THIS IS NOT ENTIRELY ME!

You Know You're From West Virginia When...

You only knew one or two Republicans as you were growing up.

You actually know someone who has sold their vote for a bottle of liquor.

You've never seen a local ballot with anything but Democratic candidates.

You think Senator Byrd should be nominated for Sainthood.

You've seen Senator Byrd's name on a sign in front of a bridge or highway construction project.

You know what commodity cheese is.

You've been asked to give someone a ride to the post office on "check day."

You know what "check day" is.

You have avoided the post office on "check day."

You've seen a picture of John L. Lewis hanging on someone's wall right between the picture of Jesus and JFK.

You know who John L. Lewis is.

You know what a Tipple is.

You know what a slate dump is.

You played on a slate dump as a kid.

You know someone who actually did go to Pruntytown.

The same guy got his head shaved and "fell down the steps" at the court house a couple of times before being sent off.

Everyone who works at the court house is related to someone else who works there.

You sometimes call a paved road "the hard road."

You know someone who has driven to a neighboring state to get "real beer" instead of the 3.2 stuff.

You've bought fireworks from the same guy with the real beer.

The state where this guy went might be called "O-hi."

"Vacation" means driving through Wyatt on the way to Morgantown.

Down south to you means Kentucky.

Stores don't have bags; they have pokes.

You cook green beans for hours.

You know what a real tomato is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

Your parents have threatened to have you sent to Pruntytown.

You can watch someone order a hotdog and know in what part of the state they live.

You know that Serpent Mound was not made by snakes.

You know at least one couple who went to Virginia or Maryland to get married.

You can change the oil in your truck without ducking your head.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from West Virginia.

Thunder Boomers

Thanks to Hurricanes Cindy and Dennis, we've had some great thunderstorms. When the weatherman says to take cover, I'm inclined to open the garage door so I can watch the storm.

As a kid I sat on the front porch during storms, but our porch here is too small to stay dry.
I enjoy the sound of the rain falling, especially a hard rain. Thunder and lightning make it fun. In the mountains it sounds like the thunder is rolling around - you can hear it coming and going like a train whistle.

After the storm is over the air smells clean and fresh.

But now they say our weather pattern is changing so it won't be as stormy for a while. Oh well, all the lakes in the area are above summer pool so I guess it's ok to dry out a little.

July's a stinker

I'm about ready to cancel the rest of July. It's not been all bad, but it's trying.

The daughter of friends was hit by a drunk driver Sunday night. She was declared braindead yesterday afternoon. After harvesting organs for transplant they disconnected the ventilator. The funeral will be tomorrow morning. She leaves a husband, a son not yet 2 years old, her parents, and two sisters. She was a kind, warm, sweet young woman who loved her family and lit up when her son was in the room. I will miss her.

Then I found out that half the team we sent to Mexico on a mission trip last week came home sick. They've narrowed it down to something they ate at a particular restaurant on Friday afternoon.

Next comes the news that my brother-in-law has had a heart attack at some time and is undergoing tests to find out how bad it was and what they can do to prevent another one.

And two hurricanes are headed this way.

Gimme a break!