Ahhhh.........

The funeral is behind us and all the family except Sweetie's older sister and her husband have gone home.

We're just chilling. It feels good.

No more evil smirks from the Bitch; no condescending tone of voice or exclusion from her, her children or grandchildren.

We learned through this ordeal that plenty of people see through her public facade. We kept our wits while the uppity nosed one went bonkers. Imagine being directed to the far side of the church away from the "reserved for family" section and not obeying!!! So there we sat - Sweetie, me, his son and Sweetie's brother - and Hell didn't open up and swallow us or anyone else!

All her choreographing and organizing was ignored and afterward people either gave us a thumbs up or whispered "good for you!"

And so, dear readers, my advice today is: STAY TRUE TO YOUR PRINCIPLES/BELIEFS. If your truly know who you are and what you stand for don't be ashamed; don't bend to every breeze.

The greatest threat to these insecure, micro managing morons is a well placed rebellion. Today, we rebelled. And gosh darn it - I didn't even know Sweetie was going to do it!!! By golly, I'm proud of him.

Too bad if someone raises a stink because you're "different." Too bad if you're blissfully happy living outside the mainstream, media driven, mall mongrels who retreat to their McMansions. Too bad if they're miserable over having to share the estate with three siblings who don't adhere to the status quo. Too bad they need regular revisions of useless junk in order to feel/believe they've "arrived."

And too bad they believe ornate, gilded religious buildings and practices guarantee them entrance to Heaven. Too bad their memberships in "exclusive" clubs and
organizations insulates them from diversity and variety.

It really is too bad. Their lives scream insecurity!!!

But, they've chosen their lifestyle and we've chosen ours. We grow about half of our food; we stockpile food and toiletries; we cut our firewood; we repair instead of replace; we live without frills and reach out to those in need. We feel no need to join and compete and accumulate. Our friends and acquaintances come in all sizes, shapes, backgrounds, political/socio-economic/religious persuasions and we find common ground with each. Yet, we're perceived as ignorant, lazy, unproductive, and in need of intervention.

Oh well!