Paying off on today’s stylized header image, early Sunday morning Deb captured this whitetail doe and her fawn next to our road…
…And later, I documented my view of Sunday’s sunset on The Mountain.
We had Scout and Smudge outside for a long time yesterday. Our happy Heeler ferociously chased an orange rubber ball and hilariously went nose-to-nose with the garden hose.
Gassing up the Silverado in Flippin yesterday afternoon ($2.999), a couple of pumps over was a side-by-side that flouted state law and drove there under its own power. Welcome to Ozarkansas.
There’s a lot going on in this photo.
The “out-of-town guests” we hosted over Labor Day weekend were, in fact, our older boy, his wife, their infant daughter and their dog. They stayed at an airbnb north of Flippin, visiting The Mountain twice while they were here.
Deb spent the whole day with them Sunday. I picked up barn tin and worked around Home.
In this picture, Deb is cradling her first grandbaby. (Contact is permitted now, unlike in mid-July.) And I’m holding the dog.
That’s as it should be.
Deb’s gettin’ her grandma on, and that warms my heart. She’s the nurturing kind, far more so than I am. While she and my silver-haired friends cuddle and play with and gush over their “grands,” there’s a good chance that you’ll find me hangin’ out with a dog.
And that’s why that picture couldn’t be more perfect.
We shopped Home Depot in Mountain Home yesterday afternoon (not pictured), but only for immediate necessities — stove cement, caulk, PVC pipe, long roofing screws and short self-tappers. Along with the fresh-air kit Deb will fetch at the post office today, that should fill the materials bill for the woodstove.
But there’s always something else.
Like realizing that I probably should use a three-inch hole saw (which I don’t have) to cut the exterior siding for the fresh-air intake. Or wondering if my DeWalt jigsaw would be an efficient and effective way to cut that vintage barn tin.
As I contemplated the latter, I decided to consult a good friend in the construction business. He suggested a “nibbler” (power shears). DeWalt makes one that attaches to their drills and impact drivers, and it’s not too terribly expensive, so that’s what I’ll go with.
Part of the trick to this build-out exercise is not investing a lot in tools that I — a homeowner, not a pro — will use occasionally, or rarely, or only once. My friend and I talked about that. I mentioned the crimping tool I bought recently to rescue a stovepipe, and he agreed that it falls into the “rarely” category.
It’s not always a buy-or-not proposition, though. Sometimes, the right tool is absolutely indispensable — and at that point it comes down to considering a one-and-done tool of lower grade, quality or durability, something that’s less costly and a better match for its intended use.
Deb’s cousin and I had this conversation recently. I reported having bought The World’s Cheapest Angle Grinder, ten bucks on sale at Harbor Freight, and he responded that the one he had didn’t hold up to what he asked of it.
He understood, however, that a ten-dollar power tool was virtually guaranteed to fail in his hands — he restores and modifies vehicles, using an angle grinder to fabricate and shape and persuade. I, on the other hand, wanted the tool to run wire wheels and flap discs, so that I can knock the rust off of shovels, rakes and such. Someday I may prep a surface for painting.
I made the smart choice for me. Cheap can be better, and best ain’t right for everyone, every time.
Am I saying that the advice to “always buy the best you can afford” is bullshit?
Yes — yes, I am. And what makes it bullshit advice is the word “always.” Sometimes buying less than the best (and keeping money in your pocket) is a whole lot wiser.
You actually have to think about what you’re doing. So think about that.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB