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Lucky Bites
By Debbie Moose , West Virginia South Contributor ❖ Photos by Jenny Harnish
My mother was a human WebMD of superstitions . Mention any physical phenomenon , and she would diagnose it without using bothersome science .
If the sole of my foot itched , she ’ d say , ominously , “ You ’ re going to walk on strange ground .” The combination of humidity and Keds with no socks couldn ’ t possibly have been responsible .
If my left ear turned red , someone was saying bad things about me . Maybe it was from napping on that side of my head , but you never know .
Superstitions relating to food and the holidays made up the bulk of her database , including insisting that a man had to be the first visitor to the house on New Year ’ s Day . A woman would bring bad luck . If I argued that three of the four people in our house were female and I had already gotten the paper from the driveway and reentered , rendering this ridiculous idea moot , she ignored me and called the neighbor , Tim , for an official visit .
20 ❖ SOUTH ❖ JANUARY - FEBRUARY ' 22