Some days I come to this blog with a clear idea of what I’d like to say but no clue about where to begin. This is one of those times — Deb and I have been back and forth between Harrison and The Mountain three days in a row and our hours have been full. I believe I’ll just run down what we’ve been up to and (again) let images tell the rest of the story.
Our Thursday began with a stop at the Harps pharmacy to fill a couple of prescriptions for Deb’s convalescing cousin. (He’s doin’ fine, by the way.) To kill time ’til they were ready we strolled Yellville’s old downtown, a place that only becomes more endearing the more we get to know it.
We delivered the meds to The Mountain, then pulled out the Ranger and loaded it up. The primary mission was to put out “deer corn” — first we stopped at the trailcam near the homesite, afterward moving on to the one halfway up the UTV trail. We enjoyed a lunch of cheese and jerky at the place Deb christened “Dancing Tree.”
It’s been quite a while since you’ve seen photos or video from our GoPro because it’s been a long time since we’ve used it. Yesterday we fixed it to the Ranger’s windshield with a suction-cup mount and recorded our running ’round. The video came out pretty well — I’ll post it here once I edit it.
We put our feet up when we got back to the campground, then decided to visit the Northwest Arkansas District Fair being held this week on the south side of Harrison. Nothing’s better than an old-fashioned fair, and nothing reveals culture like a fair does.
It was a small event, really — simple, humble and every inch of it Real America. We’re glad we went.
Early this morning I started getting notifications from my Stealth Cam app — we had action on The Mountain, obviously the result of putting out corn the day before. The first image I saw was a respectable buck captured by the trailcam near the summit.
My phone pinged me all day long — hundreds of images, mostly does, near the homesite and up-top. It didn’t take long for The Mountain’s whitetails to find and take the bait. I look forward to seeing more in the coming weeks.
We made another pharmacy run, sipped milkshakes with Deb’s cousin on his porch and headed back toward our home-on-wheels. We made a long-overdue stop at Miller’s Hardware, a smaller version of the parent store in Harrison. This self-proclaimed “Friendliest Place in Yellville” lived up to its billing.
The big bulletin board hanging outside on the store’s front wall might’ve been the best part. Honestly, I could’ve spent hours on that alone.
We wrapped the day at the Neighborhood Diner, one of our favorite eateries here in Harrison. The food, as always, was great — the prices, however, were considerably higher than they were a couple of weeks ago.
I’m talkin’ increases of 40% to 60% across the board. Perhaps as a result, the diner’s “Sharing Wall” was completely bare.
Oh, we get it. No one is immune to the pressures of runaway inflation. I’m sure the Neighborhood Diner, like many businesses, held the line as long as it could.
It was a reminder that despite the charm and traditional values we love about Ozarkansas, it’s by no means disconnected from damage done by politicians and policies far beyond the region. And that, it seems to me, makes it even more important for us to be here, now.
One year ago today we were relaxing on the South Dakota prairie. Scout (pictured) was just fine. Dipstick was one sick puppy, and at this point we had no idea why.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB
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