Life is

Hi y'all.

Been a long time, hasn't it?  I'm still alive, stressed to the max, but alive none the less.  Hope y'all have been good and living your life YOUR way!!

A bit of a warning here, I'm about to go on a rant.  Yeah, big surprise, right?  LOL  So, if you don't want to hear it, I suggest you leave now.  Otherwise, grab the popcorn and your favorite beverage and hold on, it's about to get real!

When did this country descend into the unbelievable realms of stupidity in which we now reside??

I mean seriously, "safe spaces", "toxic masculinity" and "gender neutrality"?!?!  What the actual fuck??

Then there is the ideology that we are responsible for each others happiness!!  Really?

Let's break this down, okay?

The majority of people that are whining, yes I used that word, about these subjects belong to the generation that got a trophy for simply showing up......not for winning, or even for playing but for SHOWING UP!!  They are young people that have, in my opinion, unformed ideas that they are attempting to force upon the rest of us.

I have nothing against young people.  I like them, for the most part.  Hell, I used to BE one!  ( yes it was long, long ago and in a far away place.....blah, blah, blah)  But some of these ideas are, excuse the aggression here (notice I didn't say PASSIVE aggression, which is an oxymoron, but whatever), totally bat-shit crazy!

"Safe spaces"?  Hell, if you are old enough and, *cough *cough, intelligent enough to use this phrase, then you SHOULD be old enough AND intelligent enough to remove your ass from a situation where you DO NOT FEEL SAFE, and go somewhere else!!  Your apartment is a good suggestion, or even your parent's house, a church, a synagogue, a masque,  some place  YOU, personally, feel safe.  It is not MY, nor any other adult's, responsibility to provide another ADULT with a "safe space".  That is what you do for CHILDREN, not for ADULTS.  LIFE IS NOT SAFE!  IT IS NOT EASY AND AT TIMES IT SUCKS.  Deal with it, the rest of we ADULTS have to!

"Toxic Masculinity"?  Okay, if a man is one of those pumped up, steroid using psychos, FINE, that is toxic masculinity, I'll give you that.  IF a man is out pillaging and raping, sure I'd say he's suffering from toxic masculinity.   The "cure" of "toxic masculinity" seems to be "man buns" and rompers for men as well as men crying and basically acting like babies.  Male and Female are DIFFERENT, it's genetic, not learned.  Once again, DEAL WITH IT, the rest of us have to.  Personally if some twerpy dude with a "man bun" in a romper would attempt to ask me out, I'd have to be resuscitated because I would literally DIE laughing at them.  Not because they approached me, but because IT IS RIDICULOUS FOR A MAN TO #1 wear a bun #2 wear a "romper" (it's ridiculous for anyone over the age of four to wear a romper, but that is a different rant)  I have NO desire to share my hair ties, or any hair products I use when my male companion.  And the only male I will be seen in public with is my grandson....he looks cute in his, but then again, he's 2!

"Gender neutrality"?  What?  Last I checked we are genetically either male, female or both.  There is NO neutrality.  Yes, you can change your outward appearance, I have friends that have become who they believed they should be.  I have absolutely NO problem with that.  Do what makes you happy!  More power to you!  But to say that gender neutrality is an actual thing?  Nah, that's too much for this old broad!

I saw a man, and I'm using that word very loosely, that has 110 surgeries, spending thousands upon thousands of dollars, to become an "asexual alien".  Yeah, you heard me correctly, an asexual alien.
Makes me wonder if this guy realizes what "asexual" actually means, or if he is just suffering from a mental disorder.  

Either way it made me realize something.

My generation raised children without limits.  We told them "you can be anything you want to be!" thinking we were encouraging them to become doctors, lawyers, scientist or even the President.  Instead we have created a generation that things "being anything you want to be" means becoming an asexual alien or "identifying as a hippo" (yeah, there is a woman that "identifies" as being neither male or female or even asexual, but as a fucking hippopotamus!!)  We raised our kids with no limits, but also with no sense of personal responsibility and/or common sense.

To give you a perfect example of how badly we have screwed the pooch let me tell you a story.  I have personally been blamed for someone else's unhappiness.  Yes, you heard me, I had a young person (not related) blame me for the fact that she is miserable in her life!!  SERIOUSLY??  How, exactly, am I responsible because you have a shit job, no friends and drive a junk car?  Hell, I HAVE A SHIT JOB AND DRIVE A JUNK CAR!!  But you know what IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE THOSE THINGS, THE SAME WAY IT IS THAT YOUNGER WOMAN'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE HER LIFE!!

I am sick to death of being personally blamed for someone else being unhappy!!  It is NOT my responsibility!  IT IS EACH OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND HAPPINESS IN OUR OWN LIFE!!

And guess what darlin.  YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A PARTICIPATION TROPHY FOR SIMPLY BEING BORN!!  You heard me, you do NOT receive a trophy for being alive!  Being alive IS the trophy!  And Life is NOT fair, you will NOT be handed every single thing you want, you will NOT always back a winning bet, you will NOT always get your way.

COME BACK TO REALITY AND DEAL WITH IT!!

If you have made it this far, thank you for your time.  If not, well, it doesn't matter what I say because you are not here, right??  

Have a good one y'all!  And remember, YOU are responsible for YOUR life!

Well, I’m still alive!!

Yay, right?  Seriously though, I've been ill for almost two weeks now with some creeping crud that was carried in by a snot nosed plague carrier whose parents obviously did NOT know any better than to drag their obviously ill child out not only into the public, but to the home of elderly people as well.  Yeah, not too bright.

I don’t blame the child for being ill, I actually felt bad for her.  It was obvious to everyone that she didn't feel well, the red cheeks, the runny nose, the hacking cough….hell one would have had to be deaf, dumb and blind to not realize that this poor kid felt like shit.  Every parent knows that when a child doesn't feel well, that child becomes even less well behaved than they usual…..in other words, if your kid is a good kid that rarely refuses to listen, rarely talks back and has really good manners, being ill will make that “good kid” turn into a whiny, defiant brat that doesn't care what you tell them, they simply want you to be as miserable as they are.  Anyway, off topic, but you get the idea.

Let me tell you, this kid is NOT the hypothetical child I spoke of above…..oh no, this child is normally a brat that is allowed to have her way because the parents are too “tired” to deal with her bullshit….in other words the parents are too weak to stand up to a seven  year old and give in to her terroristic tactics because smacking that ass is “abuse” and raising a spoiled, screaming, I WANT IT brat that has NO concept of personal space or belongings is obviously a BIG “favor” to society!!  (Yeah, the kid needs her ass smacked from time to time, like when she gets pissed off at someone because they tell her not to touch the crystal swan because it was given to them by their now dead sister and it cannot be replaced so the child stands there with her lips compressed, her hands on her hips and then reaches out and sweeps the swan off onto the floor (luckily the carpet cushioned it enough to prevent breakage) and says (and I shit you not) “There, now it’s dead like your sister!”)

Anyway, the parents of the terroristic plague carrier need their asses kicked for 1.) raising a terrorist 2.) not having sense enough to keep a sick kid at home instead of spreading Captain Trips throughout the entire county and 3.) NOT busting that brat’s ass when she so desperately needs it.  But, such is our society these days…..sad, dangerous but true.

Speaking of society, as I said, I have been ill.  I haven’t been out and about (because I have more sense than to spread Captain Trips and because I have felt like shit) nor have I been on Fakebook much and I haven’t been watching ANY news because, well, I already feel like shit and I didn't want to feel any worse.  Now, why have I told you all of that?  It’s simple, I've basically missed all the bullshit of the Oscars (YAY ME!!) and I just now found out that President Trump is NOT going to go to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner and that he also prevented certain news medias from attending a White House press “gaggle” (yeah, if you’re thinking a bunch of geese squawking and screeching at one another and getting absolutely not a damn thing done, you’re spot on!)

The Oscars, in my opinion, is simply a chance for over paid people to spend outrageous amounts of money on clothing that could NOT possibly cost that much in order to be awarded for something they are already paid outrageously to do.  As if that “honor” isn't already enough, they get to stand on stage in front of hundreds of their “contemporaries” and spout hatred toward any and every one that dares to disagree with their opinions.  Basically it’s a very well dressed (in their opinions), expensive and boring circle-jerk by people who are supposed to be entertaining us instead of attempting to pound their opinions down our throats like we are starving baby birds and they have the only regurgitated worms on the planet!

Now, for those of you that do NOT know, the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (or WHCA Dinner) is basically another very public circle-jerk only it is  journalist, politicians and celebrities that dress up in stupidly expensive (and usually extremely ugly) clothing in order to make fun of each other, sing their own accolades, talk trash about ANYONE that doesn't agree with their extreme liberal ideology and basically attempt to shove their very narrow minded, bull shit opinions down each other’s throats…..you know, like the Oscars except for journalist!  (Except this one DOES manage to raise money for scholarships and such to help future journalist)

Notice that there is an ongoing theme with this?  Public circle-jerks where millions of dollars are being spent in order to “sing the praises” to the “talents” of today’s entertainment and journalistic world.  (Excuse me while I gargle….I just threw up a little bit by simply typing that sentence)

The “Press Gaggle” is a different type of thing.  The Press Gaggle is, according to Wikipedia, “an informal briefing by the White House Press Secretary which is on the record, but disallows videography.”  In other words, the Press Room is opened up and a bunch of “reporters” (let’s face it folks, if today’s climate of bullshit media I could legitimately call myself a reporter and I’m a hack!) rush in and wait to hear which politician took a healthy dump in the West Wing of the White House.  Yeah, the Press Gaggle is about as interesting and impressive as a two-year old’s daily potty report.  Most of what is “reported” on is basically uninteresting and unimportant, although there are times when we get some really good information from these “gaggles” but usually it’s been twisted and perverted into something that isn't even recognizable.  (Yeah, I sometimes watch the daily press things on cnn/fox/cspan whoever is running it.)  So basically, to be “banned” from an “informal briefing” is like being told that you can’t come to my garage sale.  If you cannot act like you “got some sense” I WILL put your dumb ass out of my garage so why would you expect anything less from the White House?

I guess it just pisses me off that we pay attention to this type of BULLSHIT, that we DARE to say that the Constitution guarantees that the press be allowed to cover every little fart that takes place in the governing body, that we are more focused on the opinions of millionaires who made their money by pretending to be something they are NOT than we on things that are actually taking place in the lives of everyday, NON-celebrity, NON-media covered humans.

No, I’m not talking about all the horrible things taking place in today’s society, I’m talking about things like this:

An elderly lady got caught in the wind and was clinging to a lamp post terrified when a young man in a local office spotted her, ran out and helped to her home because she was frightened that the wind would knock her down. (http://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/2070/Young-Man-Spots-Terrified-Elderly-Woman-Clinging-To-A-Lamp-Post-And-Walks-Her-Home)

Or this story:

A young couple struggling to keep things together with only one income, who dread to grocery shop because of the amount of their income it takes.  The cashier rings up the groceries and then promptly pays for half of it!!  Yup, a Walmart cashier paid for half of a customer’s groceries….ON A WALMART PAYCHECK!!!  Check it out!  http://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/2066/Mom-s-A-Mess-Trying-To-Calm-Her-Baby-Then-The-Walmart-Cashier-Inserts-Her-Personal-Credit-Card

And last but definitely NOT least, this story:

After a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, MO was vandalized, the media, of course came out with all types of “theories”.  The President and the Vice President BOTH have voiced their opinions and The VP even went to the extent of “assisting” in the cleanup (might just be a media op, but I’ll give him a pass on this one). The biggest and most ignored story tied with this vandalized cemetery is this one, detailing how some Muslim-American activists are raising money for the repair of the almost 200 damage headstones: http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/02/22/muslims-raise-money-jewish-cemetery-headstones-vandalized 

See, despite the media wanting us to think that the entire country is going to come to an end because of who was elected President, despite the media honestly believing that the Constitution protects their “right” to poke around the White House (yeah, it doesn't, btw) and despite the celebrities believing that we ALL care what they wear (or WHO as the case may be), if they win or lose an award or what their opinions are, the average every day people that are constantly being ignored, are continuing to show the world that there are MANY, gracious, kind, loving people who care about our fellow citizens on this little blue planet.

Have a great day, y’all.  I’m off to drink my cough syrup, take my meds and rest my weary head.

We are West Virginia

The thunder shook the house waking me from a deep sleep.  Lightning flashed like a strobe light making strange patterns through the bedroom curtains.  The rain pouring down on my tin roof, a sound that usually comforted me, sounded like the thundering hoofs of a thousand horses.

I got up and went into the living room, I knew the storm would prevent the satellite from connecting, so I grabbed my laptop prayed I could connect long enough to check the weather.  As the interactive radar slowly loaded, I was stunned by the amount of red that covered our state.

To the South and the East of me the map showed massive amounts of rain and lightning strikes.  I whispered a prayer that everyone would make it through the storm and then I climbed into bed and tried to get a little more sleep.

And still it rained.

I awoke with a start as another loud clap of thunder shook my little house.  It was daylight so I had apparently slept for a couple of hours.  Staggering to the kitchen to make coffee, I turned on the television.  Of course, with the weather being so bad, the satellite would not connect.

I connected to the internet and logged into Facebook.  Pictures of the devastation scrolled by, houses flooded, roads under water……tears streaked my face.

And still it rained.

The day dragged by, spotty reception making it seem longer than it actual was.

And still it rained.

I stood on the porch and looked across my flooded yard.  I live on a ridge, high out of the flood plain, yet the rain came down so fast that the water didn’t have a chance to drain.  Thunder roared like a trapped beast and lightning cut across the darkened sky.  I worried for those that lived in low laying areas.

And still it rained.

The television finally connected and I turned to a local station.  “Local” for me being a station almost one hundred miles away.  The pictures they were showing were heart wrenching, houses completely under water, only their roofs showing, roads entirely covered, bridges gone.  The streets of Richwood as boulders larger than I am were washed down the streets.  Clendenin as the water raised deeper and deeper.  White Sulphur Springs as houses began to float away and then burst into flames as the propane tanks exploded.  I cried for the trapped, I cried for the lost and for the loss of everything.

And still it rained, the sky emitting a torrent of tears for what had been done.

And then the rain stopped, but the water did not.

It poured out of river banks, it slammed across  fields and golf courses, it crested against bridges building up a barrier of broken trees and items it had stolen from the many houses it had destroyed, it weighed against the bridges until the bridges could stand no more and they too joined in the fray of broken items roaring away with the river.

Land was literally stolen from underneath the roadways, causing the roads to collapse and disappear with the very thing that caused their destruction. 

The sound of the thunder was all but drowned out by the cries of the people and the sound of the raging river.  Slowly the thunder faded, leaving behind a thunder of a different sort……..the thunder of a thousand prayers going up for those impacted by the floods.   The river still raged, the wind still blew, but the prayers and good energy flew straight and true.

The devastation was and is enormous.  The losses uncountable.  The loss of everything you’ve ever worked for, of everything you have ever owned is minuscule in comparison to the loss of lives.  Brothers lost to the raging water, Mothers lost to not only the flood but the burning of homes,
Children without anything wondering if they will ever see their siblings again. 

The rain had turned to tears.

The pain our State feels, the devastation we are suffering brings even the strongest of us to tears.  Not only have our neighbors lost their homes, their possessions, their lives, but now they are faced with a foot or more of mud, mud that contaminates everything it touches, mud that could cause death as surely as the rain did.  Some places are still under water, or have standing water pooled around it, standing water that is a perfect breeding ground for disease carrying insects and bacteria.

The tears have slowed, although they may never stop.

Amidst all of the devastation there are bright spots.  Neighbors coming from miles away with food and water, bleach and cleaning supplies.  Those same neighbors rolling up their sleeves to receive the shots they must have in order to help clean up the mess Mother Nature left behind.  Strangers that live miles away becoming friends as they deliver water and supplies to those who had something to go back “home” to or offer places to stay to those who have lost even the buildings that contained their lives.

An older man who had lost his beloved wife a few years ago and was overwhelmed by the destruction the flood left behind.  He was happy he still had the “home” he shared with his wife, but devastated that all the things that reminded him of her were now beyond saving.  Until they reached the bedroom.  There, on the headboard lay his wife’s Bible.  It was wet and covered in mud, but it, unlike the other books in the home, was in one piece.  Not one page was even so much as bent, each and every printed word was still there as was his beloved wife’s handwriting.  Everyone’s cheeks were once again wet with tears only this time they were tears of gratitude as the elderly man laid that precious book on the bannister to dry. 

A family devastated by the loss of their beloved son only a few years ago to a war they didn’t understand or support, were dealt a double blow.  Their home was gone, washed away by the raging power of the flood.  Out of all the things they lost, the pictures of their son was the only thing that could never be replaced.  Then as the cleanup began and the magnitude of what had happened began to sink in, a miracle happened.  Someone walked up holding out a framed picture, it had been found almost five hundred yards from where the house once stood.  Smiling up from the mud smeared glass was their son.  The picture was almost dry and even the glass hadn’t been broken.  Now, they said, now they can go on.

A couple that had been camping by the river and was now presumed dead, found alive and safe miles away from the destruction.

A beloved pet found, wet and frightened, but alive and well.

A young boy whose family had lost everything they possessed, radiant with happiness as a National Guard service man handed him a new hat.  Now the little boy HAD something of his very own, something that wasn’t covered in mud or washed downstream.

People from all over Appalachia coming to the aid of their “hillbilly” neighbors as food and water begin to arrive.  Then Appalachia hands them another miracle, people from all over pour in to assist in any way they can, where ever they can.

West Virginia still needs supplies, we need water and non perishable food, we need bleach and cleaning supplies, rubber gloves and steel toed boots, diapers and formula, dog food and cat litter, shampoo and soap, deodorant and toothpaste. We will need hammers and nails, boards and drywall, and all of the other things it takes to build houses and we will need sheets and towels, pots and pans, dishes and silverware.  We will need everything because we are starting all over again.

We will need assistance in cleaning up and rebuilding, because we will rebuild. 

That is who we are, we are strong, we are resilient, we are stubborn and we are humble.

We stand proudly beside one another.

We help those we can.

We are Appalachia, We ARE West Virginia.