Occupation of Independence

The recent miracle of 0.25" of rain in Arizona was enjoyable, of course. What I like most about it is the chance to focus on what is most important to the world. When you do so, the secondary stuff recedes into the background. Such as temperature. It wouldn't surprise me if people who like downsizing their physical junk also carry this over to their mental habits. A full time RVer is a pretty good example of a physical downsizer. Truly, I dislike giant piles of just about anything. This inclination has always undermined my interest in books. They are the best example of how ridiculous a giant pile of unnecessary crap can be.  Walking around in the mud makes you appreciate what an inch of gravel can do on a dirt road. So who needs a pile of words or a pile of books about, say, the history of technology?  I usually have mountains to look at. So what? They are just gigantic piles of useless rubble. 

I found one more thing that wasn't disgusting or depressing: the boots-on-the-ground videos of Patrick Lancaster. (Just do a search for him on BitChute.com or even on YouTube, believe it or not.) I will give him the benefit of the doubt because I have a need to believe that there is still some courage and integrity left in the world. With most of the world, and with the lying media and scummy politicians of both parties, I have completely lost hope. It is simply impossible to live not believing anything.

How do you manage your media consumption during times of crisis? Either you manage it or the lie machine will manage it for you. I want to look at media that keeps me from getting beaten down, defeated, and turned indifferent. I want to stay light-hearted, as crazy as that sounds. It almost sounds disrespectful of all the serious suffering in the world. But a human being cannot stand too much earnestness or sententiousness. For instance I am rereading Robert Massie's "Peter the Great." All the news from Ukraine, grim as it is, makes this book more interesting. Peter's first military success was near the coast of the Sea of Azov, a body of water most Americans never heard of until a couple weeks ago. But then somebody threw a switch in the Lie Machine, and now, millions of info-peasants think the Sea of Azov is of crucial importance to them. Another example is this video of an Indian journalist talking back to a Western professor. Damn, this video made me feel good!  (

It is interesting to camp near an Arizona Trail trailhead. You can have interesting conversations with people. This morning -- or dawn actually -- the girls wanted to go out for a walk. I was flabbergasted by the size of the javelinas we saw. Both dogs barked of course. What was Q.t. 𝞹 thinking when she saw these big, ugly beasts? She is a city girl. Or was. And what is it with these big, dumb cow thingies that just stare at her? Is she supposed to do something about that? Later I let her scamper off-leash up a steep section of the Arizona Trail, on the way up to a ridgeline.  She went crazy. It is so nice to have a dog stay close to you, so you can still see them. Especially a small dog.