I am going to digress just a tad. If you really want to find out about the real Mr. and Mrs. Kettle, read Betty MacDonald's non-fiction account of her life on a chicken ranch in rural Washington during the 1920s. Her first book was The Egg and I. She was a young bride married to an older insurance salesman; shortly after the wedding, her husband decided to quit his job, move from Seattle, and purchase a chicken farm. The Kettles were just one of the neighboring families that Betty MacDonald encountered.

Her book was used as the basis for a movie called "The Egg and I" starring Claudette Colbert as the young bride. The Kettles were featured in the movie and became so popular that a series of movies was issued about them.

When I was in the 7th grade, I did a book report on The Egg and I. It was not only the funniest book that I had read but also the first that included "swear words." I am sure that my teacher was not aware of the contents of the book or else I would have been silenced; this took place a long time ago - back in the very late 1960s.

One of the more memorable scenes in the book was a discussion between Betty and Mr. Kettle while he was in the outhouse; there was no door to block her view. The Kettles had many children; the most memorable one had the nickname of "T*ts" and it was short for sister. Mrs. Kettle had immigrated from Estonia and married Mr. Kettle as a means of survival.

I read the book before I saw the movie (on television and not at the theater) and was disappointed that the character Kettles did not use the language that the real Kettles used.

Betty MacDonald wrote other books about her life; they are fascinating, hilarious, and extremely down-to-earth. If you ever come across any of her books, take the time to read them. She also wrote a series of books for children.