Today’s header image — nothing compares to stepping out my front door and watching morning sun paint the valley.
My Monday came early and didn’t get off to a great start. Smudge jostled me before 1am, needing to go outside. When I came to, I realized that I had a migraine-grade headache.
The pup and I took care of business. I popped a couple of over-the-counter pain-reliever caplets. (For many years now, that’s been the only medication of any kind I’ve taken for anything, and only when needed.) While I was up, I stoked the woodstove.
And then I went back to bed.
I didn’t stir ’til almost 5am — for me, that qualifies as “sleeping in.” My headache was under control, if not necessarily completely gone. I got up and did The Morning Things.
It made two days in a row that began inauspiciously. I ignored the signs and pressed on. I simply kept moving.
Glove swap redux — it’s been a few weeks since I mentioned that the welding gloves I use for tending the woodstove were “starting to get thin in the fingertips” and probably should be replaced sooner rather than later. But just like I did with a pair of deerskin work gloves, I tried to get as much mileage as I could out of ’em.
Yesterday morning, later became now.
I noticed while rearranging a hot firebox that the tip of my right ring finger was getting a bit toastier than I like. I pulled my hand back and saw a scorched hole in the leather — burned right through.
That was a close one. Frugality has its risks, I guess.
The year-old gloves quickly were retired in favor of an identical new pair.
I felt like doing something near-frivolous yesterday — still work, mind you, and still productive, but (in the bigger picture) arguably unnecessary. And I had a particular task in mind.
After loading the Ranger with woods tools, I drove it to the end of the new trail. Instead of bearing left to where logs still wait to be processed — that would’ve been the responsible choice — I took a right on the spur I created Saturday.
The view from there this bright morning was glorious. I looked at the future “sittin’ spot” I had planned. There was clearing to do. A fair number of small trees had to come down. I needed to choose a place for the fire ring.
None of that absolutely had to be done right away, or even anytime soon.
I did it anyway.
For the next two hours, I was knee-deep in tangle, respectfully but unsentimentally defining the space I envisioned. Brush got tossed one way, onto a pile, and potential firewood went the other, to be bucked and hauled out when I was satisfied with the job of clearing.
This is what satisfaction looked like:
Notice toward the lower-right corner of the photo where I kicked leaves away and began a pile of rocks. That’ll be the fire ring.
And this is the view:
I’m thrilled with it.
The Silverado’s tailgate was my sawbuck on Sunday, and the Ranger’s served that purpose yesterday. I ended up with a nice pile of fuel-to-be.
Naturally, I added that wood to pallet #5, more than doubling what was stacked there already. To my eyes, it’s now a good 20% full.
See? It wasn’t completely frivolous.
The work never ends. Joy is all around me — and in me. It’s great to be here.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable