where's the beef

I am a country girl through and through.  As a farmer's daughter I have many memories of Daddy busting his ass to raise cattle and manage crops.  The herd was small by many standards, but it was his second job (besides USDA) and it took up much of his time off from the day gig.  I loved riding around with Dadd, and later Bubba, to visit the cattle that roamed around the farm.  The fencing was ancient barbed wire and cattle don't usually like being fenced in.  He walked the fence lines daily trying to keep those moos from escaping, yet they always did.  So did the horses.  It was a very common event for me to wake up and walk outside to find some large animal or another wandering in the yard.  Usually the finao horse, appropriately named Pride, would get really pissed when we tried to get him back into the barn lot.  Poor dude froze to death one winter and got buried right behind the very barn he loved to escape.  

My point is this:  Famers work very hard and their work is heavily weather dependent, eespecially with crops.  It is risky business that you have to love to keep going back in season after season.  Their livelihood is currently threatened by several economic decisions made by the current administration that includes tariff driven losses on crops and undercutting beef farmers by bailing out Argentina and importing THEIR beef.  China does not want American soybeans.  Zero orders since the tariffs went into place.  Farmers do not want a bailout, they want a market.  And that has been destroyed.

To another point, I learned that there is a bunker under the demolished East wing of the White House which is being renovated and covered with the corporate funded big beautiful ballroom.  BTW, Hitler did the same thing in 1937..Google it.

Things look pretty grim what with a gtovernment shutdown, healthcare crisis, recession, taxation without representation ( see Arizona rep still not sworn in ), indiscrimate bombing of fishing vessels and a whole long list of other bullshit.  I believe that Americans are knee deep in the fallout from all of these capricious decisions yet we are powerless to do anything but pay higher prices and die needlessly because of partisan loyalty.  I do not blame all Republicans, but the MAGA ones are not our friends.  They are afraid to cross Trump *and Vought, et al * so they just nod and do the work of the devil.   

Y'all keep the faith ^j^

 

eye of the beholder

 If you are politically progressive like myself, or even if you are MAGA, it is time to stand up and be heard.  What is happening these days is mind blowing and if you don't watch independent media you are only getting half of the story, or even less.  Being one who tries to see all sides, I occasionally drift over to see what's going on with the other side.  And I am always shocked.  I think it is important not to become desensitized to the violent rhetoric being used by maga.  Saturday will be a big one with protesters all over the world marching for No Kings. It is not just Americans who are upset.  "Now Poopie" you may say.  Don't be hyperbolic due to your trump derangement syndrome diagnosis.  I expect to see heavy military presence at these events, especially in blue cities where troops are already in place.  It is free speech at the core of this movement and many others.  BTW, antifa is not an organized group nor is Soros paying all these millions of protesters.  These are people who are not happy with the way our country is going, particularly with the government shutdown.  While one party showed up to work as usual, the one in power was told not to negotiate on healthcare provisions for Americans.  Oh and also, Puerto Rico is part of the USA so Bad Bunny is welcome.  Hey...it's all about the money right?

I retired before the age of 65 so I was covered by a marketplace plan until I hit the official Medicare age three years later.   There was no premium based on my income of SS payments.  During that time I was working as a sitter/personal assistant and in about August of 2019 I noticed that I was bleeding rectally.  My surgeon friend treated me with heavy antibiotics but there was no CT because I would have to pay a shit ton of money for it.  I should have trotted my ass right over to the hospital and gotten a CT.  It would have saved a world of trouble for my gut.  More antibiotics followed and it was pretty much kept under control until January 2020.   

In December of 2019 I had received a notice that my premium was going from zero to $1350 a month.  And that is how I entered my near death experience with an abcessed colon resulting in an illeocolostomy.  Everybody was kinda sorta expecting me to die but God had different plans.  Anywho...

My brother paid the 1350 so that that the incredibly expensive surgery would be covered.  I was very VERY sick for about six months.  During that time ( after Trump left office ) my monthly cost dropped to 330/month only I did not realize it because umm...sick as a dog.  I don't remember the details. That particular healthcare emergency changed my life forever.  I was navigating all of this by myself while managing a household of one*sometines* and a yard full of critters.

I remember odd things from that hospital stay. Trump was getting impeached for the second time, Kobe Bryant and his bunch crashed and COVID broke loose.  I watched on TV while China literally built hospitals in a week.  

On the morning of January 23rd I opened my eyes to the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen.  That was the day that my mother died in 2016 and I swear, I thanked her for that beautiful sight.  I was alive and I felt her presence..

Currently there are trolls on my FB page wanting to argue and I'm like "Really?  Get a life"  You will not change my beliefs in right v wrong with your angry rhetoric.  

Keep the faith ^j^

make it make sense

Following a brief hiatus from Pecan Lane posts, the Poopster is back! I have glasses that I can see to type with, which is heavenly. Part of the reason is that I found myself whining, bitching and moaning WAY too much for a blessed child of God like myself.  I reckon I sort of went down the rabbit hole with the state of our nation. There have been many foxhole prayers lifted up this year, particularly during the long, hot dry summer.  I'll spare you the details but it was pretty rough because I have a really big sense of what the least of these are dealing with and it ain't good.  At all.  

Project 2025 is now in full force.  It has been bait and switch from the get go but, girl please.  Things are not normal here in the USA.  The government is shut down because MAGA republicans refuse to negotiate on basic things like affordable healthcare.  As a retired healthcare provider, this is something I consider "not acceptable." Republicans wereo told by speaker Mike Johnson to take a paid vacation and not talk to the other party about the matter at hand.  Millions of Americans will lose affordable healthcare with the current big beautiful bill as it stands.  In some respect, I believe that is exactly the plan.  Genocide by attrition if you will.  Can't afford to see the doctor?  Just go ahead and die so the regime won't have to mess with you. I retired at the age of 62 because of multiple health problems, including two bad shoulders, even after surgery.  They wore out on me early because I'm a farm girl and did a lot of digging and hauling back in the day.  Plus all that repetitive motion in a semi-automated clinical lab at our local hospital.  After 41.5 years and a lot of mental stress at the end, my body gave up.  I was literally forced to slow down.  My daddy retired from the federal government at the age of 55 with a nice package because of those years of service.  Those perks are no more.  He was a USDA employee for decades pushing pins into a map to track various pests that destroyed local crops.  At the end of his career, he was traveling a lot because of meeting Cuban refugees at a Florida facility to inspect what they brought in plant wise.  The local office shut down and he managed to get a family friend to take his place which was mainly at the Memphis airport.  Times change and terms expire.

If you dig deeper than the main stream media, we are in deep shit here.  Trump's entire cabinet exists solely to implement the policies of Russ Vought, et al.  Flood the zone with nonsense like military parades in front of an absent audience.  The tariffs that he put in place willy nilly are killing the market for American farmers because our biggest customer buys elsewhere, Meanlike from Argentina and Brazil.  Meanwhile, the departments of war and racism spend billions of dollars on ICE recruitment bonuses for unqualified recruits to rappel onto rooftops and zip tie people based on race.  Jesus wept.

I must admit that most of my information now comes from podcasters on YouTube because I make my own decisions in a non-partisan ways.  I believe that DJT is an old white con man who is not aware of anything other than his opportunities to flex and see himself on TV.  The department of war has gone global, and the rest of the world hates our country.  Foreign leaders have moved on from even listening to him and the dribble.  Instead, they walk away and go to Plan B.  If there is peace in Gaza, Trump will claim that he ended war number 10.  Not on day one, mind you.  As daddy said "Jane, it will always be thus and so."  A biblical reference for sure.  And also "Leave room for the spirit to work."  That is a hard lesson to learn, but well worth the patience.

I have not seen baby Reaves in a hot minute and she is coming to visit tomorrow, Lord willing.  She is not a baby anymore but a thriving 8 year old who has a lot of spirit and and spunk.  Thus far, it has taken a village to raise her.  That's pretty cool in my book ^j^

death to democracy

I don't about y'all but I am pretty scared about everything in our country right now.  I see no hope for us average hard working people the way things are going at the moment.  We are dispensable to the current administration.  All of us except for the boot lickers and rich people.  Comedy is what restores my soul and will to live.

I have to admit that I was not aware of what is in Project 2025 until it became a reality.  Yep...we are neck deep in the project.  I did what I thought was right and exercised my right to vote for the lesser of two iffy candidates and my vote didn't count.  Still doesn't.  Living in a red state that invited National Guard protection for a major city in West Tennessee.  Black and blue mayor, mind you. Memphis is also where Musk has built data centers that pollute and poison the entire area.   There's your AI up close and personal.  The entire concept of freedom is taken away by that technology.  Manipulation online,such as that is great bait for those who have no personal beliefs and eat up the disinformation. As my 3rd grade teacher would say "think for yourself and say the pledge of allegiance." We all did back then, but times are different now.  I feel no allegiance to the current leadership.  I wish I didn't know what is going on and living in blissful ignorance like so many.

Today's dictator of the week is Brendan Carr, an author of one piece of the media takeover in the project.  There has been so much hostility surrounding the death of a MAGA influencer that many compare to Jesus.  Personally, my Jesus don't like that.  But then again my Jesus is a peace loving dude who stands for peace, love, acceptance and inclusion.  None of that is happening right now.

I watched Jimmy Kimmel's clip that caused him to be fired.  He said nothing about Kirk personally.  His take was on the fact that the POTUS is using that death to his own advantage. That is not hate speech ...it is an opinion .  I happen to agree with it.

If you appreciate the freedom that we have, please put the partisan shit aside and reach across the aisle to someone who believes differently than you.  Dialogue with those who choose to attack your beliefs.  Think about the rest of us if you dare.  Speaking of Jesus, that's what he would do. Plus a miracle or five.  That is truly what we need right now ^j^

from a distance

God is watching us.  How we deal with each other one on one without judgement or blame.  What has happened this week to capture the news is a terrible tragedy not only because a young father was killed.  That being said, we should all bw looking inward to examine our hearts when it comes to political retribution.  Just like a ceasefire, it requires two to tango and the Trump crew would never consider anything besides stoking the fire.  This won't end well unless there is an olive branch or five extended.  Every country in the world hates us and our safety net of the EU and NATO will cease to exist for us as a country because of the way we have treated OTHER nations.  

