For my own good, I have to reckon with not yet feeling up to par. At the same time, I can’t quite sit still. Fortunately, with so much that can be done on our homestead, on any given day I have the luxury of choosing chores within my capacity and interest.
This morning we had two empty LP cylinders and two full trash cans. A package awaited pickup at the post office. I needed a hoe from Miller Hardware and a few provisions from the grocery. Those were errands I could run, and I did.
It felt good to be out.
When I returned, I figured I could stay on my roll with firewood by tackling the simplest of tasks. I’d set aside a few dozen branches and sapling trunks, cut over many months while clearing, destined to be kindling and fuel for our fire pits. They’d been sitting next to the woodpile long enough to be classified as clutter.
They needed to disappear — get cut up and stacked, that is. I made that happen today, and with very little effort.
Most of it was cedar, lots of it old and nearing the point at which it wouldn’t have made much sense to keep it. The rest was hardwood that I wouldn’t burn in the woodstove. All of it was relatively small.
Still, in keeping with my “waste not” principle, it can feed a crackling outdoor fire (or two) one of these days. It was worth my time.
Then I took a nap.
I awoke in need of a walk, and also wanting to discover something new. What I found was a rock formation downslope from the shed, not far off the road — the perfect spot to sit and listen to the wind.
And it definitely was windy, steady from the WNW at 15mph and gusting to 30mph, making it feel a lot cooler than it was. Around me the cedars rustled softly overhead. In the valley, however, the wind fairly roared as it barreled our way.
I found a rock that I decided belongs in the fire ring at White Rock. I tossed it into a bucket, along with several others I’d saved for the purpose, and carried the load back to the fire pit. There I added more white rocks to the ring.
On my way out of the woods, I began what’ll be the tedious process of improving the trail to White Rock. Right now it’s not terribly easy to walk on, with all of the rocks scattered on and embedded in the surface. It’s not all that friendly to the wheelbarrow, either.
Today I picked up every loose rock I saw and pulled out whatever I could with ungloved hands and no tools. It’s better now, but not great. This was only the first round.
That was enough for me today.
Even functioning at less than 100% and short of full speed, I got shit done. Beyond today, it sets a standard for me in the future.
We won’t always be able to wait for the right day to commit, to act, to work — to keep moving.
Think about it.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB