I, Betty MacDonald's nephew, artist and writer Darsie Beck, Betty MacDonald fans and beloved authors and artists Gwen Grant, Letizia Mancino, Perry Woodfin, Traci Tyne Hilton, Tatjana Geßler, music producer Bernd Kunze, musician Thomas Bödigheimer, translater Mary Holmes and Mr. Tigerli.
