A Christmas memory of summertime long ago,

[Guest guest]

Detroit area Coneys ( the best chili-dog on the planet), had proven to

me at a very early age,that there was a God on earth as well as

heaven. my older brothers, by telling me the constituent matter of

said little baby dolls, had proven unequivacably, that there was Evil

in this same world. at just a little on from the time of this eureka

moment, sometime in the summer of an early 1950's vacation, we

brothers went on a three day long train trip with my mother to visit

our granparents in Saskatchewan for a few weeks.. what a trip! anyway

my grandpere was in the agricultural impliment business and one of his

best friends in this very small prarie village was the local and only

butcher. Mr. LaVoie, who also raised and slaughtered the animals

killed for display and sale at his quaint meat market, was a large and

jolly man. on slaughtering day his tiny abatoir was the hit of the day

for the local boys(including two of his own sons), who had become

friends with my brothers. these were of course the 'big guys' who were

5-8 years older than me, maybe 9 or 12 years old! usually the boys

wouldn't have allowed a kid like me to join them for the upcoming

event, but i was just in town for three weeks and then i'd be gone and

maybe not able to be initiated for two or three years when next

visiting from the far, far away city. all these considerations, in

addition to my brothers' encouragment to their new friends to let me

come along, lead to the further enlightenment in the life. and this is

also a lead in to a most paradoxical eventuating. since the time of

that discovery, made thanks to the worldly wisdom of my elder

siblings, regarding the ingredient makeup of the once beloved hot dog,

i had not taken to again bite into a frankfurter, for a plethora of

what to me were self evident reasons, even though i was hardly more

than 3 or 4 years old at the time. but now, at 5-6 years of the

animation, i was about to witness the 'how' of the question " well how

did they get those ears and tongues and stuff??!! " . up until this

moment in time, my big brothers had not disclosed to me the secret

process utelized by the Merry Prankster Hot Dog Makers, of procuring

there supplies...and it's unlikely, that living in the city as we did,

that they had any idea themselves of that business...not till up to

the moment about to arrive. first there was the selection of the

animal (pig in this case), and the wrestling by the good man to grab

hold of the squealinnnngggggggg!!! porker. then on to the closed door

room. Mr' LaVoie would not allow the actual kill to be witnessed, but

we were allowed to watch them hang over the drains, have their throats

slit, and bleed out. and oink and utter they did! almost sounding as

if shriving to a maker or to their tormentor, in hopes of some miracle

reprieve. i'm sure now that they weren't. but for years after whenever

i was scared or hurting, in remembrance and repetition of those

screeching oinkers, i would confess to all my punishable or

reprehensible deeds, under this pressure, to God or to authority. well

this is probably understandable, given the effect of events on young

impressionable minds. what is not so readily understandable is that

after that day of infamy and insight so long ago, i could once again,

did once again ,and do still occasionally enjoy a beautiful Lafayette

Coney Island with mustard and onions. but that orange sawdusty powder

that Mr. Lavoie put on the drains after a long hose down, then

re-hose...well that orange sawdusty powder, used i think now to cover

the smell of death, and of life, is what stayed with me. strange. like

i said. tomorrow i'll be perusing the Honey Baked Hams for a

feast-full presentation. and the Honey Glaze will be tasty. it's for a

Celebration of Life.

 

Happy HannuKwanzaXmass Holiday celebrants.

 

..b