Remember that book by Art Linkletter Kids Say the Darndest Things?

I don’t. I just remember the title. Who was Art Linkletter anyway?? (We didn’t have teevee until I was in 5th grade so I had to sneak-watch at Grandma’s or a babysitter’s or a friend’s. . . Now I never watch. Don’t ask me anything about teevee because you will be simply astonished by my ignorance.)

Sorry. I got lost.

On someone’s cabin porch . . . that location keeps the deer from eating the flowers.

On my recent visit to Wilsonia, I interviewed people about cabin life. I had a list of questions to get people thinking.

One or two people answered a specific question, but mostly they just started talking. I’d listen, and suddenly I’d hear a gem. They’d be talking, and I’d be scribbling as fast as possible.

We all talk a little messier than we write, sort of jumping around and repeating a little, maybe a little out of sequence at times. Because we are conversing, we can ask one another questions for clarity. When someone repeats something, it is for emphasis, or perhaps to remind himself what he is trying to convey. Very few people report their ideas or experiences in sequential order, so it takes some intense listening to figure things out.

People talked, I listened, scribbled, translated, and then read it back. We all laughed, and then I asked permission to use the quote and their names in the book.

Here is my favorite so far:

We would have invited you to breakfast, but it was too cold.

I wrote it exactly as he said it, and we all knew what he meant. The inside table only seats 2 people; when there are guests, everyone eats outside. This quote takes a little different translating than the ones where people are relating a story. (Were you wondering what it meant?)

Cabin life is a fun and lively and interesting thing.