This time, the package waiting for me at the post office was one I was expecting — two boxes of Belvita breakfast biscuits (blueberry), the only purchase I made during a recent Amazon promotion. And it wasn’t in a parcel locker, so I had to pick it up during business hours.
Yesterday, that meant getting in and out of Yellville early. The town’s annual Turkey Trot festival was set to kick off at noon, and between battling heavier traffic and navigating around blocked-off streets, I didn’t want my errands to be any more complicated than they had to be.
Smudge and I waited a little longer than usual to turn left from Arkansas 14 onto US 62, but otherwise we got past the courthouse square without drama. The visit to the post office was predictably pleasant and came with a first — the sweet woman at the counter greeted me by name as I walked up.
I love it here.
To make the most of the trip to town, I also dropped by Harps and the smoke shop.
A pair of whitetails were grazing in the pasture when we passed by on our way home. They were quite a ways away — this is at 10x zoom:
And this was my view:
Hall’s eastern shoulder showed only the slightest hint of changing seasons:
Likewise the woods along the road up The Mountain:
That “Private Road” sign, by the way, sits roughly at the northeast corner of the 20 acres I call home. The northern boundary extends about a quarter-mile straight ahead, and the eastern line runs south from this point for over 600 feet.
The property is entirely wooded and, other than the small patch cleared for the driveway and the cabin, undeveloped.
Whatever the birthday girl wanted yesterday is what the birthday girl got. And pretty much all she wanted was her favorite stick and a good run.
Smudge is so very happy these days. She’s also more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her.
Yes, she’s still a Heeler. No, she doesn’t have an OFF switch. But now she carries herself confidently and with a certain peace. Part of that’s The Mountain itself, believe me, and part of it’s the atmosphere in which she lives.
I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of anything than I am about the transformation of this dog.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable