Storms of Weather - Storms Life!

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.

Soda, Screens & Windows, Rest & Pretending!

Well...I keep trying to turn my camera on, but it appears to be truly gone. Oh, well!

I am sitting here drinking an IBC Cream Soda. Yum! Dave and I like their cream soda more than their root beer...and we both like root beer a lot. We don't normally buy soda, but we found it on special for a good price and decided to by a six pack of each. Normally, sodas are too sweet for me to finish...but I really like these.

It is raining today. After a few days of nice warm weather, we are dipping into the 40's in the daytime and 30's at night. Brrrrrr!!!! It is getting chilly. We put the foil insulation in the windows last night to help keep the warmth inside. It is a good thing we did not put the oil heater outside yet!

Last week I put the screens back into our big side windows. I take them out in the winter because of the ice that forms on the inside of the windows. On an RV, the screens go inside, not outside. When ice forms on the window, it freezes the screen to the window, making it difficult to remove the ice.

Darn! I just realized that I never took a picture of the ice on the windows before it melts. Thankfully, this last winter was nearly as bad as the winter before. We did get ice, but not as much...on the windows anyway. We got a lot MORE ice on the roads...which is where it really counts. That is where people's lives are at stake. I would much prefer to deal with ice on the windows than on the driveway and the roads!

I heard a really good sermon today on pretending. Are we real in our walk with God? Or are we pretending? Do we do things to try and look good...being hypocritical? Or are we being real about how we live? Dave and I love sermons that step on toes...especially our toes. We want to be challenged. We do not want to live a complacent life.

We are resting today between church and the evening class. Dave worked hard yesterday on the creek trench. So hard, in fact, that he came in sore. So, when he asked what our plans were for after church, I told him "rest"!

Well, I am getting a bit sleepy. Hmmm...maybe I will take a nap!

From our little RV on the hillside to you on this lazy Sunday afternoon...blessings!

Thunder, Rain, Goals & Privacy!

Yesterday, we had some rain. We also had some thunder...and I do mean thunder!! It was almost directly overhead. The rig even shook once or twice. It was so loud, it made me jump one time. How awesome and incredible! How powerful!

The night before it rained so hard and so much that Dave had to go into work late because he could not drive across the creek. He had meant to park on the other side and forgot. Usually, we don't hear the rain because of the insulation on the roof...but we heard it that night. Every time we woke up we heard it, so we know it rained hard and steadily.

Last night, he left the van on the other side, which turned out to be a good thing. It did not rain as hard last night as it did the night before, but it must have been raining steadily. He had to cross the creek using the tree so he could turn on the water and bring back our garbage can.

With the water leaking again, we are back on our tanks. So, Dave went and turned on the water so our son could shower and I could refill some water containers to use for flushing the toilet. Using the containers helps to make the water in the tank last longer.

It is getting warmer at night, which is so nice. I look forward to being able to take our oil heater out of the rig. Then we won't have to walk around it to get from one end of the rig to the other. In small spaces, everything that has to be left inside really impacts us one way or another.

I also need to get a plastic bin to put shoes outside in so that they are not in a box in the kitchen. In the winter we will all need to keep one pair inside or else our feet will freeze putting those frozen shoes on! In the summer, it won't be that big of a deal. But they need to be in a plastic bin with a lid so they will stay dry...and hopefully mildew free. We also need to keep the bugs out. The bugs around here tend to like me...a lot! *groan*

A lot of things are easier in the summer...when it is not raining. The rain makes life harder as we still don't have adequate protection for a lot of our things that are outside. There are quite a few things under tarps, but we found out that tarps won't keep them dry or mildew free. Between the wind, the sun and time...tarps break down pretty fast. Or water gets under them and wets everything from the bottom up. It seems like no matter how we plan, nothing goes quite right and so we have a mess on our hands.

The goal...although we hesitate to even set goals anymore...is to get the tent room up so that I can have a dry place to start sorting through the stuff that is under the tarps. I need to get rid of the bad stuff and somehow sort and either pack up or pass on the salvageable stuff.

Another very important goal, if we dare to set them, is to get the laundry room finished. There are so many areas that alone would impact. It would provide a warm dry place for storing things like seasonal clothing and become our food pantry. It would also become a haven for times when someone just needs to be alone. Since we will hardwire a phone into it, it will also provide a quiet place for phone calls, so long as no one is washing! It would also be nice for our son to have a warm, dry place to go watch a dvd or read a book or something while Dave and I have some all important privacy.

Having three of us in one small space with no real privacy has been one of the toughest things of all. It is very hard to discuss adult things when there is always another set of young ears around. And for me, the introvert who regroups in solitude, it has probably been the toughest. My two guys are extroverts and love to be very much engaged with others. I love engagement, too, but when it is constant it just drains me.

One reason setting goals is difficult is because we are always having to "put out fires". This water leak is just one example. It seems like every time we plan to get something done, something always happens...something that drains us of time, money or both. A lot of times the weather works against us, or something breaks and has to be fixed. It is hard, when it is just the three of us, to get much of anything done; although, we have actually accomplished quite a bit between the three of us. Naturally, we have gotten the most done in the shortest amount of time when we have had some help.

Yesterday, Dave worked on the trench at the far end of the meadow. It is draining fairly well, but still needs to be deeper to fully keep up with heavy rains. Thankfully, our meadow is not flooding nearly like it was, but there are still plenty of low spots we need to work with. There is another drainage gully that feeds into the meadow that still needs to be diverted. With a small bucket or backhoe we could make fairly short work of it, but we have no funds to rent one. So, it is shovels and a hoe. At least we get a good workout in the process! *smile*

Yet, we know that Yahweh/God is in control. Truth is...we have the necessities of life. We don't have what we want, but we have what we absolutely need. Yes, we have to be creative, especially in the area of privacy, but it is not impossible. It only FEELS impossible a lot of the time. Spontaneity is practically dead, although not totally. We have to work hard for what we do have...such as it is.

Yes, we have to do a lot of things that people not in this living situation don't have to do. It is quite a bit more work. But it is not impossible. Some things are a lot harder to do, like washing dishes. One thing I am really hoping I can find...and get...is a sink with no divider. I can work with it being so shallow (about 4 1/2" deep), but the divider is a real hindrance to washing big pots and pans. Even the dishes don't lay flat in the sink. Water constantly goes all over the counter, too, if you are not real careful...due to the divider and the shallowness of the sink. We have looked at the plumbing beneath. We could only add another inch or two, at most, to the depth of the sink...if I can find and afford one.

We also have to trust Him that my PTSD won't get to be too much in this situation. Right now, I do feel pretty overwhelmed. That means that I really have to look at all that I am doing and pare down even more. I have to get things down to a manageable level. Such is life. It is hard, but not impossible.

It says in God's Word that we have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness. I have to admit that there are times when I am tempted to disbelieve that. Yet, I know that God does not lie. If it feels like we do not have what we really need, then it is our own perceptions that are off...not God.

I have trusted Him. I will continue to trust and love Him...no matter what happens. That does not mean, however, that I will always be a "happy camper"...or that I will not struggle. Pain is still pain. Hassles are still hassles. It is more a matter of not letting the pain and the hassles rob me of the deep inner joy and peace that I have in Yeshua/Jesus.

Well...I have a lot to do today and a sick son to care for. These are my thoughts for now from our Little RV on the Hillside!

I hope that all reading this is having a very blessed day. I know that I intend to!

Blessed First Day!

It's the first day of the week. I was feeling so good last night that I thought I might make it to church today, however, the wiser voices in my head said "no". :) Neither I, or our son, were really ready. So, we stayed home while Dave went to church. We are hoping to go tonight to the adult class. Our son can sit in with us there.

It has been raining off and on all morning...a nice gentle rainfall. I love the rain. It is something that Dave and I have in common. We have always both loved the rain. It is something that has made our living situation more difficult. Due to leaks in the roof and the mud washing down the hillside and gullies being created in the driveway, we found ourselves torn between enjoying the rain and dreading it. We finally decided that we have done what we can. The roof is covered. The rain is channeled as best we can through the trenches and gullies we have made. We choose to enjoy the rain and leave the rest in God's hands. He is certainly capable! :)

I like how the rain refreshes the air and washes things. Even in the midst of the browns of winter, there are always patches of green growth. It is kind of like our lives. Even in the hard winter times of our lives when it seems like all is dead and brown, there are the green patches of life in the spirit where we see God moving His hand on our behalf.

We are pretty much landbound because we have only one vehicle. Dave works way too far away for us to drop him off and pick him up. Yet, for one day a week starting this week we are going to do just that. That is because of a blessing being provided to us. Our son is going to start going to a homeschooling co-op. We had no way to do it, but God has provided a way for us to do it. So, on Monday nights we will be packing up Tuesday's breakfast and lunch and everything we will need for the next day. It is going to be a challenge for all three of us to be ready to leave here by 6, but we are going to try and do it.

We will drop Dave off and then go to a place to study until the classes start. Then I will go pick Dave up and we will all come back for dinner. This co-op serves dinner between the younger student classes in the afternoon and the older student classes in the evening. Then we all head for home. What a blessing this will be for us...to finally be able to get off the land and mix with others. He will be taking classes on oceans, art, P.E. and music theory.

It is usually very draining for me to be gone all day like that, so it will be a bit of a challenge. Yet, I know that God will not call us into something that He will not also equip us for. God will work things out for us, meeting our needs for each day.

The Storms of Winter

We have been experiencing a LOT of rain. It has raised the creek to the degree that it makes it difficult to get across at times. Dave had difficulty getting the trash across the creek this morning for pickup today. Poor guy went to work with his feet wet. :(

I love to look out across our meadow. From our little RV on the hillside I can see over our meadow and across the creek to the road. Come spring, when the leaves are on the trees, you won't even know there IS a road! But what a difference the starkness of winter brings!