Spring, Sunshine, Neighbors & Pests!

Man...it is BEAUTIFUL outside!! Oh how spring has sprung!!

It is encouraging to get off my tushie and go out and be active...and the Good Lord knows I need that! Thank You, Yahweh, for this beautiful weather. I am ready for it!!!

The tree outside our rig is blooming more and more. It is so pretty. All the other trees are getting greener, little by little. I know it is only a matter of time when I will no longer be able to see the road for all the green that is there. Of course, that also means that they will not be able to see us, either. Ahhhh...privacy.

It is wierd having neighbors to our left now. As we walk down the driveway, I can see their mobile home across our meadow. It is amazing to me how hemmed in I can feel from that. It feels less private. On the one hand, it would be nice to have more neighbors. On the other hand, it feels less private.

At the far end of the meadow, there is a great spot for putting in a pond, should we have the money to do that some day. I know our new neighbors want one. We are not sure exactly where the boundaries are. A long time resident, the father of the woman who is our new neighbor, says it is in a place that would make the whole potential "pond" area on our land. But I think the boundary is closer to us than that. Someday, we hope to get our land surveyed.

I mention the potential of a pond because, if it were not for that possibility, I would like to plant a row of trees on the border. Gosh...would that be unneighborly? I miss being in town...but I guess I am also getting used to being in the "country"! **smile**

The ladybugs are back. I suspect the mosquitos are, too. I know they must serve a purpose, but I sure wish they would serve it elsewhere! They can take with them the cockroaches that live everywhere around here. Back home, if you had cockroaches inside your home...it was because they were brought in from somewhere. They were the "invaders". I don't ever remember seeing them outside...ever. Here, this is their natural habitat. We are invading their home, rather than the other way around. Still, I hate it when they visit. **shiver**

We have ants lately. It is so important to clean up food ASAP and do not leave dirty dishes in the sink. The ants find the stuff on the counters and the roaches find the stuff in the sink. Ugh!!! Dave has some stuff he is going to use to get rid of both inside the RV. There will be no love lost from me when the pests disappear!

We have not seen any mice lately. In fact, it was the peanut butter on one of the mouse traps that brought the ants in. In the one and a half years we have been here, we have not really had an ant problem...until now. These guys are bigger than the ones in California where we lived. As Dave says, when you squish them you can feel their little bodies. Oh, what a wonderful thought. Guys! They can be oh so descriptive!

Well, the sunshine is calling. I have laundry to finish...a walk to take...math flash cards to drill with!

From our little RV on the hillside to wherever you call home...blessings and shalom to you!

Assorted Thoughts on Spring, Easter & the Resurrection!

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful! I was in and out of the rig and really enjoying it. Ahhhh...methinks that Spring has mayhaps finally sprung! Away from me, sendentary lifestyle! I am casting you off! I even sprinted a short (VERY short) distance up our driveway. It surprised me that it did not tire me immediately. Hmmm...mayhaps I am in better shape than I thought? In spite of my rather sedentary lifestyle?

I am so looking forward to better weather. Today is pretty nice, although a bit on the cool side. Normally, I really love the rain. However, we really need a spell of dry weather around the days that Dave can work on things outside. The rain and mud have really interfered a lot with getting things done outside. It takes a while for us to get things done. It is a whole lot harder when the weather does get with "our" program! LOL!

I am sitting here listening to beautiful worship music and thinking of this coming Sunday. I like to call it "Resurrection" Sunday because that is the real focus of the day for me. If it were not for Yeshua/Jesus' resurrection, He would be a liar and not the Son of Yahweh/God that He claimed to be. Oh, I am sure that I just opened a real kettle of worms with that statement. It is something I will address more in a different post at some time.

Right now I am thinking of this coming Sunday. I have been looking at the history of "Easter". I found some links on the subject. One is here:
http://wilstar.com/holidays/easter.htm

This is another. It has some really interesting links on the subject. They are well worth reading, even though it does mean a bit of link to link work:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter.htm

Within the Christian church and followers of Yeshua/Jesus, there is a bit of disagreement as to what is "right" for us to do regarding this day. Personally, I believe we should be educated as to the history and meanings of ALL things we do. Doing something simply because "we have always done it this way" or because "everyone else does it" just does not make sense to me. I think we really need to look into why we do any of the things we do. Then, I think we need to take the information we find to Yahweh and His Word and seek guidance from Him as to what is "right" to do.

We each stand before God for ourselves and the choices we make. It does not behoove any of us to stand in judgment of another. I do not answer for anyone else's decisions any more than any one else answers for my decisions.

Yeshua said:

Mat 22:37-40 NASB
(37) And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
(38) "This is the great and foremost commandment.
(39) "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
(40) "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Love of Yahweh/God and of our neighbor should be our main focus. Part of my love for Him is to learn all that I can about Him and to obey His teachings in every way that I can. I fall very short of that and certainly am in no place to judge any one else!

Part (and only part) of my loving my neighbors as myself is to encourage them to seek the truth and be willing to accept it, no matter the cost. Get the facts, take it to the Lord, and do whatever He shows you to do. Pretty simple, huh?

There have been many times that Yahweh has shown me something and I did not want to obey Him. I wanted to live by what I thought were "liberty" and "grace". What He showed me was that He knows best and that His grace and liberty are not license to do whatever I want. His grace is what gives me the liberty to be able to accept His forgiveness and love and to follow His teachings.

Anyway, for whatever they are worth, these are just my thoughts and ramblings on things. Whatever your take on it is, I hope that everyone reading this will have a very blessed and enjoyable weekend. I hope that you will remember what Yeshua did for you and rejoice in it.

However you choose to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, it is my hope that you will not allow those celebratory things to overshadow what it is that you are celebrating. Or mayhaps, I should say WHO you are celebrating!

Shalom and B'rakhot (blessings) to all reading here from our little RV on the hillside.

Hard Life & Spring is Coming!

I would be lying if I said that this lifestyle is not hard. I would be dishonest if I said it was not a struggle at times...and even downright discouraging.

However, in the time that we have been doing this...in spite of some very negative things that have happened, we have seen Yahweh/God moving within us and for us. We have been changed and have learned to be content with a lot less in this world. Does that mean that we don't want more? NOPE! Does it mean that we won't appreciate receiving more at some point? Not at all!

There are things we struggle with, but we have come to a point of being able to accept that this is God's will for us at this point in time. He is using this time and this way of living to refine us and to draw us closer to Him. He is changing our hearts...making them more like Yeshua/Jesus' heart. I know that, for me, I have a LONG way to go in that area.

I sit here listening to scriptures being read over soft music, feeding my spirit and soul. I know that I do not spend near enough time in the love letter that our Abba wrote to us. I need to feed my spirit and soul on God's words to me just as much as I need to feed my body on healthy food and water.

As I look out the window at the sunshine and the budding trees, I am reminded that spring is on its way. A new season is dawning outside; and there are seasons of the heart, too, I believe, and of life. My family has been through some dark, cold winters of life in the last several years. We were hit with some hard things.

Yet, through it all, Yeshua was right there with us. He says He will never leave us or forsake us; and He was certainly true to His word. Even when we felt abandoned by churches there were those in the body who listened to the Spirit and reached out to us. It is kind of funny. The help we got during those times usually came from the most unexpected sources.

Isn't that part of life and learning to trust in God? He works in ways we do not expect and through people we do not expect. Through all of this, we have simply learned not to expect...from people anyway. We have learned to trust in Yahweh to provide according to what He knows we most need. And if we have to do without, then that must be what we most need at that time. I have seen Him talk to people and tell them to reach out. I have seen people offer what we have not asked for or expected.

I want to live in the expectation that He will meet all of my true needs. I want to watch and see how He does it, with no expectations. I want to walk through this life knowing that I am secure in His arms. And I want others to see His light shining through me in the attitude I have about life and living.

I want His light to be visible in my life just as the sunshine is so visible outside. I look forward to the spring of my heart, just as I do the spring of the earth. I look forward to seeing new growth budding forth, both in the plant life and in my own heart and life.

Yahweh is good!

Spring is Coming?

I was sitting here this morning enjoying my Ruby Red Chai tea. Mm-mm! Such aroma and delicious taste...a gift from someone special in my life! *smile* (You know who you are! *giggles*)

Today is a little bit warmer and it is time to get laundry done for the coming week. The guys are going to get the laundry all hooked up for me.

We are so ready for spring. I love the winter...but we have never really had "winter" this year. The weather has been more like what you would expect in that transition period between winter and spring...all winter long! Enough all ready! Our son has not had one toboggan ride all winter. At least last year he was able to get some good runs in a couple times during the winter. What happened to the snow?

This is not the way I remember it from growing up around here. But I have been told by oldtimers that the weather changed about 10 years ago. What they describe before that is what I remember. Ahhh...the snow days of childhood. In fact, the snow is one of the many things that made homeschooling really great last winter. Our son was never stuck inside a classroom during those times when we DID have a decent snowfall. He could go outside and run around. After all, we have all year and all day to do the rest! *grin* Last year...even I went down the toboggan run a time or two! hehe

Beautiful Day, Butterflies & the Mail Box!

It is cold today...freezing...literally...as the thermometer reads 32 degrees. But the sun is shining. I love the sunshine! It is much harder on cold days when they are gray. But when the sun is shining...it just does not seem to be as cold. Of course, I guess it also helps that the wind is not blowing, so there is no wind chill factor.

I actually walked down to the mailbox today. I know...that probably sounds kind of silly...like, what kind of accomplishment is that? Well, I have noticed that living in a place where there is no place to walk...the tendency is to sit a lot. And it all contributes to a kind of inertia. It is hard to get going. And when the weather is icky, it becomes even harder to move around and easier to just sit. And yes, I am VERY out of shape. I won't deny it!

So, walking down the driveway to the mail IS an accomplishment...for me. But the sun was calling and it really did not feel that cold. Of course, I did have to be careful on one part of the driveway. Lately, there has been so much ice that I did not want to dare to walk down it if I did not have to. But today there was only one place I needed to be careful. It actually felt good to be outside walking around!

Oh, Spring...hurry up and come! I love winter...but what we have had is NOT winter. It is more like what the transitional weather between winter and spring is like...except that it has been like this ALL winter long! Ick!! I am tired of mud and ice! I love snow. But I do not like winter rain and ice.

I am thinking about our meadow and wondering if we will mow it or not this summer. I am so torn. When we did not mow it last summer we had so many butterflies all around that they would actually fly into you when you walked down the driveway. I like the idea of a mowed meadow...but I also like the idea of a butterfly sanctuary! *smile*

So, today is a beautiful day!