I ‘ll kick off today with a few things that don’t seem to fit anywhere else.
The anti-American crowd over at Giffords has released its annual scorecard, heaping praise on states in proportion to their statutory violation of citizens’ Second Amendment right. I find the grades useful — inverted, of course, to identify which states stand on Liberty.
An F from Giffords is an A+ for the Constitution. On the map below, ubi Libertas is highlighted in red.
What’s mildly disappointing about the 2025 scorecard is where Giffords ranks Arkansas. We’d long been #50 out of 50 — which is #1 to you (if you’re worth a damn) and me — and even though our state laws haven’t changed, this time we’re #49 (#2).
I can live with that. Congratulations to Wyoming, the new #1.
. . .
One of my favorite YouTube channels, Simple Living Alaska, announced recently that it’s taking a break, sort of, to focus on living the life they’ve chosen instead of being consumed with the documenting of it.
I get that and, to a certain degree, I relate to it.
Most viewers don’t fairly grasp that creating and sustaining a YouTube presence is actual work. Those who succeed at it don’t do a thing — like build a guitar, fish for salmon, or repair a generator — and then shoot video of whatever happens along the way. Quite the contrary.
Documenting must be the primary focus. Accomplishing the task, enjoying the vacation or whatever is secondary. I can’t stress that enough.
The near-inevitable result is burnout. The demands, the critics, and yes, the trolls take a toll. The smartest YouTubers, if they’re able, hit the pause button.
I’ve sidestepped that syndrome with Ubi Libertas Blog. It’s not monetized, so I’m under no financial pressure to publish or perish. Comments are turned off, so critics and trolls don’t live here rent-free.
My life is the primary focus, with documenting it riding bitch. That’s what works for me.
. . .
I have plenty of food in the cabin, but Tuesday evening had me digging in the chest freezer in search of variety. Buried near the bottom was a surprise — an unopened package of Troyer’s Genuine Trail Bologna, a whole one-pound ring of it.
I checked the best-by date — four years ago this month.
Clearly, it was left behind in March. I’m sure it’s been frozen since it got here, whenever that was. Trail Bologna is one of my all-time favorite foods, and I decided it was worth the risk.
I made sandwiches with it on Tuesday. I snacked on it yesterday. It tastes fine.
I’m not dead. I didn’t even get sick.
I do love my Trail Bologna.
On a less risky note, December’s food budget allowed me to buy a box of CLIF Bars. I went with my go-to flavor, “crunchy peanut butter.”
I’ve been needing some sort of pocketable pick-me-up to munch on when I’m out in the woods and feel myself flagging. These bars will be just the ticket.
I was still bone-tired when I woke up Wednesday morning. Maybe not quite as weak and unsteady as I’d felt on Tuesday, but definitely sub-par. I promised myself that I’d at least maintain and not backslide.
The indoor firewood rack was empty but for three large splits. This would’ve been the perfect time to tap the outdoor rack, honestly, and save myself a trip to the wood yard, but I decided that yesterday would be business-as-usual.
I mean, when this (pictured, below) is my office, why would I avoid going to work?
What’s more, I grabbed my splitting ax before heading down to the lower level. Once there, I picked out one of the big-ass oak rounds I was saving for the hydraulic splitter and popped it up onto my chopping block.
I looked it over, chose my mark and gauged my range, then took a crack at it.
I’ll be straight with you here — the impact sent a bolt of exhilaration through me. The energy that traveled from the head through the haft went straight to my core. It was restorative.
(No, the round didn’t fly apart with a single strike. That’s not the point.)
I stepped back and took another swing.
That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. Weakness had left my body.
A dozen more swings reduced the halves to usable splits. I added them to the stacks, topping off the second pallet I’m setting aside to season for next winter. I now have about a third of what I’ll need.
And then I put my ax away. I had other work to do.
The rising sun was just beginning to filter through the treetops as I pulled back the (camo) tarp and carried the first stove lengths from stacks to truck. It cast a rosy glow on my labor, and that made me smile.
Notice in the image below that when I loaded the wood into the bed, I sorted it by size — bigger stuff on the right, smaller stuff on the left. Why would I do that?
Simple — so that when I unloaded up-top and brought the wood inside, I could intentionally arrange the rack so that there are pieces of various sizes throughout the stack.
If, say, I need a couple of smaller bits for coaling, I don’t have to dig for them or shuffle a lot of wood around. The result looks like this:
That’s just the way my mind works.
The rest of my Wednesday was peaceful. I took it easy. Outside it was sunny and in the mid-50s, but with a roaring wind — 20mph steady, gusts approaching 50mph. It was a good day for relaxing with my Heeler.
After sunset, the wind subsided and the western horizon shone like gold.
It’s great to be here.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable