Beautiful Day!

What a beautiful day! The weather is warming up, but it is not hot. The sun is shining. What a wonderful day to be outside.

I am doing laundry today. Dave replaced the quick disconnect between the washing machine hose and the hose to the outside faucet. It no longer leaks. Yay for that! I was wrapping foil around the hose and attaching it above the disconnect so that the water would drip into it and run to the outside. Now, I no longer need to be concerned about that.

The hose carrying the water leaving the washing machine goes through a hole in the wall and into a pipe outside the laundry that runs toward the septic tank. The hose apparently does not go deep enough into the pipe. The force of the water onto the side of the pipe causes some of it to run back out the top of the pipe and down the outside of the wall of the laundry room. We need to fix that.

Well...the laundry is calling, as is the sunshine. I hope that the sun is bringing you a beautiful day wherever you are at.

From our little RV on the hillside to your home...shalom and blessings!

Leaky Hoses & Water Pumps!

Well, we found our minor leak, which turned out to be not quite as minor as we thought. It was in our water hose going into the rig. One end actually had a slow spray, but it was covered with insulating foam. We also found an occasional drop or two from our water pressure regulator that is between that hose and the water pipe. The hose is now replaced with one of those braided steel hoses. At 2500 pounds of pressure capability, I don't think we are going to have to be concerned about the hose splitting or spraying or anything else...only freezing!

The pressure regulator drip is VERY slow...an occasional drop or two. When we get the chance, we need to get a big regulator and put it at the meter so that there is not so much pressure on the regulator by the rig. That might even stop the occasional drop we now see. If not, we do have another regulator somewhere. The water pressure is so high here that we have actually had pressure regulators by the rig explode...literally! We need to check the water meter again to make sure it does not still show a leak.

Today, I call the water company to see what the new bill is likely to be. They came out at the end of last week to get another reading after the major leak was fixed. Then, I also get to call our county trustee and find out just what it is that trustees do! Since I was told they sometimes have funds to help people out with emergencies, I figured I would ask for help with the water bill. Our electric bill is also high because the remote reading portion of our previous meter did not work. So, they estimated our electricity and fell way short. When they put the new meter in, they did a manual read on the old one and yikes! So, maybe we can get help with that, too.

Thankfully, both companies are willing to work out payments with us. However, when you already live so close to the paycheck, that can get a bit tricky, especially trying to work out payments with TWO utilities at the same time. Of course, our electric bill should hopefully be going down with the warmer weather on the way...that is, if the weather would please get here and STAY here! It has snowed twice in the last few days, not sticking, of course! If we use less electricity, then the added amount to help pay for the current bill may not hit us so hard!

Yahweh/God HAS taken care of us. He has not provided what we have wanted...which is actually probably a good thing in many cases...but He has gotten us through many things. We have not been wanting for food, clothing or shelter, although we have not been very comfortable many times in that shelter! *smile* He has made us use our creativity a LOT!

We would also not have known about the water leak at all if we had not gotten a higher bill that I called the water company about. The way the meters are read, it could have been a bill for up to a month and a half, which would have made sense. They insisted on sending someone down to check the meter reading and I thank Yahweh they did! The leak could have all been on one bill and it would have been even worse because we still would not even know we had a leak! He IS watching out for us. I truly believe that!

We have also grown in ways that we just would not have grown. That is something that, looking back, we would not trade. We have changed...in good ways! We still struggle with some things, but we just keep working on whatever we can do to make it better. Some of it is simply going to require either a miracle or acceptance and being content to do without...to accept what is. There is nothing wrong with acceptance and being content; however, there is also nothing wrong with continuing to hope for the miracle!

Today is laundry day. Hopefully, our hose to the laundry room is not frozen. We are also concerned about our water pump in the washer. We had a few really cold nights when we did not get the washer all wrapped up. I will be SO glad when/if we finally get the laundry room finished! Then all we will have to do is keep a little heater in there to keep it above freezing and pray for no power outages. Hopefully, the water pump is fine. I will find out today.

I also get to dump the black water tank again. Woohoo! Oh, such fun! NOT! *laughing* I am SO grateful to have a black water tank to dump...seriously! What if our rig had not had a bathroom? Where would we be now? Well, obviously, Yahweh would have had to provide another way! Outhouse, maybe? *smile*

Well, it is another day here at the Little RV on the Hillside! The sun is shining here upon us. I hope that YOUR day also has sun shining...both physically and also mentally, emotionally and spiritually! Trust your spiritual wellbeing to Yeshua/Jesus. He will NEVER leave you or forsake you!

Laundry & Thoughts of Life

Today and tonight it is supposed to be above freezing, which is a good thing as I need to do laundry today. Right now, the thermometer reads just at 32 degrees.

My son has already hooked up the water hose to the washer on one end. The other end he could not get hooked up because the quick disconnect was frozen. Soon, I will be going outside to try and warm it up and get it hooked up so that I can do laundry.

I was up early today, praying and contemplating some questions about life. I want to be content in my situation...in wherever Yahweh wants me to be and with whatever He wants to provide. He knows what I need, yet, He says to make my needs known to Him. This is something I struggle with. I am not sure what to ask for. Should I really be asking for anything beyond food, shelter, clothing?

What about a room on the side of our RV so that we have more privacy? Isn't that a good thing to ask for? Yet, we don't have one and have not been able to build one. So, am I selfish for wanting that? Am I being discontented with what God is providing for us? Is He just saying to be more creative in finding ways to make privacy with what He has provided? Is it wrong to ask for a room...or even a real house of some kind, no matter how small?

Well...I don't really believe it is wrong to ask for anything. He is my Abba, after all. He will just say "no" if I ask for the wrong things. I guess my real question is...am I being selfish for wanting more? Am I being selfish for wanting a second vehicle so that my son and I are not stuck on the land unable to really go anywhere? Or is God saying that I need to look for other things to do with my son? I wish I knew.

Some may be uncomfortable with my expressing my questions here...but they, too, are a part of our life. Why are we here where we are? How can we best serve Yahweh in this place? How can we best be His sons and daughter? How can we best show His love to a darkened world? This is just a temporary home...life on this planet. This is not my true destination. Honestly, if this life were all there is to live for...I do not believe life would be worth living. I want more than this life can offer. I want the Creator...the Giver of this life. Being in relationship with Him and serving Him is what makes this life, with all of its difficulties, worth living.

I guess, to some degree, that sounds a bit pessimistic. And for those who know me as being the optimist in the family it might sound a bit strange. But my optimism is not in life...it is in the Giver of life. It is because I trust Him that I can be optimistic. I have seen Him move in incredible ways and do miraculous things in my life. I know that He is trustworthy. It is my human perceptions that are NOT trustworthy. That is why I have to ask HIM about life...about what HE wants me to ask for. Only He sees the big picture. Only He really knows what I need. I know what I want, but it is sometimes difficult to separate my wants from my needs. OK...so maybe it is OFTEN difficult to separate them. *smile* So, I will continue working on learning contentedness in our situation and trusting Him to provide what we really need.

I am learning still, and again, to trust Him more and more. I know that He is more than able to answer the questions of my heart. He has brought me through so much in this life. He will not leave me hanging. Of that I can depend. He says that He will never leave me or forsake me.

Day Is Done! So is the Laundry!

Well, I actually got the laundry done today. The last load is in the dryer and that is OK. The water is turned off. Tomorrow we need to unhook the water hose and get the washer all covered up again against the freeze of Monday night.

I am actually feeling better! Woohoo! I sure hope my body keeps going in this direction. Today I made another pot of homemade chicken soup. It was sure yummy!

Dave is watching a video we borrowed from our church. It is by Robert McGee and is called "The Search for Significance". Very awesome message! If only more people could grasp what he is saying here. It is all right there in God's Word, but McGee has such a way of putting it that makes it jump right out at you. Our pastor has been teaching a class on Sunday evenings that is combining McGee's teachings with Neil Anderson's. Both have a very powerful message.

Well, the bed is made with freshly cleaned bedding. The video is coming to an end. Our son is getting ready to turn out his light up in his sleep area and I need to go take a shower. The kitchen area is cleaned and the food is put away. Night has fallen here on our hillside. The window covers are in and soon it will be time for us to go to bed.

We wish you Shalom from our Little RV on the Hillside.

Flitting Thoughts and Friends That Care!

How wonderful it was to come and see that I have three friends who have dropped by to visit my little blog! :)

Gosh, I so hate being sick. As I lay there in my bed I get all these wonderful thoughts I want to share with my friends and family. But when I get up and sit here, it seems like all the thoughts fly away like little birds flitting away from a bird feeder when the squirrel shows up!

Dave is outside hooking up our laundry room. Thankfully, it is not supposed to freeze tonight or tomorrow night, so we will be able to leave it hooked up for a day or so. Since he has specific shirts he has to wear to work, kind of like a uniform, we must get them washed this weekend. I can hear him out there coughing in the cold air. Poor guy! My main goal is just do loads of laundry spread throughout the rest of the day. I pray I have the strength to do enough. I know Dave will help, but he also needs to finish getting well since he needs to be able to work.

Our son seems to be hit the hardest in some respects, but I think he is getting better, too. This is just really taking a long time to pass. :P

We looked out the window today and watched two cardinals at our bird feeder...a male and a female. What funny characters! He would sit there and eat and eat and eat while she watched from a nearby branch. When he would go to another branch, she would fly down and grab a few bites. But that rascally male would come back and chase her away, barely giving her any time to eat!

We watched as this was repeated several times. They seem like a pair, but boy was he pushy! In the times we have seen cardinals at the feeder, they never have more than one at a time. We use a cylindrical feeder and it has four posts in different directions, but one bird still always chases another away. What manners!

Imagine if we came to the dinner table that way...always pushing others away. The weak would starve while the strong ate. Yet, isn't that the human nature we see so often at work in the world today? People pushing others away to get what they want...behaving no better than those birds?

Imagine if our relationship with God was that way! If only the strong and assertive could come to His table and partake of His love! I am so glad that God has room enough for us all and that He welcomes ALL who really want to come to Him. He welcomes the weak and downtrodden. I am especially grateful that He welcomes the wounded and broken.

Well, enough energy here for the moment. I need to get some laundry started. I hope I feel well enough to come back and write some more later.

Signing off for now from our Little RV on the Hillside.

The Four Seasons

I love the four seasons. I had missed them terribly after living for almost 40 years in a place where we had only two seasons...mild/dry and cold/wet. In the time we have been here I have been able to see the Autumn leaves of color, the frost covered trees, the brief (too brief in my mind) white of snow and felt the warmth of summer sun. I have actually seen the sun most days instead of gray cloud cover...most of the year! Yay!!!!

I do miss the people I left behind, though. I also miss having more good weather for motorcycle riding...although, I guess that does not matter much since my motorcycle quit running. :P

We have a partially finished laundry room. It is one and half stories high. The roof is mostly on, but there is a strip that has no plywood on it. To finish that off will require the building of scaffolding on a muddy slanted area. It is going to be a bit tricky. In the meantime, we have the whole laundry room roof covered with a tarp. There is some black plastic over the opening strip, however, the rain has a tendency to push it through dropping water all over the floor, which then has a tendency to leak into the bottom. I will write more about how we do laundry later...perhaps on our next wash day. :)