I’ll begin this post by dropping a simple map:
And what does that graphic represent? I’m not gonna tell you just yet. But obviously, whatever it is, there’s more of it here in Arkansas than anywhere else.
We’ll come back to that later.
As much as I love these soupy, misty days, the rain and fog have saturated everything now. Nothing’s dry, and nothing’s gonna dry out for a while. Minor challenges notwithstanding, that’s fine.
I took advantage of a break in the rain (it comes back tonight) to make one more modification to the wood rack — screw hooks near the ground on one side, meant to capture the tarp’s corner grommets.
And then I topped-off the rack with a load from the wood yard. I could’ve stacked a little more, but at this point there’s no pressing need.
Thick fog stuck around all morning. It was long after noon before the northern flank of Hall Mountain, less than a half-mile away, came into view. We hadn’t seen it in days.
By 3pm, we were socked-in again.
It’s been almost three weeks since I put up my winter cold-and-flu remedy and started it fermenting. Here’s how it looked this afternoon:
I “burp” each jar once or twice a day, releasing an aroma I can best describe as deliciously pungent. To keep the garlic coated and wet, I also invert the jars a couple of times a day and roll them back and forth on the counter.
I’m pleased with the progress so far. I think the concoction needs a few more weeks.
Okay, here’s that map again:
Each tiny splotch of red represents a “dry” county — that is, where the sale of alcohol is completely prohibited. The state of Arkansas has more dry counties than the other 49 states combined, and it’s not even close.
Of 75 counties within our adopted home state, 31 ban the sale of alcohol. Two of them, Sebastian and Logan, have two seats, and each of those quirky counties is half-wet, half-dry.
I’m glad to say that Marion County isn’t among the 31. We have three (count ’em) retail liquor stores — LJ’s in Pyatt, Hilltop in Yellville, and Lazy D in Flippin. Deb and I have patronized all three.
By state law, each Arkansas county is permitted to issue only one liquor license per every 7,500 residents, and (as of the 2020 census) the population of Marion is 16,826. We rate three licenses because until 2019, the threshold was 5,000, and one of the stores apparently was grandfathered.
It’s strange to me that Prohibition lives on in a place where so many other individual liberties flex unimpeded by law. And yeah, the whole thing is backward. A few counties flirt from time to time with “goin’ wet,” but not many and not often.
Then again, we live in a place where the state legislature will take up the “Arkansas Prosperity and Food Sovereignty Act” in 2025. If passed, the measure would de-regulate the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk from cows, goats and sheep — a very good thing.
But when you get right down to it, whether we’re talkin’ booze or butterfat, these laws matter only to the governable, citizens who follow rules because they’re rule-followers. And last time I checked, that sort of conduct squanders the Liberty we were born with.
Be ungovernable.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB