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My cousin just bought his fourth VW bug. Not that it runs or anything, and neither do the other three. And as a complete aside, could I be bringing you this blog anywhere but from West Virginia? I am always talking about my cousins and now I’m going to show you my cousin’s latest addition to his junk yard. This is true West Virginia blogging here, people! We’re related to everybody and everybody has junk. I even have a pile of junk myself, but mine is special! (Don’t we all think our junk is special? My cousin definitely thinks his junk is special.) My cousin’s wife thinks it’s super-special. Her reaction to his new junk? “Oh, honey, I am so excited that you brought more junk home! I was dying for more junk! How did you ever read my mind? Can you get more junk tomorrow? Please!!”
Or maybe that wasn’t exactly her reaction, but some things are better left between a husband and wife.
Since my cousin knows what a freak of nature I am, he let it loose through the family grapevine (Georgia) that I’d better hurry on over and take pictures because the truly artistic and cultural highlights would soon disappear. So I scurried right over the hill, at a speed-of-light-busting 10 miles per hour on our rocky, creek-strewn dirt road to bring you this West Virginia junk photographic documentary before it was lost to the dust of history. (Okay, I was going over to the old farmhouse anyway to drop Princess off for the bus. Never mind.)
So here it is, my cousin’s brand new love. And I have to say, of all four of his beetles, this is the coolest one.
A genuine 1960′s anti-war love machine.
This bug was totally rockin’ at Woodstock, don’t you know?
And now here it ends its socially-conscious days of glory, awaiting cannibalism as my cousin chop-shops it together with his other three old VW bugs to turn them all into one working beetle.
I said, “You should just fix this one up and keep it this way. You would be totally hot driving this anti-war love machine to the courthouse every day.” (My cousin is the county prosecuting attorney.)
My cousin said something like, Are you finished with your nonsense, woman? Or maybe I can just read minds. Then he went back to taking apart his new old beetle. And I would have pointed out that he could have bought one working bug for the time, trouble, and expense of buying four and putting them together, but I’m afraid he would have said something sensible like, “You could just buy eggs at the store.” (Or even at the farmers’ market, if you want fresh.) And that’s true. I guess we all have our little oddities or hobbies, things we do that take extra effort but we do them that way because they bring pleasure into our lives in simple ways.
But, I have to say, the chickens are cuter, don’t you think?
Except this one. This one looks kinda angry and scary, doesn’t he?
I think the other chicks are scared of him, too.
Now we lay us down to sleep. We pray the Lord our souls to keep….
…..from chipmunk-chomping kitty-cats…..
(I said, NOT IN THE HOUSE!)
(You’re not looking at the dust on my floor, are you? STOP IT. My floor is always clean. I dirtied it up just for this picture. To test you. To see if you noticed. Now stop noticing!)
…..and scary, angry, psycho peeps.
Amen.
And if you made it through this entire ridiculous post, I’m going to reward you with a surprise contest! What do you think is cuter–the VW anti-war love machine bug or the chicks? I need to know! I need to be validated because I think you will mostly choose the chicks. But even if you choose the VW bug, I will forgive you and you will still be entered in the contest. (My feelings will just be hurt, but don’t worry about me.) So go ahead, tell me what’s cuter–just drop a comment in this post. Contest closes at noon (Eastern time) on Sunday, May 11, and the winner, by random drawing, will be announced in Monday’s post. Oh–and the prize? A $50 Amazon gift certificate.
The chicks are cute, aren’t they? Not that I’m trying to sway you!!
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on May 10, 2008
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Boy, your cats are good hunters! Poor chimpunk. Mind you, eating raw is good for the cats — as long as they have been dewormed!
-Kim
P.S. As much as I would love to be in the contest, shipping and duty charges from Amazon.com probably would cancel out the gift certificate! Besides, no one picks #1 in a draw anyway. :rotfl:
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The chicks are the cutest by far. They even say their prayers like good little chicks. So soft and precious. Thanks for entering me in the contest.
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Bug? Chicks? Bug? Chicks?
Can we call it a draw? :thumbsup:
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are cuter than that car in every way!
Even the one resembling a thug
is cuter by far than that poor old bug.
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The chicks get my vote hands down..they are adorable..Connie
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grace and peace,
julie
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You just HAD to do a contest to get me to come out of lurking, huh? There I was perfectly content to ‘stalk’ you with bloglines – see even more cheating, since I wasn’t even really visiting you! Well, fun lady, now I’m officially de-lurked! So I can tell you how much I big-puffy-heart LOVE your blog! I feel like the dancing snoopy you have in your little characters up there – I get all happy and excited whenever I read your wonderful blog and see all your beautiful pictures. Makes me want to move to Virginia and start a chicken farm! Any land available near you? Just kidding – I promise I won’t stalk you down! I’ll just continue to lurk about reading and loving your blog.
Much love to you and yours, and thank you so much for having such a cute contest & letting me take part. God’s Blessings to you all and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY tomorrow!!!
xoxo Photochick (Amanda)
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The VW is pretty cool…I’ve always dreamed of owning a yellow one. Maybe someday in my very old age. The the chicks get my vote. The scary one seems to be saying…”So you want a piece of me?”
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The other day I saw this documentary where they -among other things- told a bit about the history of the VW bug. It may have have become anti-war love machine bug in the sixties, but before that it had a more sinister history.
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Chicks are warm…
I vote for the warmth and fluff of the little chick-lets.
Amelia in Oklahoma
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I love the little scary one and also how they all snuggle together to sleep. They are all just too cute.
I like the cat also, although I know he or she is not in the contest. I had a tuxedo cat that was a dedicated hunter so I did get fairly immune to the sight of the “kill” – it is what they do…
Chicks, though, that is my vote!
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Suzanne – loved this post – made my morning – worth getting up for. Hey you write so well you should write books!! honestly you write very very well and we are all taken along the journey with you in a mesmerizing way. I must read one of your books one day. First thing I do every morning is ckick on to you. so my vote is for the bug!
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Have a great weekenend from Wisconsin where we got almost to freezing last night
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went thru 2 vw’s in the late 70′s so that is special to see
a vw graveyard! and have to go see the little chicks at our
local feed store so i can actually hear the peeps! on a regular basis now because of your little ones…
but for cuter – i like the chicks!
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Anyway, I think the chicks are THE cutest, even the angry looking one.
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You are one of my daily stops. Have a great day!
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i have to vote for the bug. i love the chickens so. is the mean looking one the one that came out of the egg feet first?
huggs,
margiesbooboo
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Sue
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Hi SuzAnne,
I just happened in on a wave. You never know where those darn things will take you! Beetles and chicks, sounds like some kind of nasty english pudding. :-)
I like the car but then, I am an old hippy that never grew up. I would be proud to be seen driving through Spokane in it, IF I were stoned.
The chicks are real cute. It’s sad to think somebody will be eating them one day. :-(
Peace,
Jim Baldwin
Spokane WA
Personal website: http://LetHerIn.org
I DON’T EAT ANIMALS
Written by Melanie Safka 1969
I was just thinking
‘Bout the way it’s supposed to be
I’ll eat the plants
And the fruit from the trees
And I’ll live on vegetables
And I’ll grow on seeds
But I don’t eat animals
And they don’t eat me
Oh no, I don’t eat animals
‘Cause I love them, you see
I don’t eat animals
I want nothing dead in me
I don’t eat white flour
White sugar makes you rot
Oh, white could be beautiful
But mostly it’s not
A little bit of whole meal
Some raisins and cheese
But I don’t eat animals
And they don’t eat me
Oh no, I don’t eat animals
‘Cause I love them, you see
I don’t eat animals
I want nothing dead in me
A little bit of whole meal
Some raisins and cheese
I’ll eat the plants
And the fruit from the trees
And I’ll live on vegetables
And I’ll grow on seeds
But I won’t eat animals
And they won’t eat me
Oh no, I’ll live on life
I want nothing dead in me
You know I’ll become life
And my life will become me
You know I’ll live on life
And my life will live on me
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The VW is cool, no doubt about it; but the chicks are just adorable!
9:36
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….as always, your posts are such a lovely way to start the day. I can’t get enough of your stories and photos.
I’m for chicks, the bugs a close second….so many memories!
9:36
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And those Herbie movies watched at the post theater for a quarter–popcorn was another dime.
I always thought (as a young girl) that bugs were always smiling.
Have to admit, though, don’t care much for the new ones.
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Lauri
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The chicks win without a doubt. Love your site.
Dorothy from Ohio formerly from Spencer,WV.
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I love your blog, I check it everyday! I grew up in the country and love to see what’s going on at your farm home.
Jen in MN
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That angry looking little chick is really cute. He sorta reminds me of an owl. Are you sure this couldn’t have happened.?
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Then they would join the rest of the ladies and gents in the chicken yard.
Now the banty chicks we received one year – those little roosters were downright MEAN. One used to escape and chase us all over the yard while we were hanging out the wash. Mother made us go back out and pick up the clothespins we used as missiles to chase him away.
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Is there a chance you’d be willing to photograph a chick on the hood of the anti-war love machine. It would be the best of both worlds.
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Beware though—that beautiful cat who loves to bring his kill to you will also bring a snake into your house. My frind who had a cat door for his cats had a wrinkle in his living room rug that he just couldn’t get out. When he picked up the rug to check it out he found a nice live toy that the cat had brought into the house.
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You and their adorable faces have inspired us greatly. We are in the process of building a coop ourselves! Backyard city chickens they will be! (we’ll be putting up some privacy fencing as well…so not to disturb our neighbors)
We love your blog Suzanne! Thank you for all you share. It’s a blast reading updates on your “babies”. Can’t wait til you find the first egg laid!
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Anyway, mean chick gets my vote over the peacenik mobile anyday!
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VW bugs are cute, but your chicks win hands down.
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for the new chicks at my house. If I hadn’ been looking at your cuties all week long I wouldn’t have gotten mine.
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THE CHICKS are by far the cutest of the two, hands down.
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Poor Suzanne, having to clean up dead chipmunk AND dirty floors.
My uncle used to “collect” VW Beetles. He turned them into Dune Buggies. I remember going out to the desert, flying across the sand in those things. They were like miniature rolling ovens. Because when he was busy jacking them up and putting on all those grilles and roll bars, could he bothered to install air conditioning? Um, no.
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Ok, I will go with the chicks, no maybe the bugs, no the chicks, I think. Hit submit now!!!
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But I vote for chicks. I’ve also owned chickens.They are cute and I love eggs. Chicks don’t need a mechanic, don’t break down and leave you stranded on the road and they don’t get you a ticket for driving an unsafe vehicle for having a door falling off! What? The duct tape was holding! Did the officer think I could afford to pay a ticket if I couldn’t afford a better car?
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Angela
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The chicks are sweet, and I do love animals. We have 11 dogs and 4 cats but I will be the odd one and vote for the VW in memory of my “old friend” the gray bug.
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The VW anti-war love machine will be as satisfying to your cousin as the chicks are to you.
It’s a matter of personal preference.
I pick the chicks….I feed them and in return, they feed me.
I LOVE MY CHICKS TOO!
P.S. The angry looking chick will more than likely be head of the flock and be one of the prettiest
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Of course “our” chicks!
Yes you could bring this blog from somewhere other than West Virginia. Just about any rural area (mine included neighbor
) has people who don’t know what junk is. Your cousin makes perfect sense to me! 
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My vote will be with the chicks. They are just too cute.
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Though that Angry Chick looks mean enough to take on a chicken hawk. :rotfl:
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LC
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But, I do love that VW Bug
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:cattail:
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I have 10 ex-battery hens who are now fed organically and run free (or should that be run amok?) in the garden so I love hens, I also have a 11 quail chicks so I love chicks.
So I say they’re all cute in their own special way!
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You know, I think that they still build VW bugs in the most southern state of Chiapas, Mexico… incase he needs parts or something. They dismantled the plant and moved it lock, stock and barrel down there. I’m not sure if it is still a working plant there, but you never know. Food for thought.
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HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
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Sorry to hurt your feelings, but I have to go with the VW bug. But, then, chicks are old hat with me. If it were the bug or ducklings, well, that would be another story. Like my noncreative use of cliches?
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Oh the chicks are cuter for sure….the bug is cool…but you didn’t ask which is cooler!
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Sick ‘em rooster!
:fryingpan:
Blessings from Ohio…
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[Feel free to delete my unfair double entry!]
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I’ve been reading your blog for a good while now and just never got around to posting a comment. I guess the contest drew me out.
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I long for the days of the bugs time especially when the price of gas was under $1
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Tresh in Oklahoma
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And you have me beat with the chipmunk!! My dear little shit cat has brought me several presents…..this morning a Mother’s Day gift of a tail-less aligator lizard…alive! Two days ago a dead rat in my sink! And a bird…well what was left of a bird….in the bathroom…feathers everywhere but no real “parts” to be found.
Love the chicks…and I agree on that little trouble one….he’s sure cute! I have duck eggs due to hatch next week in my kindergarten class…and my co-workers have chicks…can’t wait!
HAPPY MOTHER’ :bananadance: S DAY!
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Happy Mother’s Day to all.
Smiles, Barbara
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The chicks are cuter!!!!! Esp. “the Lone Ranger!”. LOL
We had a powder blue VW bug AND station wagon in the late 60′s…maybe my brother or hippy sister should have painted it that way, with the peace signs…Lord knows my sister was into all that…But, Dad being a commander and pilot and in the Vietnam war and all…nope, don’t think he would have let that happen…isn’t it cool though! I sure did all the black light posters in my room…and so did my sister..lots of peace signs…LOUD colors of the 60′s…
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