Joey is originally from Virginia, a place where I have also lived. Though we both are from the same country, it is hard to appreciate the differences in cultures of the south and the west when you first examine the little things like clothing styles and culinary dishes.
It wasn't until Joey came for a visit last summer and remarked (in a purely horrified fashion) about my bleached cow skull I had in my garden that I truly began to see how far removed we are from a great many places. I tried to explain to Joey that skulls and bones were not unusual here. As a matter of fact you see decorated skulls everywhere, painted, adorned with gems and rocks and material, in gardens on fences, and as a part of jewelery (Native Americans have used bones in jewelry forever. It's not garish to us. It's... using what we have I guess.
Quaint and cute to me, a possible sign that we are mass murders to him.
Just another example of how diverse we all are in the huge country we call home :)
