The Joys of Trenching & Inertia!

I am not what you would call a "fit" woman. I am so out of shape. *sigh* Now, you would think that I would take advantage of living on a hillside out in the country to go for walks, right? Wrong!

I seem to so easily succumb to the inertia that comes with living in a space that is so small that there is really no place to move around. I am used to being up and around, walking from room to room or, as in the case of the house we used to "rent" from the bank, up and down the stairs. I really miss that. I miss being in motion. There really is no way to be in motion like that in the RV unless I do an actual workout, which is a bit tricky! So, I end up sitting an awful lot and inertia sets in. Yet, when I do go out to do something like trenching, I just keep going and going and going. I amaze myself with how much I actually get done.

We have water that drains down the hillside from the neighbors property and from ours. It pools at the far end of our meadow, creating a little "creek" running down the middle of our meadow and causing pooling right over our leach lines. Not good! So, Dave had started a trench from where the water joins at the far end of our meadow toward the creek in an attempt to divert it.

I have worked on extending the trench when I can. Yesterday afternoon, I worked hard and got it all the way to the crest above the creek bank. However, it was not deep enough for the water to flow all the way to the crest and down the bank into the creek.

Today, I dug it deeper and got the water much farther along, but got stopped just a few feet short by a very big rock. Dave had been working on the creek crossing and on the drainage of the pool over the leach lines. Then he went and got out that huge rock. He deepened the trench and the water started flowing into the creek. Woohoo! Boy, does that feel good. We will have to keep working on it to keep it clear and deep.

At the beginning of the trench, where the water pools together, I dug on one side and made a dirt "dam" on the other side to try to prevent any more water from going into our meadow. Dave built it up a little bit more. Between the dam and the trench on one end of the meadow and the trenching Dave did at the other end, I have never seen the meadow with this small of an amount of water. Of course, the real test will be when a big rain hits; but any way you look at it, it has to be better than it was.

I did take some pictures of the trenching and will get them up when I can.

A Water Leak, Leaky Spirits & Community!

Well...you are probably wondering what on earth this woman is talking about now!

It turns out that we have a huge water leak on our property and no clue as to where in over 400' of line it might be. Our resources are pretty slim at this point, but we are very grateful to those in the home schooling community who have offered prayers and encouragement.

We called the contractor who put in the lines about a year and a half ago. We were hoping that he can remember where the connections might be since it makes sense that the leak is probably at one of those. He is going out of town today, but will be back after the weekend. He will be over Monday or Tuesday to see if he can help locate the leak. He does remember where some connections are. It is a relief that he is coming.

In the meantime, we are filling bottles with water and turning off the water at the meter as much as we can get by with. Hmmm...gosh, I guess that means that I cannot do the rest of my laundry today. Bummer! *wink*

So, that covers the water leak, but what on earth are leaky spirits? Well, as I was thinking about this water leak, I realized that there are some leaks that SHOULD happen! Obviously, we don't want this precious water leaking out and just going into the ground. We want to preserve it, conserve it, and use it wisely.

But what about the "water" that is supposed to bubble up inside of us...the water of the Spirit of Yahweh/God? We are called to be so full of the water of His Ruach/Spirit that it DOES leak...all over other people! We are to be so filled with His love that it flows out all over the place. People are to see His love and His Ruach flowing through us. But, do they?

I have to ask myself that question...more often than I would like to admit. :( I can be a very selfish person. Oh, others may not see that selfishness very much, but what about my family? They are closest to me. Do they see that love flowing out? Or do they see selfishness as I hold His love and His Ruach/Spirit tightly inside of me? Of course, the thing is...Yahweh's love and Ruach were never meant to be held tightly inside. When I try to hold onto to it tightly I am no longer being a blessing to others.

Isn't that what God calls us to be...a blessing to others? Are we not called to show His love and Spirit to others and thereby, to make a difference in the world and community around us? Ah yes...community!

We are created by Yahweh to be social creatures. We are not created to live in isolation. We need to reach out to one another...to be there for one another...and even more so in the body of Yeshua/Jesus. It says that they will know we are HIS followers/Christians by our love for one another. So, we are to leak His love out on the community within the body of believers AND to the world around us. Two levels of community...those within the "body" and those without.

So, I have to ask myself...do I have a leaky spirit? Am I leaking it out where it should be...to my family and those closest to me? To my community within the body of Yeshua/the believers? To my community in the world at large around me? It can be so easy to be tied down by the struggles of this life that we forget those around us. I pray that I may not be like that! I want to have a leaky spirit!

So, there you have it. A water leak, leaky spirits and community! Make sense? I sure hope so! *laughing*

I just got done playing chess with my son. Boy does he make me WORK at beating him! Dave has been teaching him and he is coming along VERY well! He is now working on his copywork and cursive handwriting. We have stuff spread out all over our tiny RV...but then what else is new?

Hmmm...I think maybe I will go make chocolate chip pancakes. Err...maybe not. The clean up would be kind of awkward with no running water. Then again...you only live once in this life, right? I guess I could use the exercise and walk down to the creek to rinse off the dishes and then wash them up here in the RV! OR...I could just skip the pancake part and go straight for the chocolate chips! Those who know me well know that there is nothing more "healthy" than some dark chocolate! *laughing*

Well, I had better go. I really need to go spend some time in that love letter written to us that my friend and brother Pat calls our Instruction Manual. Who knows? Maybe, if I spend more time in that book and with the Author, I will be able to leak a whole lot better from my spirit!

Signing off for now 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!

Beautiful Music!

When I can, I love to start my day listening to beautiful music. I have some podcasts that I listen to that I absolutely love. They are called "Praise Until Dawn". I have even saved some of them and edited the titles to reflect what kind of music is on the different segments of the podcast. It is all worship music...and quite a few of my favorite worshippers and music styles. So, I can pick and choose what I want/need to listen to.

If I am going to work out...well, what I call a "workout" which is, I admit, pretty pitiful...I will listen to some of the faster paced stuff. I love to dance to music...but an 11' x 7 1/2' living space filled with counters, sofa, table, etc. just does not leave a whole lot of room! **grin**

Sometimes I am in the mood for the softer more melodic stuff. That is a lot of what is played. There is quite a variety, but it is all music that is worshipful and lifts my soul and spirit to the Lord above. They also sometimes mix in beautiful instrumentals, which I also very much enjoy.

As a singer at heart, one thing I really like, too, is that I can hear all the words in the songs. I like to experience a full expression within the music. If there are words...I want to HEAR them! I want to know what my heart is agreeing to in the listening. That is very important for me. Not all songs are really biblically correct. So, if the music is not mixed properly (this goes for church services, too), it really bothers me.

Praise Until Dawn (PUD) plays at Praise Broadcasting Network (PBN). It is the two hour "quiet time" of Pat and Claudia Rutherford...that time when they quiet their souls and spirits before the Lord. They start off with some music and then slide into about 25 minutes of welcoming people to join them while they banter back and forth and read emails on the air. Pat usually shares a bit of his take on what is going on in the world at large and with life on this planet in general as believers. Throughout his "commentary" he shares what he believes our "Instruction Manual" (what he calls the Bible) is saying about how we should respond to the things going on in this life. It is very rare that I disagree with him...so rare in fact that I could not even tell where we differ.

That is another thing I like about Pat and Claudia...they are who they are...no pretensions. They are just down to earth people with foibles like the rest of us. They don't pretend to have "arrived". They just love you the way you are and are more than willing to simply agree to disagree about something. There is no pressure to believe the way they do about anything. They have encouraged me a lot as we have built up an email relationship. I hope to some day meet them on this side of the veil...but if not, I know I will meet them on the other side.

I so love it when Claudia reads the emails they get from listeners. In them, people from all over the world share how PUD and PBN has blessed them so much. They also share how Yahweh/God has moved in their lives. It is very encouraging.

After that there is a brief episode of "Unshackled", followed by one and half hours of beautiful music, with another "Unshackled" in there later on. One of the best things about PUD is the way Pat and Claudia will share some verses that God has put on their heart. Pat is always praying inside and asking the Holy Spirit to show him what to play next. It is the only live segment on PBN and it is very much a working of the Holy Spirit through the selecting of the music throughout.

The live segment comes on at 5PM EST M-F and is then repeated three times during the following 24 hours. On the weekends, they play repeats of two of the PUD's from that same week. If they are not able to go live, for some reason, they insert a PUD from a previous broadcast. They also simulcast on KNTV, which has a link on their home page. During that 5PM live segment you can actually see them in the studio via either KNTV or the webcam they have set up. That is...if Pat remembers to flip the switch over for KNTV. LOL

The webcam shows the studio 24/7, whether they are live or not. KNTV, however, has a real treat. There is a support team who volunteer their time to help Pat and Claudia out. You can see this on the website. On the home page there is a slide show that plays along with scriptures that keep changing. On KNTV, Elisa has taken those pictures and created absolutely beautiful moving slide shows with scriptures right on the pictures. You have to see it to believe it. It is incredibly beautiful!

There are other things on the site, including a prayer forum where listeners can read and post prayer requests. It is a wonderful ministry. There is a "store", a blog, etc.

So, you can't tell that I love these people and their team and what they are doing, can you? I have the link to PBN in the links section of the column on the left. But I will put it here, too, to make it easy for anyone who wants to check them out...which I highly encourage you to do. There is music playing on PBN in between the PUD segments, along with a teaching by Zola Levitt once a day. All the music is hand picked by Pat and Claudia. It is music that really touches them and they work hard to try and keep it up and running 24/7. In between the PUD segments you can even see what song is playing and who is doing it.

Here is the link. I would love to see more people join the PBN "family" for that is what we really are..."family"! That is how they see the listeners and that is how I, as a listener, see them.

http://www.pbnradio.com/index.html

Melting Snow!

Well...the snow is slowly melting! It started melting pretty quickly the day after it stopped snowing. The weather is warming up. Yesterday was cool, but nice. Today it is supposed to get all the way up into the lower 60's. Woohoo!

We are so grateful that it is not raining. The melting snow feeds the creek, but we can still drive and walk across it. If it were raining, too, it would cause the creek to get too high to cross.

Today we get the laundry room hooked back up. Our son can do that. How nice to not have to do laundry in the bathtub! **laughing**

We also "get" to dump the black water tank again. We did it right at the beginning of the major snow fall and have managed to make it to now. But it is full and needs to be drained and flushed today.

We have new neighbors moving in. They have a couple of boys close to our son's age. They typically live with their father who is just around the corner and up a ways (rural "corner"). I do not know how much time they will spend at their mom's, but it is possible that our son will have some playmates.

Well, it is very early here and I am going to sign off for now from our little RV on the hillside! I hope everyone is healthy and having a good day.

Abba, please touch each and every one who reads here. Bless them and touch them in every way that they need to be touched. Bring Your Shalom to them. Amen and amen!

Bathroom Laundromat & Cabbage Soup!

This has been one of those washing shirts in the bathtub kind of days. The snow is melting quickly, but it won't be warm enough to hook up the washing machine for a couple more days. So, today I washed work shirts in the tub and my son washed some bedding.

When we wash things by hand like that, we wring them out as much as possible and hang them up to drip in the bathtub. Once they somewhat resemble the dampness of being spun in the washing machine, I can put them in the dryer. I do at least have the dryer to use! **smile**

The sun is shining and it is above freezing out, but it will drop below freezing tonight. That is why we don't want to hook up the washer today. It is a bit of a hassle to get it all set up and to take it all back down. On Wednesday, we can hook it up and leave it set up for a few days...unless the weather forecast does not come true. And that is always a possibility around here! :P

Dave made cabbage chicken soup two days in a row. Boy is it good! He is a good cook...better than I am, I think!

A "Blizzard", an Awning & Three Tries Up the Hill!

These pictures are all from Saturday.

Well, we took off for church this morning after the "blizzard" of Friday and Saturday! I am amazed that it was even called a blizzard. But then, I guess it would be compared to the weather they have typically had around here for years. This was what I remember as being a typical snowfall when I lived only about an hour or so from here many years ago.


Dave had parked across the creek, so this morning we had to walk down the driveway through the snow. He had already shoveled a path part way down and all around the van to the road. When we got to the van it still had a lot of snow on the top, so we had to scrape it off the windshield, along with the ice, and off the sides of the top so we could get in without snow falling into the van. Fun! But the best was yet to come!

Our road was not plowed, but it was not too bad to drive on. But the road we had to turn onto to get us to the highway was not plowed, either. And it had enough of a hill to make it difficult. It took three tries to just make it over the top! We made one run, then backed down and made another run. Then we had to do it again. We almost did not make it! By the time we came home, the roads had improved...but still had not been plowed.

Friday and Friday night, we had to keep shaking the raking the snow off of our awning so the weight would not cause it collapse. We could tell it needed to be shaken off when opening the door caused the corner of the door to hit the awning. There is a wheel on the corner so that the door won't tear into the awning. We are unable to adjust the awning. The winds, etc. have just been too much for it. We need to leave it out, so it is damaged. Right now, we cannot roll it up or tighten it down. So, when the snow or sleet hits, the awning catches it and sags. But we have figured out how to clear it off!

Our son has had two days of tobogganing! He is overjoyed! But it looks like it is already melting pretty quickly. At least he got these two days in...the first and only ones all winter long, so far!

Birdfeeder Beauties!

I am always amazed at the beauty I see in the birds. We have so many that come to our feeder. Finches, sparrows, cardinals. Now, the robins are back, too! So many colors. Some have what look like a beautiful blue gray on their bellies. Some are striped. All of them are such a joy to behold.

The beauty of nature really reminds me of the magnificence of Yahweh. He took so much time and care to create such variety. Wow! All that attention to detail. How can I doubt His same attention to us humans? In fact, His even greater attention. He says that we are more important to the sparrows. He knows every detail of our lives...even the number of hairs on our heads. With Dave and I...that number is getting smaller and smaller! :P

There is a layer of snow ever everything...but it is not deep yet. We have about 3 inches? Tomorrow we are supposed to end up with about 19 inches...after it snows all day.

The birds are sure going after the seed in the snow, as well as the feeder. It is amazing how fast they are eating it all up. What is really funny is watching the bigger birds trying to eat seed from a feeder that is obviously made for little birds!

Dave heard that we have ours well placed. It is best to put it in a pine tree of some sort as it affords the birds more protection from predators. Ours is in a cedar!

Well...I am signing off here for a bit. I have cookies baked and an Adventure in Odyssey to listen to!

Blessings to all my readers!

A Spider, Snow & Black Water!

Oh, what a beautiful sight it is! Starting early this morning the snow began coming down. Our son is ecstatic. We have not had a decent snowfall all winter. He will finally be able to use his toboggan! In fact, he is bringing his toboggan down right now to Dave.

Dave was out getting a new tire put on at Walmart on his way in to work. His boss saw the snowfall and with the coming storm, decided Dave should go back home. In all likelihood, if Dave had gone into work, he might not have been able to come home by the time he got off. We are very grateful for that!!

So now Dave is parked across the creek and has some groceries to bring up.

+++

Well...this is live action, folks! I just got interrupted to help carry in the first batch that came up on the toboggan! **smile**

Poor Dave, what he does not know is that he has to dump the black water tank after he comes in and warms up. We especially want to dump it before we get even more snow. I cannot dump it without getting my feet wet. No, it is not from the black water. It is from the snow. I got a spider bite on one foot and cannot wear anything but an open back clog type shoe on that foot.

Speaking of spiders, I don't know what kind it is, but there is a spider here to which I am apparently more allergic than others. I get this hard bump that turns into a blister that I end up lancing. This is the first one of the year. I think it was in my mudder. I did shake them out and bang them...but I suspect that one was left in there.

So, there you have it. A spider, snow and black water!

Back "Home"?

There are times when I miss the things of back "home". I put the word in quotes because I don't really have a home town. I moved throughout most of my growing up years and so I don't really "feel" as if I have a real hometown. But I have family where we used to live...and if home really is where the heart is...well, I guess my heart is in the broad area over which my family is scattered.

Would I like to move back? My heart is torn over that. It would definitely be nice to live closer to family. My fifth grandchild is on his/her way. I have a new future daughter in law. I have inlaws in different areas. But I could live with all of them any place. If I ask about going back and leave the family out of the question...it is very different.

There are two main areas where we used to live...where my children are living and where we used to live over the mountain from them. I would not want to move where they are...traffic, heat, etc. But where we used to live...it would be nice. There are a lot of things I do miss about that area, including a fantastic therapist and some friends.

I miss having more motorcycle riding weather. Although, since mine is not running, I guess that is a moot issue. We only had two seasons where we were living...warm, dry summers and wet, chilly winters. I was so looking forward to four seasons here. Well...we seem to kinda have three and a half. I miss the real snow of winter.

So, I am kind of torn on the weather. I also like the thunderstorms, something I really missed when we moved to CA. On the other hand...there are enough of them here to make motorcycle riding a bit of a challenge.

I hate tornado warnings. They make the gusty winds very unnerving for me. I would rather have an earthquake anyday. It happens and, except for a few aftershocks...it is pretty much over. And they rarely happen. I cannot count how many tornado warnings we have had since moving here. I find that to be rather stressful. It would not be nearly so if we were actually set up for them...like in a real house...with a basement!

What other differences? Oh yes! Health food stores. I had several I could go to and in the last place we lived I could even walk to one if I needed to. I could also walk to my therapist's office if I wanted. Church was fairly close by. There were all different kinds of stores. And there was Marie Callendar's restaurant, along with a couple of other favorite places. Within one county we had almost all that we really needed.

It was almost like a mix of semi-rural and towns. We had the ocean and the mountains. You could drive to the snow. We used to go to Lake Tahoe. That was so beautiful...both in the summer and the winter.

There were also quite a few retreat places around...Christian camps. We even lived at one for a while. There are definitely things I miss about that area. But I would also miss this place if we left...like the Autumn. I love the Autumn. It is my favorite season and it was not a very strong season at all where we used to live. I missed Autumn and Winter both when we moved to CA.

I miss the beach, too. It was not that I went a lot...but it was nice to drive along the coast...and nice to visit the beach when it was a little bit cool. I loved the waves. I loved the mountains. It was really pretty in the county where we lived the last 11 years I was there. The previous 30 were on the other side of the mountains...where my children live now. 40 years ago...it was OK. But now it is very crowded...highly congested.

It is easy to think of there when I run into difficulties here. But truthfully, we would have had difficulties there, too. It is a very expensive place to live. In fact, it was the rising property values that allowed to refinance our house more than once to live off of while Dave was out of work. Housing costs there are insane.

So, here I sit, in my little RV on the hillside, thankful for what I have. I heard the other day that if we have a house, a car and clothing, we have more than 98(?) percent of people in the world. Well, I am not sure if you count a tiny RV as a house...but we do have a shelter plus the other two. *smile*

I am thankful most of all...to be wherever Yahweh wants us to be. There are good things about being here. I love the view. I love the animals. I love the butterflies in summer. I love the creek...even when it is high...just wish we did not have to drive through it. Life is hard here. I won't deny that. But it also has a beauty of its own. And we are growing as a result of living here. We are having to trust our Abba/Father in so many ways...and that is good. Life is an adventure! But the greatest adventure of all is yet to come!

One Flat Tire & Three Blessings!

Ahhh...rural living. It really hits you when you have a flat tire! We don't have road service...can't afford it. I had an appointment in "town" after Dave got home. Afterward, I ran into the grocery store. I came back out to a flat. Ugh!

Naturally, the first thing I did was to call Dave. He was about 15 miles away with no way to get to me. Thankfully, it was still light out. He tried to call some people who might be able to help me...no small feat since we are still so new to the area.

In the meantime, I went back inside, at my honey's suggestion, to see if anyone inside could help. Sure enough, they sent a fine, strapping young lad out to help. He seemed more than willing. BUT, the back of the van was so filled with stuff all tangled together that we could not find the jack handle. In fact, we had difficulty getting to the jack itself.

Well, when we could not find the handle, there was nothing he could do, so he went to call the official guy who does this for people. Thing is...we were broke. I had just bought groceries and had nothing left. So, I had to tell him to call the guy back and tell him not to come.

Now, having PTSD, it does not take a whole lot to push me over the emotional edge. So, here I sit in the parking lot, with a flat tire and groceries, on the phone with Dave, toolboxes on the ground. Needless to say, I was in tears and not at my best. Dave had been calling people...but no one was available. They were either at work, sick or just plain unreachable.

I saw this guy pull up and get out. He has on a camo jacket and heads into the store. My first thought, because he pulled up right next to me, was that maybe it was the guy that was called. But he walks by me and into the store. I stood at the back of the van trying to dig through stuff and get it organized in the hopes of finding the jack handle.

Next thing I know I hear a voice behind me asking if I could use some assistance. I tried to get a grip and turned around to see the guy in the camo jacket with another guy standing there. It turned out that they work together. Through my tears I just told them that I had no money. They said it did not matter and would I like them to change my tire. Wow!

I was floored...and so grateful. One guy did not live far from there, so he went home and got a floor jack while the other one started to loosen the lug nuts. While they were working on the tire, a friend who used to manage the RV park where we stayed before we got onto the land showed up. Dave had gotten hold of her, but her hubby had the flu. She figured she would at least come and stay with me until help could be found. So, I had three people there with me, one of which I knew. What a blessing!

Lord Willing & the Creek Don't Rise!

Phew! I don't know that I ever thought that phrase would become so real to me. However, since moving onto our land, there are several times when "the creek don't rise" portion has been very real.

I think it was only 3 times last winter that we could not get across the creek. I remember one time Dave could not get home, so he went back to work and spent the night there. Another time I tried, unsuccessfully, to throw his mudders across the creek to him. The first one went downstream and I held onto the second one!

What we did get across the creek was a stick with a rope attached. Dave tied it on one side and I tied it on the other. Then he pulled himself across the creek, getting soaked in icy water in the process. Wet shoes and socks! Wet pants! In fact, the mudders would not have kept him dry...they would have simply allowed him to take off his shoes and keep them dry by carrying them. The force of the water went way up his legs.

At some point, Dave decided to look for a creekside tree to fell so that it would lay across the creek. Admittedly, it is not the best way to get over the creek, but we figured, "hey...in a pinch!" So, off he went with a friend to find one. After felling it, they tied a rope above it so that we had something to hold onto while we crossed. It is not a very wide tree, but it is plenty strong enough. We tried crossing on it. One has to be VERY careful using it to cross, even with the rope.

If the creek is high enough to need to use it, there is still all the water flowing into our meadow from the neighbor's property and the hillside gully to get across, too. It is a bit tricky, but we figured we could do if we really had to. It beats trying to walk through swiftly flowing water that might contain a branch that could slam into us.

This winter, we have been pretty blessed. In spite of the rains, we have been able to get across the creek...until last week. My son and I are going to a home school co-op one day a week. Last week it was raining hard so Dave parked across the creek, just in case it got too high to drive across.

We have cement blocks and pile of rocks to use to walk across onwhen the creek. When it rains really hard, though, the blocks and rocks get buried enough to make it so that we cannot walk across, even when we can still drive across. Well, last week there was no way we could walk it and it is good thing he parked on the other side because he could not have driven it, either.

So, we slogged on over to the new neighbors property. Someone bought the property next to ours and is in the process of putting in a double wide. Part of that package was to build a crossing over the creek. So, we carefully picked our way across the wet meadow over to their property to walk across to the road and back over to the van. That was not too bad, other than the water running into our meadow.

This week, however, it was really bad again. We had our mudders on this time, though. We were prepared! And it is a good thing. We noticed that the water in our meadow was more than usual. As we approached the neighbors property we could see why. His creek crossing was dammed up. You could see the tree limbs sticking up above the road. The water was level with the driveway on one side and barely coming through on the other.

Usually, creek crossings are made a little bit lower than the driveway height so that any overflow just flows evenly across. This was built even with the driveway. So, instead of flowing smoothly over, it was being diverted onto his property at one end of the crossing and flooding it. As it went down the other side it was eating away at the crossing and causing a whole torrent of water to flow along the creek and over to the meadow with some of it going back into the creek on the other side of the crossing. If we had not had our mudders on, we would not have made it through the flooding water to get to the crossing and the road.

So, two weeks in a row, we had our exercise before we even got into the van! But we made it! Thankfully, in spite of some continued heavy rains later in the day, the water was able to do down at our driveway which allowed us to actually drive across. Typically, when the water runs that heavily through the creek, we have some undercutting on one side of our crossing and there is some repair that needs to be done before Dave can drive across. But, thank Yahweh, we were able to drive right across!

We truly believe this is an answer to prayer. We had faithful friends praying with us that we would be able to get home. Not only did we get home...we were able to drive right across! Woohoo!

Wind! and Random Observations!

Wind! Sometimes we have incredibly powerful gusts of wind. The tarp over the top of our rv is tied down to cinderblock bricks in some places. It is amazing to see how high the wind lifts that tarp. Sometimes I wonder if the strings are going to break and I will see the tarp blow away.

This is the second day of warmer weather. It won't stick around, though. The cold is on its way back in; but it is nice to have a couple of days of respite. Later today we are supposed to get some rain, which is supposed to continue for the next few days. During that time we are supposed to get some snow showers along with the rain. It always concerns me when we get this snow/rain mix. I hate the thought of icy roads, not to mention icy driveway!

Last night is the first night in a while that we did not put the foil insulation sheets in our windows. That was sure nice, especially since our heater was also on low all night. We were nice and cozy.

This morning when I first looked out the window I saw the sun shining on one side of the trees. It was beautiful, as if a golden color had been lightly brushed on some of the branches and tree trunks. It was clear which direction the sunshine was coming from. It seemed as if the trees had taken on this golden glow. I had to take a few moments to sit by the window and just gaze out at them.

In our little valley, the sun rises at one end and pretty much goes down on the other. Our valley curves a little bit...but it is fairly narrow and the sun follows it. This means that we get a lot of sun. Although we have trees on the hillside above us and below us, they don't really shelter us. One end of our RV is now somewhat blocked from the sun due to the location of the laundry room we are building. Come summertime, that might actually be nice!

Blogger Course

OK, I am posting this so I can get the course and check it out. Plain and simple. I am curious. But to get the free course, I have to put the following notice in a blog post. So, here it is. *smile*

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

editing in: Well, I downloaded the blogger course and the 101 course. I will come back to edit this post when I go through it to share what I think about it.

More on Heating!

Anonymous said...

just so know know, it is a pit dangerus the propane can make you sick. we used to do that years agao when our church met behind the postoffice. My sunday school would turn on the oven to get the kitchen. where we met to get warm. Many of us got sick. I hope you dont get sick

That is a good point! I meant to mention in my blog that using the stove is only an emergency backup. Plus, we would never do it for more than a few minutes at a time and never while sleeping. In other words, no longer than it would be on if we were cooking anyway.

Plus, we bought a Buddy Heater. It is a propane heater that is made to be used indoors. That way, if our power were to go out in winter, we could use that for heat rather than the stove...and with proper ventilation!

Thank you for bringing this up, since I forgot to!

Heating!

I don't remember if I have shared how we work out our heating yet. If I have, oh well, just skip over this part. *smile*

We have a built in forced air propane heater. However, it is very old (1984) and a tad noisy. Well...when you are sleeping with your head just on the other side of the cabinet wall that houses the thing...it is VERY noisy! We are not sure how much it was used before us and we don't know how much life it has left. So, we use it more for backup or when we really need to get things warmed up in a hurry.

It is a wierd heater. When you turn it down, it does not go off. Well, the heater goes off, but you cannot turn off the fan. Nope...no way. Even if you turn the heater to the off position, it will not turn the fan off. I guess it is a safety feature. The fan will blow cold air off and on until it is satisfied that the heating unit is cooled off enough. Talk about efficient! NOT! So, for a variety of reasons, we don't use it much.

So, what do we use? I am so glad you asked! LOL We actually have one of those oil heaters that looks almost like the old radiator style. And yes, it does take up room. But it is less expensive and quieter. Except that we also run a small fan behind it. That can get a bit noisy, but it is not too bad. We blow the air through the fins of the heater and circulate it around the RV. That makes it a lot more efficient and less expensive since the heater is not trying to heat the whole rig from one place. It is just inside the door in our little "kitchen" area.

In the bathroom, we have one of those little ceramic style heaters. It has a high and low power setting. We have to leave it on the lower setting or else it trips the breaker. The oil one is on an extension cord running from the outside, so it is not running through the RV power source at all. The little one catches up when the big one is turned a bit too low, or when it cannot keep up for some reason. It also gives a bit of warmth in the bathroom since the air does not get into there as easily at the back of the RV. Nice for when you are taking a shower!

Ah yes...showers...another subject for another post!

So, there you have it...how we heat. Our stove is also a good backup heater. Those propane burners put out a lot of heat. Boy do they put out heat! We especially notice it in the summer! But that, too, is another post!

From our Little RV on the Hillside, we hope that everyone is having a good day today. May your face always be in gentle breezes and may your back always be warmed by the sun, as your heart and spirit are warmed by the Son, Yeshua!

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

My Friend, Lilly, & Life Questions!

I have a friend, Lilly. I have never met her in person, but I have grown to love her a lot. She and I seem to compliment each other well. We are able to talk about Yahweh and His Word and encourage and challenge each other in our spiritual walks. We don't agree 100% on everything, but we agree on the foundational...or as she would call it, the issues that make up the spine of what God's Word teaches.

She called me today, after reading something I wrote to John, her beloved. He had asked how I was, so I wrote him about my ponderings about prayer and contentment in this life. So, after he showed it to her, Lilly called.

Lilly just shares her own experiences with life and her relationship with Yahweh, and it always helps me to get grounded again when I seem to be fumbling around. Some of what we discussed is that it is OK to ask for things that are practical...things that can help us to be better stewards with what God has blessed us with...things that will help to meet practical needs. However, after asking it is important to understand that it may not be our Abba's will for us to have it...or maybe not yet. I need to ask and then trust Him to act according to His will...not mine.

Only Yahweh sees the bigger picture. He knows our lives and our hearts. There may be some lessons to be learned first. Or maybe He is keeping us here, landbound, for a greater purpose...a purpose that I know nothing about. Really, it does all come back to trust. I either trust my Abba to know and meet my real needs, or I don't. If we don't have something right now...well, it means that we are not supposed to...at least not right now. And that is OK!

I am so blessed by my friendship with Lilly and John. They really care about us...not just about me, but about the whole family. They pray for us. And Lilly is a true sister who knows she can challenge me...and it goes both ways. We have each taken turns being there for the other and encouraging one another. She has helped me to see Abba's hand in things and I have been blessed to have been able to do the same for her.

Lilly, if you are reading this...I love you! Thank you for being my friend and sister in Yeshua! I sure hope that we get to meet in this life; but if we don't, I know I will meet you in the next! *big smile*

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!

Long Day and Home Education!

Wew! I made it through yesterday! We have started going to a home school co-op on Tuesdays. We have not been able to go due to no money, no car. Well, God made a way for us to do it through someone who worked things out for us. But it means a VERY long day!

We leave about 5:45 a.m. Yep, you read that right! A.M.! As in...it is still dark. Now, I am used to getting up most days right around that time. However, having all three of us out the door by that time is vastly different! The night before we all need to be showered up and I have to have something packed for both breakfast and lunch.

First I drop Dave off at work; although, when the weather turns nicer, he will be dropping me off instead. That way I won't have to go pick him up. The classes are in two different places. Well, actually, the first set of classes are not really co-op classes, but a lot of the same people are there.

So, my son and I get dropped off at the first church, where the music classes are held. The church secretary is a home schooling mom herself and she has a place for us to work on schooling until the music theory classes start. My son really likes it.

From there we go to the second church, where the co-op classes are. We will need to catch a ride once we start getting dropped off. We go to the second church and eat lunch while we wait for his classes to start. He is taking Oceans, P.E. (for which I am currently a helper), and Art.

He loves all of his classes and he is making some friends. I get to meet and talk with other home schooling parents. Adult conversation! Yay! We are very blessed by this.

Last week, the first week, we were still not up to speed with getting well after being sick. I asked a friend if she would mind dropping us off for the afternoon classes only. She was gracious to do that as it is way out of her way normally. She decided to do shopping that day instead so it worked out nicely for us both.

This week, we did the whole thing. I was exhausted. With PTSD, it does not take much to overwhelm me. I am realizing that I must find a quiet place to just take a quick nap or something during his first class. Yesterday, I was so exhausted that I had my eyes closed most of the way home. I did not even go into the store with Dave on the way home. As soon as we got home I hit the couch. I sort of dozed off and on...not sure if I actually slept at all or not.

Later, I dragged myself off the couch and checked email and a couple of things on the net and then was in bed by 10. This morning, I could still feel the aftereffects of such a long day away from home. But it is worth it! I will just have to take each week as it comes.

It snowed yesterday and part of today, so far. I love watching the snow come down. I just hate that it keeps turning to rain and then sometimes to ice. This is not the winter weather I remember from before. This is like the transitional weather from winter to spring. It is almost as if winter never hit this year. :(

On the one hand, that may be good...saves us the cost of heating and makes it easier to do laundry. On the other hand, it is dreary, muddy and icey. The ice is bad because of how dangerous it is, too.

Today, the sun is shining. I love the sunshine...warm or cold...I love the sunshine!

The mouse population went down again by two (oops...editing in correction...THREE) within the last few days! Sure wish they would just stay outside! My son and hubby get to do the mouse trap duty.