Deb got a surprise text this afternoon from our builder, who said that a third attempt to deliver our house kit (building materials) would be made today or tomorrow and that he’d let us know when the trucks showed up at his lot. We didn’t have other plans, so we prepared for a dash to The Mountain.
Day turned to dusk and darkness fell over northern Arkansas. Word didn’t come today.
Maybe tomorrow.
She also had a chat with the guy who’ll put in out septic system. He reported that he’s having a hard time finding a concrete tank, so he’ll likely go with plastic (polyethylene), which is more expensive but fine. We expect him to do some preliminary clearing, then get to digging in the next week or two.
It also looks like we’ll see a big chunk of the remaining site work done this weekend, with the exception of the foundation itself.
This would be a long slog any time of year, and for us it’ll be happening over the winter, thanks to maddening delays in closing the sale of our house in Ohio. We’re exercising patience, that’s for sure, and we’re learning to operate on Arkansas Time.
But color us optimistic, not frustrated — however slowly, a dream is taking shape.
I don’t want anyone getting the impression that I love bureaucracy — way too many agencies, way too much waste, way too many rules permitting this and prohibiting that and licensing conduct better left to independent choice. At the federal level The Permanent State is both ponderous and sinister. Many states are just as bad.
Our new home isn’t perfect. Like most places it’s over-regulated and over-taxed. Still, our experience (so far) has been good, different. I’ve been especially impressed with the public communication of several state-level agencies I follow on social media.
Specifically, I’d like to recognize Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, Arkansas Forestry Division, Arkansas Forestry & Wildlife Extension and Arkansas Natural Resources Division. Every one of them presents tightly focused and relevant information, and they do so in ways that are easily understandable without being condescending.
Beyond social media they produce meaty newsletters and offer opt-in text-message alerts. They’re prompt, too, issuing information when it actually matters. It’s an acknowledgement of how people really live and what’s important to them.
Maybe the best thing I can say is that these agencies stay in their lane — there’s a decided lack of wokeness. They don’t club us over the head with diversity twaddle and they don’t brag about politically correct initiatives. Ag people do ag, tree people do trees, wildlife people do wildlife and so on.
That’s refreshing.
Yeah, I know, it’s still government. Bureaucrats tend to meddle where Liberty informs us they don’t belong. But when a function is done right, when it’s inarguably useful to the People, I have no qualms about passing out compliments.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB