Little RV on the Hillside

Blog Has Moved!

2008-10-27T23:08:00.001-04:00

OK...I simply don't have time to double post. Sooooo...just go this link Little RV on the Hillside to continue on this blog!

Location of Dual Blog!

2008-10-23T14:16:00.001-04:00

You can check here for the dual blog. I am not sure at what point I will do it, but at some point I will only be blogging at one site.

Little RV on the Hillside

Dual Blogging!

2008-10-22T16:15:00.002-04:00

Right now, I am dual blogging. It is the easiest way for me to check out two different blog softwares and sites.

It is getting very cold here and the Autumn colors are just beautiful! Here are some recent photos.

Hmmm...editing this in...not sure what happened to the pictures. I guess you will have to go here to see them.

More Creek Crossing Pics!

2008-10-16T14:46:00.002-04:00

Here are more creek crossing pictures.

We have a couple of pipes toward the right that have ends that are a bit crushed. They are now opened up. (Those pics will have to come later.)

This is a picture of the same side from above.

This is the other side.

This is looking across from the road side.

This is looking across toward the road side.

Busy Time & a Creek Crossing!

2008-10-14T12:38:00.004-04:00

I was hoping to get some changes made to the blog, but I am not able to do what I want...not yet, anyway.

This is a very busy time for our family. We have been cleaning up the pad our RV is on...sorting through things. We are still finding things that have gotten moldy. Oh, well. Such is life sometimes.

Here are some pics of the creek crossing being worked on:

Working on the Blogs!

2008-10-09T07:42:00.002-04:00

I am doing some work on the blogs so it may not be until next week that I post again. *smile*

Forgiveness in Rwanda!

2008-10-06T15:10:00.004-04:00

What an awesome story of forgiveness! I was very touched to see what God is doing in Rwanda as shown in this video.

If you are having trouble with the embedded video, you can watch it here:
Living Forgiveness - Stories from Rwanda

Autumn Update!

2008-10-05T15:59:00.004-04:00

The guys are working on the driveway.They have already smoothed over quite a bit on the creek crossing. It is now driveable, although not covered in concrete yet. We still need to have that done so that it won't wash out. It is a matter of prayer. The God who is our provider is more than able to make a provision for the concrete!

Dave has been filling in the gullies that formed in our driveway during that really big storm last March. There are pictures posted in the archive posts from around that time of what the storm did. He is almost done.

Then the guys need to clear a spot up here on the pad for the van to park and turn around in. He is already able to bring his motorcycle up here, which is a real blessing. We have some sheets of plywood and a few things that we need to move out of the way.

Our laundry room roof is almost covered. We need another sheet of the corrugated steel and the top ridge (or whatever it is called). Dave knows where he can get one. We also need to get the siding up on the top half story. Then we can put the insulation in.

It is also time to start weatherizing the underside of the RV. We can definitely feel the chill in the air. Ike blew Autumn out and the cold in. Thankfully, we are getting some warmer days again...and mostly dry. What a blessing! Fall is my favorite season, albeit not my favorite time of year. There is an even heavier spiritual darkness this time of year that others I know also feel.

Hmm...let's see...what else? We are very blessed to have people who care for us...and about us. They would like to see us out of this tiny RV, but it will have to be a God thing as no one really has the resources. If we are not out by Winter, I am confident that Yahweh God will provide for us to make it through again.

It does definitely feel more closed in as the days grow shorter and the weather gets colder. Being cold is a bit triggering for me, but we do have good heaters. I am hoping, soon, to be able to locate and get back out all my Winter tops. I am still hoping for a closet space in the laundry room, if we can get it done, where I can hang up my jumpers and dresses. I soooooo miss being able to wear them.

Well, I think that is it for now. My camera is down in the van and I still have pictures to process and upload. Maybe this week!

From our little RV on the hillside to you in your home...remember that there is a One True God. His name is Yahweh and His Son is Yeshua/Jesus. He loves you so much that He has given His Son so that you can be restored to fellowship with Him. I hope you will cry out to Him.

Alan Keyes - "Power in the Park" Speech

2008-09-30T13:53:00.000-04:00

This video sheds some light on what kind of person Alan Keyes is. I don't know how this person got all five parts to play in one screen, one right after the other. So, I decided to just give you the link to follow. That should make it easier to watch.

The Truth About Alan Keyes: Alan Keyes-"Power in the Park" speech in Denver, August 25, 2008

Mark Cahill - Pride Goes Before Destruction!

2008-09-30T12:46:00.002-04:00

I am embedding a video of Mark Cahill at the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival.

Warning...this video may be very triggering. It may step on your toes. It may convict you. There is a lost world out there that will never come through the doors of the church to hear a message of truth in love about their situation with God.

And why should they? Why would they go to a place where so many point their fingers at them and spit out hateful messages? Why would they go to a place that is frequented by people who shout at them and call them vile things? I sure as heck wouldn't go...nor would I listen!

We are called to be salt and light. We are called to go and reach out to the very people who need God the most. We are called to love them...and to share God's love and mercy with them. Are we doing that? Are we following the Great Commission? Or are we waiting for the lost to come to us? That is very unlikely to happen. We must go to them...any way that we can.

The first 13 and half minutes of the video give you an idea of what kinds of things you will see at the parade. The rest of the almost three hour video shows how Mark reaches out to the people there. He has a friend of his video tape several conversations.

I love how he lovingly tries to find a common ground with these people. They have real discussions and some of these people open their hearts up to him, enabling him to plant the seeds of the Gospel. They know that he truly cares about them.

It is heartrending to hear of the deep struggles that some of these people go through. One young man had an understanding of scripture and the gospel that was better than a lot of Christians, yet he was also deceived in some areas. I could see Mark praying about what to say to this young man to try and help him.

At the end of the discussions, Mark gives a little bit of a wrap up and shares how it ended. He shares where he has been able to give a book or a DVD that might help the person better understand their need for Yeshua/Jesus. He also shares some of the other people's comments about the discussion. Many of them were very grateful that he took the time to talk WITH them instead of AT them. They were grateful that he expressed an interest in them and a willingness to dialog and find out more about them. He did not write them off because of their appearance or lifestyle. Instead, he reached out with a love that they could see was real.

Here is the video:

Pride Goes Before Destruction

I have so much to learn about loving others. People like Mark Cahill and Paul Washer and others help me a lot.

Election Quandaries!

2008-09-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

As this election draws ever closer,the subject of who to vote for keeps coming up. Dave and I have been praying about this and asking God to show us what is best...who to vote for.

To be honest, I am not totally convinced that the election process isn't actually rigged...that the whole idea of choice is not just an illusion in this current day. However, ever the optimist, I will take my responsibility to vote seriously anyway. Besides, rigged or not, there is one thing that overrides even that...Yahweh God is sovereign.

God is ultimately over all. There is nothing that happens that is not either caused by Him or allowed by Him. I have yet to see a third alternative, but I am open to one if someone has one.

It says in Scripture that God is the One who puts rulers in their place. So then, why vote? Well, I vote because scripture also shows time and again where God partners with humans to bring His plans about. So, perhaps He is asking me to stand in faith and partner with Him to bring a good ruler in. Or, perhaps He will put a bad one in regardless in order to get people's attention. There are plenty of examples of His doing that in the bible.

So, it comes back down to...who do I vote for? Dave and I have been thinking through that and struggling with that for quite awhile. How does one decide? We can use man's logic and reasoning. We can use God's word to guide us. Personally, I see God's word as the ultimate authority, especially when man's logic can go in different directions.

For instance, regarding man's logic, I keep hearing the argument that a vote for anyone other than McCain (even if it is Alan Keyes) is really a vote for Obama. Is that true? Well, sticking to human logic...not necessarily so. I read an article by someone who layed out the numbers of what is needed to get a candidate elected when you have three running. I was surprised to see how little it actually took...numbers wise. He or she does not need a majority to win...only more than each of the other two. This person pointed out other things, too...using human logic.

Lincoln was voted in on a third party. So, it is possible...according to human logic. Keyes, although still not as widely known as the other two, is more known now than ever before. The media shuts him out, yet, in spite of that, there is a growing awareness of his presence. (This is not addressing the God factor, yet.)

I have had people give me reasons why they are voting for McCain. I have to admit that they have given us food for thought...and for prayer. However, after I read things like what Rick Santorum had to say about McCain in the following articles, it still seems to just boil down to the lesser of two evils.

Santorum: McCain Presidency Very Dangerous

Santorum Alleges Sen. McCain Unreliable on Pro-Life Issues

McCain is not nearly as prolife as some would like to believe. In addition to that, he is pro-Democrat...even to the extent that he has recently said he will put Democrats in Cabinet positions. People are still voting out of fear that Obama will get in...not out of any real support for McCain.

So, we basically have a man who fought against getting some much needed prolife and profamily legislation onto the floor of the Senate and we have a man who is willing to federally fund embryonic stem cell research. For those who are counting on him to put in judges to help overturn Roe v Wade...read the articles.

As Dave and I keep praying about this and researching as best we can and observing, I will continue to put some of our observations out here. We don't judge anyone as to how they should vote. That is between them and God. We just encourage people to pray with open hearts and minds. Just maybe, God wants to do something so miraculous...so clearly of Him...and we will miss it because we are locked into human logic and thinking and into fear of Obama.

From our little RV on the hillside, regardless of what your political stance is, I pray that you are diligently doing the research and making sure that your candidate really does stand for what you believe. I also pray that you are earnestly asking God to show you the truth with a heart that is open to the miraculous and to faithful obedience, even if it flies in the face of human reason and logic. More on that subject later.

Catching Up & a Creek Crossing!

2008-09-29T23:07:00.003-04:00

I have been slowly catching up on things after being without power and phone for almost a week. I also had a transcription job which took up some time. It is always nice to have a little bit more income coming in.

For the next month, I am focusing on building a scriptural foundation for Elias and strengthening the one I have. Lately, I have been seeing scripture in a whole new light and it is causing me to rethink some things...to go deeper. Elias and I are really enjoying the times we have to talk through the scriptures in between doing life.

As usual, I am behind on emptying my camera, processing my pictures and getting them sorted and uploaded to the blog. It seems as if I will always be behind. Gosh, I guess I had just better stop taking pictures! NOT!

I do have some of our creek crossing, but they are still in the camera. The pipes are buried and Dave has been working on smoothing it out enough to make it driveable. We don't want any flats! He has already managed to get the motorcycle up here, but he said it was a bit tricky due to the roughness.

We are actually hoping FOR a little bit of rain...not too much, though. The area really needs it and now we need it for our crossing to help settle the dirt. We are supposed to drive over it, too, to help pack it down before putting concrete on it.

Wow! It is almost done. What a difference the right equipment can make...and people offering assistance, too! One person brought an earth mover over and buried some pipes. Then, someone from our church brought over his earth mover, along with some donated pipes. He got those two pipes buried! Another guy from our church is "engineering" the whole thing.

We are SO grateful for the help...and very touched by people's expressions of caring, whether they are able to help or not. Dave kept digging it by hand and it was practically impossible for him to make any headway.

Well, it is rather late here in our little RV on the hillside. I hope that you all have a peaceful and restful night, as I hope that we do, too.

Clearing the Road!

2008-09-21T16:10:00.005-04:00

We had a difficult time getting home Sunday evening. We had spent the afternoon at the church...at a couples Olympics event. None of us there really realized how serious things were. We did lose power at the church, but that was not exactly unusual given the high winds.

Today, at church, one guy came up to me and wondered what we were thinking being out in that wind trying to shoot arrows into a target!

We followed our neighbor down one road and saw two huge trees down across the road. On the other side of the trees we could see people getting out of vehicles with chain saws. Dave and Elias went to help them. They all got to work and cleared the road so we could go home.

Here are three videos showing the guys at work:

A Submerged Boat & High Winds!

2008-09-21T15:10:00.005-04:00

This boat is submerged. There were some people on the dock watching it in the water. When Dave asked if they needed rope to tie it back to the dock, he was told that the back end of the boat had been broken out. It was a total loss.

Watch it in these videos. In this one it is being blown along dock:

In this second video, I tried to narrate a bit, but the sound of the wind is pretty loud. Basically, I point out how rough the river is. This river is normally pretty smooth, but here it is very choppy. You can see the white caps and miniwaves.

As I was filming the boat being blown along by the wind, it suddenly dawned on me that the boat was being blown UP river...against the current!

Photos & Video of Trees Down

2008-09-21T14:11:00.004-04:00

These are trees by the river.

In the video, you can see that one is broken:

Power & Phone/Internet Back Online!

2008-09-21T13:16:00.009-04:00

We have power and phone/internet! Yay!!! Power came back Friday evening and phone/internet Saturday afternoon!

This is a quick video of the tree across from the Post Office. All of our videos have a lot of wind noise in them. Be prepared for loud volume unless you turn it down!

This is looking alongside the Post Office:

We'll Check in When We Can!

2008-09-17T14:32:00.001-04:00

Just thought I would add here that I may not be able to be online until next week. I go into town once a week and try to stop by the library. So, it may be a week, give or take a day or so, before I can come back here. Unless, of course, we get our phone and power back (and internet)!

Hurricane Ike and Wow!

2008-09-17T14:32:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Ike came through our area on Sunday afternoon. We knew we were supposed to get the edges of it...high winds, etc. Wow! It was pretty intense. There were many trees down and some neighbors and us had to cut through two huge trees to get back home from church. The phone lines are a mess.

I am at the library trying to quickly catch up on some things. I am writing rather hurriedly as I only get a half hour online right now. We do not know when we will get power back. It could be not until next Sunday...or even longer.

As for the phone (which also means internet), it could be longer. The irony of this is that they don't trim any trees back from the phone lines. Apparently, some time ago there was a huge storm and the state decided that the phone company was being negligent about trimming trees back. So, what did they do? They now charge the phone company a fee for the state to use to trim the trees. Sounds great, huh? The problem is...the state is not trimming them either! Hmmm...wonder if we could get a class action against the state for charging the money and then not using it like they said they would?

We are actually doing fine. As long as our 12 volt holds up in the RV, we have propane. Propane means hot water, stove burners and a small refrigerator. So, we are doing OK. We have oil lanterns, candles and flashlights. People have brought us ice, candles, flashlights and some food. Two families came out quite some distance just to check on us. We were very touched by that. Yahweh God is so good.

I have so many things I would like to write about, but just have no time. I have pictures, but no way to upload them. I even have a video of the wind pushing a mostly submerged boat UPriver!

Well, from our little RV on the hillside to you in your home. I hope you are safe and warm. I hope you have power and phone...or at least will have soon. I hope the storm did not effect you negatively. Blessings!

Lesser of Two Evils?

2008-09-09T15:09:00.006-04:00

OK...This isn't mine. It is written by someone else. However, when I read it, I realized that he has some things to really think about and consider here. I know that I am thinking about them...a LOT!

On Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils

The irony in the Lesser of Two Evils deception is the assumption that a vote for the lesser evil has an impact in the election in which it is cast, when in fact a vote has more of an impact AFTER THE ELECTION if the vote is properly cast.

When politicians get elected, most of them do not act so as to represent the people who just invested their vote in the elected official. The election is over.

The office holder immediately starts acting so as to attract votes in the NEXT election.

The incumbent representative now uses vote statistics cast in the past election as a guide to where the votes are going to be and what issues and viewpoints are of concern to the voters in the next election.

While your vote will rarely impact the outcome of a current election, it will always impact the next election with influence regardless of who just won. The only way for individual voters to influence the candidates toward your convictions and concerns is to vote for people who actually represent your convictions and concerns.

Many people insist that everyone left of center should vote for Democrats rather than for third party candidates in order to keep Republicans from winning.

Many people insist that everyone right of center should vote for Republicans rather than for third party candidates in order to keep Democrats from winning,

For liberals; continuing to vote for Democrats as long as they are perceptibly less bad than the Republicans is precisely the thing that causes them to keep moving to the right.

For conservatives; continuing to vote for Republicans as long as they are perceptibly less bad than the Democrats is precisely the thing that causes them to keep moving to the left.

If you live in a decidedly red or blue state though; your vote doesnt change the outcome of the electoral college vote one bit. Decidedly red or blue states mean that unless one of the candidates does something so outlandish that it causes his base support to jump off his campaign; it's a decided red or blue state.

Look at the electoral college map. There are only 9 - 10 or so undecided states that could go either way. http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Another post-election effect of voting for third parties or Independents that do represent your view and convictions is that it encourages other people that it's okay and worthwhile to do so. Once they see other voters are increasingly voting Independent or third party they feel secure in voting what is on their heart too.

THINK ABOUT THIS THOUGH:
When three (3) candidates or more are running for the office of president in the general election in November, the winner DOES NOT NEED A MAJORITY of the vote.

The presidency is decided state-by-state on a “first past the post” basis.
That means if I understand this correctly; whoever gets the winning plurality carries the state’s electoral college votes. And that’s true in 48 out of the 50 states, I think in the two others it’s done by congressional district, but still on the basis of that same plurality – whoever gets the biggest plurality, gets the electoral college vote.

For instance, in a race where you have a three way race and a few other minor candidates; the minor candidates usually get around 6% - 10% of the vote combined. That means the 3 major candidates will be dividing up approximately 90% of the vote between them.

Now that means that the winning plurality will be somewhere between 30% to 40%.

If your heart's convictions and concerns are like those of 35% to 40% of the populace; the third party or Independent candidate would become president if everyone that believed like you do would stop voting from fear and vote for what they truelly believe in.

You don’t have to convert the people who do not agree with you. All you have to do is get the people who do agree with you to act according to the courage of their convictions and stop voting with those that they dont really agree with.

As long as most everyone continues voting for the two major party candidates, the candidates will continue to be two very similar looking candidates moving away from individual freedoms, rights and liberties as they serve corporate interests and big government.

Besides, voting for somebody that you actually agree with is the way the election is supposed to work, right?

An Orphanage in Ethiopia!

2008-09-06T16:07:00.006-04:00

There are a lot of orphans in Ethiopia. I know this group that is trying to help build an orphanage there. Here is what I got from their site. You can find the page here:
Hope for the Hopeless

I hope that others will see this and support them in some way...sponsor a child...give a one time gift. Help this group to build this much needed orphanage!

We Support Hope for the Hopeless:
Hope For The Hopeless is a non-profit organization that is managed both in the United States and in Ethiopia, Africa. It has been in operation since the year 2000 and has already helped hundreds of children in Ethiopia to: find stable homes, receive medical care, have access to clean water and eat and be clothed, and learn about Jesus Christ. We are cuurently accepting donations of scrap metal items and anything you no longer need. For example, old refrigerators, stoves, metal, and autos running or not will all help these children.

Learn how you can sponsor a child

Click the button above to play video...

"Hope for the Hopeless" is committed to young street children who have lost their parents and families because of the war or starvation in Africa.

Some of the children have family; but they are unable to feed, clothe or provide them shelter. Through donations of scrap metal we meet the needs of children, through a variety of ways, such as: Children's Hope School, the orphanage feeding program and cleaning. Your old car (regardless of condition), HVAC, bicycle or other scrap metal can make a lasting difference in even the worst situation.

The Problem of Street Children
These boys and girls are the most vulnerable of children in the country. They are victims of everybody both from one another and the general public. They are targets of physical and sexual abuse. They are difficult to identify. They are slow to trust.

What Can I Do?
You can become a "Hope for the Hopeless" sponsor for only $20.00 a month or about 67 cents a day. You can provide for the basic needs of your child through a variety of ways...food, school, medical care, clothing, and shelter. One person can change the life of one hopeless child.

You Give and You Receive
As a sponsor you will come to know your children personally and the children will know you personally. They will write to you and you can write to them. When you decide to become a sponsor of one of these needy youngsters, you will receive a picture of your sponsored child.

Why the need?
"Hope for the Hopeless" address the most crucial problem in Africa...Stray children who have become victims of sexual abuse. Many of the girls are having children without the knowledge of caring for them properly. These girls and their children are growing up in an unhealthy environment and the problems will be even more disastrous if it continues.

What Your Sponsorship Means to Hopeless Children... Children starve one at a time, but you can feed and clothe, educate, and love one at a time. All it takes is one loving person like you.

1. Meals

2. Medical care and preventive health instruction along with a clean water well

3. High quality education

Lastly, no one else can do your part. One hopeless child is waiting for your help!

Contact us at 623-810-7264

I Wonder...

2008-09-06T10:35:00.005-04:00

I wonder...

I know that it says that God sets rulers in place. Does that mean I should not vote? Or that I should not be careful if I do vote?

Hmmm. I think that voting is a part of being salt and light to the world. Salt is not only a flavoring...it is a preservative. I need to do what I can to bring light into a darkened world and to preserve whatever is good that is there. I think I should vote and that I should be praying and using wisdom in how I vote. I also think I should trust God for the outcome.

I wonder, though...

is God's primary concern who rules a country? Or is His concern about who rules simply an extension of a greater concern...whether the hearts of the people are turned toward Him?

There are examples in many places where God brought ungodly rulers in because He wanted to get the people's attention...people whose hearts were far from Him. He will use anything He can to wake us up. It just may be that our having an evil ruler will be just what is most needed for the people of this nation.

God could make sure we get a really good leader for our country...but will He if it means that His people remain complacent and far from Him? I don't think so. I see many people who call themselves "Christian", yet their behaviors and lives reflect anything but Christ. So, what "Christ" are they actually following?

I am not talking about the ones who know they are far from perfect and yet are trying to live right...the ones who are humbled and crying out to God for help to love Him above all else and to love their neighbor as themselves. I am not talking about the repentant.

I am talking about the ones who just don't even seem to recognize that what they are doing and how they are living is wrong. They pick and choose the scriptures they will live by and conveniently ignore the ones that can shine light upon their darkened lives. They feel entitled to wealth and all the good things of this life...while ignoring the plight of those who struggle to even subsist.

We are such a rich nation. Even our own poor have more resources than most people in some other countries. Yet, we seem to be blind to our wealth...and always want more. We seem to be unwilling to share with the poor. Either because we don't "see" them...or because we judge them for their poverty. Or we share with the poor elsewhere, yet ignore the ones who are actually within our own churches...the ones who are sitting right next to us.

There was a time when a lot of Christians thought being poor was a judgment from God. If you were poor, you must be living in sin. Yet...God does not teach that. I think that mentality is still alive and well today. The poor are often either judged...or ignored...or simply "not seen". How very sad.

I believe God wants our hearts above all else. If He has our hearts, then He can use us to help bring about His will on earth as it is in heaven. He can use us to reach out to those who really need reaching out to. There are so many lost, broken and hurting people in this world.

So, I wonder...

will God give us an ungodly ruler to shake the people up? Will He bring us an ungodly ruler to bring us to our knees in repentance? Will He allow us to suffer in order to humble us? I really don't think He cares one bit about our comfort and our status quo. I think He cares more about the condition of our souls.

Are our concerns reflective of God's concerns? If we are truly His people, shouldn't His concerns be our concerns?

Are we more concerned about who wins the election than we are about the guy down the street? Or the guy IN the street? Shouldn't we really care about all that God cares about?

My prayer is that I will love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbor as myself. My prayer is that His will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven...starting with me. I want to be used of Him and to glorify Him in my life. I want to share His love with others. I want to be refined. He is definitely changing my heart about some things...and my attitudes.

Governor Palin - VP?

2008-09-05T15:57:00.005-04:00

OK...I got this email with a link to a video by Governor Palin. The basic message of the email is that this person was feeling much better about Palin as VP. Well, the only way you can feel better about her as VP is if you are willing to vote for McCain. Otherwise, there is nothing to feel better, or not, about.

Well, I shared that with Dave and we both agreed that I should write back. So, I hit reply to all and this is what I wrote:

Shalom, everyone,

I may step on some toes here, but I really believe this is important enough to take that chance. Please understand that I write in love and out of concern for our country. I also write out of concern for my brothers and sisters in Yeshua/Jesus.

I REALLY hate to burst anyone's bubble, but when was the last time you saw a vice president actually DO anything of significance? Unless the president dies and they take over, they are pretty much kept in the background. They have NO real authority or power. A vice presidential choice is really for show only. It helps to win over those who are opposed to the presidential candidate. Which means that we still end up with McCain who is only the lesser of two evils...not a positive choice.

I am not faulting Palin in the least. Palin is not the issue. The issue is that choosing her as VP is basically just a bone being thrown to the "conservatives" and "Christians" to get them to vote for McCain, who realizes that his continued snubbing of his nose at conservatives and Christians may cause him to lose the election. Please remember that having Palin as a VP will NOT change McCain's views on anything. He still stands for the same evil he has always stood for. She will be powerless to change him and is basically just a puppet, being used in an attempt to win our vote.

My family is voting for Alan Keyes, (even if we have to write him in) who is a godly man that we have met in person. We are not the only ones. We are hearing of more and more Christians who are also planning do doing that. He is a strong Christian and very firm on the constitution and on the fact that our country was founded upon biblical principles and must be surrendered to God's authority. He does not waffle on being prolife or on anything that we have seen. His record is very clear (as are the records of both McCain and Obama in the opposite direction). He has never wavered, but has held a steady course. He has the political experience needed to run this country.

We are choosing to not vote for the lesser of two evils out of fear. We choose to vote for the best man for the country and believe God will either do a miracle and get him in or He will allow evil to win because our country needs it to bring us to our knees.

You can check him out here:
Alan Keyes in the Park

He spoke at a prolife rally. His speech is not very long, but it sums up really well what he stands for. I really encourage everyone to prayerfully take the time to listen to him.

Our country is at a very real crossroads. For those who are afraid that voting for someone other than McCain may open the doors for Obama, isn't that saying that we do not believe that God is capable of getting a righteous man in office? We need to be obedient to God's word which tells us to always choose righteousness. I have not found a scripture yet that tells me to choose the lesser of two evils, although I am open to someone pointing one out to me. The lesser of two evils is still evil...not righteousness. We do have a righteous man running...and he IS qualified. He is not an unknown out of left field.

I leave you with a quote from one of our founding fathers:

Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.
George Washington

Blessings,
Abigail

Making a Good Choice!

2008-09-05T12:44:00.007-04:00

I am really disheartened when I hear people talking about voting for the lesser of two evils. That is voting in fear, rather than faith. Is not our God big enough to do what He wishes...if we will humble ourselves and live in obedience to Him? I have no doubt in my mind that He is.

It is not like there is no one who is righteous running. Dave and I met Alan Keyes in person several years ago. This man has never wavered on his position and what he stands for, unlike McCain and Obama. He is staunchly pro-life, pro-constitution and has the qualifications. We truly believe...and we are far from being alone in this belief...that if God's people who SAY they want a good righteous ruler would actually VOTE for one, God just might relent and put one in.

Yahweh God is able to do anything, but the forces of evil in this world don't want us to believe that. They want us to vote in fear...for the lesser of two evils. We truly believe that, if we all vote for righteousness and evil gets in anyway...it is because it is what this nation needs. It will be His judgment on our nation...to get us to humble ourselves and turn our hearts AND lives over to Him.

I would rather have that judgment come from Him, knowing that I did my best to get righteousness in...than to have it come from my voting for the lesser of two evils (which is STILL EVIL) and getting what I voted for! I don't want to have to say that I voted for evil when there was a better choice!

Check Alan Keyes out. There is a blog where you can watch a video of a speech he made. It is at this link:
Alan Keyes in the Park

It is not all that long and well worth the listen. He pretty well sums up what he stands for. I encourage everyone to listen...all the way through. The future of our country may depend upon it.

If you want to watch it here on our blog, here is the speech. It has five parts and I have put them in order. Start at the top and go down from there.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

Home Schooling in an RV

2008-09-05T11:21:00.003-04:00

Home schooling in an RV is very challenging.

There are things I really miss that would really help a lot. Like a for real kitchen table, for example. We have a tiny little drop down leaf table that is never totally cleared. Dave keeps his laptop on it, which is a bit difficult to move. It is not just a matter of closing it and using the top surface because there are other things that go on top of that.

Even if it was totally empty, it is so tiny that you cannot really spread anything out. I so miss having that room to spread things out...like my bibles, or the work I am trying to correct. Elias usually uses a lappad to write on. I am sure that helps his penmanship...not! We have some plastic bins with some loose stuff in them that we have to keep moving around to be able to use the couch, table, etc. Somehow, I just cannot keep all the loose stuff in them, either.

There is not really any room to store much in the way of curriculum. No matter how hard I try, there is alway stuff all around in here, getting in the way. It feels rather crammed. I don't know about my son, but it is harder for me to think and concentrate when I feel surrounded by things. There just is no real "open" space for us. We have an 11' x 7 1/2' common living space...and that also contains the couch, table, cupboards, refrigerator, etc. It is not like is an open room.

Yep...there are days when I want to go "ACKKKKKKKKKKK!!!" Most of the time, though, Yahweh God helps me to keep looking at the up side. Things like...we have more than over 80-85% of the world's population. I try to focus on that...and not on the inverse...which is that we probably have less than 95% of the people in this country. Actually, someone who was over here recently told me that my estimate is probably too low. It is probably more like less than 99+% of the country.

So, whether home schooling, or just doing life in general, I really have to keep my focus on God and on what is most important in life. We are, overall, fairly healthy, although my PTSD, coupled with the living situation is taking its toll on my body. We have lots of room for our son to run around in...outside! We have a beautiful view out of our window. It does help to keep a positive attitude!

Dave Hit a Deer!

2008-09-05T11:08:00.003-04:00

On our way home from Bible study Wednesday night, Dave hit a buck...on his motorcycle! He was following behind Elias and I. I usually take the van and meet him at the church since I am usually in town on that day anyway. That also saves him from having to come all the way home first after work.

When it came time to turn off the highway, I noticed that he was no longer behind me. I slowed down a bit while looking for his headlight, but did not see it. I thought about turning around, but I figured he was probably just enjoying a slower ride home. Still, I was a bit nervous, so I kept listening for him when we got home.

Well, he showed up shortly afterward and told me he had hit a deer. The deer ran right out in front of him. He knew better than to try and swerve since that is usually what causes accidents. So, he just hit the brakes and kept it going straight. His tire hit the deer in the back leg and broke it pretty badly.

The only damage it did to the motorcycle was to bend the fender slightly into the tire. He bent it back out and says that you cannot even tell it was bent.

There was a couple behind him who saw the whole thing. They stopped to see if he was OK. Both of them said they thought for sure he was going to go down and get hurt really badly. Dave is fine, though. He says he must have had some burly angels riding with him that helped to deflect the deer.

He called 911 to let them know about it and went back to meet with them and try and find the deer. It had managed to wander off, though, into some heavy brush. Poor thing. It would have been better if they could have found it and put it out of its misery.

What a Blessing!

2008-09-02T18:39:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, someone we know very generously brought over a trackhoe that he rented. He needed it for himself, but brought it over to us first. With his help, we got a huge amount of work done on the creek crossing. (The pics are still in the camera.)

He left the trackhoe here overnight and all day Sunday for Dave to continue working on the crossing, the driveway and on some of the trenching we needed to do to protect the meadow and our driveway from being washed out again.

When he came to pick it up, he finished a trench that Dave had started. He is used to using it and so much faster. We are very grateful. I will get pics up when I can.

Praying Mantis - Little or Baby?

2008-09-02T15:39:00.005-04:00

Elias found a very small praying mantis on our outside water faucet. It is not green like the other bigger ones we have seen (of which I have not been able to get any picture).

I took pictures of it on the faucet, on his hand and on his arm. These are some of the better ones. Some of them are very closeup.

Robber Fly Closeups!

2008-08-30T19:31:00.006-04:00

OK...I am editing in here that I had to change the name of this post. I thought these were horseflies. They are not...they are robber flies!

I was outside the other day and heard this loud buzzing. These guys were the source. At the time, I did not know what they were, but I had my suspicions.

One was staying on the rail while the other one would look like it was trying to fly away. Then it would come to land, too. Next thing we knew, it was in the air again. I could not get pictures of it in the air, but I did get pictures of them linked together on the rail.

Then I captured them in a plastic bag.
At that point, they separated. I tried to take pictures of them in the bag, but the camera kept wanting to focus on the bag.

So, I have one fuzzy picture of the female.

For some reason, I was able to get it to focus on the male...once.

Stained Glass Window!

2008-08-30T19:14:00.006-04:00

OK...here they are...pics of a beautiful stained glass window at our church. I so love the thought of Yeshua/Jesus holding the little children. It is a very comforting thought for the "little girl" inside of me!

This first one gives an idea of how it sits. The bluish green you see below it is the baptismal tank they have there. There is usually a huge bouquet of silk flowers, but I took it down to get the pictures!

These next two are closer up.

Louie Giglio & Laminin!

2008-08-30T12:47:00.002-04:00

I saw this and it made me cry. I hope it touches you as deeply as it did me.

Here is the link:
Louie Giglio - Laminin

Or you can watch it here:

Catching Up & Guests!

2008-08-29T17:28:00.004-04:00

Well, I think I forgot to post that our son has been back in his sleep area. We got his mattress cut down and wrapped heavily in plastic. We put out a call for some fitted twin sheets and have been blessed to get some. We also have a couple of double size ones coming for Dave and I. Woohoo! We are grateful!

We are still disappointed that we cannot go to home school co-op, but are trusting Yahweh God for what we most need. He, apparently, has other plans for us.

I have pictures I want to share! However, I have been SO busy! I am hoping I can get them up soon. I have a beautiful stained glass window to share, a cicada, a very small (baby?) praying mantis, and I don't remember what all else. I really need to get going on that!

We are actually having someone over on Sunday. We don't typically invite people over. Our living situation is...well...to people who are used to room and a house and nice yard, etc....it is kind of embarrassing. We have stuff all over outside because we have not been able to get the laundry room finished yet. It is neater than it was...but still. If it is really hot...or rains, we have to all try and fit inside. That does make it difficult.

Having such a tiny space means the bathroom is right there. Need I say more? :P This couple that is coming over have been missionaries, so I am trusting that they have been in some rather primitive situations before and won't be as bothered by it. We have gotten somewhat used to it. Although, not so used to it that we would not GREATLY appreciate being in a house or apartment again!

That reminds me...I started a Dreams and Wishes blog. It is for any one of my friends to share their dreams and wish lists. I think I will add a "regular" dwelling to it. *smile*

Changes in Plans & Trusting Yahweh God!

2008-08-25T13:02:00.004-04:00

No home school co-op for us this semester. I have to admit that I am disappointed for both of us. Yet, I do know that our heavenly Abba knows all that we truly need. He apparently does not think we need this, as He has not provided for the gas for us to be able to go.

We are praying that He will some day provide a good fairly economical small truck which would enable us to sell our van. We had to borrow on our van to put in the septic. The plan was to sell the van and keep the car. When the car got totaled, we got stuck with a van payment we never planned on.

It is one of those Catch22 things. We cannot sell the van unless we have another reliable vehicle. We cannot get another reliable vehicle unless we sell the van. In the meantime, we just keep plugging along and have to accept that we simply cannot go much of anywhere. Even our church is in the next town about 12 miles away.

Rural living = being far away from everything! Yet, it also equals nature and privacy and lots of room for our son to run around outside in. Pros and cons. Of course, it would be nicer if we actually had a house to live in! That would at least take some of the sting out of not being able to go much of anywhere.

Learning to be content in difficult situations can be a definite challenge...but it is not impossible. Through all of this, we have had to really keep our eyes on Yahweh God...and our hearts. If we are living for Him...and keep that perspective...it really helps. If we are living for ourselves, then it gets really tough.

Still, even in the best of times, there is so much to do here just to try and have a somewhat healthy living environment that it often does feel very overwhelming. There is only so much that one couple in their fifties and one 12 year old boy can do. So, we have to keep on working on being content with life being a struggle and a challenge.

Struggles and challenges are not bad...they make us grow! Boy are we growing! *laughing*

From our little RV on the hillside to you in your home, I hope that you are not running from the struggles and challenges that can make you grow! Embrace them and trust Yahweh God to help you through it.

Celtic Thunder!

2008-08-23T13:08:00.004-04:00

OK...I confess. I happen to like the group Celtic Thunder. No, I don't have any of their cd's. I just happened to catch them one night on PBS. I love celtic music. I had missed the Celtic Women special the week before, but I stumbled onto Celtic Thunder.

Today, I was looking for something and they came to mind. So, yes, I did spend some time browsing their videos on youtube. There is one that I don't remember seeing on the show. I watched it and it really touched my heart. I thought I would share it here with you.

This is the link: Christmas 1915

There is another one they do that I really like. In it there are some Irish words:
A thiarna dean tracaire (Irish for: Lord have Mercy)
A chriost dean trocaire (Irish for: Christ have Mercy)

From the time I first heard it, I had a feeling about the meaning of the words. I did not know until today what they mean. This is the link for the lyrics:
Heartland Lyrics

Here is the link for the video:
Heartland

The video runs into the next song called "Raggle Taggle Gypsy".

Excavating Glow in the Dark Shark Teeth!

2008-08-23T09:36:00.008-04:00

Elias bought himself a kit for excavating two glow in the dark shark teeth. They were embedded in some of kind of plastery substance. He really enjoyed doing it.

The kit gave him what he needed to make two necklaces...one for him and one for Dave.

I took a short video of him while he was doing some of the scraping to try and release the teeth. This will be the first time I have uploaded a video here. Let's see how it goes!

Well, it seems to have worked! Woohoo! I had a longer one, but it kept bombing.

Here are a couple of pics of Dave's tooth on the necklace.

A Crazy Week & a Right Attitude!

2008-08-23T08:29:00.004-04:00

Man...what a week this has been! It feels as if too much has all been coming together at once. Over the last 8 days, I have had one friend have surgery, one friend go into detox, one friend I felt I needed to distance myself from, started our next home "school" year, registered and tried to understand a job site, took my son to the doctor for a tetanus shot, discovered that someone I love very much was deeply hurt by someone else whom I love very much, pulled apart our son's bed area and cleaned up mold and mildew, caught up on finishing recording last "year's" school information and started proofreading the final proof on a book for someone.

Hmmm...was that everything? I have to laugh at all of this. There are times when it just seems like a lot of life hits all at once. It can feel overwhelming. When that happens, it helps to sometimes remind myself of how overwhelming it must have felt for the Son of God to have to take all of our wrongdoing through the ages onto Himself. Wow! He was perfect, sinless. He never blew it. I blow it all the time and He took all of my blow its and all the blow its of everyone else throughout all of time all at once on that dark day.

Well, it was dark for Him, but light for us. Because of what He did, we can have light and hope in our days now...even in the midst of what seems like total darkness. I lived for many years in a dark place, even as a follower of Yeshua/Jesus. He was my only hope during that time. I made it out alive. I made it out with some semblance of sanity; but I never would have been able to if not for Him.

I owe so much to Yahweh God. I owe Him my life. I am grateful that He enabled me to survive. Yeah...I still have PTSD. Maybe I always will...I don't know. I just know that it does lessen quite a bit if things are not happening to stir it up!

I have hope in Yahweh. I have healing in Yahweh. I have been blessed by Him in so many ways. It says that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Well, I know that my heavenly Abba/Father has sure brought light into my darkened world.

There are many who wonder at our ability to live in our current situation. This little RV is very tiny. Yes, we are crowded. It does get to us at times. However, we are also able to see how much we are blessed. There are a lot of people across the world who have less than we do! Even in this country, we have more than a lot of people.

So, we work with each other. We try to each esteem the other more highly than ourselves. We try to remember that each of us has our struggles. We love Yahweh and we love one another and we try to keep that love in the forefront.

It is only by the grace of Yahweh God that we are able to live as we do. It is He who helps us to have a right attitude about things...something we do NOT do perfectly by any stretch of the imagination! But we do try...and it is well worth the effort!

From our little RV on the hillside, I hope that you are able to take the things that are bringing you down to Yahweh God. I hope that you are able to receive the healing and love He has for you. I hope that, whatever your situation is, you are able to keep a right attitude about it.

Shalom and blessings!

Catching Up, Cleaning Up & a Tetanus Shot.

2008-08-21T13:29:00.003-04:00

Phew! We have been sooooo busy!

I started us back to "school" this week. On top of that, Elias scratched his toe with a rusty machete (silly boy) on Monday. He was also due for his tetanus booster...so we spent Tuesday getting him his shot.

On Sunday, we had Elias pull all of his stuff from out of his sleep area. He keeps on letting stuff get up against the walls and that tends to let mold grow in the winter. We needed to clean it up. That has been a process running over a few days.

The mattress is shaped like a sort of "U" with a separate piece that inserts to make it a rectangle. We pulled the separate piece out and cut off the "arms" of the "U". He now has a narrower (almost the size of a twin) piece of mattress to lay on. However, we cannot put it back in until we finish cleaning out the area. We are taking the foam off of the separate piece and replacing it. Without the foam, it will be easier for us to put back in there the things that need to go there.

The shot on Tuesday and two commitments on Wednesday have interfered with getting things done. At least the mattress is wrapped in several layers of plastic and the area has been sprayed with bleach. Today, I hope to wipe it out so that we can get his mattress back in there.

So, where has he been sleeping? Well, on the "kitchen" floor with his head up by the kitchen sink cabinet and his feet sticking into the bathroom. Yep...he is almost as tall as me. I am 5'2" and that is how small our kitchen area is! He has spent two nights sleeping that way. Hopefully, tonight will be different.

Well, I gotta run. I have lots to do today. Hopefully, I will get back here later...or tomorrow...to post some more. I have some pics to share, when I can have the time to get them ready.

If You Think!

2008-08-18T13:08:00.003-04:00

I got this link from Pat's blog. It so touched me that I just had to share it with you all, too.

If You Think...

It really made me stop and think about how very blessed I truly am. May I always remember that...and may I do what I can to make someone else's life easier!

A Broken Dragonfly!

2008-08-18T12:30:00.003-04:00

My son found a broken dragonfly. He held it up so I could take a picture of it. We are not able to get any of the living ones to stay still long enough for us to get any pictures. This is not exactly how I like to get pictures, but I figured something was better than nothing!

Here are some closeups...one of the "whole" thing

and two of the wings.

A New Business!

2008-08-17T14:12:00.003-04:00

I have taken the step of registering at a business site online. I am hoping to be able to get some jobs proofreading and editing. Since bad grammar and misspelling always leap out at me when I read things, it is something that comes pretty naturally. I am sure that having a love of the English language and of writing does not hurt, either!

Right now, I am finishing proofreading a book by some pastor friends of mine. I have also been helping to edit it a bit. It is my gift back to Yahweh God in thanks to Him. I love doing it and am hoping that I can start doing it for hire. It would be a nice way to earn some gas money. *laughing* Who doesn't need extra money for gas these days??

I was also blessed with a couple of transcription jobs recently. The timing was perfect...as our Abba's timing always is! Although I can do it, transcribing an audio into a written copy would definitely not be my first choice of work...but I can do a good job of it. It was very interesting to do, but my first love is really proofreading and editing. That comes right after writing, but making money at writing...well, that is a different thing entirely to me.

BTW...the book is fantastic. It is called No Slaves in His Kingdom: Recovering From What Life Throws at You. I have been so blessed by reading it. Hopefully, it will be out within a month or two. One of the places you will be able to get it is here: Salt River Ministries

There is another book they had already written when we met called
The Power of Brokenness: The Language of Healing. It is available at Salt River and here at this link: Amazon.

A Bold Mouse & Untimely Demises!

2008-08-17T14:00:00.003-04:00

Last week, we were visited by a very bold mouse! It ran across Dave's feet while he was in the bathroom. Later, while he was sitting at his computer in our "living room", he looked down and saw a mouse (presumably the same one) sitting there grooming...bold as can be! As soon as he moved, the mouse ran toward me and the front of the RV. I missed out on seeing it and, no, I don't have a picture!

Well, I believe it was the next day that Dave saw a mouse outside the RV right by the laundry room. The laundry room faces the front of the RV. So, we wondered if it was the same mouse. If it was, it met its demise for Dave stepped on it. :P

We have mouse traps beneath the bottom drawers in our "kitchen". I try to remember to check them...but I forgot. Yesterday, we started to notice this awful smell. I did a trap check and, sure enough, we had caught another one of those critters.

We don't know which of those mice was the bold one. It is possible that it was neither..or even both! Such is the life of RV living on the land. We keep those traps set and baited!

From our little RV on the hillside to you in your home...I sure hope you don't have any regular furry little visitors like we do!

Red Skelton & the Pledge of Allegiance!

2008-08-16T09:10:00.003-04:00

I found this online and it really touched me. I have heard it before, but I think this is the first time I have ever seen it. I want to share it with you all.

The link is here: Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

You can watch here in the blog:

I hope you enjoy it as much as our family did!

More Fossils!

2008-08-15T16:48:00.002-04:00

Sickness, Healing & Yahweh's Goodness!

2008-08-13T12:23:00.007-04:00

Well, I felt really good on Monday. I was up very early and had energy all day long. There was still a little bit of a cough, but nothing bad. Tuesday, however, was a different story. I dragged myself out of bed around 10:30 and did not feel well. I was coughing, so I ended up taking a Claritin. The Zygal the doc gave me did not work, but I think the Claritin may have...so far as the cough anyway. It can be hard to tell.

Today, I am feeling better again...not 100%, but better than yesterday. I hope this will eventually go away for good. I hate the thought of being allergic to where I live. :P

I have been getting more into God's Word again, lately. That is a good thing. I always do much better, all the way around, when I am spending time in it...and with Him. Yahweh has been good to me. He has helped me to survive many things and has done much healing in my life. I look forward to His doing more!

I am so very blessed. This land is beautiful. I have a good marriage. We are all fairly healthy. We have the freedom in this country to worship Yahweh openly...for now.

From our little RV on the hillside to you in your home, I hope you are able to recognize your blessings and freedom!

Curriculum Found & Photos!

2008-08-13T12:03:00.007-04:00

I am so jazzed. I found some long misplaced curriculum! Yay! I spent Monday correlating some workbooks I had and putting together lessons. I batched them and have enough for almost two months lessons. At that point, I have more that I can switch to for some subjects and I will be evaluating where our son is at for other ones.

I feel good about ramping up his education this year...and so does he! We are both excited about getting started.

I have also been sorting through my photos, renaming them and organizing them. It is a lot of work, but worth it. I have so many photos...over 8600! I am also deleting some...leaving the best ones. I take several shots because I never know for sure how they have turned out until I put them on my pc. The little screen on the camera does not show it big enough for me to tell...although...I did discover that I can zoom in on them even while in the camera.

More Butterflies!

2008-08-10T18:21:00.004-04:00

Here are some more butterflies we have found on our land. The little whitish colored ones are very plentiful.

These are not as plentiful, but there are still quite a few of them!

Other Bugs!

2008-08-10T15:55:00.004-04:00

I have pictures of a couple of other bugs I found on our land. I don't know what they are.

This is a water bug in our creek:

Grasshopper Wings!

2008-08-10T15:43:00.004-04:00

We have so many grasshoppers flying around. It is amazing. I kept thinking they were butterflies because I would see this color strip on their wings. Plus, duh, I never knew they flew! I cannot believe I am admitting this, but I always thought they just jumped. Never mind that they had wings! LOL

I managed to catch one and had my son hold the wings open so I could get a picture. Here it is:
They are actually quite striking. They really catch they eye and they are everywhere. I can see them easily when they are flying. On the ground, however, they are VERY well hidden!

Here is a close up of the wing:

Celebration, Carrot Cake and a Timeline!

2008-08-09T13:30:00.006-04:00

We now have a 12 year old in the home! Woohoo! Today, I am making him a carrot cake. I am still feeling pretty under the weather, but since it's a mix...hey, I can do it. *smile*

Our microwave/convection oven is smaller than the one we had before. The other one was rectangular and fit a 13 x 9 cake pan. This one is square and rotates. I was thinking I was going to have to divide the mix and bake it in two stages. This oven does have a rack, but the one time I tried using it to cook two layers at a time, it didn't turn out quite right, so I am a bit leery to try it again.

Well, I looked at the mix and...what do you know? It includes using a bundt pan! Well, I don't have a bundt pan, but I have something very similar...an angel food cake pan. So, I am trying that. We will see how it turns out. OK, I hope! I know that it sure smells good and seems to be baking OK.

We were recently blessed with a blank timeline. It is one of the ones from Homeschool in the Woods, by Amy Pak. Our whole family is excitedly looking forward to filling it out as we look at history this year.

Dave is going through our stuff. We have some curriculum that I have been unable to locate. Hopefully, this month we will find it. I think I have most of what I need already. It is just a matter of getting my hands on it!

Repairs, Make-Do's, Gas & Transcriptions!

2008-08-09T11:20:00.005-04:00

Well, Dave's bike is up and running again! Yay!! He has been taking it to work all week...which really helps with these awful gas prices! If it were not for that, we are not sure he could actually afford to go to work. The gas prices are driving up the price of everything, including food. I know a lot of people who are getting hit really hard by that. I wish I could somehow help them.

It sure is noisy around here. We don't know if maybe there are some cicadas, or if it is all just other insects. I love hearing it, though. I really like the sounds of nature. If/when we ever move back toward city life, I will really miss it.

I was blessed with two transcription jobs. They were both audios of business talk radio interviews. It was very interesting. Having never done transcribing before, the learning curve was huge, in spite of my ability to type fairly fast. Of course, it did not help that I had to use my laptop keyboard for the first one.

Typically, I use an external keyboard, but the PS2 port my keyboard plugs into got pulled on and it does not work right any more. By the time I started the second job, I was so frustrated that I figured I just had to find a way to get it to work. So, right now I have the keyboard cord taped to the top of my laptop in just such a way as to hold it in the right position for the port to work.

I know the problem is the port because I can plug my keyboard into my PS2 to USB adapter and it works just fine. However, I cannot use the adapter because I need it for my mouse. Laptop mice drive me nuts! My mouse does not work in that port, either. I tried another adapter, but it did not work. Dave tells me that a lot of them don't. So, my setup looks a bit wierd, but hey, it works for me right now!

I am praying that, someday, I will be able to replace the laptop. There are too many things going wrong with it. Amazingly, it is cheaper to replace it than to fix it. I was floored to find that out. We can do neither, at this point; but so long as it keeps working, I will keep writing! *smile*

From our little RV on the hillside, I hope this finds all of you finding ways to work around the gas prices. I also hope that all of your technical marvels, whatever you may have, are working correctly!

"Sick Valley" & a Virus!

2008-08-07T14:46:00.004-04:00

I went to the doctor today. He's a really nice guy...one of the heads of our home schooling group. However, as I joked with his assistant, I would much rather see him OUT of the office, thank you!

I have been sick for about a week and a half. Some days in bed. Some days not quite sick enough to stay in bed, but not well enough to stay up. It is dragging on...and I am dragging as a result!

Apparently, I have two things going on at the same time. I have a virus and I have allergies to stuff that lives in the region. He gave me an antihistamine (free - woohoo!) to help the symptoms for now. It could take up to another week and a half for the virus to clear.

The Native Americans from this region used to call this area "Sick Valley". What does that tell you? They have identified organisms that grow here that make people sick. Even people from as close as two hours north of us notice it when they come down here.

So, I will just keep plugging along. Praise the Lord my lungs are clear! That was one concern that I had...that it might be turning into pneumonia; but Doc says it isn't. I have some things to keep an eye out for. If they happen, then I will call him back up.

Prayers are very much appreciated. It looks like this is going to be an ongoing battle due to the area we live in. I did not used to get sick this often, nor this severely. So, for as long as our Abba has us here, this is life...unless He chooses differently. Dave often feels like he is fighting something and Elias has been getting sicker more frequently, too. *shrug*

I also had him check out one of my bug bites. For some reason, there are some bugs that I have a hemorrhagic reaction to. Not all of them, thankfully. He says I am, apparently, very sensitive to a number of things, including meds. He told me to take half doses of the antihistamine.

So, that is life for now. Tomorrow night we are doing something special for our son's birthday. It is a surprise. Shhhh!!!

Quick Update!

2008-08-01T10:44:00.005-04:00

I am giving a quick update because I am sick, sick, sick! Ick!

I don't often get bed sick, but I have been in and out of bed for three days now, or has it been four? It felt like I was getting better, but I am not sure. Today I feel pretty poorly.

One thing about being sick in a tiny environment is that it helps bring out the "closeness" of the space we live in. This is especially true if I am too sick to make the bed into a couch.

If one being sick is hard in this tiny space...two is worse. Now, our son is also complaining about being sick. Yet, we will get by. We always do! I am washing our sheets today and will lay on the couch. He can lay in his sleep area above.

On the upside, Dave got the wheel back from the motorcycle shop. They replaced the inner tube and balanced the wheel for him. The tire is good and the rotor is good. He is going to pick up brake pads after work today and, hopefully, get the wheel back on this weekend.

Our son is signed up for the homeschool co-op. One of the leaders very graciously got us signed up since I had no van to get there with. Woohoo! We signed him up in faith that Yahweh God will make a way for us to get down there once a week when it starts. I do have an idea on how I might be able to do that, but I am not sure if it will work out, yet.

Fom us "sickies" in our little RV on the hillside to all of you in your homes, I hope you are all very healthy!!

Motorcycle Flat!

2008-07-28T17:56:00.015-04:00

Well, Dave got a flat on his way home from work on Friday. Thankfully, it was pretty close to home. His rear tire went flat. He had to sort of "power walk" it the rest of the way home.

He picked up a screw. Why there was a screw on the road, who knows? We have had van flats, too, from screws.

Over the weekend, he got the back tire off. His back brake had started to scrape a bit, too, so this provided an opportunity to look at that, too. It is way too early for his brake to be so worn, so we don't know what would make it wear so fast. The pads are pretty much gone and even the rotor may need to be replaced. We hope not.

His motorcycle is so low that Elias had to get big rocks to put under it to get it high enough to get the jack under it.

The front wheel is braced with rocks to keep the front tire from turning.

The poor guys were working in the sun. He did not think about moving it into the shade first! So, I took pity on them. While Dave went up to the RV for a minute, I had Elias help me rig something up to provide shade. Dave helped us finish it up when he came back down.

There was actually a bit of a breeze, but you couldn't appreciate it when in the direct sun.

He is taking the wheel into a local shop so that it can be balanced. The tire is not that worn, so we are hoping the bead was not damaged and that we can save it. We are also hoping that the rotor is OK. He is not so sure.

With gas prices, we are dependent upon his taking his bike to work. Yet, if we need a new tire and rotor, this is going to wipe us out. Actually, I don't know how much a rotor is. I am hoping we have enough to get another one, if it is needed. Any way you look at it, Yahweh God will provide.

Of course, right now, it would sure be nice if He provided for me to get MY bike fixed. I miss riding, plus the three of us can take two bikes cheaper than we can take the van anywhere. Besides, the bikes are a whole lot more FUN!!!

It also would not hurt to have a back up bike when things like this happen. Although, Dave on a Virago 535 looks a bit odd. He really needs a bigger bike than that!

Rocks & Fossils!

2008-07-25T16:22:00.004-04:00

We have LOTS of fossils on our property. I don't have a lot of pictures, yet. Or I don't have them all sorted. However, here are a few of the interesting types of fossils we find.

We don't know what this one is. It reminds us of the tunnels carved out by some kind of worm.

This is a bunch of tiny shells and coral all pressed together.

This is a piece of coral.

We don't know what this is exactly, either.

We also have some nautiloids. I really need to get some pictures!

Grasshopper Up Close & Personal!

2008-07-25T13:23:00.009-04:00

(MT & TW for survivors.)

I finally found a grasshopper the other day who would let me get closs enough to get some pictures! I cropped them down and blew them up for an "up close & personal" look.

He was resting away on a rock down by the creek.

Isn't this a face only a mother could love?? *smile*

This is a close up of the wing.

This is the hind leg.

This is the main body.

This is the front leg and foot.

This is the middle leg and foot.

MT and TW for survivors.

A Little Note & an Answer to Prayer!

2008-07-25T13:19:00.003-04:00

I debated on whether or not to put this on here, but I decided to go ahead, while keeping the names of the others involved private.

Awhile back, Dave cried out to the Lord on his way to work. Sometimes our living situation and our inability to make any real headway causes us to fight discouragement. He asked for God to show him something that indicated His love for us.

That day someone gave him a sealed envelope. Later, when he got a chance to open it, he found a check and note. On the note was written the following message. The emphasis is theirs.

"Dave and Abigail, it was put on our hearts to do this. We are trusting it was God's leading and that you will be encouraged and give Him praise for He loves you and desires to show you. He will provide."

When he read it, he was floored. He wanted to thank them and tell them how timely it was, but he could not get hold of them. Later that evening, he "happened" to bump into them at the grocery store. They told him that it was something that God put on their hearts to do that morning. Do you want to know what time it was???? It was right about the same time Dave was praying! They had NO way of knowing what he was praying in that moment, or that he so needed the encouragement.

Yahweh God does hear our heart when we cry out to Him. He does love us. He actually shows us His love in a million different ways, every day, if we will just open our hearts to see it. Sometimes, though, we really need something a little more blatant. Dave asked for it...and he got it.

I hope this encourages someone else today!

Our Oven is Fixed!

2008-07-24T17:40:00.004-04:00

Yay!!! Our warranty on the microwave/convection oven said that we had to bring it in to a service place or pay for someone to come out. So, I called to find out the location of the closest place, dreading how far away it probably is and the gas involved. The gentleman told me that we had in home coverage. I challenged him on it and he double checked. Yep, they would send someone out...for free!

Well, I thought, OK...but we will see. I was just waiting to see if the technician would tell me I owed for the visit. I just found it hard to believe that the warranty is different than is what is stated in our booklet.

Today, the technician came out and fixed it. We now have our microwave/convection oven back and we do not owe anything. I even mentioned my surprise to the technician about the visit being covered. Woohoo!!

The first thing our son did was ask to make biscuits. Pop'ems! I told him he could. Yippee!!

Can you tell that I am HAPPY about this??? *laughing*

Popcorn Makers & Disappointment!

2008-07-24T12:25:00.006-04:00

Grrrrrr! Well, I am going to vent here, so be forewarned! *laughing*

We LOVE popcorn. It is our favorite snack. We are not crazy about the high fat, microwave in a bag kind, which is also very expensive. We like to be able to adjust the fat content, salt content, get good flavor and save money. (Did I mention that we LOVE popcorn??)

Back in May of 2006, we saw this marvelous looking popcorn popper at Lowe's. It was a bit pricey, but it looked like it would work well for us. It is by Cuisinart. It was the Easy Pop CPM-800. Since we live in a very tiny RV, the diameter size was very appealing. The similar type of poppers we had seen were much wider in the base. Here is a picture of it:

We were able to add less oil and still get great popcorn. It was a wee bit soggy at times, but we did not mind too much since it helped the salt we put on it to cling. You could not pop more than one batch in a row as it would get too hot, but overall, it worked pretty good for us. Then it up and quit on us. (Did I mention that we LOVE popcorn?)

Well, Cuisinart sent us a new one...for $10 bucks and the cost of shipping the old one back. We did not really think we should have to pay anything since it was their product gone bad. However, we figured if it was one replacement, we would just do it, after all, it was still cheaper than the $50 it cost us originally.

Well, that scenario repeated itself twice more, only those times it was actually something on the plate that broke that kept it from snapping onto the base fully. So, we were actually out another $20 plus double shipping. The money was adding up.

We figured we were OK, though, since the one they sent us at the end of January of this year is a newer model that obviously had been improved. The design was much better, so we figured our "problems" were over! NOT!

The plate on this newer model has to be plugged into the base unit perfectly. You cannot see to line the prongs up. We did pretty well with it for quite a while. Then we had difficulty getting it to line up. It did not take much of a push and snap, it broke. Something inside the base where the plates plugs into it broke off.

So, here we go again. They sent us another one...for another $10 plus. What we typically did was to send the old one back in the box the new one came in. Well, getting down to the post office is not so easy when you live in the country and gas is so high. We did not have a chance to mail off the broken one when the new one we got also broke...same way. We had only used it maybe 4 times?

This time I told Dave that he could call...I was done with it. He had a lengthy call with Cuisinart, even talking to the supervisor. No go. They wanted the old ones back...both of them, at our expense. THEN, they would either send us another one (which is going to have the same design defect) or they would mail us a coupon for half our original cost on a Cuisinart product.

Naturally, Dave thought that was ridiculous and I agree. We told them that we would tell everyone we know about this...including on the blog. They did not care. So, here you go folks!

I would NOT recommend Cuisinart. Their popcorn makers are cheaply made in China and their warranty is not very good.

The idea is a great one! The popcorn it makes is good! The quality is the pits.

Bible Translations & Healthy Eating!

2008-07-23T07:36:00.004-04:00

I just had to share this link with you all. It is the most common sense thing I have read about bible translations in a long time.

Bible Translations

Personally, although I do have my favorites (typically ones that use the Hebrew names in them), I like to read from several different ones. I like the different ways that things are worded. It sometimes helps me to understand more deeply what is written.

Of course, the best translation in the world won't do you any good if you don't read it! I hope you have one and are reading it. If you don't understand what you are reading, find one that you can! Ask a pastor for help. Find someone who does understand who can help you and who can answer your questions.

We must feed our bodies with good food and exercise them to be healthy and strong. In the same way, we must feed our spirits and minds with good "food" and exercise them to help them be healthy and strong in our faith and in our heart connection with our heavenly Abba/Father.

I confess that I don't read it nearly as much as I probably should. No, I don't think there is a set amount of time that should be spent on it. However, I notice another corollary to the physical body. If I don't eat, I start to grow weak and I don't feel well. If I don't read my bible...if I don't feed my spirit and soul from Yahweh God's Word...my faith starts to grow weak and I don't feel very well in my spirit and soul.

I also need to spend time listening as I read it...listening to what the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit is telling me through His Written Word. I also need to listen to what He is telling me from His Spirit to mine throughout the day, even when I am not reading. Building and strengthening that heart connection is so key to my walk through this life. It is key to my faith. It is key to the love between Yahweh and me.

The Forever Creek Crossing & Stuff!

2008-07-22T15:21:00.005-04:00

Lately, Dave has been working on the creek crossing. It is hard without a backhoe of some sort. He has to manually dig it out. Of course, all it takes is one good, hard rain and a lot of work is washed away. I really feel for him. He keeps trying to get something done, but no matter how hard he tries, something always prevents it from getting done. I know that he is frustrated. It seems like he will never get it all done. It would be nice to be able to drive up to our RV, especially when there is rain and lightning!

A friend of ours went to visit Jamestown. He said that it didn't look like pioneering would really be all that bad. We agreed with him...IF you did not ALSO have to work away from home five days a week. The pioneers had all day every day to build what they needed. If Dave had that, he could get a lot done.

He really only has one day a week to work on anything. With an hour commute each way, he does not have much time left in the evenings, even if he has the energy. When he has to work late, which happens quite a bit, it cuts into that little bit of evening time. When he has to work some Saturdays, well, that is gone, too!

I wonder how much of what we do in this life is futile. How much do we focus on the temporal things of this world and miss what is really important. This life is just a temporary state. The eternal, the permanent, is yet to come. The really important, the spiritual, goes way beyond what we can see and experience here in this life.

We do not want to be tied down to things. We made the mistake of bringing a lot of stuff out here with us. We should have left it behind. Now, we are weeding through our stuff to get rid of everything we can. That is very OK with me. I don't require much.

The one thing I really would like to have is a room built off of the RV. It would be nice to have a bedroom and some privacy. However, Yahweh God has gotten us this far with three of us in this tiny RV. He will continue to do so. It has been over two and a half years.

We choose to keep trusting Him and loving Him, knowing that we do not do so in vain. He is trustworthy, regardless of the struggles we have. He never promised that all things would work out for us. What He promised is eternal life with Him, a cross and to never leave us or forsake us.

High Winds, Leaky Roofs & Torn Tarps!

2008-07-22T14:58:00.006-04:00

We had really high winds Sunday night. It tore the tarp on our roof, which still leaks. We really need to clean and seal the roof, but that requires a few days of good weather when Dave is off work. In the meantime, we have the ongoing expense of replacing the tarp. We would also like to actually put a wooden roof over our RV roof, but that takes time and manpower, neither of which we have.

The tarp covering our laundry room also needs to be replaced. It is wet in there again. Of course, the best solution is to finish the laundry room. It is one of those things that really needs to be finished once it is started, though. It is one and half stories high and difficult to cover with a tarp, especially given the high winds we seem to keep having off and on. We cannot leave it exposed to the weather once it is started.

So, that, too, requires enough days of good weather and time off work. With extra manpower we could get it done much faster, but everyone is either unavailable, or physically unable, to help. Whenever Dave does take off work, the weather switches around on us! It either gets so hot it sucks the life out of you, or it rains. Such is life.

So, we will just keep on tarping both the RV and the laundry room for now and pray that the wind, the weather and our budget hold up. What fun!

If anyone out there is thinking of living on their land in an RV, make sure you have enough money to pull it off. Of course, if you are like us, you may not have a choice. In that case, do the best you can and trust Yahweh God for the rest. That is all we can do.

I am reminded that we do not live for this life. If we did...forget it! No, we live for Him. This is but a shadow of what is to come. Now we see through a glass darkly. Reality is in the spiritual realm. That is where real life is. That is what we look forward to.

In the meantime, it is our desire to be able to connect with people and encourage them. It does get frustrating when it seems like we have to spend so much time just trying to maintain the ability to live in this little RV. We would much rather be spending our time with people.

We will choose to keep trusting in Him. We know that He really is leading us and guiding us, no matter what things look like! He refining us. Our faith is much stronger now, even in our frustrations, than it was when we first got here! *smile*

A Micro/Convection Oven & Warranties!

2008-07-22T11:23:00.005-04:00

Well, life goes on. Friday night I made something in the convection oven. Saturday morning it had no power. Nothing. Nada. Zip. We switched outlooks and tried everything. Still nothing. It is less than a year old and, thankfully, still on warranty.

I called today to find out where the closest service center was so we could drop it off. Our book tells us that we have to do that or pay for someone to come out. Well...surprise! The gentleman on the phone insisted that we DO have a warranty that includes someone coming out. I even pointed out what our book says. He double checked it and insisted we have the coverage.

Yay!!! So, we should get a call within 24 hours from the company that takes care of it.

What a blessing, as we really don't have the gas money to take it in anywhere far. I would be very surprised if the closest center is less than an hour away from us, if there is even one that close! That might seem like a small thing to most people, but to us it is pretty big! We are very grateful.

Musings on Music!

2008-07-19T18:59:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking about music more lately, especially after accidentally discovering some old songs on the internet that I used to listen to. My musical tastes are pretty broad. There are some styles of music I don't like, but not many. Of course, some of the styles that I don't like I am not sure that I would even put in the category of music. *smile* However, that is a discussion for another day.

Today's music is definitely unlike the some of the older stuff. I look at classical and how indepth it is with all the layers upon layers of notes and instrumentations. What we mostly seem to have today is very simple by comparison. Yet, even in its simplicity, it can move the heart and carry us away beyond this mere earth.

I have shared a video about Keith Green. His music has always touched my heart deeply. It has challenge me, convicted me and motivated me. What I want to share with you today, however, is from a different focus.

There was a time in my life where I was barely surviving. Only my closest friends knew anything about it...and even they knew only the surface of what was really going on. To everyone else I tried to put on a brave face. It is nothing short of a miracle of Yahweh God that I survived.

During that period, music really helped to get me through...music I listened to, music I sang, music I wrote, music I played. Within that music, there were some key songs that really spoke to my heart...songs that I clung to...songs that gave me hope. They helped me to get through day by day. This is one of them.

I am putting up two versions. One is a live recording. The other is a video someone made using the recorded version. When I hear this song it takes me back to another time and tears come to my eyes for He has brought me from that place.

For those who recognize the name of the band and think...oh, way too rocky...let me tell you that this is one of their mellow songs.

You can either follow the links, or listen/watch here.
White Heart - Desert Rose Live

Desert Rose off album with video

Desert Rose lyrics

Keith Green - Younger!

2008-07-18T13:06:00.003-04:00

I ran across this and just had to share it. Earlier I shared a video which was the story of Keith Green. You can find that here:

Keith Green Story

This is a video of him at the age of 11 on the "I've Got a Secret" show. The link is here:
Keith Green - I've Got a Secret

Or you can watch it here:

Birds on the Wing & Beauty in Ugliness!

2008-07-17T18:53:00.008-04:00

These were a bit difficult to capture and are not the best, but I thought others might enjoy them anyway. If you click on the pictures they will enlarge. Your back space will take you back to the blog. The one large bird we most see on the wing here is the Turkey Vulture.

Now, the Turkey Vulture is one pretty ugly bird...although there may be some who disagree. It is very ungainly...and not very smart, either.

Here is a link to see what they look like.
http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/turkey-vulture.html

When they are on the wing, though, they are absolutely beautiful! They are so graceful. I keep hoping to see some close enough to get better pics. They sometimes just look like they are floating on air.

I find it interesting that something so ungainly, so unattractive can be so beautiful when it is lifted up in the air.

Isn't that a lot like people? Some people are very unattractive in their physical appearance. They are very ungainly in their personalities, or they lack social graces. Yet, when they are lifted up on the Holy Spirit and moving in His grace, they are very beautiful.

We tend to look on the outward appearance; but Yahweh God sees the heart. We need to ask Him for His eyes so that we can see the hearts of people, rather than the outward appearance only.

He makes all things beautiful. ALL things. There is no one who is ugly or ungainly in His eyes. He delights in using the very people that the world looks down on to do some of His greatest work!

Oh, if we would only have the hearts and eyes to see it! I hope that you have eyes to see the beauty in the people around you...no matter how unattractive or ungainly they may look on the outside.

Doe in the Park!

2008-07-17T18:34:00.004-04:00

Elias and I got to go meet a fellow homeschooling family in a park by the river. We had a very enjoyable time. He got to play with the boys and I got to visit with Sara, the mom! It was SO nice to be able to do that.

While we were there, Sara noticed a doe across the road from the park. I was able to get a few pics of her before she disappeared. She spent quite some time grazing there. We were hoping she would not try to cross the road.

Sadly, there are a lot of deer who get hit on the road along the river.

Thankfully, she did eventually go back into the woods. I got to watch her turn and go back in, fading into the trees, as if she had never been there.

These are pictures of that doe.

Home Birth & Life Decisions!

2008-07-17T14:53:00.005-04:00

My grandson was born at home. My middle son (his uncle) was, too. It was the easiest and best birth of the three I had. I wanted my first one at home, but got talked out of it. With my last one, we could not afford it and I was much older. My hospital experience with the first was not good...for him or me. With the last one it was pretty good. Things had really changed over the course of 19 years!

One thing I regret with both my first and last was them breaking my water. That threw me into hard labor...fast. My labor with my middle son was barely noticeable. Well, that is a bit of an understatement, but it was NOTHING like the other two. In fact, the first stage of labor I barely felt at all. The second stage was not very long at all before he came out. It was difficult getting him out, but the whole thing overall was very manageable, unlike the other two.

If I had remembered the first one, I would not have opted for breaking water with the last one. The thing is, my doctor had to go out of town for one day. I was afraid that would be the day I went into labor and I did NOT want some doctor I had no relationship with to attend the birth of my son. So, I opted to go in and have labor induced. I had a choice between Friday and Monday. I opted for Friday. I have wondered, if I had opted for Monday instead, if I might have gone into labor naturally. Oh, well. No way to tell now.

There can be many decisions we make in life that we later question. Would it have made a difference? I don't know. It really does not matter now. He is here and he is healthy!

There is one decision, though, that I have made that I do not wonder about. That is the decision to serve Yahweh God. Although I have struggled with doubts now and then, it has always been shortlived. I have never regretted choosing to love and serve Him...choosing to be adopted into His family. He has proven Himself faithful to me over and over, even when I could not see it at the time. He has brought me through some really tough things in life...things I just could not have survived without His help.

Yep, I think home birth, if you can do it, is great. I also think spiritual birth into Yahweh's family is great. With natural birth, we cannot always plan the day or time or place; but with spiritual birth, it can be whenever and wherever you choose, so long as it is before death.

From our little RV on the Hillside to you wherever you are...I hope that you are a part of Yahweh's family. If you are not, I hope that you will give it serious consideration. The blessings that come in that relationship are incredible. His love is incomparable.

The flip side of that love is His judgment. Because of His great love for us He cannot allow the wrong things we do to go unpunished...and all of us have done wrong things. That is why He sent His Son, Yeshua, to take that punishment for those who come into His family. If you accept Yahweh and His Son, you will be a part of His family forever...into eternity.

Think about it...seriously...won't you? He loves you so much and wants you in His family. It does not matter who you are or what you have done. If you want to accept Him as your Creator and the Lord of your life, He is ready with open arms for you.

Beautiful Blue Butterflies!

2008-07-17T09:41:00.004-04:00

I love the colors of these butterflies. They are very striking with a radically different coloration on the underside.

A friend thought they might be "Painted Ladies", but a search on the net shows otherwise. In trying to identify this one, I believe it is the butterfly shown here:

http://www.carolinanature.com/butterflies/rsp.html

Official name: Limenitis arthemis astyanax

Pics of a Swallowtail Butterfly!

2008-07-17T09:34:00.005-04:00

I love swallowtails. They are so beautiful. Although Dave says that there are just as many butterflies this year as last, so far, I don't think so. I hope that more come later in the season. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Brown Butterfly Pics!

2008-07-17T09:13:00.002-04:00

I don't know what kind of butterfly this is.

I was only able to get pictures of the underside through our window.

This last picture my show a tiny bit of the upper side. It is difficult to tell.

Ant feast & Sticky Feet!

2008-07-16T20:25:00.003-04:00

There are some things that, to me, are just dumb ideas. Carpeting in a cooking area and/or bathroom is one of them. What is worse is carpeting in an RV cooking area or bathroom. Our carpeting has been a bane for me. Grrrr!

Personally, I think carpeting in an RV at all is just not too smart. I guess if you have one of those really big ones and lots of space to get the dirt off before you step into the carpet it is not too bad. However, in a tiny one like we have??? Nope!! Dumb idea!!

I mean...think about it...really! What is a little RV for??? Camping!!! What do you do when you are camping?? Get out in the dirt!! We are basically "camping" on our land. Trying to keep the carpet clean is a joke. Ever try to vacuum a small space with a full size vacuum? I have tried the little ones. They are even more work and do not pick up very well.

But it gets worse! Tonight I was filling a honey container and accidently dropped it. Yep...there is carpet in the cooking area aka kitchen. So, now we have some honey soaked in. I wiped it up as best I could, but hey, it is not like wiping up a floor. I could not get it all out. Great! Just what we need...an ant feast and sticky feet!

I guess honey in carpet is kind of like having a bad attitude. If you don't completely clean up the honey, you get sticky feet...and maybe some pesky ants or other critters you don't want. If you don't completely rid yourself of a bad attitude, it will keep sticking to you and bring unpleasant results.

Well, tomorrow I will have to wet the carpet a bit and try and draw out the honey. What fun! Not! But such is life at times. There are up times and down times. You know that they say: It does no good to cry over spilled milk...or in this case...spilled honey!

From our sticky little RV on the hillside to you in your home, I hope that your attitudes are good ones and that your carpet is not sticky! *smile*

Birds Are Gone! :-(

2008-07-12T19:54:00.005-04:00

Well, yesterday, when I went to take pictures, one of the babies flew out of the nest. I had to carefully chase it down and put it back in the nest. This is a picture of the three birds that stayed in the nest:

This is a picture of the birds after I got the wandering one back in. It is covered with webbing, etc.:

My son went into the tarp shed this morning and one of the babies flew out of the nest again and went to where we could not rescue it. I got a picture of the three remaining birds:

Later, when my son went in, they were all gone. I guess it was time for them to leave the nest and fly on their own. I am no expert, but they did not seem ready to me. Hopefully, they are out there and doing well.

I know it seems silly, but I will miss them.

Our Birds!

2008-07-12T18:59:00.004-04:00

Our little birds grew so fast! Here is a picture from July 7th!

This is from July 9th:

Bug Bites Update!

2008-07-12T17:58:00.005-04:00

Well...the bugs around here just love me. At one point, Dave counted around 60 bites. It makes it very difficult to do anything after dark. Our creek crossing is still not crossable. That means a bit of a walk up the driveway surrounded by hungry bugs who just want to feast! Blech!

I have tried different things to take care of the itching and to try to prevent the bites. I figured I would share what I have tried in case it helps someone else.

For some reason, I seem to be extra allergic to bug bites. They tend to get big and red and some of them get kind of swollen. Two years ago, I had read about Vicks VapoRub working pretty well on itching. I tried it and it did help a lot.

This year, we added a product Dave had gotten from Kroger last year for sunburn and general healing. It is called Aloe Vera Gel Relieving with Lidocaine and Menthol by Kroger. I notice that both Vicks and the Aloe Vera Gel have Menthol. I think that is a key ingredient for the itching. I am sure it probably did not hurt to have the numbing effect of the Lidocaine!

This summer I have used quite a bit of the Aloe Vera. I have found that it worked really well. I benefited from the healing that comes from the Aloe Vera, the numbing of the Lidocaine and the anti-itching of the menthol!

I also had someone suggest something called After Bite. It is kind of like a pen filled with a type of medicinal ammonia. It worked really well for the one who recommended it. It is supposed to make the bites heal faster, but it did not seem to do that for me. But then, I do react a whole lot more strongly to the bites, so ordinary measures may not work as well for me.

To keep the bugs off I have been using something I bought a couple of years ago. I read about it in the same place that I read about the Vicks. It is called Buzz Away. The active ingredient is 5% Citronella Oil. When used diligently, it does seem to help, albeit not perfectly. A lot depends upon making sure I reapply it often enough. Unfortunately, I did not think about using it until it was too late. I was caught by surprise.

I am also trying something else that was just suggested to me. It is called Natrapel Plus. It uses 5% Citronella oil plus something called Geraniol. Both Buzz Away and Natrapel Plus have assorted other ingredients, too. Both are all natural. Neither contains any poisons. It is too soon to tell if it working. It does seem to help.

5th Grandchild Arrives!

2008-07-08T09:36:00.002-04:00

I got a call from my oldest yesterday! It was so nice to hear from him and get a chance to talk with him for a bit. He was out grocery shopping with his oldest child...my granddaughter Arriana. I even got to talk to her for a few minutes, too.

Our newest member of the family made his arrival to the outside world yesterday morning! This child, as yet unnamed, is my third grandson and fifth grandchild! He and his mom are doing well.

So, now I am the proud grandmother of three grandsons and two granddaughters!

Arriana is happy to be the big sister again and is ready to help her momma take care of this little one. The youngest, however, is a bit hesitant about this new arrival. Having an infant in person is not quite like the pictures of infants that his momma was showing him! LOL!

More Bird Pictures!

2008-07-06T19:53:00.004-04:00

Our baby birds are growing. They are much cuter now!

What Comes Next?

2008-07-02T15:21:00.001-04:00

There are many who believe that this life is all we have. But that is not what the Designer/Creator says in His book. He says there is a life after this one. He also tells me there are two places you can spend that "life". One is wonderful. The other is awful. One is beyond anything we can comprehend in beauty and love. The other is beyond anything we can comprehend in pain and ugliness.

I heard the other day of people who have died and they did NOT witness the "light" experience that so many have seen. They experienced something totally different. Check out this interview. At the six minute mark, this guy talks about the people he has met who have had death experiences that were not good.

If you don't see the picture, the link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZ9JfzYxJY

I hope you listened with your heart open to the truth. As long as you still have breath...you still have a chance to hear, to learn, to make a choice. Our Designer/Creator does NOT want anyone to make the choice to go to the awful place. He wants us to be with Him in His love and beauty forever. It is all there in His book...the Bible. Check that out, too!

From our little RV on the hillside to you...PLEASE consider eternity! Please consider where you will spend it. There is nothing in this life as important as that. This will all pass away. It will be gone...replaced with something even better. But not everyone will experience that something better.

Thoughts on Life!

2008-07-02T13:10:00.004-04:00

I have been thinking of a few things lately. The world we live in is so incredible...so precise! There are so many things in this world that have such complexity that if you remove even one part of them they would cease to work...cease to function!

When the cell was first discovered it was thought to be very simple...extremely simple. Now we know that it is extremely complex. We are always discovering new things about how the not so "simple" cell really works. It is like a mini-factory with all of its exacting processes.

Think of it. We look at a building and know that someone had to design it. Buildings don't just suddenly, or even slowly, appear. They have to be designed and built by someone.

This universe, this planet, even a microscopic cell is so much more complex than a building could ever be. So, it begs the question...who designed this universe? Someone had to clearly design it. Who?

My bible tells me who designed it and who created it. But even more than that, it also tells me why it is in the condition that it is in. It tells me why there is evil marring this beautiful world...why there is ugliness in the midst of the beauty. I really encourage everyone out there to read it for yourself.

The best part about it is that it also tells me what this Designer/Creator is doing to fix the problem of the evil that is in the midst of His beautiful creation. There is an answer for it. He is doing it now and He will one day bring it to completion. There will come a time when evil will be no more.

From our little RV on the hillside to you, wherever you are...I hope that you are all seriously looking at where you will be after you face death. No one escapes death. It will come...to us all.

A Rabbit & Closed Hearts!

2008-07-01T16:23:00.006-04:00

We see rabbits on our property. Catching them in a picture, however, is pretty hard to do as they run away so quickly. The other day, we got out of the van and Dave spotted one. We slowly crept up on it and managed to get some pictures.

In this first one you see the overall scene. The rabbit is sitting in the brush at the far end of the black culvert pipe and slightly to the right of it.

I took the rest of the pictures and cropped them so that you can see the rabbit close up. Most were a bit blurry, but here a couple that were not.

This was as close as we could get before it took off lickety split! That rabbit did not understand that we meant it no harm.

I wonder if we sometimes miss the fact that God, too, means us no harm. How many of us have been raised with a warped view of who God really is and what His true nature is.

How close do we let Yahweh God get to us before we run off lickety split? Do we allow Him to come close to our hearts? Or do we run away, just like that rabbit?

I have to think about my own life. How close do I really allow God to get to me? I know that He is there and can come as close as He wants. However, I also know that He will not force Himself upon me.

It says in Revelation that Yeshua/Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts. It is talking about believers...about the children of God. It is not talking about those who do not know Him. How many times has He knocked on the door of my heart and I ran from Him? Or I kept the door locked tight?

Baby Birds Hatched!

2008-07-01T15:04:00.005-04:00

We cannot see inside the nest really well, but we do know that the baby birds hatched! I managed to get some pictures. I do feel a need to warn that they do NOT look all cute and cuddly. They have very few of what look like feathers. Their eyes are not open and they look like big black spots.

So, if you are easily triggered by that kind of thing...don't look. I will put them a little farther down the page.

Here they are:

More Pictures of Cedar Rapids

2008-06-30T12:50:00.004-04:00

Cedar Rapids Flooding

2008-06-30T12:38:00.004-04:00

I saw something today in an email that brought tears to my eyes. I am going to share the pictures here even though I do not know who, if anyone, claims the copyright. If the one who owns the copyright sees this and wants me to take it down or give credit, etc. please contact me at the above email address.

These are from Cedar Rapids, Iowa; however, the scenario is repeated in so many places. Half of the counties of our own state have been declared disaster areas. Thankfully, I don't live in one of those counties. But I could be in this situation. I don't live all that far from a major river myself.

PLEASE...pray for these people and all the ones like it across the flooded parts of our nation! Thank God for what you have! If you don't know Him...turn to Him now. This world is winding down. The most important relationship you can have is with Him. That is the ONLY one that will last throughout eternity.

Bird Nest in the Tarp Shed!

2008-06-24T10:02:00.007-04:00

We have a thrown together temporary tarp shed. It was supposed to just store some stuff for a bit until we could build something permanent. Well...it is still standing.

Inside on the back wall I have some winter gear...gloves, hats, etc. hanging in grocery bags from a nail in the "wall". Here is a pic of the bags.

Here is the nest. It is very deep. You cannot see the eggs from this angle.

Here is the mama bird peeking out. Getting a picture of her that was not blurry has been very difficult; but I finally got one!

Here is a picture of the eggs.

Less to Store/Pack & a Bug Feast!

2008-06-22T20:29:00.004-04:00

Gosh, it seems like it has been forever since I had the time to just sit here and write my thoughts and catch everyone up on what is happening here on the land!

One thing that is happening is that I am a feast for the bugs! I must have somewhere between 8 and 10 bug bites right now. Most of them, we think, came from outside yesterday as we went through all the boxes that were under the tarps outside our door.

Dave estimates that about 98% of what was under there is destroyed. Between water and mildew, it was bad! I did wipe off some things with Lysol and managed to save some curriculum and a special bible. But we lost hundreds of dollars of books and things, probably even over a thousand.

The slides I had of when my older boys were growing up appear to be ruined. I have set them aside for the moment and not looked at them. I am so glad that I was able to rescue our wedding pics, for the most part, before last winter.

The good news is...there is very little left to pack, sell or give away!! *smile* Gotta look at the upside of things! There is still much to do, but we did make a dent in things. I think most of the bites came from working with all that stuff in the boxes and moving wood, etc.

We have also had a lot of bugs inside, so we set a fogger off inside the RV while we were at church today. Although we remembered to turn off the propane and electricity, we forgot to turn off the propane ignition switch to the water heater. Since we also have 12 volt, it was trying to ignite while we were gone. We always refer to the foggers as bug "bombs". Well, thankfully, the igniter did not ignite the fog and blow the RV up...really making it into a "bomb"!

By the way...Vicks Vaporub works pretty well on bug bite itches...if you apply it well periodically. So does the Aloe Vera gel with the analgesic in it. Someone today told us of something called "After Bite". I am hoping to try it. She says she puts it on two or three times after a bite and it goes away. Hmmm...sounds good to me!

I hope to get pictures up tomorrow of the nest a little bird made inside of our tarp storage shed.

Well...this is a bit rushed, I know. I hope I made some sense here!

From our little RV on the Hillside, I hope that your days go well and that your nights are restful!

Incredible Harmonica Man!

2008-06-20T12:28:00.003-04:00

I just had to share this with all of you when I saw it on a friend's blog. Wow! I have always known that Buddy Greene is talented...but wow! You have to hear it to believe it.

It can also be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfLhnkme2mE

Wedding Pics!

2008-06-17T15:11:00.001-04:00

There are wedding pics online. If you want to see them, just email me and I will send you the links!

It is so much fun looking at the pictures and remembering what a good time we had! Woohoo!

Cardboard Testimonies!

2008-06-16T21:00:00.001-04:00

I saw this today and just had to share it. It really touched me a lot.

Seeking Answers & Making Decisions

2008-06-14T14:45:00.004-04:00

There is a wild beauty about this land...a beauty that draws us. Most everywhere we look, we see greenery or wildlife of some kind. Whether it is the bugs and mice that like to come inside the RV (we really need to bomb the inside)...or the butterflies, birds and wild critters that live outside.

We have been praying for some time about how to handle our living situation. We don't have the resources to do the things that would really make it more livable. Neither can we afford to rent some place. Rising gas prices are making things even tighter.

Dave wants to be able to have some time to just have fun with our son without having all the things that need to be done hanging over his head. We would like to be able to take the time to socialize with others...that is, if we can afford the gas to get there!

Life seldom seems to turn out the way we think it will. We are facing the loss of some dreams. We cannot really afford to stay here on the land, if staying means improving our living situation. Neither can we really afford to leave. We are in the perfect position for a miracle.

Dave is actually looking for work elsewhere...focusing on going back to California where we have family and friends. We are setting up a savings account to use for just trying to save what we would need to move back there. However, with rising gas prices and our income, it will take a miracle.

Nonetheless, as they talked about in the movie "Facing the Giants", we are "preparing for rain". What that means is that we are preparing for God to do a miracle. We are trying to get rid of absolutely everything we can. Sell what is saleable, throwing away what is ruined, giving away the rest. We have no idea what God will do. We are trusting that, if He gives Dave a job elsewhere, He will somehow enable us to relocate, even if it means we bring very little with us.

Or, if for some reason He wants us to stay here, then He will enable to continue to live with very little. Either way, we need to get rid of just about everything we have. Such is life.

The Love Birds!

2008-06-09T09:43:00.002-04:00

Well, the love birds were scheduled to fly back home yesterday. I can't wait to hear how their cruise honeymoon went. I imagine they had all sorts of adventures in Alaska!

The lottery for the nursing program is this week. I hope that she gets in. I believe that she would be a good nurse. She really has the heart for it.

Blessing in the Storms!

2008-06-07T21:47:00.004-04:00

Dave has been looking at our creek crossing. It looks like we may have at least one blessing in all of this. He was having to put gravel and rock in the wheelbarrow and haul it over to the crossing. As you can see from these before and after pictures, the storm water washed the gravel and rock to the crossing.

Before

After

Upper Driveway & Edge of the RV Pad!

2008-06-05T20:04:00.005-04:00

This is the upper driveway looking toward the upper pad. This is after storm number 2.

This is the upper driveway after storm number 3. The water was still draining down the hillside.

This is the driveway side of the lower pad where the RV is.

All the gravel on the right, which is going over the side of the hill, was on the driveway. It got washed over to the side by the water running across the pad onto the driveway.

Lower Driveway Damage!

2008-06-05T19:38:00.005-04:00

I was going to show the progression of damage between storms. However, I decided to just show the end result. Yesterday, we had storm cell number four. The following pictures show the end result of the lower driveway damage. Bear in mind...this driveway used to be packed pretty hard and solid...even after regular rain storms. This is what is left.

This is looking toward the creek.

This is looking up the driveway from the creek. There is a particularly deep hole towards the lower middle of the picture on the left. A closeup of the hole is on the right.

This part of the driveway had a few gullies, but nothing unmanageable. This is what it looks like now.

Water Moves Concrete Blocks!

2008-06-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

Storm number two washed the concrete block into the trench Dave dug in the creek crossing. He had also used concrete to attach some good sized rocks to another concrete block. That, too, washed into the trench.

Dave and Elias built some dams to block the water so that he could drain the trench and put a culvert pipe in it.

Now, the concrete blocks and rocks that he and Elias worked so hard to get out of the trench are either buried or washed down the creek. The trench is no more.

This is the "trench".

This is where the blocks of concrete used to be. It took Dave an hour this morning to find enough large rocks to make this makeshift crossing for us to be able to walk across the creek. Needless to say, he was a bit late for work!

The Creek!

2008-06-05T17:49:00.002-04:00

Looking across the creek.

You can see the "hump" of the pipe in the water. The pipe actually did hold, through all four storms.

Looking up stream.

Looking downstream.

Lower Driveway Flooding!

2008-06-05T16:35:00.002-04:00

Standing in the lower driveway and looking at where the meadow water is running into it.

Looking toward the creek.

Amazingly, our wheel barrow did not get washed away! Yay!

This is where the lower driveway goes down into the creek!

Meadow Water Meets Driveway!

2008-06-05T16:08:00.003-04:00

I am standing part way up our driveway and looking at where the meadow, on the left, meets the driveway. You can see the channels going down the driveway. I will have more pics of that later.

We have a channel dug to keep the water from the meadow off the driveway, but there is too much water.

This is one of the channels of water running through the meadow toward the driveway, which you can see in the background.

This is the lower driveway right before it goes down into the creek. The strip of brown you see in the background above the other side of the driveway at the bend is the creek.

Water in the Meadow!

2008-06-05T15:27:00.003-04:00

We typically have water running through our meadow during heavy or long rains. That is not bad. We have done some trenching and it drains off fairly fast and runs along the side of the driveway. Until these latest storms!

During a normal rain the water is about 4 feet or so wide. The second storm it was about 6 feet wide. The third storm I have these pictures from. It is difficult to see how wide the swath of water is, but think on terms of about 15 to 20 feet. The first two pictures are from our RV window.

If you look closely, you will see water clear over in front of the bird cage. There is NEVER typically water running there even during a heavy rain.

I tried to get a picture of the creek from the RV, but the brush is too thick to see it. The creek bank goes down quite a bit, yet I could see the top of the water rushing through the creek. It has to be almost over its banks for me to see that.

This is a picture of the flattened grass, which was standing about 3 feet or so high. I am halfway across our meadow and facing the neighbors property and home. Part of the water you see is runoff from his hillside.

Here, I am looking back toward our driveway and our other neighbor, whose home you cannot see.

Another Storm Today & Very Tired!

2008-06-04T21:53:00.002-04:00

Well, today brought another storm and another miniriver flowing through our meadow. With the ground so saturated, the water just flowed right on over. The creek was as high as yesterday. When I can see the top of the rushing water from our RV window...it is HIGH!

When I went out yesterday, I noticed that the tree over our creek is gone. You can see how high the water is. I have no idea if the tree disappeared in the storm of the 3rd or in the previous storm.

These pictures are right next to the where the tree used to lay across the creek.

I could not see the lower driveway because it was still under flowing water. Dave tells me that there is an ankle deep hole in it. I could not get any pictures today due to the rain and lightning that kept coming and going all day long. Tomorrow is supposed to be clear.

I will try to post more pictures tomorrow!

From our little RV on the hillside...try to stay dry and safe!

Storms of Weather - Storms Life!

2008-06-04T07:34:00.009-04:00

We have had three storms of increasing intensity within two and a half weeks. I am going to make some posts with pictures showing the damage. I already wrote about the first storm, which came the day before we left for the wedding. (The wedding pics may get posted elsewhere. I will let you all know.)

See the boards across the creek? Well, the following storm came in.

It rained so hard we could barely see the trees across the meadow.

When it first started, I ran down and grabbed the flat boards and pulled them to "safety". The big ones under the rocks are, if I remember correctly, 4 x 4's. They were imbedded in the dirt and too heavy for me to lift out. They are gone.

Dave and Elias did find two of them down stream later, but only one was where they could get to it and they had to try and go back later for it. After yesterday's storm, we are sure they are now gone for good.

As I write this, there is more rain and I can hear thunder. The storms of life will always continue to hit...whether they are the literal storms of weather or the other kinds of storms.

Right now we know people who are weathering many storms of life. Serious health situations, marital struggles, losses of income, divorce, losing someone through suicide, deep depression, foreclosures on homes, no food. So many things that just keep coming on.

Is there any hope? I say "yes". But that hope is not to be found in this life...in this world. It is only to be found in the One who created this universe. There were no storms when it was created. There was no destruction or losses. That came with the rebellion of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed the simple command of Yahweh/God. They brought all this "evil" upon the world and creation is groaning under it...looking for release from it all.

You can see it all around us. Poisonous plants. Animals eating animals. People hurting themselves and others, sickness, destructive forces in nature. Yes, we are a fallen people living in a fallen world. But it will not always be this way. There will come a time of worldwide redemption when Yeshua comes back again.

In the meantime, we have access to personal redemption by acknowledging our sinfulness to Him now and asking Him to forgive us and change us. Only in that can we truly have hope...and peace. The Shalom (healing and whole peace) of Yeshua/Jesus is like no other. It is the only way to truly have peace amidst the storms of life. It is the only way to find the healing we all so desperately need.

I will post more pics later when the thunder goes away. In the meantime, from our little RV on the hillside to you in your home...I so hope that you have that Shalom that only Yeshua can give. If not, won't you ask Him for it today? He came...God in human form...to help us regain a heart connection with Him. We are not God...and the sooner we recognize that...the sooner we can turn to the only One who truly is God for help.

Hot Weather, A/C and Spiritual Food!

2008-06-02T20:22:00.003-04:00

It is so hot and humid here. The heat just saps the strength out of us. We cannot use our A/C because our roof is covered with insulation and a tarp. Since the roof leaks, we cannot uncover our roof.

Dave is trying to get a window A/C unit that we bought last summer temporarily installed in the window to at least use on the days when I am home...which is almost every day. That way we do not have to worry too much about the RV being secure. I am not sure how he is going to do it since RV windows are nothing like house windows, but he is pretty creative, so I am sure he can come up with something.

I am so far behind on everything I need to do around here. At least I am taking some time to listen to some sermons by some pastor friends. Gosh, I so need them. They teach as a group and so what they teach is the culmination of a whole group of teachers coming together...not just one person. There is so much meat in the sermons that I almost feel as if I am choking on all the information and depth at times. Plus, the whole congregation gets involved and shares during open mike time at the end of each service. It makes for jam packed Sunday morning sermons. I really need the spiritual food, especially right now.

I did finally get some pictures off of my camera...but I am not sure when I will be able to get some here.

From our RV to your home...I hope your days are cool and breezy and that you are being spiritually well fed!