Jeffery Rudell: Animal Husbandry

Summary

The Moth Podcast: "Animal Husbandry" by Jeffrey Rudel

Episode Overview

In the "Animal Husbandry" episode of The Moth podcast, storyteller Jeffrey Rudel recounts a poignant and humorous family experience centered around an unconventional Thanksgiving. Through his vivid storytelling, Rudel explores themes of ambition, familial expectations, and the unpredictable nature of life on a fledgling farm.

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Background: A Leap into Farming

Jeffrey Rudel begins by setting the stage of his family’s socioeconomic status and upbringing. He describes his parents as "lower middle class people with upper lower class educations," with his father working as a foreman in a paper mill and his mother as a bank teller. Their life was rooted in a modest split-level house within a financially troubled subdivision.

Quote:
"My father was a foreman in a paper mill, my mother was a bank teller." ([02:56])

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The Unexpected Farm Acquisition

In January 1974, Rudel’s father makes a life-altering decision to sell everything and purchase an 80-acre farm located 60 miles away. This abrupt move introduces the family to the harsh realities of farming, marked by untilled clay land, obsolete equipment, and minimal livestock—specifically two Holstein cows.

Quote:
"My father came home and announced to my mother that he had sold everything and bought a farm 60 miles away." ([03:20])

Despite arguments, Rudel’s mother complies, relocating all their belongings, including her cherished chartreuse Russell Wright crystal set. Within a month, the father ambitiously begins building a chicken coop, repairing the tractor, and acquiring a bull, indicating his strong commitment to their new agricultural venture.

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Struggles and Setbacks in Farming

The narrative delves into the inherent challenges of farming, highlighting the couple’s lack of experience. Rudel shares the heart-wrenching moment when their first cow calves on Thanksgiving morning only for the calf to perish within an hour due to the barn's inadequate heating during a harsh Michigan winter.

Quote:
"In March, our first cow went into labor and calved on Thanksgiving at 4:00 in the morning... it died less than an hour later." ([04:15])

This loss propels Rudel’s father to take drastic measures to save their remaining livestock. He moves the surviving cow and its calf into the heated family room, covering the floor with a plastic tarp and straw to safeguard his investment.

Quote:
"He covered the floor of our family room with a large plastic tarp, put down a bed of straw, and brought the remaining cow into the house to have its calf." ([04:45])

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The Thanksgiving Incident

The centerpiece of Rudel’s story occurs on a particularly tumultuous Thanksgiving Day. As the family gathers, the presence of the cow and calf in the family room creates an unusual and tense atmosphere. Rudel paints a picture of domestic chaos juxtaposed with rising familial tensions.

During the Thanksgiving meal, as the family sits down and his grandfather says grace, the unexpected happens. A "lesser spirit" overtakes the calf, causing it to break free and charge into the kitchen, leading to a dramatic collision with the dinner table.

Quote:
"While God is being distracted by my grandfather, a lesser spirit overcomes the calf and it leaps over the bale of straw and comes charging into the kitchen and crashes into the table." ([06:00])

The incident triggers a swift and frantic response from Rudel’s mother, who grabs her treasured cordial glass—a symbol of her pride and perfectionism—in the heat of the moment. Her actions result in the shattering of every piece of crystal except the one she holds, a metaphor for the fracturing of family harmony.

Quote:
"Now, she loved this crystal. She used to brag that that crystal was the only thing she had that wasn't second rate or second hand... Every single piece of crystal shattered." ([06:45])

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Aftermath and Family Dynamics

The Thanksgiving chaos marks a turning point for Rudel’s family. It becomes the last Thanksgiving they spend together, casting a long shadow over their subsequent years. The broken crystal glass, alongside his mother's wedding ring, becomes a lasting symbol of their fractured relationship.

Quote:
"That was our last Thanksgiving together and for the remainder of their marriage, that glass sat on my mother's dressing room table with her wedding ring in it for all the years in between." ([07:10])

Rudel reflects on the lasting impact of that day, highlighting how a single event can redefine family dynamics and personal relationships.

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Conclusion

Jeffrey Rudel's "Animal Husbandry" is a compelling tale that intertwines humor with heartache, illustrating the unpredictability of pursuing one's dreams and the delicate balance of family life. Through his storytelling, Rudel invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences with ambition, resilience, and the bonds that hold families together—even in the face of chaos.

Final Thought:
"On the fourth Thursday of every November, my mother took great pleasure in preparing a dinner of roasted veal." ([07:23])

This enduring tradition stands in poignant contrast to the tumultuous events of that particular Thanksgiving, underscoring the enduring nature of family rituals amidst change and loss.

