Tuesday, June 20, 2017

It's June 20th

Some day I really am going to write new content, but until then, here's another rerun. Today is West Virginia Day which I almost forgot about until Miss Landers reminded me this morning with the West Virginia state song. I was involved in another project last night and forgot all about today's significance. And since tomorrow won't be West Virginia Day and it's time for me to go to work, here's a blast from the past.

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Happy West Virginia Day!

Today we celebrate the day West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863. As most of you know, I grew up in West Virginia--a fact that I'm very proud of. West Virginia is not large in either size or population, so not many people know much about it. Or they only "know" what they've seen on TV or in the movies. Let me see if I can give a brief summary of what West Virginia is like.
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Like most other places, West Virginia has a many different kinds of people and ways of life-- especially since our two panhandles reach far into other areas. Go to the northern part of the state and it is like the Northeast. Go to the far eastern part of the state and you'll identify with Washington, D. C. Take a trip to the southern reaches, and you are definitely in the South. And when you're in the far west, you are in the Midwest. If you grew up in the middle part of the state, like I did, you can chose whatever you want to identify with because there are bits of everything.

Also, like most other places, there are rich people and there are poor people. There are well educated people and there are poorly educated people. There are people who like grits and ramps, and others who don't like them at all (that would be me). But I'd say that almost everyone likes biscuits.

Besides biscuits, there are other things that bind the state together. People here have a connection to the land. This is where they hunt and fish and where they grow their vegetables and graze their cows or goats. They also appreciate the beauty around them. Everywhere you turn there is a feast for your eyes. Whether it is hilly terrain of hills and hollows (hollers), or long mountain ridges with long stream valleys, it's all very scenic. They are also a very resilient group of people. Life has not always been easy for many people here, but they find a way to keep going.

But the thing that strikes me the most about West Virginia is the friendliness of the people. I have found friendly people everywhere I lived, but not always the comfortable friendliness that I have experienced with the people of West Virginia. I hadn't realized this until a young Theo asked me a question one day as we were traveling back to visit his grandparents. He said, "What makes everyone so friendly where Granddad and Grandma live? It's different from where we live." I started to notice, that he was correct.

So there you have it. I have just summarized 24,230 square miles of land, 1.85 million people, and over 150 years of history of West Virginia. Maybe another time, I'll tell you more.

10 comments:

  1. Happy West Virginia Day! I was tantalizing close to it as we drove up the Shenandoah Valley but we didn't make it there :( Perhaps on another trip...

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    1. Yes, you were very close, but there's only so much time. It sounds like you had a great trip just as it was.

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  2. Lovely blog, I also am a worrier, a planner a workaholic, that needs to slow down and love life a little more.

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    1. Sometimes it tough to find a balance between productivity and relaxation. It's something that I think we all strive for.

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  3. Lovely to see as one is driving through. We did not stop, unfortunately. Thanks for telling me more.

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  4. Generally, it is a pretty state to drive through. However, as one who is prone to car sickness, I've noticed that it also seems to have curvier interstates than most places.

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  5. I have heard it is a beautiful state!

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    1. There is really a lot of pretty scenery to see there especially if you don't like flat.

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  6. Reminds me of the song, Country Roads, by John Denver. :)

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    1. That song has a special place in my heart. When I was a kid our PBS station came on every afternoon with that song. I made a point to watch it every day. I have loved it ever since.

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