Monday, August 30, 2010

Relaxing

As I sit here and relax after doing some house work and farm work, I am enjoying the peace of the woods.  I am sitting on the porch listening to the wind through the trees and watching the chickens peck the ground.  The children are playing enjoying the evening sunshine.   

The wild grape vines have produced grapes and they are exactly as I had researched.  They taste good.  Similar to concord except it has more seeds.  We are enjoying the fresh fruit growing wild in our own front yard.  This is bliss.  Next year, I am going to be making jellies with these grapes.  (As well as other wild fruit growing here.)

I am enjoying our piece of heaven on earth here.  I am just wishing for rain.  We went into town today and above us, the clouds build.  But it doesn't rain.  It rained in town, but not here.  Everything is dry.  But it is still wonderful and peaceful.

In other news, I made today's paper.  I wrote a letter to the editor concerning a case in Van Buren, Ark about a court baliff who berated a woman for breastfeeding.  Although there was an official apology, there was a disclaimer stating no law or policy was broken.  Really?  How is that possible?  Anyway, I wrote a letter to the editor about it and included Arkansas (and Missouri) law regarding breastfeeding and it was printed in today's edition.

I have decided I am done with answering sybermom psychos.  No matter what I say, they will twist it to their own purpose.  They claim that me calling them stalkers is wrong because my blog is public.  Well, yes, my blog is public, but when they take my blog, decide to believe what they want, ignore the rest, and spread outright lies, then they have taken a public blog and used it to smear lies about me and my family.  Guess what?  A line has been crossed.

I have also taken the "family blog list" links off my roll.  Husband has deleted his because people can't differentiate between sarcasm at the VA, humor at a warped map, and his personal posts.  The children's blogs are still (somewhat) active.  They don't post often, but they do post.  When someone uses a THREE YEAR OLD in their smear campaign (which tells you the maturity level of these "adults") then they have again crossed the line.  Anyone who has regularly read my children's blog will now need a blogger ID and a personal invite.  If you wish to continue to read my children's point of view on life in the backwoods, let me know and I will allow you to read it.  (Once I figure out how that function works.)  This makes me sad.  I never wanted their blogs to be private because what they have to say is valuable.  Just because they are children, it does not mean their voice should not be heard.  But first and foremost, I am their mother.  So I have to protect them.  Not just physically, but in the cyberworld as well.  I never thought anyone would stoop so low (especially another mother) as to drag a child who is only three into her little games.  But as most people know, to inflict the most damage to a mother, go after the child.  They should be ashamed of themselves, but they have no clue.  They probably don't even consider the fact that what they did was wrong and they don't care.  That is the saddest of all.

Edited to add:  For those who don't believe my entry about Mandy and her baby Jake, she is Amanda Caton over at facebook.  She also said that anyone who wants to know more about what she went through that I have permission to give out her phone number privately.  Tell her that she didn't get cut at 5 months and watched as her baby nearly died and had to fight for the right for him to have breastmilk.  Or that industrial waste in ground and well water does not harm babies in the womb.  Or that everything she went through is a figment of my imagination.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How nice of you to want to protect your children.

Do you protect *all* of your children, though? What about the ones you left behind and refuse to pay court-ordered child support for?

Your hypocrisy is stunning.

Teresa said...

Kim,

Hi! I just found your blog through Michelle's new blog. :-) I'm happy to hear you are all doing so well. Lilly looked for Charlie at the fair this year and was disappointed not to see him. Can't wait to follow your adventures through your blog!

Teresa Barton

Mrs. Hoppes said...

Teresa - Wonderful to see you! Charlie will be happy to know Lilly was looking for him, but disappointed he didn't get to see her. I noticed you started following the other day. I love some of the recipies you have and can't wait to try them.

If you are the least bit curious about "Anonymous" and her ilk, long story short, I pay child support for two children I lost in a custody battle to an abusive ex-husband who had money and I didn't. April sometime, there is a blog entry about it. D (our previous fearless leader) can fill you in on the details if you want. She even went to court with me. (As did a few other people in emotional support of me.)

Anonymous and her ilk are bored housewives whose batteries died in their vibrators so they have pent up hostility they need to release and have chosen me to get their jollies off on.

Michelle in Illinois said...

roflmbo @ your comment about dead batteries in vibrators ;) ha ha!! Probably closer to the truth than we even know. I'm sorry you have to make your children's blogs private/invitation only, but it's probably for the best. I have them bookmarked but visited only sporadically.

Sounds like you had a nice evening. We had rain this morning. My evening consisted of work.

Michelle said...

I've been reading your blog for quite some time now and today, for the first time, I feel it necessary to leave a comment.

Don't listen to these close-minded, cynical people. Though I live in the city, buy processed foods (getting better about that, though--we just don't have many local farmers' markets), and don't even make an attempt at making my own household goods, I have a deep respect for what you do and how you're doing it. And while we disagree about theology and politics in a few areas, I can tell you're an intelligent person who came by your opinions in a thoughtful manner.

People will immediately resent and feel dismayed by your choice to live outside of what's normal. They will consider any child-rearing that does not include public school, boundless expensive toys, and spineless caving to the whims of a child as child abuse.

Let them prattle and roar.

A little broader worldview would do everyone a little good. Children are remarkably resilient, for one thing, and the only things they *require* to be healthy is food, shelter, and love. You give them all of these AND an education, valuable life experience (something tells me they'll know how to change a tire or can their own fruit by the time they reach adulthood), and a tenacity to face whatever challenges life throws their way.

Living in a city or a suburb has its advantages, but so does your approach. It's valuable, what you are doing is valuable, and don't let close-minded people get under your skin.

And as for all this bickering over your children from the previous marriage, my heart goes out to you. It's clear that you have made all appropriate efforts, that this whole situation has been a source of intense sorrow for you, and that you want nothing more than to fix the situation.

Be strong. We don't all of us think you're crazy. :)

Auntie Barb said...

From the Sister in Law (Auntie Barb to the Hoppes' Kids)
To Michelle (first comment): Thank you so much for your very kind first comment to all that is being said regarding their chosen lifestyle. This lifestyle did not happen by chance, but was desired since childhood.
To Kim: Though you shouldn't have had to thank you for the comment regarding your previous marriage even though it only touched the surface of what you went through.
To the Hoppes tribe. Buggers... I signed onto Blogspot so I could read and comment on your blogspots... so write!!! Love and miss your sweet faces.