The speed limit on the road up The Mountain, according to Arkansas traffic code, technically is 30mph. Just typing that made me smile — though it’s certainly possible to make that number, we never come close, not in the truck and not in the Jeep. (I’ll admit to having seen the north side of 20mph a time or two in the Ranger.)
Most days, we crawl up the track at 5mph, maybe 7mph — seriously. That speed accommodates the rough surface, sure, but slowing down also brings woods and thickets and ledges into sharp focus. It forces us to see.
Rarely does our patience go unrewarded. Today was no exception — the same black-faced whitetail doe we’ve seen a lot lately was resting in the shade of a solitary pine at our neighbor’s place. Calm and unperturbed, she stood up and watched us pass without bolting.
Such are the benefits of an easy pace.
“I’m a Second Amendment guy. I taught it for four, six years in law school. And guess what? It doesn’t say that you can own any weapon you want. It says there are certain weapons that you just can’t own. Even during when [sic] it was passed, you couldn’t own a cannon. You can’t own a machine gun.
“No, I’m serious.
“So what’s the deal with the idea that it’s an absolute? Y’know, I love these guys who say the Second Amendment is — y’know, the tree of liberty is water [sic] with the blood of patriots. Well, if want [sic] to do that, you want to work against the government, you need an F-16. You need something else than just an AR-15.
“Anyway.
“The generic point I want to make is — I’m going to end this, because I’m bored.”
the current occupant of the Oval Office, lying about the Constitution and hating on Americans, to laughter and applause in the People’s Republic of California on Tuesday
Summer’s definitely arrived in The South. By the time I finished loading the truck today, shortly after 9:30am, I was drenched in sweat. Cool mornings won’t return to Ozarkansas for a while — inescapable heat and unwelcome humidity are here to stay.
Deb and I had a pretty simple objective today. We hauled all of our clothes out to the fifth-wheel, leaving only a change or two back at the bus, and the goal was to put everything away in our new Home. She chose the dresser at the foot of the bed and I assigned myself the odd-but-useful cabinet next to the closet. We split the closet space.
When I was done I walked outside, set up a chair at the edge of the woods and absorbed the scene before me. I actually let myself imagine that we wouldn’t be leaving in a couple of hours — I’d been avoiding doing that sort of thing, but I’ve decided it’s ok now.
Today, though, we did shut down the generator, closed up the rig and drove away. We took four large totes, a couple of boxes and a contractor’s bag, all filled with stuff we simply don’t need (or won’t need until next winter), to our storage unit in Gassville before turning back toward Harrison.
We’ll spend tomorrow here at the bus — chores, laundry, hygiene and, of course, packing for another trip to The Mountain Sunday morning. There’s not much left to move, really, just a few cabinets and bathrooms and such. We’re feeling very good right now about how this is going.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB