Last month my husband and I closed on a 40-acre ranch in a rural area of NE Arizona. We’ve been up there every weekend since then getting the ranch ready for our permanent move next month. Besides having the benefit of being off-grid, with a high producing well, the thing we ended up living the most about our time up there is that we are disconnected. Our cellphones rarely have a connection. We have no internet. It’s just the two of us, our four dogs and nature. My husband and I have chatted and laughed together more in the last month than we have in the last year. Doing hard physical work together in the sunshine all day, working for ourselves, with many “uhoh’s” and “aw heck’s” then settling down on the front porch for dinner is just what we needed. My new mantra is going to be,
Come out for a week and feel the peace and quiet. Eventually, we’ll have a few guest quarters set up for friends who need to disconnect and escape the valley (Phoenix area) for a few days.
We had a cabin in the White Mountains of NH for 11 years. We had no internet or cable (we had a tv with a dvd player - the $5 dvd bin at Walmart was our friend). Our phones had no signal. It was beautiful. Our pre-teen son HATED it. Complained every time we were there. He was soooooo bored. We're now in south central PA and I've recently started scanning the Zillow listings in the mountains of WV.... it's not out of the realm of possibility that we do it all again. Pre-teen son is now a full-fledged teen and will be leaving for college in 3 years.
Do ya'll accept visitors? Maybe you can rent out a little building next to the barn and let your guests partially pay for their stay by doing ranch chores. That's what the family who took in Shane did.
We have a motorhome and a mobile home that will eventually be guest houses for kindred souls to come relax, retreat, and rejuvenate. And yes, barter for chores is a real possibility.
I moved from five acres in NY to FL to escape the nuttiness, which was successful, but now I'm on a postage stamp crammed in with nice but oblivious folk. I dream of a place like yours. And I love the mantra...
My husband retired in 2015 and we ran a 450-acre cattle/guest ranch for five years. It was so much fun and hard work. Then he “unretired” and moved us back to the city in 2020. All we’ve dreamed about since then is escaping back to the rural life. He’s getting to retire again and so back we go! Money is nice, but contentment and peace are way more important.
Troy, Alabama, where I live, is 2 hours and 15 minutes from the prettiest beaches in Florida and you wouldn't have to live in a small place in Troy. Of course, the "brand" of Alabama is not the same as the brand of Florida. But I think more people are looking for "less crowded" and "less expensive" (and friendly people) - which bodes well for little towns in Alabama that might want to add some great new residents. Of course, others say, "Don't tell anybody!"
Just came from Gulf shores- the most gorgeous beach ever! My son was married on that sugar soft sand. I hope the future for our newlyweds will be bright.
Congrats to the newlyweds! Gulf Shore's beaches are very pretty. I also like the beaches at nearby Fort Morgan, which does not allow the commercial development you see at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
The beaches of Destin, Sea Side ("Beaches of 30-A") and Panama City Beach are actually a lot closer to us in Troy than Gulf Shores. The white sand and emerald waters are perfect.
For many years and even today, the vast majority of the nice beach-front properties in the Florida panhandle were owned by families from "poor" states like Alabama. Alabama had more affluent people than most people probably thought. The Panhandle of Florida is like a completely different state compared to central and south Florida. The Panhandle is another Deep South State.
I've read that the state of Alabama once had the chance to buy the Florida Panhandle. Talking about great "What have beens" if the State and its leaders could have pulled that off.
Jenna, thank you for this. My 16 year old son is returning to in-person high school 11th grade. We had him in a remote learning school since Covid because we live in tyrannical MN and did not want him masked, vaccinated or woke cultured. His older siblings are in college and encouraged him to return in person for social benefits. We support him. After 2 weeks, his observations of his peers are fascinating. He is like a case study of what happens when you remove a healthy functional teenager and place them in our current MN public high school. “Mom, the kids cannot have a conversation. They cannot hold eye contact. They cannot put their phone downs.” I will stop there. I think his journey back into high school is more fascinating than when he left middle school hook during Covid(which was a trip of exhaustion). Had to share!
So strange when one discover the idea of "socialization" supposedly needing to occur in high school settings is yet another myth. We homeschooled our two girls year-to-year. The experiences my girls had with school groups (4-H, scouts, food bank volunteering, etc.) led to the same conclusion you and your son reached. We took the duel enrollment route at a local community college (fast track homeschool high school/college level classes) when they were 15 years old, and knocked off need for some of the introductory university classes. Real learning, no drama and confidence-building near perfect GPA's. Congratulations on doing a great job with your son, and best wishes for his continued success.
I'm back in the saddle again, thanks. My daughter's beloved senior pet was coming down the home stretch the last few months and consumed us as we tried to hold off on the inevitable decision (animal lovers know the drill) with near 'round-the-clock care. He's now at peace, I'm putting my heart back together, and writing away:-)
Your son's experience matches that of my own kids, though they're a little older -- recent college grads. Finding peers that can interact like average, normal human beings used to, is becoming a total rarity. Thanks for sharing!
I was talking about the Borg, a population of creatures denoted by a collective mind that appeared repetitively on Star Trek TOS. Today's smartphone users frequently act like they are members of the Borg collective.
Ahhh. Star Trek is lost on me as is most productions from Hollywood. I believe I saw some episodes when my brother controlled the tv dial when I was a child because I recall a ‘beam me up, scotty’ phrase.
I thought it was the degeneracy of the Borgia’s who ‘led’ the Roman Catholic church at one time.
ABsolutely fffffffffffffffffffffffing incredible writing today. Spot on. Will Ai do everything for everybody; nope. Will Trump ever not get sucked into answering inane nonsense from the cackling one ( egged on by the totally biased buffoons masquerading as moderators?); nope....Will life ever be as comfy as we believed it was in the 50's 60's and seventies????Nope. Will Jenna McCarthy continue to be the most brilliant, wonderful writer sharing her angst, her views? Yes yes yes absolutely fffffffffffffffffffffffffffing yes....Keep on keeping on. We are with you.................Respectfully..
There’s a proven pain relieving, endorphin release from swearing. Especially for people who don’t swear,often. It’s called Hypoalgesic effect. And,apparently, the F word is the most potent,with S#%t being the next.. I’m guessing we all need as much “pain relief”, as possible…but,I agree that hearing it loud and aggressive in someone’s regular conversation,as in every 3rd word,is unappealing..I certainly feel good when someone deserves a clear FY, and,I give it to them,eye ball to eye ball🤷♀️
With all of our educational opportunities, the fact one can’t find an appropriate word larger than 4 letters, used out of context and usually in improper grammatical order generally causes me to question intelligence, as well as upbringing. It’s become as irritating as the immature teenager’s use of “like” 10 times in every sentence. As far as the endorphin release, that comes from shocking people with crassness. I guess when someone’s elementary school child releases those endorphins in their face the light might shine.
I have to say I agree with the endorphin thing. Similar to what someone once remarked about Texas ("I wasn't born here, but I got here as quick as I could!"), I wasn't born swearing, but I learned through careful practice that it produces, not endorphin so much in me as, adrenaline, which concentrates my mind on the sheer necessity of getting this (or that) done! The mind empties of everything but the task at hand, with the reminder that I have just been too lazy (or whatever the necessary word is at the time) to do the necessary bit.
And what I'm testifying about here is when there's not another person around, so no shocking with crassness.
However, I will agree to drop it entirely, for the sake of saving Western civilization; I do not believe it ever was 'key'.
In regards to the cash issue, we need to show people what says on the bill: “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.” The only way they get away with not accepting cash is to refuse to serve you, which I guess they can. But if you owe someone, they must accept cash.
This banning cash trend ... ain't funny at all. I don't get out as much as I used to, but a couple of years ago I drove with a friend to Tuscaloosa to watch our college baseball team (Troy) play Alabama. I went to the concession stand to try to buy two hot dogs and a Coke ... and learned "no cash accepted." And the Coke and two hot dogs were $20!
The last two times I went to my bank's ATM, I tried to take out my usual amount ($300) and it told me they didn't have that amount, so I tried $200 and it STILL said the same thing. BOTH TIMES it eventually gave me a lousy hundred bucks. When you try to pay cash as often as you can, that doesn't last very long...
You made a very good point. I never thought it was a controlling issue. Always figured it was an "out of money" issue, as in too many people used the machine over a long holiday weekend.
Your point is actually more scary when you think about it.
It could be both. A long weekend of withdrawals & a banks way of dealing with that ‘run’ is to limit withdrawals. Imagine in a real frantic run on the atm’s cash - none available at all. Keep a stash at home. Build it up to cover several months of need.
I just went to see The Beach Boys at an outdoor concert venue in San Diego. On their website they tell you to “bring your credit or debit card, we are a cashless venue”. I had a Cutwater Margarita Lime Cocktail (in a can) that was $14 with a couple of ‘service charges” that rounded up to $17.
I also later learned of "Reverse ATM Machine." For people like me who don't want to use my debit card, you now have the option of buying an instant debit card - which the concession stand will accept. But there's a catch (a scam): You have to pay a $1 or $2 fee ... for the right to buy the over-priced Cokes and hot dogs.
I did not watch/listen/read about last night so I don't know what was said/will be said.
I DID watch Trump briefly discuss the decline of the US Dollar (within the last few days, I think he was in NYC speaking to a bunch of economist types, serious people, imho). He was so damned inarticulate that it pissed me off. Like his stupid bleach comment years ago, so easily twisted by his opposition. His position on the dollar is that it is being squandered (of course this simple word was out of reach for him) on unnecessary, illegitimate sanctions that has caused our 'enemies' to create BRICS so they can do business and get on with the strategic GROWTH they see as the future. In other words, our 'enemies' are building while we are clubbing each other over the head.
The economic crash we are about to encounter will be unprecedented and the Great Depression will look like a time of prosperity. One only needs to look at Europe and UK for what is coming.
Mark my words: people will beg for digital identity (to vote) just like they begged for a vaccine to be let out of the jail of their homes in 2021.
Are you aware of the fact (as observable by FRED charts) that the national debt has been increasing by a trillion dollars every 100 days or so during the Biden administration? Digital identity is the colloquial name of the mark of the beast.
But of course I am. While I can’t see everything clearly, I am blessed with some strong analytical skills and was paid handsomely as a CFO after my indentured servitude to a Big6 accounting firm!
I also know that when SS#s were issued in the US (to collect unauthorized by the Constitution taxes), people thought this was the mark. Remember how sly and tricky the Enemy is…I cannot out trick him, but I know The One who can.
Social Security is still low tech and not capable of cutting off one's ability to buy and sell like the central bank digital currency will, a key characteristic of the mark of the beast.
The official lies about price inflation are just as preposterous as all the official lies told in "Covid statistics." I also worry about a possible coming economic tsunami.
I wish I had all those prepper and handy-man skills, but I don't. So my work-around is to become great friends with people who do. I still have some pre-1965 silver coins. Maybe they'll take payment in this "junk" silver?
I’m learning that most of the “weeds” growing in my yard are nutritious,medicinal, and,drought resistant. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to NEEDING to eat them,but, I’m educating myself, so I have something to trade to the neighbors who know how to hunt and fish..we were joking/ not joking about this very thing,yesterday.
As always, a breath of fresh air with laughter abounding!
I have not read passed this perfectly written beauty:
"Now I’ve got to do all of that plus comparison shop for generators, memorize the many medicinal benefits of apple cider vinegar, practice running uphill with a backpack filled with concrete, teach myself how to build a water catcher and sew my own clothes, plant a garden, raise some chickens, and learn how to preserve asparagus. Sometimes it’s too much. The water is so toasty, and I’m so, so tired, maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a quick sec…"
when I spit my coffee out laughing at my own reflection reading this. I, too, have tried to recreate this city girl into a 'rancher's wife' without a husband and it has been laughable....I have perfected the potions related to apple cider vinegar and fermented "everything"! I now look with admiration all those women who actually weave (and have found to enjoy this new hobby). But, my goodness, chickens! A garden producing more than the few tomatoes, basil and zucchini I need? A generator?
So much good has come from this already and we KNOW this because we can LAUGH about it! I am achieving some kind of balance (all the new age words for homeostasis makes me laugh). Enough time has passed, I've had enough threats and bullying, enough hate, division and fear and intimidation, I'm done. Those people who behaved this way are securely out of my life, who needs people who won't go into the same foxhole as you?
I have found new friends, a new community, and, yes, a new church of believers whose eyes are not distressed by these things that admittedly DISRUPTED and SHOOK me. These new friends are not shaken by the nutters who want to control and distort our lives and force us into the fear they so love to worship.
Alot of the stuff I thought was important is forever gone (although I must admit, watching the gowns at the Oscars continues to delight me). What remains (to be built upon) is an internal spirit of hope and an army of people who see through the nonsense, no longer fear and want to get on with our lives with joy and thanksgiving for all the blessings we currently have now.
Keep it going, Jenna! Shine your light! These types of articles are your best self and you are loved by many unknow people, including me. Enjoy the journey as we have been untethered from the power of darkness that we have broken away from!
We watched about an hour of the debate. I kept saying to my wife, "Trump needs to ask Kamala when she first figured out Joe Biden has dementia." If she never figured this out, why didn't she? If she did figure this out, why did she remain silent and let a person with severe and worsening dementia continue to serve as president?
The strategy was to piss off Trump and he fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. I felt he showed righteous anger for 5 minutes but then he kept that same tone for the rest of the debate. I actually thought he'd be ready and I was totally wrong.
I suppose I’m making excuses for him but I am reminded that Trump has been relentlessly persecuted for 8 years now in ways that would drive any of the rest of us into insanity. I hope he agrees to another debate, because he seems to learn from real life experience more so than prepping in seclusion somewhere. He’s turned out to be the toughest SOB I’ve ever seen. There’s a good chance that voters will think about their actual lives and the only way out is with Trump at the helm.
He’s not good with being taught (as we saw in his first debate last time), but he learns by experience. Unfortunately, the Dems are sly and probably won’t give him the second chance they gave him before. He’s a doer, not a debater, and last night will hurt him. She probably wooed back the straying Dems and independents. With 2 months to go, it’s going to be tough, plus there’s still the October surprise and cheating to contend with. Pray hard, people!
That’s exactly the feeling I got. I felt that he was fried,and,who wouldn’t be?
Still,it was incredibly disappointing. Why in the world did he have to go on and on about the pet eating? This does not bode well,but,I will continue to pray…
The only important thing he said was to point out that none of the corrupt election court cases were lost because they were all stopped by bogus standing arguments, which would have been more important if the moderators had allowed it to be discussed further.
I guess you're not one to let the overwhelming amount of fraud. And absolute bullshit that went on during that election. Get in your way of questioning it, you believe the people who have lied to you for the last 3 and a 1/2 years. And you can see with your own eyes. The extraordinary corruption, the filthy mail Ballad scam. that were never accounted for, the lies that we have been told, the machines that were so easy to hack that It was done in court by a man with a pin. But no nothing to see here. Trump lost and somehow a vegetable that never left his basement got more votes than any presidential candidate in the history of this world. I don't know about that doc.You may need to rethink your position here You're actually buying their bullshit. From people who have lied for the last 3 and a 1/2 years and who've done everything. They can in their power to keep him out of office. That should tell you something.
I agree that IF HE CONTINUES TO RANT ABOUT "THE STEAL" the people whose votes he most needs will write him off and tune him out.
Same advice people have been trying to give Mr. Trump since 2016: "Stop saying everything that comes into your mind; put SOME kind of a filter mechanism in there for heaven's sake!"
I am literally screaming that at the TV every time I watch him! How can his handlers suck so badly? Is there not ONE PERSON in his circle who can get through to him???
Jeff Childers mentioned that Tulsi probably coached Trump and dialed him back. I saw your comment on there. I did not watch it because I knew she would have the answers memorized. Or have an earpiece.
Something is going on for Trump to stay dialed down the whole time. I’m reading reports from my trusted people on the debate. Something is going on. Or it was an experiment to coach him to not be himself to appeal to the left?
Jenna, Why do you think she mopped the floor with him? Substance? Control? Looks? She knew she had backup?
One debate. It was one debate.
I wish Kennedy and Vance had been there to make it 3 against 3.
Absolutely! Being grateful and focusing on the positives is what makes life worth living. Reading, commenting, and debating on Jenna's substack is also a great way to combat existence fatigue. And as cheesy as it sounds - loving, laughing, and learning is how to live life!
The most productive way that I've found to combat existence fatigue is to not combat at all. Fighting the system is exhausting, so living outside of it is a much better solution. Using decentralized and censor resistant platforms like Substack, BitChute, Rumble, Odysee, and cryptocurrencies outside the centralized banking system. Gardening, buying local, connecting with like minded neighbors, and basically doing anything that doesn't support the beast system that wants to devour our souls.
The "debate" was an absolute joke. What debate? They didn't talk about anything substantial whatsoever. My body my choice Kamala? What about the vaccine mandates? Covid19 anything? What about the climate change scam or the push for a global pandemic treaty? What about the "wild" fires that decimated and continues to decimate the US? It's almost as if the entire thing was scripted. Oh yea, it was.
I couldn't watch the debate. Too tired after a week of driving western Canada looking for an affordable house in a community where there's a solid base of realists who see what is happening in this country and the world. So far, it's not been successful. I'm an optimist and refuse to give up hope but watching political theater is more than I can handle.
Frustrating to watch for sure. I don’t think Harris mopped the floor with Trump, but he could have done better. Sometimes we’re super critical of ‘our’ guy or team, our kids - whoever we’re rooting for more so than the competition. Asking when she first noticed Biden’s dementia is a great question. I don’t think the debate will matter though. She was polished but still came off fake- and people noticed that & that she didn’t answer the questions, just attacked Trump & told lies. It was noticed even by libs. Tip - Spend lots of time in nature Jenna. A great way to connect with the healing earth is to ground yourself by sitting in a chair, bare feet firmly on the earth/ grass while you read or write. Early sun is a bonus.
Yes, it was a train wreck. I worried about what Trump would do and say. I had hoped that with advisors like Kennedy, he would have brought up important topics - like CENSORSHIP and CHILDREN'S HEALTH. Anything that would have made sense and touched the American people. I don't think even Kennedy can make this better. I feel like all is lost. They only spin they have is that the moderators were biased toward Harris. I'm afraid that's just not good enough. Trump opens his mouth and lies come out. Yes, Harris lied as well but she sounded like such a reasonable woman. Trump should have learned his lesson after his attempted assassination. The country was ripe for coming together. He blew it then and he blew it now. This was another failed opportunity. Harris took advantage of that positive messaging. Why did Trump fail to do so? I simply will never understand that.
Why did Trump fail? Might it have to do with his age? It was like he could not figure out what issues to pursue and which to ignore (so litle time!). And I do wish he would stop the perpetual frown.
Thanks for another great column that perfectly expresses the angst felt by every critically thinking, reasonably intelligent, patriotic American. Sharing to FB and Twitter now. Rick
I couldn’t get through the first twenty minutes because of her facial expression's, her hands constantly gesturing, and her voice- it’s so grating on my ears, but I don’t like her so it could just be me. 😬 I am right there with you! Lol
Last month my husband and I closed on a 40-acre ranch in a rural area of NE Arizona. We’ve been up there every weekend since then getting the ranch ready for our permanent move next month. Besides having the benefit of being off-grid, with a high producing well, the thing we ended up living the most about our time up there is that we are disconnected. Our cellphones rarely have a connection. We have no internet. It’s just the two of us, our four dogs and nature. My husband and I have chatted and laughed together more in the last month than we have in the last year. Doing hard physical work together in the sunshine all day, working for ourselves, with many “uhoh’s” and “aw heck’s” then settling down on the front porch for dinner is just what we needed. My new mantra is going to be,
“Get Disconnected, Get “CONNECTED”.
As a born New Yorker and diehard city slicker, I never thought I'd say this... but I AM SO JEALOUS.
Come out for a week and feel the peace and quiet. Eventually, we’ll have a few guest quarters set up for friends who need to disconnect and escape the valley (Phoenix area) for a few days.
Don't threaten ME with a good time! :)
We had a cabin in the White Mountains of NH for 11 years. We had no internet or cable (we had a tv with a dvd player - the $5 dvd bin at Walmart was our friend). Our phones had no signal. It was beautiful. Our pre-teen son HATED it. Complained every time we were there. He was soooooo bored. We're now in south central PA and I've recently started scanning the Zillow listings in the mountains of WV.... it's not out of the realm of possibility that we do it all again. Pre-teen son is now a full-fledged teen and will be leaving for college in 3 years.
Do it!! You will never regret it and W Virginia is so beautiful!
I need to slowly get my husband to think it's his idea. :)
That is indeed the trick… 😉
Definitely need the upper body strength and determination of a husband. Can I find one on Amazon? 🤣🤣🤣
We're good at opening pickle jars.
😂
Do ya'll accept visitors? Maybe you can rent out a little building next to the barn and let your guests partially pay for their stay by doing ranch chores. That's what the family who took in Shane did.
We have a motorhome and a mobile home that will eventually be guest houses for kindred souls to come relax, retreat, and rejuvenate. And yes, barter for chores is a real possibility.
May be. But alienating Jack Palance wearing a gun simply isn't worth it for most of us.
We need a Shane to take care of Jack Palance's character. That was the theme of that classic movie. Do you fight the Bad Guys or not?
I moved from five acres in NY to FL to escape the nuttiness, which was successful, but now I'm on a postage stamp crammed in with nice but oblivious folk. I dream of a place like yours. And I love the mantra...
My husband retired in 2015 and we ran a 450-acre cattle/guest ranch for five years. It was so much fun and hard work. Then he “unretired” and moved us back to the city in 2020. All we’ve dreamed about since then is escaping back to the rural life. He’s getting to retire again and so back we go! Money is nice, but contentment and peace are way more important.
I'm having trouble getting contentment and peace. Could you share a little more about how to get some "Money?"
Troy, Alabama, where I live, is 2 hours and 15 minutes from the prettiest beaches in Florida and you wouldn't have to live in a small place in Troy. Of course, the "brand" of Alabama is not the same as the brand of Florida. But I think more people are looking for "less crowded" and "less expensive" (and friendly people) - which bodes well for little towns in Alabama that might want to add some great new residents. Of course, others say, "Don't tell anybody!"
Just came from Gulf shores- the most gorgeous beach ever! My son was married on that sugar soft sand. I hope the future for our newlyweds will be bright.
Congrats to the newlyweds! Gulf Shore's beaches are very pretty. I also like the beaches at nearby Fort Morgan, which does not allow the commercial development you see at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
The beaches of Destin, Sea Side ("Beaches of 30-A") and Panama City Beach are actually a lot closer to us in Troy than Gulf Shores. The white sand and emerald waters are perfect.
Oh yes! We visited the actual Fort in Fort Morgan- then went to the beach. A lovely stretch of sand. 🏖️
Oh, THAT's why they put in that panhandle in Florida!
For many years and even today, the vast majority of the nice beach-front properties in the Florida panhandle were owned by families from "poor" states like Alabama. Alabama had more affluent people than most people probably thought. The Panhandle of Florida is like a completely different state compared to central and south Florida. The Panhandle is another Deep South State.
I've read that the state of Alabama once had the chance to buy the Florida Panhandle. Talking about great "What have beens" if the State and its leaders could have pulled that off.
Absolutely the finest lifestyle. There's a song lyric "Sleep in peace when day is done" that I find golden.
Jenna, thank you for this. My 16 year old son is returning to in-person high school 11th grade. We had him in a remote learning school since Covid because we live in tyrannical MN and did not want him masked, vaccinated or woke cultured. His older siblings are in college and encouraged him to return in person for social benefits. We support him. After 2 weeks, his observations of his peers are fascinating. He is like a case study of what happens when you remove a healthy functional teenager and place them in our current MN public high school. “Mom, the kids cannot have a conversation. They cannot hold eye contact. They cannot put their phone downs.” I will stop there. I think his journey back into high school is more fascinating than when he left middle school hook during Covid(which was a trip of exhaustion). Had to share!
So strange when one discover the idea of "socialization" supposedly needing to occur in high school settings is yet another myth. We homeschooled our two girls year-to-year. The experiences my girls had with school groups (4-H, scouts, food bank volunteering, etc.) led to the same conclusion you and your son reached. We took the duel enrollment route at a local community college (fast track homeschool high school/college level classes) when they were 15 years old, and knocked off need for some of the introductory university classes. Real learning, no drama and confidence-building near perfect GPA's. Congratulations on doing a great job with your son, and best wishes for his continued success.
Isabel! This lovely note reminded me... how's your book coming? ;)
I'm back in the saddle again, thanks. My daughter's beloved senior pet was coming down the home stretch the last few months and consumed us as we tried to hold off on the inevitable decision (animal lovers know the drill) with near 'round-the-clock care. He's now at peace, I'm putting my heart back together, and writing away:-)
Your son's experience matches that of my own kids, though they're a little older -- recent college grads. Finding peers that can interact like average, normal human beings used to, is becoming a total rarity. Thanks for sharing!
And we wonder why there’s a depression/suicide explosion among teens and young adults.
The Borgification of America has nothing to do with Covid.
Well said. Covid was, however, a blast of furnace heat and while it continues to burn many completely blind souls, others now see. 🙏
There are enough learned people still arguing that the virus, and viruses in general, don't exist to make an autodidact like myself wonder.
As I said, completely blind, useless and, worse, destructive experts. What you said earlier about the Borgia's? Brilliant.
I was talking about the Borg, a population of creatures denoted by a collective mind that appeared repetitively on Star Trek TOS. Today's smartphone users frequently act like they are members of the Borg collective.
Ahhh. Star Trek is lost on me as is most productions from Hollywood. I believe I saw some episodes when my brother controlled the tv dial when I was a child because I recall a ‘beam me up, scotty’ phrase.
I thought it was the degeneracy of the Borgia’s who ‘led’ the Roman Catholic church at one time.
Yes! “ Existence is futile “.. in keeping with today’s post…
ABsolutely fffffffffffffffffffffffing incredible writing today. Spot on. Will Ai do everything for everybody; nope. Will Trump ever not get sucked into answering inane nonsense from the cackling one ( egged on by the totally biased buffoons masquerading as moderators?); nope....Will life ever be as comfy as we believed it was in the 50's 60's and seventies????Nope. Will Jenna McCarthy continue to be the most brilliant, wonderful writer sharing her angst, her views? Yes yes yes absolutely fffffffffffffffffffffffffffing yes....Keep on keeping on. We are with you.................Respectfully..
😭💕😊
I agree with him on everything but the profanity. Could the f-bomb PLEASE go the way of other obsolete profanity!!!
There’s a proven pain relieving, endorphin release from swearing. Especially for people who don’t swear,often. It’s called Hypoalgesic effect. And,apparently, the F word is the most potent,with S#%t being the next.. I’m guessing we all need as much “pain relief”, as possible…but,I agree that hearing it loud and aggressive in someone’s regular conversation,as in every 3rd word,is unappealing..I certainly feel good when someone deserves a clear FY, and,I give it to them,eye ball to eye ball🤷♀️
"Sometimes profanity provides relief denied even to a prayer." Mark Twain, and he was one of the ones.
Indeed!
My device will not allow me to “like” comments on Substack,so,I have to acknowledge with words..
I like words best :)
With all of our educational opportunities, the fact one can’t find an appropriate word larger than 4 letters, used out of context and usually in improper grammatical order generally causes me to question intelligence, as well as upbringing. It’s become as irritating as the immature teenager’s use of “like” 10 times in every sentence. As far as the endorphin release, that comes from shocking people with crassness. I guess when someone’s elementary school child releases those endorphins in their face the light might shine.
I understand.
Sometimes,crassness IS called for,imho:)
I have to say I agree with the endorphin thing. Similar to what someone once remarked about Texas ("I wasn't born here, but I got here as quick as I could!"), I wasn't born swearing, but I learned through careful practice that it produces, not endorphin so much in me as, adrenaline, which concentrates my mind on the sheer necessity of getting this (or that) done! The mind empties of everything but the task at hand, with the reminder that I have just been too lazy (or whatever the necessary word is at the time) to do the necessary bit.
And what I'm testifying about here is when there's not another person around, so no shocking with crassness.
However, I will agree to drop it entirely, for the sake of saving Western civilization; I do not believe it ever was 'key'.
fuck all wrong with a good swear word love...
In regards to the cash issue, we need to show people what says on the bill: “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.” The only way they get away with not accepting cash is to refuse to serve you, which I guess they can. But if you owe someone, they must accept cash.
This banning cash trend ... ain't funny at all. I don't get out as much as I used to, but a couple of years ago I drove with a friend to Tuscaloosa to watch our college baseball team (Troy) play Alabama. I went to the concession stand to try to buy two hot dogs and a Coke ... and learned "no cash accepted." And the Coke and two hot dogs were $20!
They lost that sale.
The last two times I went to my bank's ATM, I tried to take out my usual amount ($300) and it told me they didn't have that amount, so I tried $200 and it STILL said the same thing. BOTH TIMES it eventually gave me a lousy hundred bucks. When you try to pay cash as often as you can, that doesn't last very long...
That, should scare you...the fact that the bank did not have enough money to dispense.
The bank prob had enough money but is CONTROLLING how much Jenna gets. For real!
You made a very good point. I never thought it was a controlling issue. Always figured it was an "out of money" issue, as in too many people used the machine over a long holiday weekend.
Your point is actually more scary when you think about it.
Well, now I'll need to go back soon so I'll keep y'all posted! (I may try a different branch, too.)
It could be both. A long weekend of withdrawals & a banks way of dealing with that ‘run’ is to limit withdrawals. Imagine in a real frantic run on the atm’s cash - none available at all. Keep a stash at home. Build it up to cover several months of need.
I just went to see The Beach Boys at an outdoor concert venue in San Diego. On their website they tell you to “bring your credit or debit card, we are a cashless venue”. I had a Cutwater Margarita Lime Cocktail (in a can) that was $14 with a couple of ‘service charges” that rounded up to $17.
Me thinks they are "working their plan" and "cashless society" is probably the most-important outcome of said plan.
I also later learned of "Reverse ATM Machine." For people like me who don't want to use my debit card, you now have the option of buying an instant debit card - which the concession stand will accept. But there's a catch (a scam): You have to pay a $1 or $2 fee ... for the right to buy the over-priced Cokes and hot dogs.
When has what is printed on the currency ever been explained to the hoi polloi?
The currency is not the cash mentioned in the Constitution as gold and silver.
Legal tender is headed towards becoming central bank digital currency.
I did not watch/listen/read about last night so I don't know what was said/will be said.
I DID watch Trump briefly discuss the decline of the US Dollar (within the last few days, I think he was in NYC speaking to a bunch of economist types, serious people, imho). He was so damned inarticulate that it pissed me off. Like his stupid bleach comment years ago, so easily twisted by his opposition. His position on the dollar is that it is being squandered (of course this simple word was out of reach for him) on unnecessary, illegitimate sanctions that has caused our 'enemies' to create BRICS so they can do business and get on with the strategic GROWTH they see as the future. In other words, our 'enemies' are building while we are clubbing each other over the head.
The economic crash we are about to encounter will be unprecedented and the Great Depression will look like a time of prosperity. One only needs to look at Europe and UK for what is coming.
Mark my words: people will beg for digital identity (to vote) just like they begged for a vaccine to be let out of the jail of their homes in 2021.
Are you aware of the fact (as observable by FRED charts) that the national debt has been increasing by a trillion dollars every 100 days or so during the Biden administration? Digital identity is the colloquial name of the mark of the beast.
But of course I am. While I can’t see everything clearly, I am blessed with some strong analytical skills and was paid handsomely as a CFO after my indentured servitude to a Big6 accounting firm!
I also know that when SS#s were issued in the US (to collect unauthorized by the Constitution taxes), people thought this was the mark. Remember how sly and tricky the Enemy is…I cannot out trick him, but I know The One who can.
Social Security is still low tech and not capable of cutting off one's ability to buy and sell like the central bank digital currency will, a key characteristic of the mark of the beast.
I understand. Your substack is a great way to educate people, go for it!
The official lies about price inflation are just as preposterous as all the official lies told in "Covid statistics." I also worry about a possible coming economic tsunami.
Agree except I’m not worried. I’m prepared, including plenty of bicep curls. 🤣
I wish I had all those prepper and handy-man skills, but I don't. So my work-around is to become great friends with people who do. I still have some pre-1965 silver coins. Maybe they'll take payment in this "junk" silver?
Ditto. I’m learning how to blush and flutter my eyelashes!
I’m learning that most of the “weeds” growing in my yard are nutritious,medicinal, and,drought resistant. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to NEEDING to eat them,but, I’m educating myself, so I have something to trade to the neighbors who know how to hunt and fish..we were joking/ not joking about this very thing,yesterday.
Not to worry Bill…We ALL will have something to contribute in the ‘new communities’ that we will be forming once this S*I*T*H*W comes down.
As always, a breath of fresh air with laughter abounding!
I have not read passed this perfectly written beauty:
"Now I’ve got to do all of that plus comparison shop for generators, memorize the many medicinal benefits of apple cider vinegar, practice running uphill with a backpack filled with concrete, teach myself how to build a water catcher and sew my own clothes, plant a garden, raise some chickens, and learn how to preserve asparagus. Sometimes it’s too much. The water is so toasty, and I’m so, so tired, maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a quick sec…"
when I spit my coffee out laughing at my own reflection reading this. I, too, have tried to recreate this city girl into a 'rancher's wife' without a husband and it has been laughable....I have perfected the potions related to apple cider vinegar and fermented "everything"! I now look with admiration all those women who actually weave (and have found to enjoy this new hobby). But, my goodness, chickens! A garden producing more than the few tomatoes, basil and zucchini I need? A generator?
So much good has come from this already and we KNOW this because we can LAUGH about it! I am achieving some kind of balance (all the new age words for homeostasis makes me laugh). Enough time has passed, I've had enough threats and bullying, enough hate, division and fear and intimidation, I'm done. Those people who behaved this way are securely out of my life, who needs people who won't go into the same foxhole as you?
I have found new friends, a new community, and, yes, a new church of believers whose eyes are not distressed by these things that admittedly DISRUPTED and SHOOK me. These new friends are not shaken by the nutters who want to control and distort our lives and force us into the fear they so love to worship.
Alot of the stuff I thought was important is forever gone (although I must admit, watching the gowns at the Oscars continues to delight me). What remains (to be built upon) is an internal spirit of hope and an army of people who see through the nonsense, no longer fear and want to get on with our lives with joy and thanksgiving for all the blessings we currently have now.
Keep it going, Jenna! Shine your light! These types of articles are your best self and you are loved by many unknow people, including me. Enjoy the journey as we have been untethered from the power of darkness that we have broken away from!
[*tries to respond but is too choked up]
We watched about an hour of the debate. I kept saying to my wife, "Trump needs to ask Kamala when she first figured out Joe Biden has dementia." If she never figured this out, why didn't she? If she did figure this out, why did she remain silent and let a person with severe and worsening dementia continue to serve as president?
I REALLY wish this had come up.
If I was Trump or one of his advisors, I'd pound this message (unasked questions) home 20 times every day.
SERIOUSLY. Even with her earpiece, how would they worm their way out of that? Grrrrrrrrr. SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES.
The strategy was to piss off Trump and he fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. I felt he showed righteous anger for 5 minutes but then he kept that same tone for the rest of the debate. I actually thought he'd be ready and I was totally wrong.
Ready, he was not. 😭
I suppose I’m making excuses for him but I am reminded that Trump has been relentlessly persecuted for 8 years now in ways that would drive any of the rest of us into insanity. I hope he agrees to another debate, because he seems to learn from real life experience more so than prepping in seclusion somewhere. He’s turned out to be the toughest SOB I’ve ever seen. There’s a good chance that voters will think about their actual lives and the only way out is with Trump at the helm.
He’s not good with being taught (as we saw in his first debate last time), but he learns by experience. Unfortunately, the Dems are sly and probably won’t give him the second chance they gave him before. He’s a doer, not a debater, and last night will hurt him. She probably wooed back the straying Dems and independents. With 2 months to go, it’s going to be tough, plus there’s still the October surprise and cheating to contend with. Pray hard, people!
I think you're right about no further debates. She'll quit while she's "ahead".
Yep!
That’s exactly the feeling I got. I felt that he was fried,and,who wouldn’t be?
Still,it was incredibly disappointing. Why in the world did he have to go on and on about the pet eating? This does not bode well,but,I will continue to pray…
And someone tried to kill him just a few weeks ago.
That definitely would throw his mojo off.
The only important thing he said was to point out that none of the corrupt election court cases were lost because they were all stopped by bogus standing arguments, which would have been more important if the moderators had allowed it to be discussed further.
He LOST the election. Any suggestion otherwise will cost him the election - if it's not already lost.
I guess you're not one to let the overwhelming amount of fraud. And absolute bullshit that went on during that election. Get in your way of questioning it, you believe the people who have lied to you for the last 3 and a 1/2 years. And you can see with your own eyes. The extraordinary corruption, the filthy mail Ballad scam. that were never accounted for, the lies that we have been told, the machines that were so easy to hack that It was done in court by a man with a pin. But no nothing to see here. Trump lost and somehow a vegetable that never left his basement got more votes than any presidential candidate in the history of this world. I don't know about that doc.You may need to rethink your position here You're actually buying their bullshit. From people who have lied for the last 3 and a 1/2 years and who've done everything. They can in their power to keep him out of office. That should tell you something.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I agree that IF HE CONTINUES TO RANT ABOUT "THE STEAL" the people whose votes he most needs will write him off and tune him out.
Same advice people have been trying to give Mr. Trump since 2016: "Stop saying everything that comes into your mind; put SOME kind of a filter mechanism in there for heaven's sake!"
I am literally screaming that at the TV every time I watch him! How can his handlers suck so badly? Is there not ONE PERSON in his circle who can get through to him???
Jenna, you (even YOU!) assuming you made it onto his team and told him what he so desperately needs to hear, would quickly be told: "You're FIRED!"
Pennsylvania cheated in 2020.
It's absurd that you could even "spit" out the sentence; "He LOST the election." What planet do you inhabit?
I suppose you believe that the EGGPLANT currently "acting" as Commander of the Starship Enterprise is completely coherent? PLEASE!
In the absence of an understanding of the reason why he lost the election, it is irrelevant.
What am I doing? I’m praying. Continually. 🙏🙏🙏
Jeff Childers mentioned that Tulsi probably coached Trump and dialed him back. I saw your comment on there. I did not watch it because I knew she would have the answers memorized. Or have an earpiece.
Something is going on for Trump to stay dialed down the whole time. I’m reading reports from my trusted people on the debate. Something is going on. Or it was an experiment to coach him to not be himself to appeal to the left?
Jenna, Why do you think she mopped the floor with him? Substance? Control? Looks? She knew she had backup?
One debate. It was one debate.
I wish Kennedy and Vance had been there to make it 3 against 3.
It was all political theater.
He's been lifeless for a couple weeks now.
Well, someone did try to kill him a couple of days ago.
So, there's that...
Absolutely! Being grateful and focusing on the positives is what makes life worth living. Reading, commenting, and debating on Jenna's substack is also a great way to combat existence fatigue. And as cheesy as it sounds - loving, laughing, and learning is how to live life!
The most productive way that I've found to combat existence fatigue is to not combat at all. Fighting the system is exhausting, so living outside of it is a much better solution. Using decentralized and censor resistant platforms like Substack, BitChute, Rumble, Odysee, and cryptocurrencies outside the centralized banking system. Gardening, buying local, connecting with like minded neighbors, and basically doing anything that doesn't support the beast system that wants to devour our souls.
The "debate" was an absolute joke. What debate? They didn't talk about anything substantial whatsoever. My body my choice Kamala? What about the vaccine mandates? Covid19 anything? What about the climate change scam or the push for a global pandemic treaty? What about the "wild" fires that decimated and continues to decimate the US? It's almost as if the entire thing was scripted. Oh yea, it was.
I couldn't watch the debate. Too tired after a week of driving western Canada looking for an affordable house in a community where there's a solid base of realists who see what is happening in this country and the world. So far, it's not been successful. I'm an optimist and refuse to give up hope but watching political theater is more than I can handle.
It was truly painful, not gonna lie.
I didn't watch like the last 63 years.
It is all much too painful and frankly, embarrassing. Like many, I am fatigued by all the drama with no real desire to change. Very sad.
Frustrating to watch for sure. I don’t think Harris mopped the floor with Trump, but he could have done better. Sometimes we’re super critical of ‘our’ guy or team, our kids - whoever we’re rooting for more so than the competition. Asking when she first noticed Biden’s dementia is a great question. I don’t think the debate will matter though. She was polished but still came off fake- and people noticed that & that she didn’t answer the questions, just attacked Trump & told lies. It was noticed even by libs. Tip - Spend lots of time in nature Jenna. A great way to connect with the healing earth is to ground yourself by sitting in a chair, bare feet firmly on the earth/ grass while you read or write. Early sun is a bonus.
Yes, it was a train wreck. I worried about what Trump would do and say. I had hoped that with advisors like Kennedy, he would have brought up important topics - like CENSORSHIP and CHILDREN'S HEALTH. Anything that would have made sense and touched the American people. I don't think even Kennedy can make this better. I feel like all is lost. They only spin they have is that the moderators were biased toward Harris. I'm afraid that's just not good enough. Trump opens his mouth and lies come out. Yes, Harris lied as well but she sounded like such a reasonable woman. Trump should have learned his lesson after his attempted assassination. The country was ripe for coming together. He blew it then and he blew it now. This was another failed opportunity. Harris took advantage of that positive messaging. Why did Trump fail to do so? I simply will never understand that.
So many missed opportunities.😭
I found it very odd due to his , let’s say , his tenacity in the past .
Why did Trump fail? Might it have to do with his age? It was like he could not figure out what issues to pursue and which to ignore (so litle time!). And I do wish he would stop the perpetual frown.
Seems to me there is very little to smile about these days.
Great analysis/ analogy/ summation , couldn’t agree more .
IDK, Harris came off like a self righteous jerk for 90 minutes.
Prosecutorial yet so caring.
Smiling and nodding enthusiastically with the moderators who struggled to maintain their veneer of impartiality.
We wait a week to see what the polls say.
Thanks for another great column that perfectly expresses the angst felt by every critically thinking, reasonably intelligent, patriotic American. Sharing to FB and Twitter now. Rick
I appreciate the kind words AND the share (even though your posts will likely be buried/hidden #storyofmylife)! ;)
I thought she looked like an insane person grimacing and flopping around but I don’t like her so it could just be me. 🤷♀️
I couldn’t get through the first twenty minutes because of her facial expression's, her hands constantly gesturing, and her voice- it’s so grating on my ears, but I don’t like her so it could just be me. 😬 I am right there with you! Lol