More Creek Crossing Pics!

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!

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:

Autumn Update!

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.

Catching Up & a Creek Crossing!

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.

Power & Phone/Internet Back Online!

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!

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!

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!

Home Schooling in an RV

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!

What a Blessing!

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.

Catching Up & Guests!

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!

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.

A Crazy Week & a Right Attitude!

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.

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.

A New Business!

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!

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!

Sickness, Healing & Yahweh's Goodness!

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!

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.

Celebration, Carrot Cake and a Timeline!

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!

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!

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!!!