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About the Storyteller

Jeffrey Rudel is a writer, artist, and designer based in New York City. His storytelling in The Moth captures personal anecdotes with universal themes, showcasing his ability to find humor and meaning in challenging circumstances.

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This episode of The Moth encapsulates the essence of storytelling—sharing personal narratives that resonate deeply with audiences, fostering a sense of shared human experience.

Transcript

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[Dan Kennedy]

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy. The Moth features true stories told live without notes. All stories on the Moth Podcast are taken from our ongoing storytelling series in New York and Los Angeles and from our tour shows across the country. Visit themoth.org this week's story by Jeffrey Rudel was recorded live at the Moth Story Slam, our weekly storytelling competition which offers five minute slots to anyone with a story to tell.

[Jeffrey Rudel]

So my last Thanksgiving ended at exactly five minutes after five on the fourth Thursday of November 34 years ago. Let me explain. Both of my parents were lower middle class people with upper lower class educations My father was a foreman in a paper mill, my mother was a bank teller. We lived in a split level house in a subdivision that went bankrupt shortly after they bought into it. Inexplicably, In January of 1974, my father came home and announced to my mother that he had sold everything and bought a farm 60 miles away. The farm turned out to be 80 acres of untilled clay, a heap of rusting equipment, and two Holstein cows. They argued until my mother agreed to to pack up everything and move everything, including her prized set of chartreuse colored Russell Wright crystal. Within a month, my father had built a chicken coop, gotten the tractor fixed and purchased a bull. The bull arrived and went straight to work. Now, the next nine months went as you might expect, which is to say, farming is not for amateurs. So any mistakes that could be made were made, beginning with breeding cows. In March, our first cow went into labor and calved on Thanksgiving at 4:00 in the morning. This being Michigan and a particularly cold season in our unheated barn, it died less than an hour later. Now, seeing his assets frozen on the barn floor drove my father to take desperate steps to protect his remaining investment. So he covered the floor of our family room with a large plastic tarp, put down a bed of straw, and brought the remaining cow into the house to have its calf. By noon, both mother and calf were warm and sleeping in the room next to our kitchen. My father put a bale of straw in front of the doorway between the two rooms to keep them in place. Now, while we were tending to the calves, my mother was in the kitchen banging pots and pans and muttering about it being a family room, not a maternity ward sort of thing. Now, every Thanksgiving, it was my mother's custom to remove from her china cabinet one small pale green crystal cordial glass into which she would pour a single jigger of sherry to sip while she cooked. At no other time did my mother drink, and to the best of my knowledge, no other piece of crystal was ever used. Now, she loved this crystal. She used to brag that that crystal was the only thing she had that wasn't second rate or second hand. So the afternoon goes on, relatives arrive, my grandmother makes a comment about what is that awful smell? But a sharp glance from my mother is enough to keep her from making it a second time. At 5:00 exactly, Turkey is put on the table. We all sit down to dinner and my grandfather says grace. Now, while God is being distracted by my grandfather, a lesser spirit overcomes the calf and it leaps over the bale of straw and comes charging into the kitchen and crashes into the table. What happens next happens really fast. My mother screams. She grabs her cordial glass, stands up, knocking over her chair in the process. My father, more startled by my mother's screams than anything, sort of half stands, half lunges at the calf, which by now has its nose in his plate. I will never forget that slow motion look of horror on my mother's face as she watches my father rise a little bit and reach for, but not quite reach equilibrium before falling backward into the china cabinet. Somehow, somehow, my father escaped injury, but every single piece of crystal shattered. Everything save the one glass in my mother's hand. Now, for a child watching all of this unfold, it was fantastic. But that was our last Thanksgiving together and for the remainder of their marriage, that glass sat on my mother's dressing room table with her wedding ring in it for all the years in between. On the fourth Thursday of every November, my mother took great pleasure in preparing a dinner of roasted veal. Thank you.

[Dan Kennedy]

Jeffrey Rudel is a writer, artist and designer living in New York City. The Moth is a non profit organization. Consider supporting our free podcast by going to our podcast contribution page or by becoming a moth [e-mail] to learn more about this and all of the Moth's upcoming shows and our corporate events and training program, Visit our website themoth.org and please tell us what you thought of today's episode. Tell us what you think of the Moth podcast in general. What do you love? What do you hate? What would you like to hear more of or less of? Email us@podcast themoth.org thanks to all of you for listening. We hope you'll have a story worthy week. Podcast audio production by Paul Ruest at the Argo Network.