Just about every Saturday there is a protest in Jackson TN sponsored by a nationwide network of progresssive free thinkers who want change.  The state of affairs in our country right now is pathetic and people are already suffering both financially and emotionally.  I have watched way too many vides of starving kids in Gaza and ICE raids.

We are a democracy governed by the constitution of the United States.  Or we used to be.  The current administration has managed to shred it in about 8 months and some days.  

I have be become a responsible digital consumer by choosing my own news sources rather than watching main stream media.  All of that is being controlled by the government as well.  At the Men's Open the broadcasters were instructed to cut the audio of of the crowd booing him.  The man is oblivious and reckless and will take us all down with him if we don't stand up.  Am I scared to protest?  Heck yeah!  But, I'm in it for the long haul.  I may not be out there on the streets with a sign but I keep the message going here.  There is not a hateful bone in my body because I'm just a live and let live sort ofhat comes with dropping the judgement of others because we are different.

If you will remember, Jesus died for all of us not just Republicans.  Politics and religion should be separate.  That's up the constitution too along with separation of church and state.  I saw a lot of interesting things online today.  Memphis, about 90 miles south of us, will be "welcoming" troops to their city and I say good luck to all involved.  The crime is terrible there because of the size and demographics.  It is, indeed, a tresure trove of history with the Civil Rights Museum, FedEx forum and lots of other cool things to explore.  Memphis is a major medical center in West Tennessee.  I ended up at Baptist East with my stoma emergency and thank God I did.  Little old Dyersburg was definitely NOT equipped for that situation nor was West TN Healthcare.  Yet I'm still kicking.  Wonders never cease.

This has been a rough week for everybody I know.  The tension in the air is thick with those who really pay attention.  All we are saying, is give peace a chance ^j^

hanging on

It's been a pretty busy week around here farming wise.  The dreaded corn box has been opened!  I spent my 70th birthday with Lauren and she made sure it was really special for me.  She and Reaves have birthdays coming i about 10 days.  Lizzie was born about an hour before Lauren another year older at midnight.   I was in Jackson a lot those first few years and then life happened.  Colostomy.  Impaired kidney function.  Osteoporosis. Covid. And on and on.  

I am emotionally raw right now and can't blame it on just one thing.  I am guilty of stuffing my emotions until they come out all sideways like a crying, whimpering SCREAMING fit like my Mama used to do.  Losing my vision has been the worst.  Slowly but surely I am settling into the decade during which they became dependent on us.  They sat here for five years with no way to go excpt family and friends. Ms Faye was here every week day and made sure they had a good lunch.  I am beginnng to be like Mom and lay up in the bed until mid-morning.  That used to make Daddy soooo mad.  During those last years, he slept on a futon in the den so he wouldn't have to come downstairs to pee.  The rest is history.

I know who Charlie Kirk was am familiar with his views though I have never followed him because uh, well. You know what a radical leftist lunatic I am.  Yet his death and the political fallout from that has given Trump the golden key to be Big Ike.  Every single podcaster that I listened to yesterday said that they felt the same way.  A horrible way for two families to let go and a prime example, along with the recent schol shootings that there is not enough oversight.  Meanwhile, the government will shut down soon if everybody up there doesn't get their hads outta' their butts. 

My faith tells me to let go and let God. I am a stubborn soul for sure, but not stupid.  The Lord has gifted me with a tough spirit and tenderness to go with it.  

I miss the days when I got to see her often.  I am her only grandmother and we have lots of memories in the shsort 8 years since she was born.  She is a sassy mix of all of us.  

I continue to follow in faith ^j^

more of the same

As of today, summer is over and I have o a sweater.  That will all change next week mind you.  The corn is still hanging in there and I can hear it rustling in the breeze.  Also the cottonwood leaves are fallin (always the first) and we actually got rain last night!  That means it's almost my birthday.  I hope I get cake.  It's been a few years.  I normally feel like an orphan on that day.  Mom always celebrated birthdays and there was usually a ketchup bottle in the picture.  My friend Kathy in Florida makes her own cards and I got mine yesterday.  Thanks dear!  

My mind is going in so many directions that it's hard to focus on what exactly is happening around the world.  All I know is that Trump is becoming more and more unpopular by the day.  I can't believe it has taken this long,

I used to post every day but that was when I could see well.  Last week's visit to the opthamologist will hopefully bring me some glasses I can actually see with.  Later in the month I see the retina specialist.  And dentist.  And nephrologist.  What fun.  Better than being at Curry's.

Reaves was wanting to be a cheerleader so she started gymnastics.  Somewhee along the way she decided on soccer rather than cheer.  That made me way proud!  She is quick as lightning and wiry but strong.  And that personality...oh my.  She's kinda' snarky like me.   Unlike me, she loves math.  All three of us are Virgos to the core and all share the name Elizabeth.  The stubborn streak from Daddy runs right down the line.  

And just like that {poof} the muse is gone.  Y'all be faithful ^j^