Well, let's
see what I can tell you about me.
I'm Petty Munroe, where
"Petty", of course, is just a nickname, after Richard
Petty, 'cause I got a slight problem with
speed-limits. My real first name is Petra,
but hardly anyone calls me that nowadays.
I was born in N�rnberg,
Germany, in 19.. (I ain't gonna tell). Grew up there, and
lived there until the age of 21. Yeah, I'm a
"Kraut"--or used to be
anyway.
My husband, Rick, and I met in
1985 while he was stationed over there and, believe me,
there is such a thing as
"love at first sight"! We got married in West
Virginia in March of 1987. No one gave this relationship
a snowball's chance in hell, but, hey, what did they
know? We moved to West Virginia for good when he left the
Service after the Gulf War.
I got my
citizenship (which means a whole lot to me) in '93, and I
can proudly say that I have managed to become a real
"country-girl". I also managed to lose just
about every last hint of a German accent (but who wants
to sound like Dr. Ruth anyway, right?) My only problem is
that I learned most of my English around Military folk
and, needless to say, learned all the "dirty"
words first. So, I really have to watch my mouth and I'm
not always very "politically correct" in a
casual conversation.
Of course it doesn't help much
that I like "hangin' out with the guys" at the
hunting camp. Let me tell ya, when you're the only
"girl" in camp, you better be able to hold your
own if you plan on sticking around. I got the advantage
that I used to participate in card-tournaments in
Germany, so I can "hang" fairly well at Poker
time. My second advantage is that I was taught about
firearms and how to shoot by a sniper-qualified, ex
US-Army Ranger (who just happens to be my hubby, and who
makes it a point to have me know every weapon I touch
inside and out). Believe me, consistently hitting what
you aim at sure boosts your prestige.
My
favorite things ( at least the top 10):
* Hunting (definitely
top of the list!)
* Rick's cooking (omelet's are one of his
specialties)
* Country Music (except Buck Owens)
* Watching Baseball (GO REDS!)
* Playing Poker
* Motorcycles (riding and working on 'em)
* Native American History
* John Wayne Movies (especially "The Green
Berets")
* Richard Marcinko's "Rogue Warrior" Books
* Military "stuff"
Things I hate:
* Anyone who wants to
mess with our 2nd Amendment
* Anyone who would burn the American Flag (and
don't even try to tell me that's
"freedom of speech")
* Pinto Beans
* Golf
* Being "broke"
* Politicians who don't keep their promises
* Anyone who tells me how I should live my life
* Disco Music
* Big cities
* People who drive slower than
the speed limit
Well,
I figure I probably ticked a whole lotta folks off by
now. Please don't expect an apology, because it ain't
gonna happen! See, that's where the
"freedom of speech" should come in. You say
what you mean and then you stand by it.
Anyway, for
those of you who don't hold this "character
flaw" against me, let me tell ya, I really wish some
of the kids I grew up with could see me now. Especially
the ones who didn't think I belonged with the
"in-crowd". Hah! I've seen and done more things
than any of my former peers would ever dream about. EAT
YOUR HEARTS OUT, PEOPLE!!!
I wonder how many of them have
ever worked on a Harley transmission in their kitchen, or
gutted and skinned their first deer. Oops, now I've lost
a few more readers with this last part. Yeah, maybe I
qualify as a Redneck or a Hillbilly, too, by now. So
what? I like it that way!
Rick and I got
probably the most perfect relationship, any couple could
ever enjoy. He loves to cook and he spoils me rotten
(especially on Sundays), and I'd rather shop for a new
rifle than for new clothes. We do have kind of a
backwards marriage going, though, because I'm
the one who flips TV channels from one baseball (or
football) game to another and he's
the one who complains about it. But that's okay, I guess.
During the off-season the remote is all his
to control.
Kids? Yeah, we
got those. Two of 'em...Kyle and Kayla.
Actually, when Rick and I first met, he wanted enough
kids to start his own race, but luckily I managed to talk
him out of it. Sure, kids are great to have, but whoever
wrote all those books about parenting must've never had
any. Geees, the things they come up with sometimes! And
nobody ever told me that someday I'd be running up a
mountain, trying to find some blood-root, because that's
the only thing that helps my daughter's allergic reaction
to the flea-spray I just put on our dog.
Get rid of the dog, you say? Uh-huh! That'd go over real
well. We'd just end up with another one anyway--- we
always do! Get a cat instead, you say? What's the
difference? They need flea-spray, too! And besides, none
of us is real fond of cats. A couple of years ago, one of the neighbor's cats raided a Robin's nest in the
yard and killed one of the babies. We managed
to save the other little one and took care of him 'til he
was old enough to fly and fend for himself. We turned him
loose up at our farm and the last time we saw him he was
zooming across the field like a fighter-jet, looking real
good.
Wasn't the first time I "mothered" something.
Had a couple of baby raccoons a few years back. They
weren't even weaned when their mother got killed by a
car. I bottle-fed those two little rascals for several
weeks and raised 'em until they were old enough to make
it on their own. Then, in spring of 2001, up at our farm, we
rescued a fawn from a dog that had a hold of it (needless
to say that dog ain't never gonna chase another
one---EVER!). We "doctored" up the fawn and he
spent the night in our cabin. Next morning we took him
for a "stroll" in the woods. Seemed like he
knew exactly where he needed to go, considering he led us
straight back to the area where the dog had first
cornered him. Had three big does standing there who
didn't even run when we came into sight. The little one
started bawling, took off in a flash, and went directly
to one of the does who started licking him. Figure she
spent about three days to get the nasty
"people" smell off of him. We're pretty sure
the little one made it, 'cause (unless there is another
young buck around with a scar on his right rear where the
dog had a hold of him) he actually came back, rather
close to the cabin, several times since then.
Now some of you probably say "how can you do
something like that and still like hunting?" Simple!
It's a matter of give-and-take. We gave that little buck
a chance to live which, otherwise, he wouldn't have had.
And there is a BIG difference between hunting
and just killing an animal. What?
You think them steaks and pork-chops you buy at the
grocery store all died of "natural causes"?
Unless you're a true vegetarian (and
don't you dare eat eggs, neither) you ain't got the right
to blame us for putting meat on the table for our family.
Don't get me wrong, though---we strongly believe in using
everything we harvest. If you kill it, you better eat it!
I hate a "trophy hunter" with a passion 'cause,
no matter how long you boil them horns, you still can't
eat 'em.
But
anyway---right now I'm really into this computer stuff. Actually, the
whole thing started out as just something to piddle with, you know,
waste a little time since I'm just a Mom and a "housewife"
with no real job (yeah, right!). Never thought it'd really amount to
much of anything, but....well, what do you know...
Of course, my skills still leave quite a lot to be desired,
considering I'm getting kind of a late start in learning
all the finer things of technology. Learning something new all the time,
though. My first big project was our family website (or at least a
reasonable facsimile thereof *grin*). It's got pictures of us and
a bunch of other nice things, too. So, if you're not one of those who
clicked on the "BACK" button after the first section, and you
got the time and the notion, we'd love for you to come visit us at www.geocities.com/wvmunroes
Also, if you like my
"stuff", I'd be glad to hear from you. Drop me a line
at [email protected]
And if you don't like it--well,
then you're entitled to your opinion, and to your right
to "freedom of speech". I appreciate an
honest opinion.
Okay, NOW you can push the
"BACK" button! :>)
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