Some WV Love

((We’re starting off with a side note…typing “’em” for “them” is driving me batty. If you’ve read some of my previous stuff, then you know I struggle with saying things the sophisticated way versus the way I talk. When I write, I type out “them” but it doesn’t sound like me as I read over it, so then I change it to “’em” but after a while, it seems like too much. So we’re gonna go with both, “them” and “’em”.))

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat down today thinking I would write about being poor. While it is not currently the case, there have been times in my life when I have been poor. Sadly, living in poverty is part of the Appalachian experience for far too many people and there is no way to tackle that subject without doing a deep dive into sociological and political issues. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.

So instead of talking about poverty, let’s talk about some of the things I LOVE about my home state of West Virginia.

In no particular order:

Mountains – They’re beautiful and daunting and wild! And, they are constantly trying to reclaim themselves from the hands of man. Growing up, everywhere I went, the edges of the yards were the woods and hillsides. The same held true at my house. You have to actively fight to keep nature from taking over again.

And the hillsides are straight up and down in places. I never got to play with balls very much growing up ‘cause if I dropped ‘em they would roll straight down the hill and into the creek where they would float away.

Also, remember clogs? They were a thing when I was growing up. I couldn’t wear ‘em because it was nearly impossible to walk up our driveway while wearing them.

But for all that trouble, the mountains are worth it!

Sitting outside in the evening when the hillsides around you look all blue-ish purple-ish and the lightening bugs look like they are caught in the tree branches….heaven! You have a bat or two swooping around, and maybe a rabbit lingering in the yard. Nothing on earth makes me happier!

Fall – Fall is good anywhere, but is darn close to perfection in West Virginia. It is a true blast of color! Some places in the States have what I call “tweed fall” with colors on the brown and dark orange side. Other places have what I call “plaid fall” with yellow and bright orange contrasting the brown. WV definitely is a plaid state.

Plus, since most people think of Maine or New Hampshire or some New England state when they want to see autumn colors, West Virginia doesn’t get an insane amount of fall tourists.

(What are they called? Leap peepers??)

So for those who live in WV, they get the beauty without the increased crowds.

((Oh, and don’t worry that I’m letting the secret out. I’m not. I’ve looked at my analytics. There ain’t many of you reading my blog!))

People – I say this sincerely and with a large amount of love and gratitude in my heart… folks in West Virginia are like no one else on earth. They are deeply and intricately tied to their homes and their families. You use recipes you learned from your Mamaw. You live in a house built by your Papaw. You see your cousins every day. Whole families own certain hillsides. (And will defend that land from outsiders. YES. Still, to this day, that is a thing.) And the people work HARD. Day in and day out. You will see little 90 year old men, stick thin, bent over with years of labor, still going out and putting in a day’s worth of hard labor on their little bit of land. Or, women in their 80s still canning vegetables from their gardens.

The. People. Are. Amazing.

Accent – (Come on! You had to see this one coming!)

Seriously, the way we talk in West Virginia…wow! It is blunt and poetic at the same time. The way old-timers can turn a phrase is impressive, and often, hilarious. And so many West Virginians are natural born story tellers! If you ever get a chance to sit down and have a conversation with an older person from West Virginia, you should take it. Listen to their stories of growing up. You will learn a lot.

Just in my own family, there are stories of moonshiners and lawmen (we had both which is an interesting combo!) and living in shanties, and working in the coal mines, or on the railroad. Tons of history!

State Parks – Can I just say, I was shocked and horrified to find out you have to pay to get into state parks in some states. My brain fritzed out over the idea!

West Virginia has free state parks. You might have to pay to do some things in them, like taking a tram ride at Pipestem or camping, but you can drive in without paying a fee. So that is the first thing I love about the parks.

Beyond that, though, the parks have a certain rugged beauty I find appealing.

History – I alluded to the Hatfields and McCoys. But, have you heard of the Coal Mine Wars? Or the Battle of Blair Mountain? Or, did you know we came into being because of the Civil War? Look into the New River Gorge Bridge and the people who jump off it. Or, check out The Greenbrier and its famous bunker.

Seriously, it’s all fascinating stuff.

But most of all…..my number one thing I love about West Virginia….

It is always my home.