Slow Progress

The progress on the house has been slow and probably will continue to be slow. But we are making progress. The plan for this weekend was to excavate some dirt and find the sewer lines that are buried in the concrete. Bob rented a small excavator and easily found the sewer pipe in the north end of the house. The second sewer pipe in the south end of the house was a bit more difficult. The pipe evidentially got pushed back from the forms a bit and had some concrete concealing it. So we came up with a plan that took two people. I would go inside at the other end of the pipe and Bob would hit the concrete with a hammer. When the sound I heard sounded hollow I would let him know. The first attempts at this led us to the larger pipe that the water line was inside of, so we tried again. This time I felt for vibrations on the pipe and the sound. Eventually this put us in the right spot and with the hammer drill Bob was able to knock out enough concrete to reveal the pipe. Then he pushed a pipe with an elbow on it into the pipe and a pipe coming up so we could easily find it when the plumbers come back.

This whole thing had to be done so we could fill the dirt in around the house so when we need to use the scaffolding to put in windows and siding there will be solid ground under the scaffolding. That was a bit nerve racking and tedious, but we got it done and since we had the excavator for the weekend we got some tree roots dug out and a few other odds and ends done before it rained too hard. I guess my favorite part about all of this is that I got to help figure out how to find the pipe. I like solving problems and it made me feel good to be able to help even just a little bit.

Coco is getting more comfortable with this house and property. We know she needs lots of exercise everyday and we are trying to give that to her. It is a little more difficult with all the rain, so we have been taking her inside the new house and running her around. She got her first bath today and she looks much nicer and her fur is much softer. It has been an eventful weekend. The temperatures are dropping and the rain continues. As you can see from the picture the mud around here is in plentiful supply.

Progress is important in life. Whether it is progress in the physical or in the spiritual progress is important. If we are not moving forward we are stuck and nobody wants to be stuck. So if you are feeling stuck remember that God loves you and can help pull you out of the mud that is trying to suck you in. I have found that giving my problems to God in prayer helps me have the strength to go through them. He may not take them away but He is always there to pull me through.

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.“

Exodus 15:2 (NIV)

I hope that you will enjoy your week and I will be back with more.

Out of the Mud

Life is always better when we have a solid foundation. I am so happy to say our new house now has a good solid foundation. All the soggy ground problems got solved by hours of workers taking buckets full of mud out and getting down to solid ground again. We have ample rebar in place and very solid pillars to hold the building up for many years to come. It is good to feel like we are making progress. In a little over a week the framing will begin and the work to get the building in the dry. Then Bob is really going to get busy with the inside.

After they started dumping all that soggy ground on the outside of the foundation it became very difficult to walk in that area. Bob told me that he got stuck over in that wet area and had to break the suction of the mud from his boots in order to move again. I had seen how mucky it was and did my best to avoid it. It was like quick sand. That is how life is sometimes. We get stuck in the muck of this world and have a real difficult time breaking free. If we panic and move too much we just sink deeper, but if we carefully break the mud’s hold on us we can get free. Sometimes it takes other people to come to our aid to help us out. But no matter the source of the muck and mud God is always there to help us.

Anytime in my life that I can remember being stuck, God has been my source for breaking free. Whether He sends someone to talk to me or pray for me He has been the one taking care of me. When I go to His word I always find a helpful scripture to guide and direct. But in times when things have me so bound up it might take Him sending me some help. Sometimes I have found myself being that help for others and not out of my own knowing. You never know when a smile or a kind word can help someone break the suction of the mud in their life and help them move forward again.

In this time of Thanksgiving maybe we should try to lift the people around us up with a good encouraging word or a prayer. After all we are all human and everyone needs some love and care. I hope that you will have a great Thanksgiving holiday and I will be back with more.

It Is Going to Happen Tomorrow

After weeks of waiting for the ground to dry out, the concrete guys came Friday and Saturday. They spent a lot of time digging down to dry ground, smoothing things out, putting down plastic, finishing up the forms and rebar. Now first thing tomorrow our contractor is going to have someone come and finish a few little things and then the concrete truck will arrive and make the pour. A week or two after that the framers will start.

The stress level to get to this point has been tough. But seeing it get this far is great. Everything is square and the right size. All the plumbing is in the right place as far as we know. So lets get this show on the road. The weather is going to be perfect for the pour. Praying for awesome favor on this job and despite the stress I think we are in a good place right now.

I give God the glory. All I can do is watch and pray and give my input. The rest is up to God to guide and direct the workers. Bob and I spent some of today trying to fix some issues, but the contractor is going to get the rest done early in the morning. I am thankful for that. Now is the time to breathe a little and try to relax until there is another decision to make and another job for us to do.

I am thankful for all the help we are getting and for our contractor who is really taking control of the situation. Knowing he has our backs makes this a bit easier. Trusting that God has us on this path gives us more confidence to continue. I appreciate any prayers you feel like sending our way. Enjoy your week and I will be back with more.

Good to Get Outside

This weekend I have tried to spend some time outside, now that the rain has stopped. We are hoping that November 13th will be the day for the concrete guys to come back, get ready and pour the concrete. Please pray that God extends His grace so everything dries out and this works. After taking some rides in the truck just to get out of the house, I decided that I wanted to drive the tractor for a while. So Bob had me move some dirt that would be in the way of the concrete truck. I really enjoyed my hour or so outside just working with the tractor, praying and singing. I seem to pray more easily when I am outside.

I have also been working this weekend on finding old photos to go with some stories that I am working on for my children and grandchildren. I has been fun writing and I still have some editing and more to write but all of them need some sort of pictures. So Bob and I dug out some of the boxes from our household container and I have been trying to find the right stuff to put in the book. It is fun looking through the old stuff and remembering things. Unfortunately the stories I have written so far mostly require really old pictures from childhood and I don’t have many of those. I may have to call in some favors to get others to look for some for me.

Whether I get the right pictures or not I think it is important to pass down family history, especially the fun stuff we did. Our kids and grandkids should know what it was like for us compared to what it is like for them. We can tell them some good and some bad with the hope that our past could help them them in their future. Sometimes learning other’s good or bad decisions can turn into great lessons.

God gave us a free will so we can make our own decisions, whether they are right or wrong. God honors our decisions, even if they have bad consequences. He showed His grace and mercy through His love for us. Shouldn’t we do the same?

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 NASB

I hope all of you enjoy your week and remember to give grace because God gave grace to us not to keep but to share.

Rain Delay

Bob and I spent the Thursday night through Sunday morning with my sister. On Saturday my sister and I watched a homecoming parade online because she is recovering from foot surgery and the weather forecast was for rain and 40 degree temperatures. The rain for the parade was mostly drizzles. We were supposed to be able to watch my granddaughter march with the band but her school did not participate due to the threat of rain. So we worked a way to view the live stream on my sister’s TV. Then that evening the homecoming game was played with even more rain. It made for a slippery game, but our team won so it was great. Earlier in the afternoon we had watched parts of some other games and one was delayed because of rain and lightning, for the safety of the players.

Well, at home we had around 5 inches of rain since it started earlier in the week. Just like the football game that was delayed because of lightning, we find ourselves in a rain delay. We cannot pour concrete when there is standing water and wet ground. If we did pour now we could have a problem down the road with a sinking foundation, so we are on hold until the conditions make it safer to pour with good results.

We know that God knows what is best, but sometimes we struggle to figure it out in our minds. In this time of rain delay all I can really do is trust God and believe that he will direct our steps in this project. Praying, listening and obeying seem to be the best answer to any struggle. We make it through every struggle the same way by trusting and obeying.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

I pray that you will make your way through all of your struggles and join me in praying, trusting and obeying what we hear. Enjoy your week and I will be back with more.

Wait, it Might Rain?

It appears that we will continue waiting for progress on our house. The plumber is done, but now there is an issue with not being able to get concrete. This is something that has been going on since 2020 and I guess will continue. I pray for the day that the concrete is complete and we can breathe again. Now we have rain in the forecast for this week. So, we spent a half of a day putting plastic on most of the foundation area because we don’t want to have to start from scratch. We are praying for favor with the weather and the concrete suppliers.

Waiting can cause an extreme amount of stress because of the uncertainty of what can be done in the mean time and when things will start over again. It feels like our supply chain and labor market are broken. Even on a grocery store level I notice that stores have a hard time keeping consistent product on the shelves. Many times we will try to buy something, just to find out the store is out or doesn’t carry it anymore. Some call it the new normal and I guess after a couple of years that is probably true. I guess we were spoiled in this country with being able to get what we want basically when we wanted it. Those days appear to be gone.

I could go on about the reason, but truthfully I am unsure that all this has one reason but rather many. One thing I know is that God is consistent and never changing. He listens when we pray with a humble spirit. He leads and guides us when we watch and listen. He comforts us and cares for us and I guess that is all we really need. So even though things around the homestead are a bit on edge right now, God knows when and how it will all work out. So for now we just have to trust his guiding hand.

I know that our world is ever changing. With the wars and conflicts going on the Middle East and other places there is only one place to look for guidance and peace. God is still in control in the small things like building a house and the large things like global conflicts. Please join me in praying for peace in the world and in our lives. I hope you enjoy your week and trust God to make it better.

Building Delays

I got all excited last weekend to see the concrete guys working on the house, but then there was a delay in the plumber getting here until tomorrow 10/16/23. So we had a whole week without progress from contractors. Bob on the other hand has been finding and cutting down some cedar trees for porch posts on the front of the house. We are praying for a miracle to happen and we get concrete poured before the end of this coming week, then there will be a two week wait while the concrete cures. It is better to pour concrete in the cooler temperatures so instead of drying out it actually cures. This makes for a stronger foundation.

Without a firm foundation the house will easily succumb to weather events, earthquakes and the like. So we are doing all we can to make sure we prepare and dig down to get good stable contact to solid ground. We don’t want a strong wind to topple the house and rain to wash it away. We want a stable home that will stand the test of time. Building a house once is enough for me, I don’t desire to do it twice.

Building on solid ground is important in this physical world and also when it comes to having a strong spiritual belief system. Jesus is the rock on which we have built the foundation of our faith. Knowing what we believe about the physical and spiritual world and living accordingly is important. Since we know that a house needs a strong foundation we are doing all we can to give it one. And since our faith always needs building and strengthening we do what we can to build and strengthen it. One may be physical and the other spiritual but both follow the same pattern. Both need building and both need strength.

I have found that praying for wisdom and peace help out tremendously with the stress of building a house. There are so many decisions to make and choices that it can be overwhelming, but in the end I know that God will help us through and we will learn and grow spiritually in the process. I never realized how much of a spiritual and physical challenge building would be. But we are committed and will see it through to the end.

I hope that you are able to meet and surpass your challenges this week with prayer. I will be back with more.