WHO IS @rhondak?

In yesterday's interview, amaz-ing writer and kickass editor @rhondak shared with us details on how and why she joined Steemit, the nature of her work here, her first couple of weeks, her subsequent love for the Steemit platform, her journey to becoming a mod, and finally her vision for the Steemhouse Fiction Trail curation (SFT). She also gave some very valuable advice on writing for authors at Steemit, me included. Check out this amazing interview at https://steemit.com/minnowsupportproject/@sandzat/interviewing-rhondak-palnet-minnowsupport-moderator-and-channel-mod-msp-fiction-workshop-part-1

Today, we will meet @rhondak at a more personal level. 

Excited? Let's get started! 

Part 2: @rhondak - the Fiery Human!

@sandzat: Hello @rhondak! Yesterday's interview went really well. I loved your honest, clear-headed and well-articulated responses. And going by the votes and the comments, so did the 100 odd Steemit friends who read the interview! :) Today let's talk about you as a person and your everyday 'real world'. Okay, ready?

Question 1: Name your sun sign and share a secret quickly.

@rhondak: I am a Libra, and one of my biggest secrets is that I love, love, LOVE to play The Sims. Haven’t in years, but I miss it and think about my old Sim families every day. 

Question 2: Share your favourite joke.

@rhondak: First, I should make sure everyone is aware that my region of Appalachia is the opiod capital of the U.S. Drug companies ship oxycontin into these hills by the ton, unscrupulous doctors prescribe it like candy, and Medicaid and Medicare pays for it. We call it hillbilly heroin. So naturally I have a joke I like to tell about it.

Once I had two dogs in rescue named Roxy and another dog named Foxy. I decided to make it easier on myself calling them, so I went to the door and yelled, “OXY!” And I’ll be danged if three dogs and six neighbors didn’t come running.

Question 3: Show us a glimpse into a day in the life of @rhondak.

@rhondak: It isn’t glamorous. The rescue is located on seven acres, with the animals housed in a very old, outdated home. Although Tazewell ARC is a 501c3 (tax exempt) nonprofit, we haven’t been able to raise enough funding to make needed repairs. I sleep here most nights with the animals, although my husband and I do own another small home a few minutes down the road.

I get up when the pig Hamlet begins to bang the kennel panels. There’s no sleeping through that. I let him out to eat, let the downstairs dogs out, check the cat room, and check the goat up on the hill. Upstairs, I let all those dogs out, check the birds, check the rabbit. Grab an energy drink and breakfast, check email and make sure the Fiction Workshop hasn’t burned to the ground overnight, then spend about two hours cleaning and doing chores. I feed the wild critters who come around, get a little writing done, and keep one screen open on the Workshop Discord channel the whole time. 

In the evening, I get everybody fed and settled for the night, get the pig off the mountain and back in the kennel, and either go to the other house for a while or take a nap. Then I get up and start all over again. LOL

Question 4: Tell us how you met your husband. 

@rhondak: Online. How else? LOL

Question 5: Answer the question: If a spider came along on Steemit, and asked you to give it an upvote, what would you do? And why would you do what you would do?

@rhondak: Hah! Have you read my blog post, “My Life With Spiders?” https://steemit.com/life/@rhondak/my-life-with-spiders. Okay, my answer to this question is conditional. If the spider were a brown recluse or black widow, I would flag the hell out of it and hope it died from the downvote. BUT, any other kind of local spider gets an upvote and a resteem. They’re the best natural predators on the planet for mosquitos and other flying pests.

Question 6: Tell us about Diane Ryan and her work. :)

@rhondak: Diane Ryan is my pen name. It’s the middle names of my two kids. So far, I have two novels in print. Both are available on Amazon. They’re paranormal stories, and a third novel in that series is in the works. I’ve also has a short story called “Space Horses” published under this pseudonym by Perihelion Sci-Fi Online Magazine.

Question 7: List any three social issues you want to raise an awareness of. 

@rhondak: Animal welfare, the documented link between domestic violence and animal cruelty, and legalization of medical cannabis.

Question 8: What are the issues you have personally faced in your animal welfare activities? 

@rhondak: Lack of funding to operate, lack of community support, hostility from the region, and overt threats by community leaders. Volunteers have been harassed on their jobs and stalked on personal property by opponents of our cause—which is essentially “spay and neuter your pets, don’t dump them like trash, and treat them like family.” For this reason, many volunteers who are prominent in the community stopped affiliating with our organization. We have a very difficult time raising money to care for the animals, pay the overhead, and pay off nearly $10,000 in existing vet bills. This is one reason I joined Steemit. I hoped the extra money I could earn from blogging on this platform would be enough to feed the dogs in rescue, and possibly make some much-needed repairs to the facility. So far, I’m not meeting those goals, but maybe soon. I have several detailed posts about this on my blog, with photos and videos of animals in rescue here, as well as other dogs in the community who haven’t been so fortunate.

Question 9: Why do you think the people behind the mountains and elsewhere are turning a blind eye to the various social issues tormenting our society today?

@rhondak: For Appalachia, it’s a cultural issue. This is a closed society, resistant to outside influence. Animals have been considered property here for generations. While the rest of the nation and world appreciate their sentience and treat them accordingly, poor, rural communities have been slow to come on board with the idea that animals feel pain, fear, and other emotions. Pets are disposable here. Dogs are just dogs, cats are just cats. Better dead than fed in many cases. This mentality prevails in the highest levels of local government and political circles as well. It’s nearly impossible to reach the people if their leaders are determined to run interference with all efforts to educate.

Question 10: How do you think the Steemit community can help change the world? A world of both animals and humans. 

@rhondak: Steemit brings the best minds in the world together on one platform. It isn’t easy to succeed here, therefore those looking for a fast track tend to give up and yield the floor to those with more determination and staying power. These are the hearts and minds capable of changing the world with innovation, cooperation, and positive energy. Negativity is not rewarded here. That in itself can start a revolution.

Question 11: Name the latest animal that adopted you as its caretaker. Also tell us how it shows that it loves you. 

@rhondak: Pretty sure you’re talking about the 22-pound raccoon who decided that trees are for birds and brick homes are for her. LOL

Glory is a wild raccoon who grew up here on the property. She made friends with the dogs, figured out where the food is stored, and started letting herself into my house at will. She’s destroyed walls, computer keyboards, cables, space heaters, and more paperwork than I can ever reprint.

She became so tame with so little encouragement that I had to enlist the help of professionals to get her vaccinated against rabies and all the cat and dog diseases, and dewormed against the deadly raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris. In my state, no rehab or rescue options are available for displaced or injured RVS (rabies vector species,) so the only help I could get from officials is euthanasia. Well, that isn’t going to happen on my watch. There’s no reason to kill a very healthy animal who isn’t causing problems for other humans or creating a public safety issue. So she lives her life, I live mine, and every night she comes to visit. When she’s in the mood to be affectionate, she’ll sit on my lap and give kisses. When she’s not in the mood to be affectionate, she’s a crocodile with fur who can amputate a digit faster than you can say “ow.” Because I have prior experience with wildlife and exotics, I’m well-equipped to handle this situation over the long term. But I will tell you now that anyone thinking of adopting a raccoon as a pet might as well just go get a chainsaw and put fur on it. Because property damage and blood loss will be approximately equal with both.

@sandzat: Wow! You are such an amazing person! This question and answer session just confirmed it. It is a pleasure to know you @rhondak. I hope to drop in more at the MSP Fiction Workshop. Hopefully, some of your writing and editing skills will also rub off on me... :D 

Thanks again for giving me this opportunity to interview you. And I appreciate your taking the time to give such open, honest responses. I wish you all the very best for the humane endeavours you are so passionate about. Knowing you, I know you will definitely achieve all that you want one day. Cheers! :) - @sandzat