It was almost 11pm when we drove away from North Central Arkansas Speedway last night. We’d seen three of the features — Midwest Modifieds, Pure Stock and Hobby Stock — with three more yet to come, but we decided we were done for the evening.
I could hear Deb over in the passenger seat. I can’t really describe the sounds she made, other than to say that she was “happy out loud.” We’d had ourselves a ball, beginning with dinner at Carolyn’s Razorback Ribs and continuing from our perch behind the track grandstand.
As we turned off the highway and onto the county road toward Home, Deb spoke.
“It doesn’t get much redneckier than that, now, does it?”
We laughed, both at the word she’d coined and at the plain truth of what she said.
There’s really no place else that brings together what we love about this community and its people quite like the track does. We’re so very much at home in the culture that surrounds us when we attend the races on Friday nights.
It’s simple. It’s unapologetic, it’s traditional, and it’s American. And yeah, it’s rednecky.
You can’t show me a better time than that.
Usually we get burgers when we dine at Carolyn’s. But it is, after all, a BBQ joint, so last night we veered out of our rut — I had pulled pork, Deb had beef brisket.
Wonderful. We made a good call.
USPS tracking showed that a replacement SIM card for our MiFi brick was waiting for us at the post office this morning. I volunteered to make the run to Yellville so I could swing by Flippin while I was out.
That’s where I cashed in some Casey’s rewards points and applied them to 87 octane for the Silverado ($3.059). At the same pump, I put ethanol-free 87 octane ($3.709) into a five-gallon can, which topped off our gasoline reserve on The Mountain.
It was one of those tasks I wanted to check off my list before mid-July, along with supplies of LP and fresh water (both of which are good).
On my way back from picking up mail, I stopped to chat with a few neighbors. And it was a great morning for spotting wildlife, including seven whitetails (five separate sightings) and a wild turkey.
Ozarkansas was under another “heat advisory,” which motivated Deb and me to knock out chores early. The last was dumping tanks, after which we ducked indoors and chilled the rest of the day.
Tomorrow and Monday look like a respite — mid-80s with a slim chance of storms. We’ll take it.
Just two more random, totally unrelated things today and then I’ll close.
First, you should go back and look at a couple of positive SCOTUS rulings released yesterday. One torpedoed the feds’ persecution of January 6th defendants on “obstruction” charges. It doesn’t end this unconstitutional nightmare, but it’s a start.
The other found for a group of herring fishermen and dealt a serious blow to The Regulatory State. Its ripples will travel throughout the bureaucracy, limiting overreach. The decision has caused more heartburn among Deep Staters than Thursday’s debate.
And second, the truck-accessories shop in Harrison that worked on our Wrangler and our Silverado, installing everything from toad gear to lights to window tinting, recently shared images of its latest project to its Facebook page (pictured).
That’s not just a tractor — its a 41-year-old John Deere 4450. Custom treatment included ceramic window tinting, killer audio, and a new baler monitor.
I think that’s cool as shit. I hope I don’t have to explain why.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB