My Pioneer Woman Top 10 Useless Opinions List

Just last week, I clicked on the “All Time” search engine referrals for The Bitch Sessions. As can be expected, there were plenty of hits related to chickens and other nonsense, and some really interesting searches related to bitches, in general. The very top search referral, though, with an impressive 678 hits? Drumroll, please………Ladd Drummond.

It doesn’t surprise me that there are hundreds and hundreds of hits for any variation of The Pioneer Woman’s name. She’s probably the most popular female blogger out there. People are very curious. If you ever choose to write a post about The Pioneer Woman, be prepared for the relentless onslaught of searches related to the lovely PW.  The appetite for all things PW is insatiable, equal parts of love and hate, all rolled into one.

But Ladd Drummond? What  do you want to know? He’s a non-blogging, non-celeb married rancher from Oklahoma. Sure, he’s handsome enough, and the the Drummond family is very well known, but I really wonder what people are looking for. 

I don’t claim to know much about The Pioneer Woman, or her husband. I read her site infrequently, and don’t really understand the enormous appeal, and don’t think I ever will. But I do have my opinions,  and that’s all I really have to offer you on the subject.  Without further ado, here’s my PW Top 10 useless opinions list.

1.    I don’t believe she’s under any obligation to inform her readers of every detail of her life, regardless of how many times she’s used the phrase “keeping it real”. She’s a blogger, she’s not taken an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nuttin’ but the truth.

2.    I do believe that she and her hubby probably have a happy relationship. The hiney tingles and this new obsession with his  forearms are a little  over the top, but hey, after being married that long, with four kids, I say BRAVO if they’re still sexually attracted to each other. I prefer to take these things pretty much at face value. Why waste your time debating whether a blogger you don’t know, and her hubby you don’t know, are as happy as she’d have you believe?

3.    I don’t understand where the assertions that Marlboro Man is an ass, and treats her badly, come from.  Everything she’s written about him suggest a fairly loving partnership. Yes, that’s definitely what she wants readers to believe, but I have never read any credible reports otherwise. I totally discount comments that start with “I know Ree personally and blah blah blah“. I always feel these comments are left by little troll like creatures who desperately want you to believe whatever pack of lies they are passing about. If these trolls were really friends of Ree and Ladd Drummond, I doubt they’d be telling the world that he’s an ass.

4.    It’s been alleged at another blog that shall remain nameless – y’all know who I’m referring to here – that Ladd and Ree Drummond are basically made of money. It’s been said that they’re worth in excess of 20 million. Are they? I have no idea, but I kind of doubt it. The beginnings of this rumour are undoubtably this article , read and horribly misinterpreted by some truly ignorant people. Yes, court records apparently state that land was sold for this amount, but by Ladd Drummonds father, not Ree and Ladd Drummond. Why would anyone assume all that money passed to Ladd? Why even assume any of that money has been passed on? Taxes, debts and liabilities, other business interests, anything could have swallowed up that money. And if it has, or will be, passed on to family, there’s more than Ree and Ladd to consider, including his brother and six or seven grandchildren. It is reckless and irresponsible to promote the idea these folks are millionaires many times over. And, honestly, folks, if you were worth in excess of 20 million buckaroos, would you be getting up before dawn every damned day to work a long day in the Oklahoma weather? Not me.

5.    Homeschooling is not for everyone, but for some it works. I don’t know, nor really care, about the details of Ree’s lesson plans, but an intelligent person would reasonably assume she’s educating those children properly. Both she and her husband are college graduates, it’s perfectly reasonable to expect she intends her children will also attend college. The idea that the Drummonds are training those children to be nothing more than ranch hands is laughable, especially if you do buy into the idea that they’re fabulously wealthy.

6.    I have no frickin’ idea if the Drummonds employ a nanny, a gardener, a housekeeper or a billy goat trainer. I can’t imagine why it matters to folks, but “Ree Drummond nanny” appears in my search results often enough for me to know that many of you do care. It would be my guess, based on nothing but logic, that she does not. Regardless of what some may think, I don’t believe that she’s trying to portray herself as a “true” pioneer woman, beating the laundry off a rock down at the crick. She has no problem blogging about the other creature comforts they enjoy, has blogged about babysitters and household help before. Why assume she’s hiding a deep dark secret involving domestic help? She’s no Kate Gosselin, folks.

7.    When I was growing up, my siblings and I all had to pitch in and do some serious work around the house and property. Generally, it’s what was expected of children in those days, at least where I’m from. So, no, I don’t think her children are being used as cheap labour, nor do I think it’s abuse to have them get up early to work with their father. It’s ridiculous for anyone to assume Ree and her Marlboro Man schemed to keep the kids home from school just so they’d have cheap labour on the ranch. 

8.    No, I don’t think she’s a great photographer, but I didn’t know she ever claimed to be. Everything I’ve ever read from her is chocked full of disclaimers about how she’s not a professional. Personally, I like the fact she has outside contributers, I probably wouldn’t look at her photography section much at all otherwise.  But, while there’s not much I can learn from Ree about photography, I am sure her tips and lessons have been invaluable to many others. If photography is a new passion, any tips and advice are helpful.

9.    Will I buy her cookbook? Absolutely not. I’m sure that it’s going to be lovely, and full to the very brim with photos, but I’m not a fan of much of her food. Only a few of her recipes have ever made me want to cook. As with her photography section, her guest food posters are interesting, and Pastor Ryans  Spicy Orange Shrimp were really good. But I can’t stand to wade through three dozen pictures of her chopping onions on every recipe. I understand the point of it all, but it’s not for me. I can’t imagine it will be any different in her cookbook.

10.    God, do you really want more? I don’t know if I have another logical thought to throw at you, so I will end by saying her contests and giveaways rock, and good luck to each and every one of you who enter. Myself, I’m holding out for one of those lovely Nikon’s.