Before I say anything else today — yes, I’m aware of what happened yesterday in Columbus, Ohio. Though the outcome of an annual college football game used to affect my mood, that’s no longer the case.
My reaction, in fact, on hearing the final score, can be summed up in two words: Déjà Coop.
Beyond that observation, I don’t care enough even to be disappointed. I’ve moved on. Different things matter to me now.
Everything else is in the rearview mirror.
I hinted the other day that we’d begun gathering what we’ll need to wire the cabin, reporting that 12/2 solid with ground goes for 48 cents a foot. A thousand-foot spool of the stuff set us back a sobering $515.
That was a week ago. Yesterday we returned to Home Depot for a Round Two — boxes, outlets, switches, breakers and such. The $500 tab would’ve been higher if not for “Black Friday” discounts.
Round Three will be for lights, fans and fixtures. Stay tuned.
We left Mountain Home with our electrical treasure, had a quick lunch and headed for a Facebook Markeplace seller outside of Flippin. It was our third visit to his home, perched on a bluff above the White River.
We were there for three items. We left with only one, having judged the others unsuitable for one reason or another. Following us Home in the bed of the Silverado was a rustic “hall tree” of red cedar — a perfect and functional piece we’ll place right inside our front door.
The price was right, of course.
A thumbnail review of what we’ve spent to furnish the cabin makes me smile. Accounting for hutch, wardrobe, living-room set, dinette, vanity, bed frame and all, we’ve dropped considerably less on that than what we’re paying for hardware to wire the cabin.
I also thought about things like the woodstove (75% less than what it would’ve cost new), barn tin, scratch-and-dent and floor-model appliances, old tools. We’ve waited patiently for sales. We’ve bought used.
Funds are limited. We make the most of what we have. That feels good.
When I snatched the very last “Loaded Breakfast Burrito” from the warmer at Casey’s in Gassville this morning, I considered it an omen, a good one. Not that I was looking for a sign (or needed it), but that was a bright moment.
And then there was the laundromat, which a) wasn’t at all busy, and b) hadn’t yet turned into Little Tijuana, like it does most Sunday mornings. (A company contracted by Entergy to do maintenance in the area employs a lot of Mexicans, who like to do their laundry the same time we do.)
So that was another bonus.
On our way to pick up provisions at Walmart, I swung into the Flippin Casey’s to top-off the Silverado. Gas there was $2.679, which was 18 cents cheaper than the Gassville Casey’s eight miles east — plus I made use of a 19-cents-per-gallon discount from accumulated loyatly points.
Thinking things through, without even going out of my way, saved me $6.50. I’ll take it.
We had a long chat with our visiting Cajun “neighbor” when we arrived back on The Mountain. He was giving his future homesite a once-over before heading back to Louisiana.
After we put groceries and laundry away, Deb installed the seat heaters in her Jeep. I addressed a calibration issue I’d been having with my Bluetti 268W power station — using a 120VAC fan to deplete the LiFePO4 batteries at a constant rate and then charging them completely, I succeeded in re-setting the state-of-charge meter.
I decided to try the same procedure on a troublesome Anker 268W power station that was replaced under warranty. (Anker let me keep the JANG unit.) That didn’t fix it, but it’s still useful as a “dumb” power source.
Deb and I wound-down our day with dinner (still plowing through the last Thanksgiving leftovers) and a few videos that (with any luck) make us smarter.
All in all, it was a good day.
And it all started with that Loaded Breakfast Burrito.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB