Susannah gave everything she had to ensure her family had what they needed. She had even built a home for them. She had chosen to live a life surrounded by natural beauty instead of the chaos of the city. She left enough land around her property so that her kids could enjoy the beauty of nature. But she was horrified to discover that she would have to take extreme measures to keep her home safe. She had enough! She grabbed a hammer and started swinging.
Susannah B. Lewis is a Southern woman, a mother, a wife, a dog lover, a podcaster, a blogger, a comedian, an author, and a nature freak. At first, writing was a hobby. She wrote about her personal experiences as a mother whenever she had some peace and quiet. Writing combined her love for her family with her love for telling stories. But she didn’t realize how much impact her words had.
Struggling moms were attracted to Susannah’s words of truth. She never denied the fact that motherhood was difficult. And she was always honest about why it wasn’t easy. There weren’t enough parenting books or researched techniques in the world that could have braced her for how drained she’d felt once her kids started acting out. “Pick your battles with difficult children. Or start drinking heavily. Whichever works best for you.” Her funny quips won readers over.
“My son is a difficult toddler. He’s strong-willed. And sometimes, quite frankly, he’s an a**. I’ve read all of the parenting books about strong-willed children, but none of them offer any good advice.” Having children can be one of life’s toughest challenges. But Susannah came up with an idea to keep her kids in check. Exercise and fresh air can work miracles, but in this case, it brought anger.
“My husband and I recently bought a beautiful piece of property out in the country. I’ve been eager to visit the land each day to daydream about the home that we will build there and the life that we will live overlooking the emerald rolling hills. I stand on the hill and smile at the acres of woods that I will someday view from my bedroom window.” Susannah had plans for her dream home, but then, some unwelcome guests arrived.
Susannah and her family had to adapt to the elements of the deep south before they could feel comfortable enough in their country home. Susannah was a Southern girl and was used to dealing with dirt trails, nettles, bees, elk, deer, snakes, wasps, poison ivy, and mud holes. “I was a tomboy- following in my father’s footsteps of hunting, fishing, and mudding in fields.” Her three dogs, Nutella, Dr. Pepper, and Marshall Tucker enjoyed the country. But then someone fell victim to the elements of the area.
“I’m no stranger to mud holes. Growing up in the South, I’ve been around my share of muddy fields and ditches. I drove a Chevrolet Z71 in high school. My old Z71 would’ve laughed in that mud hole’s face. But my SUV was crying. It had been defeated. I knew I had to call my angry husband to pull me out of the angry mud hole.” Susannah wrote about her experience on her blog. But mudholes were only the beginning of her woes.
Susannah’s family rarely took their boots off because they were too busy trekking through the woods. They enjoyed looking at the wildlife that surrounded them. Susannah was happy her family loved the outdoors too. She grew up in the country and she was glad her children loved the experience too. They hiked every Sunday and had a picnic by a clearing. They were having a great time. But then, a gunshot rang out.
They heard several other shots. Susannah told her son and daughter to get on the ground while her husband grabbed them and held them close to him. Where were the gunshots coming from? Susannah recalled a neighbor told her of men carrying a deer from the land a week earlier. Had they brought reinforcements? She knew the shots were close. How dare they?
Susannah and her husband took the kids home. But she wasn’t about to keep her mouth shut. She decided to film a video clip, which she uploaded on YouTube. In it, Susannah is standing next to a “No Trespassing” sign on a tree. And she’s holding a hammer. “Hey, y’all. Today’s PSA is about signage.” And she had a lot more to say.
Susannah loved being sarcastic. She said, “Just because that big buck you’ve had your eye on walks off of your property onto someone else’s doesn’t mean you don’t want to shoot it.” She was fed up with hunters invading her land. Her kids often wandered through the woods, so she taught them to keep an eye out for all sorts of dangers. But Susannah had forgotten to warn them about one major danger—hunters. Now, she had reached her limit.
“I understand. You can just taste those venison steaks, you can just see that mount hanging on your wall. However, let me break down this sign for you here in Southern terms.” Susannah’s main purpose in life was to love and protect her kids. She had heard of cases of missed targets, but this property belonged to her. These hunters had no business being here, and when she spoke, she let them have it.
Susannah used her hammer to tap on the sign. “‘Private Property – No Trespassing’ means this ain’t your land, [so] stay off. See this little blank piece right down here? If you don’t follow those warnings, you can always write in, ‘or you will be shot.’” She didn’t mind warning these hunters about what she’d do in order to keep her family and home safe. Hunting on her land was forbidden. Then she cracked a smile.
“Now what good is a venison steak going to do you if you’re dead? Am I right? So, when you see these signs, please obey them. This ain’t your property, stay off!” Susannah had no intention of allowing anyone from destroying everything she had. She was ready to stand up to these hunters and most of her followers agreed with her point of view.
Once Susannah’s video was up on YouTube, she shared her warning on Facebook. Her video quickly gained more than 5 million views around the globe. Even her Southern readers supported her fierce stance. Only a few people questioned her aggression. Regardless, she has promised to keep her home and her kids safe. But it’s obvious that you shouldn’t try messing with this mom. Hopefully, these trespassers get the message!