where the *wild onion* grows.

As I am still not sure where the red fern is (it's been years since I have read that book), I have learned recently that the wild onion does grow in Mississippi. I think subconsciously I felt like there was a familiar smell in the air. Refreshing for once that it isn't cows – the smell that some people say is money. Well, yes, if you own a cattle ranch, but otherwise it's disgusting. And many times taking Rainey out, I wondered what these little green patches were growing out of the yard. I remember thinking a few times, that they looked a lot like the chives that I started growing, but have since died. Hey - we can't be good at all things. But the parsley is still growing. The other herbs died off, due to me repotting them, and something happened along the way. So I am talking to our neighbor across the gravel, as they have been doing a lot of yard work the last few days. I thought to ask, since it seemed relevant to all the work they had been doing, if they had a vegetable garden. I keep smelling onions I tell her. She informs me that it is indeed wild onions all over the "neighborhood" that I am smelling. And they are! It's crazy! They have very tiny bulbs at the end. I dug a bunch out today. And if I have to hear Rob say one more time in his big "duh" tone, "Jenny – it's the South", I am going to club him! I don't know what the South is like. I have never lived in the south ever. NM is not the South, heck, Texas isn't even the South. I don't care what anyone says. Nothing is like the South except places like MS, AL, GA, KT, TN, and so on. I have been told that FL is not the South, but they are the farthest South, so who exactly is confused here?!

Here are a few of my loves and loves-not-so-much of living in Mississippi.
Love.
Love rocks in our driveway. Or Ben does. But when Ben's happy, Mom's happy. He could play with rocks until the cows come home. Weird.

Love the fact that I can tell people how to get to our house – using both Hose "R" Down and Ole Country Store in one sentence. Still cracks me up.

Love crocheting and working in the home – I have been enjoying our new home and all the places to run with Ben. Not the fitness kind of running, but running and playing and jumping and pulling him in the wagon and listening to nature sounds and airplane sounds.

Love cooking for my family because pizza can't be delivered to my home.

Love rocking chairs and porch swings. It seems a porch isn't complete in the South until a rocking chair sits on it.

Love these bugs called mosquito hawks. Think the jury's still out about whether or not they keep the mosquitoes under control. But I seem to notice them much more than mosquitoes, so maybe they really are eating the mosquitoes.

Love the fact that my hubby and I going to run a 10K together this month. I love running and I miss being able to work out with him, since we don't get to do it together as much anymore. But I love that he's good about taking care of Ben whenever I need to take care of me!

Love antebellum homes. They are so beautiful, and the 10K is going to take us through them and the MUW (Mississippi University for Women – it's coed now).

Love B&Bs. We spent a night in a little, rustic cottage for our 3rd anniversary – complete with horse pastures and deer in the back yard. It was peaceful, calm and quiet. When you have a toddler boy, you have a new appreciation for silence. I always say, "I swear whoever coined the phrase 'Silence is golden' was a PARENT. Probably of a TODDLER. Probably a toddler BOY!

My new Sonicare toothbrush. OK, this really has nothing to do with Mississippi, but I am loving it. All I have to do is hold the toothbrush in my mouth and practically does all the work for me. The only weird thing is that when you're so used to brushing your teeth, it's weird when you're done with the Sonicare toothbrush, because you feel like you didn't even do anything.

Love not so much.

The fact that I have yet to meet someone who gets my name right. (Johnny, Jeannie, Ginny) 867-5309 ring a bell with anyone? Scratch that, they probably think it's Johnny's number, or Jeannie's, or Ginny's. Maybe I need to pronounce it the way Forrest Gump does.

Septic Tanks. Hate to offend anyone here, but tampons are no longer as useful as they once were designed to be, because of the septic tank. And the concept of the septic tank, frankly, just grosses me out. Can't they just take *IT* away – *far* away?! Rather than leave it under the ground near my house?!?!

My mail is where?! Gotta love this picture I took today. While I love Richard, our postal carrier – he is a little odd at times. I just got done putting Ben down for his nap, and I found our mail here!

priceless.

The very sad fact that I would rather have a Hobby Lobby than an Old Navy at this point. Sadly, Wal-Mart is getting rid of their fabric/craft/yarn sections nationwide! Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought Wal-Mart was supposed to support "small town America", because they offered literally *everything* in one place. What does Wal-Mart think we do out here in the country?!?! We yarn and sew and CRAFT! I'm done talking about this – it's making me upset as I speak.

While I probably elaborated on the things I love not so much….I am happy that my "loves" outnumber the dislikes.

controversial.

I must say that I much rather write about complete nonsense, it's much more fun to me for some reason. Maybe it's because a toddler boy has infiltrated my entire being, I don't know.

Today, however, is a different story. And, yes, it's about war and the efforts being made overseas. I came across a girl from high school's profile. I knew her pretty well – all things considered. We went to after school care together for a while, and I always knew she was the artistic type. So if you want to read further into stereotypes you may, but what I saw on her profile already spelled it out. I didn't have to. She had a picture of a girl involved in "peaceful demonstration". She carried a sign that read: "bombing for peace is like f*cking for virginity". How sad. All I can think is this person needs to be told what reality is. But, IN REALITY, I know it wouldn't and doesn't matter. There is a certain point for all of us that we reach where it doesn't matter what anyone tells you – you will think what you want – regardless.
So, that's fine. All I can say is what all of you already know. To make such a statement, is clearly ridiculous. It doesn't make sense and for a person to draw those parallels. Well, let's just say that the way this person thinks isn't logical, so no amount of explaining is going to make this person understand. Sad. As crude as the movie "Team America" is – it's true when it comes to actors trying to understand what they aren't schooled in. We all remember the line from the movie, "As actors, it is our responsibility to read the newspapers, and then say what we read on television like it's our own opinion." And it's not just actors. People. People thinking they have a handle, a grasp, an understanding of something when their statements clearly show otherwise.

I don't know how I feel about what's going on with our troops and Iraq right now. I know I am grateful that Rob isn't over there. But the possibility always looms, even HERE at a training base, which is something I have recently learned. I certainly don't claim to have all the answers either. So mostly it's disheartening to think how people chomp at the bit to make a statement (however uninformed) on this issue. It's sad to me, because it has become a little bit more personal to me because of Rob.

Rob is very sensitive, conscientious, and is a very strong and caring person at the same time. He has a strong core - striving, excelling, and devoting himself to the military. I love him, but that aside, he is a person of integrity. And when I see careless statements being made about war and bombs, it hurts. He has a lot more education and training in his field and profession. It's not just about "bombing" as though it's a close-your-eyes-and-pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey thing. It's about skill, military intelligence, precision….much more knowledge and comprehension required than inscribing some catchy, yet tacky, claim on a piece of poster board with a Sharpie.

One thing he was required to memorize is this little blue book issued to him as a new cadet. It's a synopsis of the history of the Air Force and the military in general. If U.S. military history could be condensed, this is what it would be. This little book is required to be with you at all times, and at any given minute, upperclassman can demand you recite any section of it.

A quote by John Stuart Mill seems fitting: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

I hope that things look up and that efforts come to an end once things have been resolved. And I still believe there are certain things worth fighting for. And I know that a lot of the nation just wants to give up and quit because it is simply easier…..