That (today’s headline) is how Thursday’s weather forecast began. I was happy for all that rain recently, but I welcomed the sun’s return.
This morning would bring the season’s first official “frost advisory.”
I committed several more hours after breakfast yesterday to my civil-procedure slog. When I’d had enough of that, I packed the Heeler into the Ranger and took her for a joyride.
Emphasis on “joy.” We motored down The Mountain to the subdivision road, turned north and ran that all the way to the county road.
On our way back home, we made our way up the cut and hung out awhile on the high ground. The leaves up there are changing, though the display is more soothing than dazzling.
Higher still is the top of Hall, which loomed 300 feet above us to the south. Its outline was visible through the trees (pictured, below).
Both Smudge and I benefited from getting away from the cabin for a bit. It was the perfect day for a break.
When I stand on the stoop or in the driveway at night, often I see the lights of other homesteads twinkling at me through the trees. They grow in number as autumn becomes winter, of course. Everything’s so tucked in and private, however, that rarely do I know what I’m looking at.
For the last couple of weeks I’ve taken a particular interest in two lights, close together and very bright, to the WNW. They appeared to be almost at my eye level, which is about 950 feet AMSL.
I finally got out my compass and took a bearing, then applied that to searching several mapping apps and websites. I knew that the lights weren’t in Yellville proper, given its elevation of 625 feet. I followed the vector farther out, looking for what it could be.
And I found it.
From my perch on The Mountain, I’m looking at the Butterball feed mill over seven statute miles away. It sits at 745 feet AMSL, but the mill tower rises 191 feet above the foundation — that total of 936 feet is pretty close to my 950.
It’s a local landmark, obviously, and it represents a big part of the local economy. I’ve passed it hundreds of times, including at night, when bright lights shine from its towers.
Now I know I can see it from my front door.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
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