Campfire Duty

On a recent backcountry weekend with some good friends, I volunteered for campfire and fireplace duty. I nearly always volunteer for fire-duty because there's 3 things I know about: 1. Fire 2. Firearms  and 3......let's see, 3........?   Ok, there's 2 things I know about....

Anyway, as the campfire developed some of the lads (actually all the lads) expressed skepticism regarding the quantity of wood we were tossing on the fire. Understandable if you're used to paying 8 or 10 bucks for a small bundle of wood at places like White Oak Station, Whole Foods or Spanky's Quick-Mart. But when you're surrounded by an essentially endless and renewable supply of firewood, it only makes sense to take full advantage of the situation.    

Once the base of dry cedar flamed up in the middle of the pit, assisted by Paul's spray bottle of diesel fuel, we started throwing chunks of recently harvested white oak followed by some very nice walnut slabs from Paul's bottomland dead-tree farm. In no time at all we had what was later determined to be an epic river-side campfire fit for the likes of folks like Jeremiah Johnson, Hatchet Jack and Jedidiah Smith.

As the night wore on and the wind died down we ended up with one of the most intense and entertaining campfires I've seen in quite some time. There's something mesmerizing about a good campfire. Kind of like lounging by the ocean and watching as an endless line-up of waves breaks over the shoreline. Campfire flames are similar to ocean waves in that each one is unique and different; kind of like snow flakes and buttholes. Wait a minute, wait a minute: did I just write that. Dad-burn that auto-correct! I meant to write bunt cakes. Oh well...

As you plan your next campfire remember this: there's a difference between making a campfire and building one. For my taste I prefer to go the building route. In the campfire arena you simply "cain't go no better". 

As always, I'll do my best to keep you posted on all important things pertaining to rural life, campfires and stuff like that.

  

Old Sayings

If it's not one thing it's your mother. Money makes fools of men. Don't put off till tomorrow what can be put off indefinitely. 

Ok, the first one is a humorous spin on an old saying I heard from my friend, Maxie. I came up with the adjustment to the third adage about procrastinating, which is a good reminder that not everything needs to get done right now. History has proven over and over that some things are best left undone...period.  

Now don't think I've gone all philosophical or have decided to become a philosophical intellectual (for the record, if you think you're an intellectual you're probably not). I'm no intellectual, but do find myself from time-to-time in a state of curiosity, or, as the self-appointed intellectuals like to say, intellectually curious. 

Intellectually curious; now that's funny! I've never known one person in my life who wasn't intellectually curious. That goes double for our little friends under the age of 9 or 10. I'm guessing the intellectuals came up with "intellectually curious" as an inside attempt to elevate themselves even further above us regular folks. If so, C'MON MAN!

Thankfully, it takes all kinds to make things work. If everyone was self-aware, there wouldn't be much left to do for most entertainment industry celebrities. Not that I have anything against the entertainment industry. If not for those folks, the divorce industry would have to completely restructure.

C'MON MAN; that's enough poking fun at Hollywood and the super-smart. Let's get back to focussing on barns, creeks and the great outdoors. You just can't go no better. I'll keep you posted...

 

 

Sitting in the Woods

Put a comfortable chair in a public place and it won't set empty for long, providing there are any men around. Put a chair or six on a cabin deck in the middle of the woods and they'll set empty until some guys come around who are intent on sitting.

It's kind of funny when you think about it; sitting. I don't recall ever going to a friend's house for a visit and have them say, "Hey come on in and have a stand; I'll put on a pot of coffee!"

No, we definitely have a proclivity toward sitting. Sitting is one of the handful of things nearly all adults are good at. I guess it's because we spend so little time sitting during the first part of our lives that it takes the last half or so to catch up. 

Ever suggest to a friend that they come on in and have a seat only to have them respond with something like, "That's OK, I'll stand...I've been sitting all day." I've heard that a number of times and have always thought it sounded funny. Even if you've spent most of the day sitting it doesn't take a lot of standing before you're ready to sit down again. I guess that's one of the primary reasons we were designed to bend at the waist. Otherwise, the only option to standing would be lying down...which would often times be inconvenient if not down right awkward. That too is something to think about.

Thanks for tuning in and catching up on the latest information available on sitting in the woods. If the fine folks at Harvard or Cal Berkeley conduct any new studies on sitting and/or standing, you'll hear it here first. Why these ivy league educators insist on contacting me first when they have new information to report remains a mystery. Maybe I should check in with  "Nick Nick-Nick-Nick" and see if he has any ideas on this subject.

 

Have a great day, evening, weekend, vacation, or flight and I'll do my very best to keep you posted.

Post Post: I just realized I've never been very good at sitting. That's somewhat ironic.

Oh, and if you stumbled across this site in a drunken stopper while trying to find a good deal on a new pair of snow shoes, my friends and I are glad you're here!  

   

Outside In

The great outdoors? You cain't go no better! 

It's the author's intention to spend even more time outdoors this year than I spent out doors last year. That won't be easy considering I was "in the woods" most of last year.

 Once it became evident that covid wasn't going away any time soon, I decided to work our County Barry (Barry County if you don't speak Irish) property like it was my full-time job! Turned out I got a lot accomplished and had an enjoyable time doing it. 

I suppose about 10 or 12 of our 87 acres is open and I spent at least a few weeks brush-hogging, mulching, mowing, hacking, hauling and dumping weeds and brush in an effort to get it all to a point that it could be maintained with a mower. Got that done. I also spent significant time and energy "de-rocking" around the cabin and barn. In the process of that I discovered that the Armadillo is a prolific uprooter of rocks. About the time I'd get an area mostly rock-free I'd wake up the next day to discover that over night these diplopods (I keyed "dillopods" which was a made-up word and it autocorrected to diplopods, which is apparently an actual class of critter...I like the sounds of it even though I suspect it's not the correct term from a taxonomy standpoint) had uprooted about as many rocks as I'd picked up the previous day. Dang: that's frustrating but I suppose they're just doing their job. 

The barn/shop also got substantially rearranged and organized, although that's more of an inside job than outside. I cleared a lot of brush, cut down a few dead trees, processed a fair amount of firewood and so on and so forth. 

One thing I've become better at as I move ever closer to the golden years era is taking time to enjoy my surroundings. As a result I've seen some cool sites and sounds that are easy to overlook unless you're intentional about it. If you spend most of your life in front of a screen you miss alot of stuff. Had I been face-first in a device this past late summer I wouldn't have seen my first Missouri black bear wondering around in back of the cabin (I have probably already shared that in a previous post). Now that was completely unexpected but very awesome!

Maybe I'll report more on this subject as time moves along. Since this isn't set up for comments and likes or dislikes, I'm not really sure how many folks are reading my postings. That's OK though since my goal isn't followers, rather, sharing everyday life experiences with the few who might be interested. If that's you, thanks for taking time to read this stuff and I'll keep you posted:)

Disposable Lantern

No matter what age a person is you'll hear them say things like, "Well back when I was growing up..." followed by something that in their view has changed since "they were growing up".  

Well, when I was growing up you could buy a Coleman lantern that, properly cared for, might last nearly a lifetime.  Today, a coleman lantern like the one in this picture has a shelf-life.  If properly cared for you'd be lucky if it last 150 hours of burn time.  No doubt the fine folks at Coleman (and there are some fine folks at Coleman--I've known a few) would take exception to that. However, based on my many years of lantern-experience, they just don't make 'em like they used to.

I suppose that in my lifetime I have owned and operated somewhere in the vicinity of 18 or 20 of these disposable propane lanterns and don't recall even one that's stood the test of time. It's just one country boy's opinion but seems to me a lantern ought to last 50 years or better.

When I was a kid growing up we had a Coleman stove, lantern and camp heater purchased no doubt from Sears and Roebuck, where our Mom worked and received a 10% discount. Most of our store bought stuff came from Sears and camping gear was no different. One exception was a heavy sleeping bag that was procured from Montgomery Ward. I have always assumed that it too came from Sears. Upon closer examination a while back, however, I discovered Montgomery Ward must have had one heck of a sale on sleeping bags sometime in the early spring of 1970 or '71. That's the only reason I can think of that my folks would have bought one of our family sleeping bags from Wards. Dang; that sounds funny to say "Wards". I bet I haven't said Wards in 40 years, at least not in reference to shopping there. As I recollect, Pennys wasn't much into the camping gear bidness when I was growing up. I suspect that was a missed opportunity and one the Penny folks would like to have back. Could have made a difference:)

Anyway, I'm getting tired of throwing these darn lanterns away shortly after they get broken in. They do make decent bird nest holders and that's a consolation. The good people in California would be so proud of me for repurposing these lanterns instead of disposing of them properly aka: pitch them in the trash. No doubt lanterns are known to cause cancer in the state of California so be sure and handle your non-functioning lanterns with care. 

Considering the camping industry is capable of making a sleeping bag that last 50 years they could surely make a lantern that'd last at least that long. I may need to contact Klietus or Nickadimus to do some lantern research and see if there's something better out there. Maybe Coleman still makes a high quality lantern that's just hard to find. I have checked Walmart, Cabellas and even "Amazoneverything" to no avail. But, like anyone who's ever misplaced their car keys, I'll keep looking. Maybe I should give Academy a shot.

"He wanted a .50 caliber: it was only a .30 but daaang...it was a gin-u-ine Coleman...I mean Hawken!" In any event, I'll keep you posted on most things Coleman and some things California.

Post Script: A Barry County, Missouri shout-out to Ain't Dee who turns 14+ in the morrow. Happy Birthday Ain't Dee Dee:)

 

Coyote Unaware

 

A few weeks ago while in the woods chopping down a raggedy old tree with my Gransfors Bruks large felling axe (you cain't go no better) I took a short break just down the hill from the chopping location.  I'd been sitting for maybe two minutes when I caught movement off to my right. It turned out to be a extra-large coyote not more than 40 or 50 feet away from where I was sitting. He was eating a critter he'd no doubt just caught and seemed completely unaware of my presence. When he'd finished breakfast he turned and sauntered directly away from me over the crest of the hill down toward the creek. 

As he wondered out of site I conjured up the best and loudest squirrel call I could muster using only my mouth.  He immediately turned and ran straight at me through the thick brush and stopped suddenly about 10 yards from where I sat. He stared right at me for no more than a second as he quickly realized I wasn't a squirrel. He spun and tore off as fast as he could go directly away from me.

This was probably as fine a coyote as I've seen in my life. He was about the size of a full grown Collie and looked like he'd recently been to the groomer at Petsmart. I chose not to whack this healthy rabbit/squirrel killing machine which was timely considering I didn't have a gun; a rare woods-occurrence for me. The Dog Soldier, Steve Criner, would not be pleased to hear I let this "dog" run off without at least throwing my axe at him. I'll try to do better next time, Steve.

In any event I'll do my best to keep you posted on coyote sightings, axe throwing and general goings-on in Southwest Barry County (SWBC). 

 "They say he wanted to be a mountain man...."

If you enjoy the outdoors and have ever dreamed of being a mountain man or a mountain woman (I've never heard anything about a mountain woman from those long ago times, but a lot of folks today like to say a woman can do anything a man can do so I guess that would include being a mountain man) you should watch the movie, Jeremiah Johnson. 

I saw the movie for the first time when it was newly released in 1972. Shortly after seeing the movie, my good friends Mike and Steve and I built a log cabin in the woods behind our house, down by the creek. Fast forward 31 years and I did it again. Dang, that might constitute a log cabin trend, although a very slow-developing one.  At this rate I'll need to build another one in 2034 to maintain the momentum.  On second thought, maybe I'll just get some popcorn and coke and settle in on this cold winter's night to watch Jeremiah Johnson for perhaps the 35th time or so.  

Jeremiah Johnson; You cain't go no better:) And for the record, Del Gue claimed he could, "...drag out, throw down and whip any man in Ol Kentuck!  After summarizing my nearly life-long research on the subject, I suspect maybe he could have.

Regarding mountain man news, I'll keep you posted (there's bound to be new mountain man news at some point).    

Utility vs Fashion Non-sense

You can't beat stuff that works.  Like many county-folk, I lean much more toward utility than fashion; although no one wants to look like they haven't updated their wardrobe in 40 years unless the situation calls for it.  If you're planning on attending a county playhouse event, regional lawn dart championship or annual mule jump, you have the support of the author the wear whatever you want.  However, if you show up in a cashmere sweater, a fresh pair of J. Crew chinos and a Tommy Bahama polo shirt with the collar up, you'll likely be the rube everyone's snickering at behind your back.  And no one wants that; even though there are no doubt enough guys who work at the Walmart home office giving it their best shot.

Where was I...oh yes, stuff that works:

I may have already touched on this aspect of country life in a former post but if so it bears another mention. There are too many gadgets (especially imported gadgets from China and similar countries) floating around the place that don't hold up under actual use, so when I find something that does I tend to hold onto it.  Like this old sweater from Eddie Bauer (ironic that it's probably made in China: forgot to check), this Henry lever action .44 rifle, made in the U.S.A. or the axe in the back ground hand-made by the fine folks at Ganfors Bruks in Sweeden (I really like their craftsmanship).  All this stuff works well and is always a pleasure to have handy while doing ranch work.

Anyway, things are moving along at the cabin.  I've spent a great deal of time this Spring and Summer clearing, burning, dragging, stacking, de-weeding, brush whacking, brush hogging and mowing, to qualify me for at least some kind of local award.  Maybe the County Barry "De-Weeder of the Quarter" or similar.  If not, I'll settle for me pouring myself an end-of-the-day cold beer the next time I'm out there...which will be tomorrow, Lord willing.  That gives me one more thing to look forward to and one more reason to continue getting out of bed in the morning.  You can't have too many reasons for that:)

Thanks for tuning in and I'll try to keep you posted...   

Gunpowder Inspiration

One of my good and longtime friends, "Nickadimus", paid a visit to the cabin last week.  He brought enough firepower to defend against a substantial Barry County uprising should one ever break out and find it's way back to our place.

We blew through a fair amount of ammunition, enjoyed a nice skillet of beans and weinies and relaxed on the cabin deck while catching up on happenings and occurrences.

I'll probably come back and add to this post in the near future.  Ol' Nick has been my biggest blog fan over the past few years and never fails to inspire me to continue these random-postings.

Thanks for making the trip out last week Nickodemus.  Looking forward to the next time (much sooner than later:)!

In the meantime I'll try to keep you posted on Barry County happenings...

Beer Philosophy for Regular Folks

"Slow Down, You're Here."  Now that's a great tagline!

I don't know anything about the Grayton Beer Company but I bet they're pretty good folks. Judging by this poster I'd guess they also make pretty good beer. I may try getting my hands on one of their lagers, red ales or maybe an amber wheat. I'm no expert on beer but do know a fair amount about slogans and taglines. With that in mind I'd give the Grayton Beer Company one of my highest professional poster-ratings of "Now that's purdy good!"

If you haven't figured out how to slow down from time-to-time you should give it a shot. I'm continually intrigued by my fellow human beings who appear to take life more seriously than might actually be necessary. Based on years of experience, I've found it satisfying to stop, drop and look around from time-to-time at what's happening in the present vicinity. Many of us are so buried in the endless distractions life throws at us that we forget to enjoy what it is we already have. I'm occasionally guilty of that myself, but only occasionally.

The next time you find yourself in a public place, look around at how many folks appear to be preoccupied with stuff out there rather than stuff right here. Is it possible that the electronic device is as much a scourge on our new society as it is a blessing? I suppose it depends largely on how we choose to use it. If so, many things would fall into that same category

For the record, it's not lost on me that I'm sharing this thought on one of my many electronic devices. So as not to appear even more hypocritical than I am, I did walk "device free" for over a mile to get to this coffee shop and once here sat for about 15 minutes consuming coffee while observing the room's animate and inanimate contents.  Most of the animate ones were face-first in their device.

In fairness to the good patrons of Airship, as I look around now most are engaged in conversation and only a couple of the folks are buried in their iBox; one of them being me. Oh the ever present ironies of life in the slow lane:)

Anyway, hat's off to the fine people of the Grayton Beer Company for coming up with a pretty darn good beer poster. It would be difficult to go much better than that.

Cheers to my friend and new reader of "Regular", Matt Hawkins! And thanks to the curious folks who tuned in yesterday: I'll do my best to keep you posted...

Charlie's Barber Shop, Bentonville

It's not every day a place of business tells you, "That's alright; you can stop by and pay me later."

As I sat down in one of the two chairs at Charlie's Barber Shop I asked Jay, "Do you guys take debit cards?" to which he replied, "No, but if you don't have cash you can just stop by and pay me later."  No offense to big city Folks but I responded, "Well, you can sure tell this isn't New York City."  Jay just smiled and said, "No, it sure ain't!"

Scanning the room for a camera certain I was on the set of The Andy Griffith Show I was somewhat surprised when Jay confirmed we were not.  Had Floyd emerged from the back room I would have been only mildly surprised.

The owner of the establishment, Charlie, walked in from outside where he'd been engaged in sidewalk conversation with a presumed local "bidness" man.  Noticing I was a first-timer he introduced himself before relaxing into the well-worn seat-bottom of his #1 barber chair and resumed reading the daily newspaper.

I looked up and noticed the sign on the wall that clearly spelled out the rules of the place.  Differently worded, "We don't tolerate rude behavior".  I like that.

Jay asked, "Do you mind if I use a razor on your neck?" I replied, "I was hoping you would."  He said, "Charlie and I don't feel like we've given a fella a haircut unless we shave his neck".  Ernest T. Bass could not possibly have gone any better than that!

After my first barber cut in quite some time, I walked the short distance to the Bentonville square and removed some cash from Sue's checking account via their sidewalk ATM.  I then strolled inside in search of a few smaller bills.  Arriving at the teller counter with a crisp new $20 bill, I held it between both hands and snapped it like Barney Fife might have snapped a brand new C-Note in an effort to impress Thelma Lou after Friday night dinner at The Diner.  As I did so I asked the teller, "Do you folks have enough cash on hand to break a $20?" to which she quickly responded, "Let me check my drawer; I might be able to handle that."

With cash in hand I walked back down main street to Charlie's, paid off my hair-tab and told them I would see them again soon.  As I took an iPicture of their shoppe-rule's sign, Charlie shared with me that in all the years he'd had that sign up there he'd lost only 3 customers because of it.  He said he was OK with that as he really didn't need their business anyway.

If you're ever in Bentonville and need an Ol' fashioned hair cut by a real barber who's been cutting hair since Ron Howard was better known as Opie Taylor, stop by Charlie's.  And tell them "that one guy" sent you.  In the meantime, I'll try to keep you posted...

Walmart Museum/Culture Center

-Just around the corner from the Walmart Museum/Culture Center

Just a quick "hello there!" to the "Old and Ridiculous" faithful.

I've been focused recently on a new project and have failed to "keep you posted". I'll try to get back on some kind of schedule so you won't have to resort to scanning the internet, or worse, watching network news in an effort to keep up with the things that really matter. And consider this: how easy is it to fall into a rut or just go along with what's already there?  It's extremely easy. More on that later.

In the meantime, if you haven't walked around the Bentonville Square recently you should consider dropping by. If you do, stop by the Spark Cafe located inside the Walmart Museum/Culture Center. Tell the fine young folks who shovel out the ice-cream that I sent you. If you do, you might get a great deal on an ice-cream cone or cup of coffee.  (To be forthcoming, you'll get the same great deal whether or not you tell them I sent you:)

In the meantime thanks for checking back in and I'll try to keep you posted...  

Front Porch Memories

Among my fondest childhood memories was time spent swinging with my grandma in a glider much like this one.

My grandparents likely had no idea at the time that my brothers and I would remember for all of our lives the many summer evenings we spent sitting with them on their front porch as the sun set over their quant small town.  If I close my eyes on a warm summer evening while sitting on our front porch, it's almost as if I have gone back 50 years in time.  The sound of a passing car, a dog barking from a neighbor's back yard or kids playing just up the street and over the hill take me back to 1960's Americana.

Most of the good things in life don't cost much. I'm no Norman Rockwell and as far as I know am no relation to Mark Twain.  But those guys had some stuff figured out regarding life in general. I have no idea where either one of these cats stood regarding matters of the soul but regarding matters of the heart and mind...they weren't not too stupid.

On matters of front porch swings, long ago times and the correct usage of verbs and the past tense usage of such as that, I'll try to keep you posted:)

Drug-free Eggs

Fresh, free range, non-gmo, no steroids, 100% organic, no growth hormones, nothing fake, just eggs straight from the backyard chicken; the way it used to be.

There's a few things in life that are worth paying up for. Eggs are one of those things.

There's nothing inherently wrong with buying the lowest priced eggs on the shelf. The issue with cheap eggs is that they rarely taste as good as eggs like the ones described above.  Also, they're likely not as good for you.

Not everyone can afford to pay up when presented with a better choice. But if you can, I highly recommend you pay up for eggs. Keep in mind that more expensive eggs may not necessarily mean better eggs. In some cases you could be paying for something you're not actually getting (surely that wouldn't happen in America!). If that's accurate intel, it might pay to put some thought into the actual cost and long-term effect of the things we eat and drink. In the breakfast category, you just can't go better than "handpicked" eggs that come straight from drug-free chickens.

A shoutout to cousin Duster-Man and his lovely little farm-wife, Val for sharing their egg bounty with their relatives south of the Missouri border. And regarding which came first, they drug-free chicken or the drug-free egg, I'll do my near best to keep you posted...

Unexpected Surprises

Occasionally I'll do something out of the ordinary and unexpected just for the snot of it!

A couple weeks ago I made a trip out to a good friend's lake house when I was pretty confident no one would be there.  Although I'd gone out to review the dead wood situation around their property, I decided that as long as I was there I'd get their empty fire pit ready for a nice burn the next time they wanted one.

I hauled up a boatload of drift wood, snags and assorted odd and end dead wood from lakeside and strategically placed it all in the pit in manner that would assure easy lighting and good burn time.  Then I left.

The next weekend my friend Joe texted this picture with a "note" that read, "Classic Spank on steroids".  Code for, "Thanks my friend...this is awesome and much appreciated!"  (Some folks need only a few words to say what sometimes takes someone like me a paragraph or three.)

Here's to good friends, fun times and unexpected surprises:  You just cain't go no better!

I'll keep you posted...

Towing The Line

I have this like/dislike relationship with rules. In my view, rules made by clear-thinking folks, as a rule, should be followed.

On the other hand, when a rule is made by folks who clearly were not thinking clearly when they made the rule, that rule is up for rule-breaking consideration and automatically falls into the exception-to-the-rule category: providing that the breaking of that rule doesn't break the law in a way that results in harming people.

Laws are similar. When the following of a law puts your life or the lives of others at risk, that law falls into the category of "Stupid Law" and therefore qualifies it for the exception-to-the-law rule.  

As has been stated many times, I do my best to avoid political and social hot-topics. Some folks like to get other folks riled up. For the most part, I'm just not into riling. I'm more into provoking thought, smiles and even an occasional OLL (Out Loud Laugh).

Speaking of smiles and OLLs, the Cat in this picture is one of my long time friends. If you've been following this site for a while you've encountered "TD" on at least a few other occasions. I captured this shot a while back when I caught him drinking two huge beers just outside the legal beer drinking area at Bentonville's Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant, located at the corner of NW 3rd and North Walton Blvd. For anyone who knows Tony and has ever wondered whether or not he has any central or northern Europe ancestry, this should clear things up.

I'm not with the Bentonville Chamber of Commerce, not technically, but if I was I might consider making Tony the poster-lad for all things having to do with beer.  The local area has rather quickly become a beverage and cycling hot spot and as such could probably use a quality mascot.  I'm recommending Tony be considered for the role of "Bentonville's Craft Beer Mascot" or "Beer Mascot of County Benton, Arkansas".  Both monikers have a nice ring to them.  If he can just master riding a bike, he'll be a shoe-in!

Here's to another fine day wherever you may find yourself.  I'll keep you posted...

Favorite Sweater

There's a line out of one of the great fiction books of all-time that goes something like this:  "Woodrow, Deets never was one to give up on a garment just because of a little wear."  You gotta like that.

With that thought in mind, I re-discoverd this old sweater a few months ago and am glad I did.  Unlike Deets, I had given up on this pullover because one sleeve was slightly longer than the other.  Since my arms are nearly the same length, I found that detail somewhat off-putting.  Thankfully, however, I hadn't thrown it away but instead relegated it to the drawer of misfit clothing*.

I ran across it this past summer and decided to give it one more chance.  Turns out it's not only comfortable and reliable, but makes me feel somewhat Alaskan when I wear it.  Deets would be proud that I chose to look past the sleeve length issue.

There's a reason why Eddie Bauer and his team of clothing makers are still in "bidness" after all these years: They're pretty good at what they do.  Most of what I've purchased from Eddie over many years has worn well and lasted a long while.

All things considered, I give this old garment a thumbs up for comfort, wear, and overall looks.  I'm no Tom Selleck, but the other day I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror while wearing this sweater and was reminded of a line made famous by Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) on Friends:  "How you doin?'":)

Well, before I get too off-subject I better call this post complete.  I'd like to offer a big country shoutout to the couple of folks who recently tuned in from Portugal. We're glad to have you on board (unless you by accident stumbled across Old, Ridiculous and Regular Folks while shopping for a new favorite sweater on Amazon.  If that's the case...we're still glad you were here.)

I hope today is/has been a good one for you and I'll do my best to keep you posted...

*Thanks to the late-great Burl Ives and his crew for their work on the classic and longest ever  continuously running Christmas TV special, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964-Present Day)! Thanks also to the incomparable author, Larry McMurtry, for his enduring inspiration in the area of home-spun humor.  You simply cain't go no better!

Meteor Cafe Followup

This Saturday morning finds me back at the Meteor Cafe for another cup of most excellent coffee.  As further proof that you can take the boy out of a small town but you can't take the small-town out of the boy, it took a second Meteor visit for me to realize the carafe that accompanied my morning beverage yesterday and today, wasn't cream as I'd assumed yesterday.  It was, instead, a very thoughtful offering of backup coffee compliments of the Meteor folks.  Well I'll be danged!

When you consider you get an ample cup of coffee as well as a cute little pot of backup-coffee, it makes $2.50 a pretty good coffee bargain in my view.  Even my good friend, Nick-Nick-Nick, would have a hard time arguing with that:)

As a bonus today, I ran into some fine friends, Steve and Wendy from across town and Doc Steve-o from just down the street.  We shared a few cups of good coffee over some fine conversation in a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.  And I don't care where you're from, that's just hard to beat!

NOTE: I'd like to welcome a new reader and a longtime friend, Lynn, from County Phelps, Missouri.  Lynn hails not only from our mutual home town but from the very neighborhood in which we both grew up.  Thanks so much Lynn for tuning in and I'll try to keep you posted:)

Bentonville's Meteor

There's an old saying, "Dang: that's good coffee now!".  Technically speaking it's more of a new saying since I just made it up.  But when you consider how many coffee shops, beer joints and eating establishments there now are in the midsize hamlet of Bentonville, it's probably time someone coined at least one more old saying pertaining to the food and beverage industry.  Although fame and fortune I do not seek, if you happen to see me sitting in a local shoppe 25 years from now drinking a cup of joe, I'd probably get a real kick out of you walking over to my stool and saying, "Hey Ol' fella, are you that one guy who came up with that one old saying about good coffee?"

A number of years ago I used to go to one of our local coffee shops to "put pen to paper".  I stopped doing that for reasons I don't recall.  This afternoon I decided to once again give it shot.  So, here I sit at Bentonville's newest coffee/beer/bike shop, The Meteor.

Now I'm no food/coffee/beer critic, but I do know a decent cup of coffee, an above average beer or decent slice of pizza when I taste it.  Although I've so far had only a cup of "el gato" coffee at this particular locality, I must say I was pleased at the result.  They also serve pizza and beer; substantial intel I wasn't able to gather by means of drive-by reconnaissance.

Nothing's cheep around downtown "Hooterville" (aside from opinions about the retail business) but I have more than one long-time friend who'd say, "Dang: that's an expensive cup of black coffee now!"  To a point, I'd agree that $2.50 isn't cheep for one cup of black coffee.  But I've learned to look at the overall experience of something rather than just the price of admittance.  And in their defense, you have to sell a boatload of widgets at $2.50 a pop to make a profit; especially with guys like me and these young folks who come in and hang out for hours at a time doing who knows what on their device.

Things have come a long way in the food and beverage area since Grandma Rohrbach came off the farm.  I wonder what she would think if she knew I'd just paid 20 bits for a cup of something she used to get for free at Stewarts Drug when she stopped by for a bottle of laudanum or a jar of campho-phenique?   Oh I wonder.

UPDATE:  I finished writing this post yesterday with the intent last night of tweaking it a bit before hitting "Post".  But before I could do that I found myself back here today for a late lunch and an early beer.  Dang: These young cats make a darn good egg and avocado sandwich and pour a very tasty Lager.  Now that's something to be proud of!  And as an added bonus, I met Ben who recently moved here from Austin with his young family.  He's the Meteor's onsite bicycle mechanic and I can tell from the way he carries himself, he's a doggone fine one.  I'm actually looking forward to my bike breaking down just so I can bring it over here and observe as Young Ben works his two-wheeled magic.  When I do, I'll probably grab another cup of  el gato just for fun.

Well, so as not to wear out my welcome, I better head out.  In any event, this has been a good use of my time.  I have a new spot to grab a hot or cold brew of my choice while hanging out with a bunch of fine folks who ride their bikes to work.  It's difficult to go better than that.

As always, thanks so much for tuning in.  I'll do my best to keep you posted on mostly random Arkansas and Missouri topics, in a not too fast paced family-friendly environment...for the most part:)

Virtues of Old

We live in a society that often times equates newer with better.  Oh how often times our society gets it wrong!

For example, I'd trade my relatively new rifle scabbard for this antique gun bag any day of the week.  The same goes for that well worn axe in the below picture compared to about any axe you'll find today at places like Home Depot, Lowe's or Spanky's Tool Emporium.

Although that Ol' axe handle appears to be close to worn out, the axe head is likely made of high carbon steel and shaped at the hand of a long ago blade smith.  No doubt it's been used a boatload.  Judging by how much use it would have taken to get in that condition, I'm guessing it showed up around the same time Granddad did; circa early 1900's.

When it comes to age-based valuation, much of our society devalues a person's worth at the same approximate rate as our age increases.  Further evidence of how far our people group has to go in the category of "Age/Value Ratio", especially when compared to many other cultures around the globe.

On average, wisdom, knowledge and experience increases with age.  If you buy that than it makes sense that older folks, like older tools and equipment, still have a lot to offer.

Judging by the number of country songs on this subject, youngsters have, for generations, had a false sense that they've got most stuff figured out.  Although this is not a new phenomenon, it's an  American-condition that may be getting worse, not better.  Which brings to mind the adage, "The problem with youth is it's wasted on the young".  

Dang, I'm starting to sound like Andy Rooney (not that there was anything wrong with Andy Rooney; he was a fine and talented guy!).  I'll take that as a compliment, even though it came from me...which is weird.  Probably a good time to sign off for today.

Thanks for tuning in and regarding age- and axe-related issues, I'll try to keep you posted.

NOTE:  I snapped these pics of an old buckboard wagon at an antique tractor museum in Branson, Missouri.  If you haven't been to Branson lately you should make plans to "git on down ner" as soon as possible: There's a lot to see.