They say, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” I believe this to be true, but I also believe the same thing applies to the city boy. I was born and raised in Washington DC. A typical city boy. I thought I had a pretty decent education; both formally and streetwise. I moved to West Virginia in 2008 so I have been living here in the beautiful mountains by the Greenbrier River and wonderful nature trail for some years now. Since then, I have experienced many of the beautiful things Mother Nature has to offer. . . Things, which in all of my years, I had never experienced before. I’ve found that I have learned more about myself since I’ve been living here than I have in my whole lifetime. I also began to realize that I don’t really miss the city at all. It’s like the city has left my body; as if it was an evil spirit. It’s gotten to be . . . “It’s okay to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” As I sit here on the edge of the Greenbrier River, birds singin’, beautiful wildflowers all around me, I start to think,

“What WAS so good about the city?” The traffic is terrible. The cost of living is the highest in the US. People are rude there. The crime rate is ridiculously high. In fact, just about every bicycle that I had as a kid was stolen. Then, I started to think about the country; about West Virginia. One thing; I didn’t have to lock everything up anymore, but I still do . . . Force of habit. I love that I can see the Moon and the stars. I knew they were out there. I had just never seen them up close like this before except at a planetarium. That’s just like seeing them on TV and not in person, though. When I look up in the sky, I realize something. I am beyond , ‘Almost Heaven’. I live in what I refer to as, ‘Heaven’s Waiting Room’. ( . . . and it just got a little closer to heaven with the legalization of (medical) marijuana, Yay !!! Shhhhhh !!! ) My realization has come full circle. I realize now that I AM a country boy. I was just born in the wrong place. So, you can’t take the country outta this city boy, no way, no how. No wonder I’m so confused. . . but the good clean air seems to clear my head. One favorite pastime of mine is playing my guitar. I love to play the Blues. I sit on my porch, play my guitar and sing up a storm. . . and maybe . . . just maybe my best discovery yet? I have the best foot stompin’ porch in West Virginia. You should come on out and set a spell. We can play a little music. Until next month. Keep the rubber side down and make it groovy. Peace. – the Random Prophet

READER NOTES: No trivia question prize winner for the month of June. Tell ya what I’m goin’ to do. I’ll double the prize this month for the same question in last month’s issue. Only thing is. I’m not going to list it here.You gotta go back to the last issue to find it. Page 17, if that helps. Good prizes, I tell ya. If you know the best gas price in town, email me the place so we can give a shout-out to the station. Very cool Lewisburg merchant’s scavenger hunt extravaganza is coming up soon. It’s FREE to participate and there’s gonna be some really cool giveaways. Send me your answers and any feedback for my column at groovyhighway@gmail.com

– Random Prophet. Hashtag #91. July 2017.