First thing this morning, as expected, a lifted pickup truck pulled up to our campsite. A young man hopped out, introduced himself as the owner of the local battery-and-tire shop and set to work removing our old house batteries.
He worked methodically and efficiently, taking note of all the connections as he pulled out the old cells (pictured). While he worked, he talked with great enthusiasm about his business — he’d moved here from Las Vegas four years ago to take over this shop, and since then he’s more than tripled its revenue.
Even more compelling, the guy was all about family, opportunity, hard work and hustle. It came as no surprise that he’s also a committed Patriot, a true American.
On his wrist was a black band bearing the words, “Lions, not sheep.” My kind of People.
He lifted the new house batteries (pictured in today’s header image) into the compartment, made the connections and double-checked his work. Corrosion had rendered the old tie-downs useless, so he finished the job by fabricating a new one from a ratcheting strap.
The price he charged us for the batteries and his labor was more than fair. Overall it was a great transaction and a great experience — we hope to do business with him again, and we’ll certainly recommend him to our neighbors here at the campground.
We drove back to the truck-accessories shop early this afternoon. Most of Mercy’s parts had come in, but today we were most interested in having them fit a set of Westin rocker-panel bars with built-in step plates.
The reason was simple: they’ll make it easier for Deb to get into and out of our lifted Jeep. They’re more than “running boards” but far from full-on “rock sliders” — the term, apparently, is “nerf bars.” They ease entry and exit while providing a measure of sheet-metal protection.
Installation took less than two hours. We think they look damned good. As for their function, Deb gives them a big thumbs-up.
So we made some progress today, taking small but important steps toward completing what we intend to do while we’re here. Very satisfying.
As a bonus, our Canadian friends returned to the campground today. We spent a couple of hours in easy conversation, catching up and enjoying each other’s company.
All told, it was a solid Thursday for us. Coming back to The Ozarks to take care of business is turning out to be the best decision we could’ve made.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath