MFM Minisode 439

Summary

My Favorite Murder Minisode 439 Summary

Episode Overview In Minisode 439 of My Favorite Murder (MFM), hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark delve into a blend of personal anecdotes, true crime tales, and humorous family stories. This episode offers listeners an intimate glimpse into the hosts' lives, touching on themes such as cult influence, traumatic childhood experiences, and quirky family traditions. Throughout the conversation, Karen and Georgia interweave humor with poignant reflections, maintaining the show's signature blend of comedy and true crime storytelling.

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1. Escaping Cult Influence

Timestamp: 02:13 - 06:20

Karen opens the episode by sharing a deeply personal story about her family's entanglement with the Worldwide Church of God, a strict evangelical cult founded by Herbert Armstrong. She recounts how her mother was an active member, enforcing rigid doctrines that prohibited the celebration of birthdays and pagan holidays. Karen reveals the harsh realities of life within the cult, including severe restrictions on medical treatments and the church's hefty tithing demands.

Notable Quote:

Karen Kilgariff [04:00]: "We just kind of assume they'll keep showing up for work even if we don't."

The narrative takes a darker turn as Karen exposes the abusive practices of Armstrong, including alleged pedophilia and the operation of conversion therapy camps. She reflects on the resilience of her grandparents, who ultimately broke away from the cult, leaving Karen's mother and siblings free from further cult involvement.

Notable Quote:

Karen Kilgariff [05:00]: "He was an alleged pedophile who molested his own daughter for years. Never have held accountable for any of it."

Georgia adds to the discussion by sharing her family's connections to the Manson family, highlighting the lingering impacts of such traumatic associations.

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2. Childhood Traumas and Family Dynamics

Timestamp: 06:22 - 10:26

The conversation shifts to Karen's childhood, where she humorously recounts the infamous "birdie rides" her father organized. These activities, intended as fun, turned dangerous when Karen accidentally collided with a stilt bed during one of the rides, leading to a serious injury.

Notable Quote:

Karen Kilgariff [15:53]: "And then it says, nice job, Craig."

Georgia complements this story by discussing the lasting effects of witnessing such reckless behavior and the complexities of maintaining relationships with family members who have a history of criminal actions.

Notable Quote:

Georgia Hardstark [10:21]: "It's like grappling with whether the person you knew before the crime is still the same person after."

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3. The Emu War: A Family Fiasco

Timestamp: 08:03 - 22:22

Georgia narrates an amusing yet chaotic family story often referred to as the "Emu War." In the late 1990s, her father and uncle Mike decided to purchase emus from a Texas farm, spurred by a fleeting health craze for emu oil. The emus, however, proved to be unmanageable, constantly escaping their pens, chasing family pets, and causing general havoc.

Notable Quote:

Georgia Hardstark [19:24]: "They don't know how to make money off them, but they didn't plan to either."

The situation escalated when city ordinances forced the family to capture and slaughter the emus, turning what was meant to be a quirky addition to the household into a distressing ordeal.

Karen interjects with her own experiences of tough love and unconventional parenting, adding depth to the narrative with her recounting of past hospital visits due to accidents.

Notable Quote:

Karen Kilgariff [21:02]: "It was crazy how those emus would run circles around our Chihuahua."

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4. Listener Stories: Klepto Families and Feral Dogs

Timestamp: 26:03 - 30:38

Listeners contribute their own family stories, adding layers of humor and relatability to the episode. One standout tale involves a family known for their petty thievery, particularly their penchant for stealing restaurant utensils and pecan pralines during vacations. Karen shares an email from a listener whose grandmother developed a habit of "borrowing" items from restaurants, much to the amusement and frustration of the family.

Notable Quote:

Karen Kilgariff [26:30]: "They think it's funny, but I thought my husband was going to march them back into the restaurant to apologize."

Another listener recounts a mysterious feral dachshund that roamed their backyard, donning a bomber jacket and evading capture. This story blends humor with the eerie charm of an elusive pet, highlighting the unpredictable nature of family legends.

Notable Quote:

Georgia Hardstark [29:34]: "What if it was a ghost dachshund? And I was becoming increasingly concerned that this dachshund was homeless and in desperate need of my house help."

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5. Reflections and Closing Thoughts

Timestamp: 31:30 - 33:35

As the episode winds down, Karen and Georgia reflect on the importance of sharing personal stories and the therapeutic value of storytelling. They encourage listeners to embrace their unique family histories, no matter how bizarre or challenging, and celebrate the bonds that hold families together despite imperfections.

Notable Quote:

Karen Kilgariff [31:12]: "We're big fans of our own dads. Thanks, dads. We love you."

The hosts wrap up the episode with gratitude towards their audience, thanking listeners for their continued support and sharing a final message of resilience and connection.

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Conclusion Minisode 439 of My Favorite Murder skillfully balances dark, introspective narratives with lighthearted family tales. Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark provide a compelling blend of true crime insights and personal anecdotes, offering listeners both entertainment and meaningful reflections on overcoming adversity. Through their candid storytelling and engaging conversational style, Karen and Georgia reinforce the show's enduring appeal and their unique bond as co-hosts.

Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

So cute. So many little quick.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's like a little Lego Easy fun.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What do you want to do? You want to go first? You want me to go first?

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'll go first. Okay, the subject line of this email is who do you call when your dad's in a culture and it just starts? There's no time for pleasantries. I have three young kids and barely time to type this email. So away we go. I knew my mother was raised for many years in a pretty strict evangelical religion. However, it wasn't until recently that she made a joke about that cult I was in while I grew up that I realized she was actually in an honest To God. Motherfucking cult. Turns out she was raised as a member of a doomsday cult called the Worldwide Church of God, which was founded by radio and televangelist Herbert Armstrong in 1999, 1968. He preached that the world would end in 1975 due to World War III. And the doctrines were such that strict Sabbath was observed, homosexuality, divorce and remarriage were not acceptable and medical treatment could only be sought for broken bones. And then in parentheses it says. Weird line to draw in the sand if you ask me.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, that is pretty.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like just that specific appendix. Fuck off.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The church required hefty tithings and forbade the celebration of birthdays and pagan holidays. The services were two hours long every Saturday. And my mom had to travel. I know. And my mom had to travel. Two hours. One way to go.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I bet the drive was way more pleasant than the sermon.

[Karen Kilgariff]

For real? Every Saturday.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

One of my mom's memories from this time was always having to raise her hand at school as someone who wasn't allowed to participate in classroom celebrations for birthdays or other holidays.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, that's so heartbreaking.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's awful.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But at least they got to go to public school.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like regular school instead of Catholic school.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Instead of the cults where they whatever their school. Oh yeah, yeah, you know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that's right. And just get taught some weird dinosaur bones were buried by the devil.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Or aliens. Yeah, or aliens someone.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So the person had to raise their hand basically saying no holidays, no birthdays, Christmas included. Because according to Armstrong, it had devolved into a pagan holiday too. My mom always felt embarrassed and singled out. She remembers desperately wanting to dress up for Halloween Queen just once, but was never allowed. Now this will surprise exactly none of you, but it turns out Mr. Herbert Armstrong was a total piece of shit. After his wife died while he was in his 80s, he married a 38 year old woman from his congregation and subsequently divorced her. He was operating conversion therapy camps for queer and mentally ill children and teens that reportedly employed physical torture in addition to the emotional and mental torture that goes along with it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And this train never comes late. He was an alleged pedophile who molested his own daughter for years. Never have held accountable for any of it. And he died at age 93. I'm not sure and neither is my mom, what finally led my grandparents to break away from the cult. But they did while my mom was in high school. In fact, my grandparents were never involved in another religion ever again. My grandma Dee was a badass who worked her way to a master's degree in education while raising three kids.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Taught special needs children, adopted three sibling teenagers in need from one of her classes, became a school board member and was a court appointed special advocate for kids in the foster system for years.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God. She's making up for lost, shitty time.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yep. She was like, fine, I'll just be a living saint then. My grandpa Bob never went past an 8th grade education, but he started his own extremely successful heavier equipment repair shop. Fixing equipment like bulldozers. And was an incredibly loving and involved grandfather and father. I lost my grandmother to cancer and my grandmother grandfather to Alzheimer's and I miss them both. And I still can't wrap my mind around what my grandparents must have been like during those years. And I was never able to talk to them about it. My mom and her siblings all turned out to be badasses just like their post cult parents. None of them ever joined another cult. So I'd call that a success.

[Georgia Hardstark]

100%.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yep. Just the one and you're out.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's all it takes is don't join a cult again. Again.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Stay sexy and maybe just leave your kids out of it. If you join a cult.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow. That's just legit. Like, exactly. What? And they made it out and they're okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They did, yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Incredible.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So sad when it's that thing of like, I don't celebrate that. I overheard a little kid, like there was a little kid messing around in line at the pharmacy over the holidays. And there was a lady talking, being like, and what are you gonna ask Santa for Christmas? He's like, we don't celebrate Christmas. I was just like, like, we don't celebrate holidays.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He said, because it was holidays. Okay. Well I was like, oh, that's so sad. Like, wait, I don't celebrate Christmas.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No, I know. I meant it was basically like, we don't get to do that. And then it was just this like feeling of like that just.

[Georgia Hardstark]

There's this post on, on Instagram I'm sure you've seen on TikTok where it's like this little like, it's this like Christian family we don't celebrate. They're all dressed up as like the wizard of Oz. And it's the caption says, like, we don't celebrate Halloween because it's a pagan holiday. However, on this day we do like to dress up and have candy and the are like, that's fucking Halloween. That's only. That's the only thing that Halloween is.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Literally, you're celebrating Halloween and directly pagan. Or whatever. I think Celtic or something.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right. Okay. Okay. Mine's called Classic Hometown plus Manson family connection. Hello, Karen and Georgia. My family has always lived in Southern California. Irvine may not be for Georgia, but I sure love it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, okay, no, it's.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I get it. It's a beautiful, beautiful place that I hated.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's all of the experience.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. My first story takes place in San luis Obispo about 10 years ago, where my husband's Uncle Ron found himself retired after many years of being an attorney. He hung up his suit, brought his hair, and became quite the free spirit. He joined a golfing foursome that would get together weekly. One of the dudes in their foursome had some Weird vibes. So much so, the group decided it would be best not to invite Weird Vibes man back the following week. Yeah, I'm picturing Vince and Chris Fairbanks, who's who in this story, heading to the course that day, Uncle Ron left his wallet at home. He turned around to retrieve it, followed by him arriving at the golf course a few minutes late. As he parked, he saw the Weird Vibes man running out of the pro shop and to his car in a hurry. He was confused as to why he was even there, but headed inside to meet the group. Turns out Weird Vibes man had found out about their scheme to not include him. So, all caps, he showed up to the course to shoot the other men in their foursome.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Holy shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's. Yeah, it's a reaction. When Uncle Ron walked into the pro shop, the two other men were on the ground with gunshot wounds. If Uncle Ron hadn't forgotten his wallet that day, he would have certainly met the same unfortunate fate. The men recovered, and the Weird Vibes Shooter man was apprehended. And Uncle Ron lives to tell the tale at family functions.

[Karen Kilgariff]

God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Side note, my grandma's cousin dated Leslie Van Houten in high school and knew her. Leslie Van Houten is a former member of the Manson family and was convicted of the LaBianca murders in Los Feliz, California. They attended Monrovia High School together with my grandma and even ran away together at 17 years old. They broke up after high school, but he regularly went to visit her in prison after being arrested for the murders.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know. He passed away a few years ago before being able to see Van Houten released from prison in July 2023 and place parole. Sharon Tate's sister was quoted then when she was released saying, quote, is she a nice girl? No. Is she an animal? I think she was then And I fear that she still is. Thank you for keeping me company on my long commutes to work and your continued advocacy for mental health and well being. Stay sexy. Skip the country club and retire in peace. And don't get murdered. Riley, she. Her.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow, that's wild.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm so glad that those people survived. Yeah, I thought that was like a massacre story.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. And the thing about high school too, like I have a friend who's one of closest friends in high school, killed someone and they went to prison and it's like grappling thing of like, are you the person I knew before it happened or are you the person after? Or is there some combination of the two and what do I do with that? Yes. You know?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. Were you hiding behind a mask and the truth is that you did that or was that just a weird break and it wasn't you at all?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. Totally. I mean like it was.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's heavy. Look, we all fantasize about going off the grid, unplugging, maybe spending some time as a trad wife. But let's be honest, we all need reliable wireless.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

Get the new Visible Plus Pro plan for $45 a month. Terms apply.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Hungryroot.com MFM Code MFM Goodbye. Let me lighten it up with some trash dad fun times, which is the subject line of this email.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay?

[Karen Kilgariff]

And happy Father's Day to all the trash dads and all the regular dads, but not to the good dads. They get enough of that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They really do those. All those mugs they get.

[Karen Kilgariff]

God. This email starts. Hi. Yes, hello. Let's dive right in, shall we? It was the late 80s in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Parentheses, Canada. My sister and I were 4 and 5 and my mom was great at coming up with fun things for us to do that didn't cost a lot of coin. My dad decided it was his time to shine with a new idea. Birdie rides. To be fair, it was one of our favorite activities until that one fateful day. What is a birdie ride? I'm glad you asked. Here are the steps to set up the birdie ride. Number one, lay a beach towel flat on the floor and have a child lie on their tummy across the towel so that the kid in the towel form a plus sign.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Such a bad start.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Like, I'm picturing, like, is someone getting swung around? Someone's getting swung. I knew it. That means I've done it. Let's hear it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Number two. Dad then grabs the two short ends of the towel together and lifts into the air, picking up the kid in the towel and swinging them around in the air. All caps. We.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my. I have a sense memory of this somehow, you know?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yep. And it says, what could go wrong? Now for some background. Money wasn't something we had A lot of as my mom was a stay at home mom, which she rolled at. We lived in a little side by side with two bedrooms, which meant sister and I shared a bedroom. It was no biggie because we were close in age, only 14 months apart. I love to say that my younger sister was an accident. To which my mom always replies, she wasn't an accident. She simply wasn't planned. We always wanted two children.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Mom, shut up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Don't get into it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You're ruining this.

[Karen Kilgariff]

She wasn't an accident per se.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My mom always says, you were a surprise, not an accident.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, why are we talking about this? In that shared bedroom, we had a twin bed and a stilt bed that our grandpa made with his own two hands. For those not familiar, a stilt bed is exactly how it sounds. Essentially a bunk bed without the lower bed. Okay, so now back to birdie rides. One day, my dad thought he'd step up his birdie ride game, and rather than spinning us around the living room, he took us flying through the house. My sister's turn ended in our bedroom. Then it was my turn. Can you see where this is going? I was flying around the bedroom and on the third spin, boom. My head went straight into the side of the stilt bed, which was at a perfect height. And then it says, nice job, Craig.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Craig.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I love Craig. My mom officially banned birdie rides in our house. The mom was so pissed. The mom was like, what in the are you talking about?

[Georgia Hardstark]

You know, had worn in the past. Craig, you're going to hurt one of them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Craig. Craig, that's not funny.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Craig. Broken bones are the only reason we can take the kids to the hospital, so you better be careful, please.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It says we took this band more seriously than the Simpsons band she came up with. And then in parentheses, it says we'd sneak downstairs and watch it in the basement with my dad.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Cute.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Full disclosure, I've had to go to the hospital twice from head incidents. The second time was when I once fell down cement stairs. But I'm fairly certain that the post birdie ride hospital visit was the one where hospital staff took me into a separate room from my family and asked me questions to ensure I wasn't being abused. Yeah, I really wish I had witnessed my parents explaining to the doctor what a birdie r and how everything is an accident. The birdie ride incident eventually led my mom. Eventually led to my mom and dad's divorce. I'm sorry for laughing. I didn't see that coming at all.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, no. Oops.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, no, wait. It says JK. JK. They've been happily married for 40 years.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Good one. You got us.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I did not. People, please feel free to take advantage of the fact that I often scan these quickly and don't read them all the way through. That was really good. And then it just says love you with all these yous Caitlyn. She.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Her. That is Caitlyn.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fucking hilarious.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Can tell you're the youngest because that was hilarious and fun and funny.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Good job.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Harmful. Good job.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Painful and funny and wonderful.

[Georgia Hardstark]

All right, my next one is called. It's either called My Emu War Featuring Trash Dad, Trash uncle or My Emu War Featuring Trash Dad, Trash Uncle. Depending on who you are and where.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You live, depending on your zone. Does it literally say that? That?

[Georgia Hardstark]

No.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But I think I'm traumatized now.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes, of course.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. This just starts. I wheeze. Laugh through your episode on the great Emu War because I am all too familiar with emus, their weird calves, their dinosaur eyes and their ability to jump over anything and their unkillability. Not a word. I knew I had to finally write my childhood emu story. You have a childhood emu story that you never thought you'd write into a fucking true crime podcast. And here we are.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's pretty great. This is like. And if you have a childhood emu, raccoon or possum story.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right. Nails and snails.

[Karen Kilgariff]

How about with those weird worms that show up when it rains?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I think I'm proud that our legacy is that we got. We allowed people to tell their weird ass family stories no matter what they were in the end. You know?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. When we lived in a suburb of Dallas, Texas in the late 90s, my dad and my uncle Mike, who is the husband of my maternal aunt, also not his real name because I adore him. And some possibly non legal things might have occurred heard in the story. That was all in the each bought. So dad and the uncle Mike each bought an emu from an emu farm in Texas. At the time there was a health craze for emu oil for use as a moisturizer. I don't know. Health fads are always bizarre. Anyway, I think my cheap as always bargain hunting dad found them for a really good deal and my uncle decided to go along with it. Question mark. I'm guessing there were some. Some Miller Lights going on.

[Karen Kilgariff]

For real. You know, it'd be cool. Come on, look at it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It'd be cool. It's unclear to me how they plan to make money off of them. It's Just emu something. That equation of emu plus question mark equals money, but they don't know what the question mark is. You know what I mean? It's unclear to me how they plan to make money off of them, but it's also possible that they didn't plan to, as my dad will put down perfectly good money for something that he does not need if it's a good enough bargain. Yeah, here's the catch. We lived in all caps. The middle of a city. LBJ freeway/635 roared past behind our house, just one street over. But we happened to live on about one acre of land, so our yard was bigger and we gotta keep the birds. Which meant, of course, that my mom and older sister. I was. I was about 9, so she was about 15. Had to feed and take care of what you correctly stated are basically velociraptors with feathers. Being in the middle of the city, we were not allowed to keep animals that size in our yard. But city ordinances have never kept my dad from doing anything. So of course, we kept them for at least several months, possibly longer. I don't remember. I do remember how they would regularly jump over the very tall fence my dad built for them and chase our Chihuahuas and chickens around the backyard. Oh, God. Cookie would be so freaked out if she saw emu. I still remember one of our Chihuahuas barking and snapping at one of the emu's heads as the emu's body ran in circles around it. Yes, you read that right. The emu held its head, still glaring at the Chihuahua while its body ran in circles like a cartoon around the Chihuahua so it couldn't get away.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Insane.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Although they weren't as malevolent as some emus clearly are, it was still an adrenaline rush to go into their pen to feed them. At some point, my dad either got sick of buying feed for the emus or the city got wind of them. One day my uncle showed up, and it became known amongst myself and my four other siblings that the time had come. I stayed inside, but my brother, who adored to relay bad or traumatizing news of any sort, informed us later that it was quite an involved and taxing process to catch and slaughter the emus. Oh, my God. They were gonna kill them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And, gentle reader, we were to eat those birds. No. Ew. I don't even.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No, thank you. I'll have Vegemite.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm vegetarian now. Remember how Georgia talked about their large calves? Think turkey drumsticks times five. Ew.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So Gross.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Into the freezer they went. In hindsight, the meat just tasted like a dry, stringy roast beef. But I didn't care.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Despite having no real affection for the birds, my siblings and I were miserable whenever my mom cooked it. And we all spent lots of time staring at our plates of emu and enchiladas until we found a way to either choke it down or throw it away unnoticed.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Eventually, our supply was used up, and my family moved on to eating other horrifying things my dad picked up at bargain prices. Like cow tongue.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Which is actually delicious. I will tell you right now. No, as a Jewish person, it's so good, but it just looks terrifying.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I tried tongue when I was, like, 12.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And it felt like a tongue on.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My tongue because there are taste buds on it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's so. It's not just, like, gross. It's the most upsetting thing. Except for when my friend tricked me into trying eel at a sushi restaurant.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I love eel. What? Are you kidding me?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, it tastes like a cave.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. It's one of my favorite foods. Eel sushi is one of my favorite foods in the world.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, then you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A cave.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. It tasted exactly like an undersea cave. It was disgusting.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That sounds delicious.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No, it does.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's so. That sounds specific.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

All right. Nowadays, I live in Alaska and will eat almost anything, including bear meat, which is actually delicious. But I still say, let the emus run free. Grace. God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Grace. Grace is eaten bear. Yeah. That's quite something.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I've had reindeer before. Oh.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What'd that taste like?

[Georgia Hardstark]

It was good. I mean, it was made into a little, like, empanada, so it's. And delicious. You could put anything in an empanada, and it's great.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, if you like tongue, would you eat emu?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'd take a bite. Yeah. I'd try an emu taco or something.

[Karen Kilgariff]

An emu taku?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, Taco. Taku taco.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Look, we all fantasize about going off the grid, unplugging, maybe spending some time as a trad wife. But let's be honest. We all need reliable wireless, and that's.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Where Visible comes in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Visible is the ultimate wireless hack. It's unlimited wireless that puts you in control. You get unlimited data and hotspots so you can stay connected on the go.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Visible runs on Verizon's 5G network, so you get great coverage, fast speeds, seamless connection.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We're talking about access to 4K streaming.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The Visible Plus Pro plan is premium wireless without the premium cost plus, it's all digital.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You manage your plan in the app and you can even switch your service from your phone. It only takes about 15 minutes. Ready for wireless that lets you live in the know. Make the [e-mail], plans starting at $25.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A month for their best features. Get the new Visible Plus Pro plan for $45 a month. Terms apply.

[Karen Kilgariff]

See visible.com for Plan FE features and network management details.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye A sleek professional website makes you look very put together even when you're wearing sweatpants and eating cereal out of a mug.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And that's where Squarespace comes in.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Squarespace gives you everything you need to offer your services and get paid all.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In one place, from consultations to experiences. Showcase your services with a customizable website designed to attract clients and grow your.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Business, and managing those payments is a breeze. In just a few clicks you'll be able to accept payments with options like Klarna, Apple Payments afterpay and more.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You'll get paid on time with professional on brand invoices and online payments. Plus streamline your workflow with built in appointment scheduling and email marketing tools and.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Get discovered faster with Squarespace's built in SEO tools with meta descriptions and auto generated site maps. You'll rank higher in search results globally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Go to squarespace.com murder for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use Offer Code murder to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's squarespace.com murder code murder goodbye Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Here's my last one. It says My klepto family hi besties. I'll get right into the story and save my gushing for the end of the email. I like to save up a bunch of episodes to binge, so I just listened to Minisode 418 from early January. I heard your call for Klepto family stories and felt compelled to write in again.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, thank you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My husband and I moved to North Carolina from Michigan in the early aughts and my mom, Pat and my grandma used to fly down together to visit us. We took them on a road trip to Wilmington, North Carolina on the coast on one visit about 17 years ago when our older daughter was a baby, there was a Carabas restaurant near our hotel. Have you heard of that restaurant?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I've definitely heard of it or seen it, but I've never. I don't know anything about it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Two Rs, two Bs, Carabas starting with a C near our hotel that we chose for dinner because we were all tired and hungry. At dinner we commented on the salt and pepper grinders on the table, the small ones that are sold, and the spices section in the grocery store. Oh yeah, because a salt grinder was not something we saw very often in a restaurant. After dinner, as we were getting in the car, my mom and grandma were laughing hysterically like they were crying and holding each other up. My mom stole the cute little olive oil pitcher from the table and showed it to my grandma who then pulled the salt and pepper grinders out of her purse.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No, I love it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They thought it was funny, but I thought my husband was going to march them back in to apologize to the restaurant restaurant and return the purloined items. The next time we visited my parents house, I discovered that they had nearly a full set of steak knives stolen from Outback Steakhouse and other restaurants.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I love it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They also have many suspiciously unmatched forks and spoons in their silverware drawer. My Grandma Sophie turned 96 this year, so I think she's left all her petty thieving behind. Happy birthday Grandma Sophie. 96.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Amazing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My mom and Stephanie claim they have as well. Thank you all for all you do to bring awareness to and break the stigma surrounding mental health issues. I'm an early MFM listener and it's so hard to believe it that it's been nine years. Y' all are my favorite podcasters and I'm loving the rewind episodes. And then it says stay salty and don't steal the condiments. Lori she her oh. And then it says, P.S. we should have known Grandma had sticky fingers. The year before this incident, we took mom and Grandma to Savannah, Georgia for a few days. Many of the shops sold pecan pralines and had trays of samples out. Grandma would take as many as she could get away with and stash them in a napkin in her purse. In every store. She was passing around purse pralines days after we left Savannah and but then it said but I was pregnant so I didn't really mind at all.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, that's so cute. I can't wait to be an old lady. Little old lady. I'm gonna steal so much, go to.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Costco and just stand there eating every.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Sample and become a bank robber. Okay, this one's called My Hometown Feral Dachshund Story. Love you ladies. Love your stories. Here's mine. I'm a suburban mom with quite the cast of characters in my deer, raccoons, possums, squirrels, and all kinds of birds. But one day, there was a new kind of creature. A dachshund. This was a time when I didn't always have a phone in my hand, so I looked for my camera. Camera. But by the time I found it, the dog was gone. Now, I knew most of the neighbors dogs by name, but I didn't know this one. On my daily walks with my own dogs, I tried to figure out which house this mystery dachshund belonged to. No luck. Over the next few weeks, my short, furry friend appeared in my yard several more times, but no one else in my house ever saw him. If I saw a stray dog, I would tackle it like, oh, my God, my dream.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's all I ever look for. It's my favorite concept.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's the dachshund. Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just a little dachshund, like, but what's it zipping around, like, getting away?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, it's like a feral dachshund.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's hard to imagine that. Oh, it's like the. What was the dachshund's name that was on the island in Australia. By yourself?

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's. That's.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's why they're writing this. Yes. Valerie, I think.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that's so funny.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No one else in my house ever saw him. What if it was a ghost dachshund? And I was becoming increasingly concerned that this dachshund was homeless and in desperate need of my house help. My family, in particular. My husband laughed over my concern for this quote, feral dachshund fair. Like, it was a. Not really a thing. Finally, one fateful Sunday, my feral friend reappeared in the backyard. But this time, he was wearing a bomber jacket. Clearly, this dog was not in need of any help. The entire family shared an enormous laugh over the evidently not homeless dachshund. But oddly enough, I never figured out where that cute little guy ever lived. SSDGM. And watch out for feral dachshunds in bomber jackets. Anne Marie, did he live with the.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cunningham family up over their garage, like, just like the Fonz? Because it sounds like he was the Fonz, right?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, that's so cute.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's hilarious. He's wearing outfits. Well, happy Father's Day, everybody. I think we. We just gave the fathers of America every possible type of story they could want to hear.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, play that for your dad on the road trip to go to Cabrero's. What was that restaurant called?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cabrera's.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Yeah, play that for him. Thanks, dads. We love you. Yeah, we're big fans of our own.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yep. Great job. Our dads whatever job you would like to get a tribute to your dads, that's on you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, you don't have to. We're.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, we support all Trash dads and all Trash.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Stay sexy and don't get murdered. Goodbye Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been an Exactly Right production.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Our senior producers are Alejandra Keck and Molly Smith.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And follow the show on Instagram at My favorite murder.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And now you can watch us on exactly right's YouTube page. And while you're there, please like and subscribe. Goodbye Goodbye Think an EV can't fit your family, your gear and your sanity? Think again. The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is Hyundai's first three row all electric SUV. So yes, you finally get space and an EV. It has class leading interior space, purposeful tech and the rear wheel drive S trim gets an EPA estimated 335 miles on a full charge. Actual range will vary. Learn more about the Ioniq [e-mail] call 562-314-4603 for complete details. Goodbye Taking care of yourself is hard enough without adding a blender and a bucket of spinach to the mix. Groons makes it simple to get your greens. No chopping, mixing or pretending you like kale. Requirements. Just eight daily delicious gummies packed with over 20 vitamins, minerals and 60 whole food ingredients. They're vegan, gluten free and taste like fruit snacks. Plus there's Groons kids for the little ones, whether you're already into wellness or still figuring it out, Groons fits right into your routine. You've got nutrition gaps and Groons fills them. Use code MFM for up to 45 off. That's code MFM for up to 45 OFF. Groons get your greens the easiest way possible. Goodbye the steaks do not get any higher. I pledge allegiance to what I believe in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They have to fight another day up yesterday beat me. Dog has his day.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The two very best in the NBA.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Pacers Thunder the NBA finals presented by YouTube TV continue on ABC.