Draggin’ The Line
Well, here I am making a living the old, hard way, banging on a computer keyboard, day-by-day and half the night. It’s not all that bad, though, sequestered at the stately Motley Manor, listening to my favorite tunes, sipping on a refreshing Coke Zero and wearing whatever I please for comfort.
All winter long, I was digging the snow (literally and figuratively) and the spring rain… not really digging the rain so much ‘cause it just made the weeds grow taller and taller so I had to run the weedeater (three times since mid-May), but that’s just the price I pay for living in God’s country. But then all the winter and spring weather gave way to the return of summer’s sparling sunshine.
“Making a living the old, hard way, taking and giving my day by day. I dig the snow and the rain and the bright sunshine. I’m draggin’ the line, draggin’ the line.” (“Draggin’ The Line” – Tommy James – 1971)
The return of sunny weather enabled me to continue painting my casa, a chore that was begun last fall and then cut short by incessant rainfall and snowstorms that didn’t let up until mid-June but, when the intolerable weather gave way, I was back up on my ladder painting the house the old-fashioned way, with a brush. Yes, I’m “old school,” but that’s how my pappy taught me to paint, and the way I do it provides excellent protection for the wood siding against the harsh winter and spring elements, something you just don’t get when you spray it. You see, I’m a real slop artist, which means I slap it on thick and go over it four or five times to ensure a thorough job.
I love living my life as a free spirit here on the mountain, what with our beautiful lakes, hiking trails, babbling brooks and creeks and an abundance of trees. Why, I’d even hug a tree, if it weren’t for them dropping so many limbs, branches and leaves for me to clean up and haul to the dump.
“Loving a free and feeling spirit, hugging a tree when you get near it, digging the snow and the rain and the bright sunshine. I’m draggin’ the line, draggin’ the line.”
Then there’s the beautiful vistas everywhere you go all over the mountain, especially the view from my mountaintop manor, where I can sit at my desk and see all the way to Mt. San Jacinto to the east, Saddleback to the south and, on a clear day, Catalina to the west, not mention watching comet NEOWISE from my backyard. All of this provides me with peace of mind. I feel fine, and I hope you do too.
“I feel fine. I’m talking about peace of mind. I’m gonna take my time, I’m getting to good times, draggin’ the line, draggin’ the line.”
Keep it flyin’ Uncle Mott