POSSUM UNLEASHED #2
Posted on August 20th, 2010 by possumliving
When I wrote Possum Living, I did it in long-hand but, of course, I was going to need to type it up sooner or later. I scoured the thrift shops for a typewriter but couldn’t find one. Mom offered me her old manual one if I would do her a favor—get a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). So, I took the test, got my high school GED, and mom gave me the typewriter. It turns out it was broken. To get the return mechanism to work I attached an enormous rubber band to the carriage and taped the other end to the wall. Then I got a book on teaching yourself to type and went to work.
When I was done typing the manuscript, I went to the library and looked up publishers. None took me on, but one suggested getting an agent. I went back to the library and got a list of agents. An agent accepted it and sold it to a small publishing house. That publishing house sold it to a big publisher and the rest is history.
I was sent on a national publicity tour. My first major television interview was in New York City on the Bill Boggs show. I put my stuff in a burlap sack (not having a suitcase), slung it over my back, and headed for the big city. When I got to New York, I didn’t know how to hail a taxi. So I watched what other people did, stepped up to the curb, and raised my hand. A taxi stopped, I put my stuff in the back, sat in the front, and handed the driver the studio’s address. He laughed and asked if I had ever gotten a taxi before and suggested that the next time I sit in the back. I gave him a copy of Possum Living.
At the studio, I spread out a sample of possum food on a display table and sat down for the interview. At first I was startled because the interviewer, Bill Boggs himself, made a snide comment about my dress. After I snapped back that it was a nice dress and that his people had told me to wear one of my gardening dresses, he became as nice as could be and we had a wonderful time. When interview was over, he brought out plates and cups. We feasted with the crew and drank moonshine from a Mason jar.
When Possum Living was reissued, my editor and publicist at Tin House Press, Nanci, got in touch with Bill Boggs and, lo and behold, he remembered interviewing me. When Nanci told me this, I was surprised that he had remembered me after doing thousands of interviews. “Well,” Nanci said, “you were the only one who brought him moonshine.”
(Below is a picture of a possum feast on the porch in Pennsburg—rabbit, fresh corn on the cob, garden tomato and basil salad, mashed potatoes, homemade pickles, fry bread made with hand ground wheat, and mint iced tea with a dash of moonshine. Ah, summertime and the living was easy!) 




I snip the pods off with pruning shears, rinse and dry them, and cut off the tip and the top. The tip is OK to eat but it’s the toughest spot on the pod and if I have to use much force, I know that pod is too hard and stringy to eat. The good pods I slice in half long-ways, coat with olive oil, and grill at a medium temperature. I use an electric grill (a gift from my hubby) on my porch to keep the house cool. How long you cook the okra slices depends on the condition of the pods and the temperature of the grill, but it can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as 20. You want the ends to be crunchy and the seeds brown but not burnt. Turn them once while grilling and judge by eye. They should look like this…
Put them on a rack to cool a few minutes, and serve with lime slices.

