The weather forecast for last night turned out to be wildly wrong. Storms bearing down on us from the west didn’t dissipate or split like they usually do. We lost power around 4am, followed by the full meteorological menu — heavy rain, golf-ball-sized hail and wind that threatened to flip the camper.
We were under a tornado warning. And when we heard that “freight train” sound outside, we knew that this was The Real Deal.
Fortunately, The Mountain didn’t take a direct hit. Had it happened during daylight hours, I’m sure that we could’ve seen the twister approaching. It ended up passing less than a mile to our north.
The buffeting we felt was from vortices spinning off the main funnel.
To our surprise, we found no serious damage when we took inventory at daybreak. There were leaves and twigs all over the ground, along with a few decent-sized branches, but the homestead had emerged basically intact.
Still no power, though. The electric utility’s outage map showed that virtually all of Marion County was in the same situation.
Deb and I decided to engage in a little “tornado tourism” and headed out in the truck. We hadn’t made it halfway down The Mountain when we were stunned to see that the wind had uprooted a huge white oak along our side of the road.
Somehow, it fell to the ground without touching the power lines running right next to it. I haven’t a clue how that was even possible.
It’ll take a good bit of time and effort to clean that up, but it fell in a place that’s completely out of the way, so there’s no rush. Once it’s processed, it’ll give us a great start on our supply of cordwood for the winter of 2026-2027.
At the bottom of the road, our neighbor was out on his tractor, pushing two fallen trees aside so that we could pass.
The county road to the east was clear. Damage from the storm was evident in the many broken and downed trees, but we saw nothing catastrophic.
Ditto conditions as we drove into Flippin, west to Yellville and north to Summit. It wasn’t until we left the state highway and traveled the west end of the county road that we saw the worst of the storm’s aftermath.
The winding stretch along the bottoms was a mess. There’s a lot of cleanup to do down there.
As we neared The Mountain, we stopped to visit three of our neighbors and offered our help. All of them fared well, considering, and each said that they were getting along okay. It was as much an exercise in staying connected as anything else.
One of them, a like-minded couple who live a half-mile downslope from us through the woods, invited us to do some porch-sittin’. We accepted, of course. The four of us caught up on life and politics and country livin’, and we discussed how best to tackle the massive oak that the storm took down in their side yard.
When we returned to the camper, the power was still out. The utility company estimates restoration to be complete by 10pm tonight, but no one ’round here believes that. It could be days before we’re back on the grid.
No big deal. We fired up the generator. Just like old times.
Ozarkansans to our west got hammered a whole lot harder than we were. Five deaths have been reported across the state’s northern counties, including one in Olvey (Boone County) and two here in Marion County. The small communities of Pyatt and Snow are tore-up bad, we’ve been told.
Once again, we were fortunate. We know that. We’ll be fine.
“He’s sitting on his farm in Missouri, pretending like none of this is happening.”
Jessie Cullen, from “Civil War” (2024)
Before things got sketchy last night, Deb made us a bowl of popcorn and we sat down to watch the movie “Civil War.” I anticipated that it’d be a sequel (of sorts) to “Leave the World Behind,” which took not-so-subtle swipes at traditional Americans and the political Right.
I’d read and watched a number of reviews of the film before seeing it myself. I’m not the kind of person who’s swayed by others’ opinions, though, nor do I fall prey to spoilers.
“Civil War” fits neatly and deservedly into the category of “dystopian thriller.” It owes nothing in terms of concept, plot or message to LTWB, either — it stands on its own.
I won’t get into a traditional critique of the film here. That’s someone else’s lane. I will say that as a viewer, I was entertained. Further, my intelligence wasn’t insulted.
As a prepper, however, and as a Liberty-loving American — Three Percenter, Deplorable, Ultra MAGA, whatever — I’m expected to come away from this movie with certain observations. Okay, fine.
So the big question, then, has to be this: Is “Civil War” plausible?
Sure.
I mean, I easily could imagine events that’d lead to an America divided the way it’s portrayed in the film. It’s not at all inconceivable that “secessionist forces” would be so capably organized and well-equipped.
What makes this movie all the more believable, at least to me, are its depictions of destruction and brutality. A resistance not burdened by rules of war and international conventions certainly could behave with such savagery.
(To understand what I’m talking about, you’ll want to check out the complete “What kind of American are you?” scene that’s teased in all the previews.)
And that ruthless realism, my friends, is the best reason to watch “Civil War” — and then watch it again. I’m of the opinion that most folks calling for revolution have no fucking idea what they’re saying. We’d all be better off — and frankly, revolution would have a better chance to succeed, should it come to pass — if people are disabused of any notion that it’d be neat, clean or easy.
“Civil War” is worth your time.
Tonight we’re preparing for another round of severe weather. Probabilities of all threats are higher than they were last night, actually. We’ll stay aware and play the hand we’re dealt.
And we’ll be fine.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB