Optimist that I am, I’d convinced myself that I was a day behind Deb in dealing with the upper-respiratory crud that kept her out of work Monday, yesterday and again today. This morning, however, it became clear that I lag her by two days.
My Tuesday, when I felt up to dropping off garbage, going to the grocery and stacking cordwood, was her Sunday, when she was able to do laundry and run errands with me.
Now, everything hurts. If you know, you know.
I had plans for today, too. “Light and variable,” said the forecast for our Wednesday winds, setting up near-ideal conditions to gather and burn the last of the brush around The Amphitheater.
I’m stoic as well as optimistic, and I briefly considered just throwing myself into the work, damn the cost. Then I thought better of it and checked the weather ahead for the next calm day.
Tomorrow? Nope.
Friday? “Winds light and variable.” Friday it would be.
Putting off stuff annoys the hell outta me. It’s not the way I operate — I’m wired to work, not to rest. It feels like precious time wasted.
But there are days when Nature makes the more compelling argument. Like it or not, this looked like one of those days.
Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in Dayton several days ago, said something that’s generated wildly different reactions in the press. Before getting into the details of the dustup, I want to present the entire passage from the speech, something you’ll get from very few media on the Left or the Right.
Here it is:
“China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re going to build the cars in Mexico and think, they think, that they’re going to sell those cars into the United States with no tax at the border. Let me tell you something — to China, if you’re listening President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal. Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now, and you think you’re going to get that, you’re going to not hire Americans, and you’re going to sell the cars to us? No. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars.
“If I get elected.
“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath, for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it.
“But they’re not going to sell those cars.”
Left-wing media — and please don’t be shocked by this — insist that Trump’s use of the word “bloodbath” calls his supporters to violence if he doesn’t win in November, basically Insurrection II. On the Right, the talking point is that Trump was referring only to an economic “bloodbath,” specifically in the auto industry. Colorful, perhaps, but not violent.
So which is it?
Neither.
I may be pro-Trump, but I’m allergic to Kool-Aid. Besides, I can listen and I can read. The candidate was not talking merely about upheaval in the auto industry. Claiming that he was is intellectually dishonest.
He also was not exhorting his supporters to commit violent acts if he loses the election. Nothing he said supports that interpretation.
To get to the truth, forget “bloodbath.” I’d like to suggest replacing that highly charged word with a different one.
“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a clusterfuck, for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a clusterfuck for the country. That’ll be the least of it.”
(You prudes out there are welcome to substitute the softer “mess” or “disaster.” Same thing.)
Trump was pointing out how totally fucked our country would be — economically, culturally, politically — if it’s saddled with another four years of the current regime. If that comes to pass, Chinese auto plants in Mexico would, indeed, be the least of our problems.
Oh, there will be violent unrest after the election — no matter who wins. It’ll be instigated by the Left and backed by the Permanent State, as it always is.
But really, People, let’s get back to the business of telling the truth, regardless of our allegiance.
Now, did anyone get this right?
Yes — Chadd Wright did. He’s all-in for Trump. He’s also smart and, more important, he’s brutally honest. I’ll leave you with a video he posted yesterday.
Despite feeling damned rough today, beginning early this morning I went for short walks outside, enjoyed the cool air and soaked up sunshine. And every time I did that, I felt better. My cough subsided. My head cleared.
The downside was that it reminded me of the task I’d postponed. That pissed me off.
And then I got to thinking — if I benefited from just being outside, what might a little work do for me? Basically, it came down to a choice between feeling miserable sitting on my ass or feeling miserable while getting something done.
“I’m wired to work, not to rest.”
So I gave it a shot.
I got moving. I broke a sweat. I got my heart pumping. I put my aching muscles and my congested lungs to work.
Two hours later, all of the brush that I wanted to remove from The Amphitheater was in the burn pit.
I opened up the view from our sunset perch. I cleared a path to another rock formation nearby. The pruning I did produced three big armloads of bone-dry red cedar for the fire pits.
Satisfied that I hadn’t squandered a day above ground, I came inside, flopped into my recliner and treated myself to the JJ’s Bakery “Birthday Cake Pie (Lightly Glazed)” that I picked up at Harps yesterday.
I’ll light the burn pit on Friday.
This is what keeps me alive. Simple work, sweat and strain, choices that require no one’s approval but my own (and Deb’s, of course). The results I’ve achieved since we landed on The Mountain give me an unshakeable sense of pride and accomplishment.
And we have so much more to do.
Late this afternoon, Deb captured these images as storms rolled toward The Mountain.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB