Happenings At The Hyatt House

An Untypical Typical Day

2012-01-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

My day usually begins the same way. I wake up, turn on the light, get out of bed and head for the thermostat to turn up the heat. I usually set the thermostat for 62f at night so the house is usually pretty cold when I wake up. I have a space heater in my bedroom which I run at night when the temperature outside is low, which it was last night. After resetting the thermostat for 68f, I return to my warm bed.

Especially during the winter months, I am usually awake long before the sun even thinks about rising. So while I am waiting for the house to heat up I like to open my Bible and start reading from where I left off the day before. I enjoy snuggling under the covers, listening to the night sounds that I may hear, and contemplating on God’s Word and praying. It is such a peaceful time.

Right now in the earth’s solar cycle the sun starts to peek over the horizon around 7:05am. If I am up early, once the house is warmer I venture out of my bedroom and into the kitchen. I am a tea drinker so my first task is to make myself a nice warm cup of tea. Once that is accomplished it is time to make breakfast. While enjoying a warm breakfast I turn on the computer.

As soon as it is light enough outside I throw on my jeans and a coat and I am out the door to take care of the animals. I used to do this task in my PJ’s but somehow they kept getting muddy and wet so I now always put jeans on. This morning is extra cold, 31f with a wind chill factor of 13f, so I really bundle up. I put on a sweatshirt over my PJ top, then my winter coat, followed by an orange padded windbreaker and an orange knitted hat.

Often I am greeted at the front door by Tiger and Little Bit, the first two “employees” to come work at the ranch. Their job is rodent control. They have been here for 13 months and are very diligent workers. There has been a substantial decrease in rodents, especially mice, since arriving. I would much rather pay for their food and pet them on a regular basis then buy mouse traps and remove dead mice from the house.

The cats have wonderful accommodations in a cabin, turned kitty condo. Every morning I walk out to the kitty condo and scoop some food out of a bag and pour into their bowls. It does not matter if their bowls were empty or not, both cats will jump onto the counter and start feasting. I never leave without petting each kitty. Not only am I giving them love and attention, but I am feeling for prickly pear stickers or anything else that may be in their fur which needs to be removed.

After attending to the cats I turn my attention to the newest “employee”, Lawn Mower. Her job is weed removal and lawn mowing; she is also doing an excellent job. She has almost cleaned out all the weeds from the vegetable garden and I am expecting her to finish that job by planting season. Since her arrival I have spoken to several goat ranchers and consulted with a vet tech, so I am gaining some knowledge in goat care. I have also done some research on the Internet and for those who are interested, there is a great forum called The Goat Spot. On the advice of the vet tech I gave Lawn Mower a CD/T vaccination (Tetanus, Clostridium, Perfringens). I had never vaccinated anything before in my life, so this was a new experience. The hard part was trying to grab some skin on her rear end, as she kept turning around to look at me. But I eventually accomplished the goal. She didn’t even act like she felt a thing

Both the vet tech and the goat rancher instructed me to feed Lawn Mower about 1/2 cup of pellets twice a day. I have no idea what is in those pellets but she clearly loves them. Feeding her at first was a challenge because she refused to eat them off the ground. The first couple days I poured them onto a plastic frozen dinner tray and she gobbled them down, but she quickly started refusing to eat them. Not wanting the pellets to go to waste (they dissolve in rain), I stopped giving them to her. But somehow I discovered she would eat them out of my hand. Hand feeding a goat in the dark (Sunday mornings) or when it is cold and raining outside is no fun. The next time I drove to Kerrville I visited ranch style stores looking for a solution. The very last store I stopped at, a feed store, had just the perfect thing, a food trough/bowl that hooks to the fence. And the best part is Lawn Mower will eat out of it. So twice a day I pour her pellets into the feeder and she happily gobbles them down.

This morning is one of those cold miserable mornings that I do not want to be out in so I also threw a handful of alfalfa in the garden for Lawn Mower to munch on. She doesn’t need much as she also has some cedar branches to eat (she loves cedar needles). But since I knew it would be afternoon IF I decide to go outside to work (and let her out of the garden to graze), I wanted to give her some extra food in the morning.

Now that the goat was happily eating, I went off to check the rain gauge. As expected it is empty except for some dead bugs that somehow have fallen in and couldn’t get out. I dump the bugs out.

Usually I would return to the warm house but this morning’s sunrise is gorgeous and I have to take a few pictures. Then I return to the warm house, take all the coats, hat, and jeans off and put my PJ bottoms back on. I then log onto the CocoRaHS web site and record my rain gauge total.

It is one of those really cold cloudy mornings and the house just feels cold to me. It amazes me how much warmer the house feels when the sun shines through the windows, but today there is no sun. So I grab a magazine, return to my warm bed where the blankets and space heater keeps me toasty warm, and start reading.

Around 8:30am I suddenly remember the turkey. Last year I purchased 16 poults (baby turkeys). A friend raised the poults and in return I got some turkey meat and she got her foot in the door at being a turkey rancher. She had been raising chickens for eggs and meat for several years and was eager to start raising turkeys, but she could not afford the initial purchase. So we went in together. Turkey’s are a lot harder to raise I have learned and half the poults did not make it. A few months ago she selected the two largest birds and together we butchered them. Well, she actually butchered them and I assisted. The two turkeys have been in a neighbor’s freezer but recently I decided it was time to thaw one out and cook it. Because the friend did not want to pluck the turkeys by hand, she simply skinned it, which means roasting the turkey’s in the oven is out of the question. So this morning I removed the legs, thighs, and wings from the turkey and threw it in the crock pot with some vegetables.

Once that job was complete, I returned to my warm room. After a little reading and some phone calls, I decided to bring this computer into the bedroom. I cannot get online in my bedroom, which is a bummer, but I still have plenty of computer work to do.

The mail arrives around 11:00am and so I eventually put some clothes on and drove down to the mailbox. My weekly newspaper arrives on Thursday and I wanted to pick it up. Since it is a mile to the mailbox, I only pick it up a few times each week. Once back home I read the newspaper and then back to the computer.

Around 2:00pm for the first time today I noticed the sun shining through the window. I went checked to see the outside temperature and was pleased it finally warmed up to 40f. I normally prefer to go outside and work when the temperature is above 50f, but today I knew it was not going to get that warm. So I put on several coats and my orange knitted hat and ventured outdoors.

My first stop outdoors is to let Lawn Mower out to graze. I grabbed the 20 foot chain I attach to her collar and then headed for the garden. As soon as she saw me coming she ran up to the gate and started bleating. She always jumps on the gate but has learned to get down so I will open the gate. I then put her chain lease on, say okay, and off she runs to her favorite cedar tree to start eating.

By now both cats show up. I know they have been sleeping in the cabin all day, but when I am outside they like to be with me. I bend over and pet each of them quickly and then off to work. Right now I am working on three major projects.

1. Burning the many piles of dead cedar trees the previous owners left behind. A few days before Christmas the county finally lifted the burn ban and so like so many folks out here I have started setting those piles on fire to get rid of them. So far I have eliminated 5 piles, but there are many more to burn.
2. Collecting rocks for two major projects. One project is a raised garden bed inside the garden. The other project is a goat shelter I hope to build out of rocks/stones.
3. The third project is building a goat enclosure. That requires installing a fence and building the goat shelter.

Today I collect a few rocks and spend some time scraping dirt off a sheet of rock that will form the floor of the goat pen. Instead of laying down cement, nature has laid down a rock so large it can never be moved and will work great as a floor. I also take some time out to pet Tiger and Little Bit.

While I am working I keep an eye on Lawn Mower. She is just happy to be out and spends time running around and finding stuff to eat. Today she wants to be close to me so every time I walk to a different spot, such as to get a drink, she comes running. Then when she sees I am walking back to where I had been working a few minutes ago, she runs back to wherever it was she had been to continue eating. Lawn Mower clearly enjoys this cooler weather. But I don’t so after about an hour I put her back inside the garden. It is early but I know I won’t want to come back outside so I go ahead and feed Lawn Mower her afternoon pellets, which she gobbles down. I also give the cats a little bit more food and then I come inside the warm house.

When I come inside I smell the aroma of the turkey in the crock pot. I glance at the clock and know it is about done. I get the meat thermometer which confirms, dinner is done. I turn the crock pot off, but I am not hungry yet so I let the turkey just sit there.

Before going outside I had put the computer back on the dining room table where I normally keep it. Even though the sun had only been out for less than 30 minutes, I decide not to return to the bedroom but just work at the dining room table with a throw on my lap. I spent the rest of the day working on the computer, watching a few hours of TV, eating dinner, and reading.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, so I have a feeling I will be spending some of the morning in my bedroom reading. Oh well, it won’t be long before the sun is up before I am done with breakfast and I am out the door before it gets too hot to be outside.

The Goat Story Continues

2011-12-12T07:35:00.001-08:00

It’s been about three and a half weeks now since I looked out my kitchen window to see a goat walking by. As I sat here figuring out the time line, I am actually shocked, for it seems more like several months that I have had her. During the first two weeks I attempted to locate her owner. I placed a sign up by the mail boxes, alerted several business owners in case they overheard something, and placed a notice in the local weekly paper. Then I waited. The goat was never tattooed or tagged in any way, and without such identifying markers there is no way to know who the original owner is unless they come forward.

The first hint I had of this goat’s origins came that first Monday afternoon. As I was driving back home from visiting a neighbor I was flagged down by a passing motorist. The woman in the truck asked me if I had seen a Great Dane. I said “no, but I did find a goat”. That perked her interest and she requested to follow me home. It turns out her dog and my goat was last seen together the previous Friday afternoon. The two friends then took off. My house is one mile from the mail boxes and 1.8 miles to the east of those mail boxes is where this woman lives. Fencing forced the two to follow the roads. I never saw the dog and neither has anyone I know. As far as I know the dog is still missing. But we all know where the goat went.

Soon the paper came out with notices of a lost dog and a found goat. As each day passed with no one calling it seemed more and more likely that I was now the owner of a goat. I started praying about what I should do with this goat. Offers were starting to flow in from people willing to take her off my hands. A retired neighbor who used to own goats said they had a pen I could put the goat in if I decided to keep her. The woman with the lost dog had planned to give the goat to a relative, as the goat had spent several days at her place causing problems before taking off. So I could always give it to her relative. Then a friend put me in touch with a goat rancher who gave me lots of advice on caring for my new pet. He also told me if I decide to get rid of her he would be more than happy to come pick her up. Then finally a county worker putting up Christmas decorations in front of the County Courthouse said she could provide a good home for the goat, even promising me the goat would never go to the stock yards to be butchered.

Faced with all these prospects and the possibility of never finding the owner, I started praying about what to do with this goat. That is when I sensed God telling me the goat is mine. I never heard any words; I just felt I was to keep this goat. Before then I had assumed I would have to find her a place for her to live since she cannot stay in the vegetable garden forever. Goats and vegetable plants do not mix. With this change of heart and thinking, I decided I better start learning about goat care.

During a trip to town (Rocksprings) I stopped by the County Agriculture Extension office, where I was given some information on raising 4-H goats. I came home and started reading the fliers. There is a lot of work that goes into raising an animal for 4-H, most of which I do not need to worry myself about, but it was interesting reading about it.

While I sat in my living room reading the literature my phone rang. It was a woman who lived in Rocksprings (15 miles/24.14km away). She had just gotten back into town from visiting family over the Thanksgiving Holiday, and had read the notice of a lost goat. It turns out her goat had disappeared from her yard several weeks earlier. The family had driven all over town looking for the goat but never saw any sign of her. Since her goat had never made any attempt to get out of the yard before and was always locked up at night, they feared she had been stolen. A lot of what she shared about her goat sounded a lot like the goat I had found, but the distance made both of us wonder. Still, it had to be checked out. Her goat was a female boar-cross. I had found a female boar-cross (probably crossed with a Spanish goat). Her goat was a sancho, so was mine. I had learned just the previous week a sancho is a bottle-fed goat and use to being around humans, more of a pet then livestock. Only the issue of the distance made both of us pause. Unless it was an adolescent joke, why would anyone steal a goat and then drop it off in the middle of nowhere? Clearly, in this case a picture is worth a thousand words and I gave her my email address so a picture could be sent to me.

I would spend an anxious night waiting for a picture of the goat. I thought God had told me this was my goat. Had I been wrong? Everyone had told me I probably would never know where she came from, were they wrong? Did the goat I was now viewing as my goat really belong to this woman in town? If so she had a right to come fetch the goat.

The next morning I stared at the picture of a baby goat being bottled fed. I analyzed the photo and then went looked at my goat. There were a lot of similarities but it was clearly not the same goat. I was relieved I was not going to lose the goat I had now become fond of, but sad for this woman and her family. When I informed her it was not the same goat, I learned she now had to call her grandson with the bad news. I really did feel bad for them and have prayed they find their goat, but most likely it was stolen and would never be seen again.

So now I own a goat, which I have named Lawn Mower, who is living up to her name. In the past three weeks I have learned if sold at the stock yards she could easily fetch $150, but she is not for sale. I also have been informed I need to get another goat so she has company. Since ranchers often want to get rid of sancho’s, I assume it is only a matter of time before God brings me a second goat. Most ranchers breed goats in the fall so they will have their babies in the spring. In all likelihood, Lawn Mower was born last March or April. How she wound up alone in the middle of the country is anyone’s guess. It is possible someone bought her for their children and then decided she was too much work and just dumped her. I will never know.

On December 2, I drove to San Antonio to attend a Christmas party. I returned with a friend who came out to fix some things around the place. While here a hard freeze rolled in and we woke up that Monday to a light dusting of snow on all elevated surfaces. Before Thanksgiving I had hung some tarps on the garden fence to act as a windbreak for Lawn Mower, but she needed some shelter. Without any trees or structures to hide under she had no protection from the elements. So that Monday my friend and I, using more tarps, thick long cedar branches, and some metal roofing that laid around the ranch, we built Lawn Mower a pen. It is only makeshift and can be easily removed come spring. But for now she has a dry place to sleep. This morning when I went outside to do my morning chores I found her asleep in her makeshift pen.

How A Goat Challenged My Faith

2011-11-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Last March after spending $3000 to have an eight foot fence installed, I planted my first real garden. I have grown a few vegetables in pots over the years on apartment balconies, but I now had real space to grow food. So I planted lots of seeds and started watering daily. Due to the Texas heat and extreme drought, most of my vegetable crop never made it. Many seeds never germinated and others just failed to grow. My corn did well the first few months but when it came time to start producing ears, it simply got burned up in the hot sun. When my tomato plants failed to grow, I went to a nursery in Kerrville and purchased baby plants. At first they seemed to be doing well, but one day all the plants disappeared. One plant did have a stump sticking above the dirt, but another plant, roots and all, simply vanished. Later that month I watched in shock as a porcupine squeezed through the holes of the fence. My next winter project will be to wrap chicken wire around the bottom of the fence to keep small critters from getting inside and having lunch.

One of my goals with the garden was to share, which I was able to do. While most folk’s garden failed them this year, mine did not. Maybe the difference was that when I planted my garden I prayed over it, asking God to bless it so I could help those in need. That prayer was answered as I took bags of zucchini and cucumbers into town. I also made multiple loaves of zucchini bread which I shared with friends. I also harvested arugula, mesclun salad greens, and basil. So though it was not a roaring success as I had hoped for, I did have a pretty good crop, better than anyone else I know of out here.

I joked a lot about my best crop, which I did not plant. Since I had to hand water the garden every day, grass and other weeds started growing abundantly. By the time I was able to purchase some good weeding tools, I had 4 to 5 feet tall grass growing in and around the garden plot. Grass and weeds started growing elsewhere too. The task of removing all that grass seemed overwhelming. I did spend a few hours for several days trying to remove some of the grass but it quickly became clear it was going to take weeks to remove it all. I knew there was an easier way, goats.

Goats will eat anything down to the root and there are thousands of goats in Edwards Co. The problem was how to get a goat. The chances of a goat just wandering into my yard and following me into the garden was so unlikely that though I fantasize about it I did not expect it to ever happen. The nearest sheep (who are pickier eaters) live about a mile away, and goats are over 2 miles away. When the opportunity presented itself I did speak to someone who raises goats and so I knew there was a possibility she might bring over a goat or two, but first my garden needed to close shop for the winter.

So for the past few months I have had goats on my mind, especially when I see all that grass and weeds taking over the garden. I think about goats when I push the grass aside looking for cucumbers that are hiding or arugula needing to be picked. I wonder if I have waited too long to request a goat when I search for the basil among the tall grass.

Well, Friday evening my problem was solved when I looked outside my window and spotted a goat walking by. In shock, I threw my coat and shoes on and went outside to greet my very friendly visitor. At first she kept her distance, but within a few minutes she started following me everywhere I went, which was straight into the garden. My new female friend was very happy as long as I stayed in the garden with her. She was like a little puppy dog, following me everywhere, rubbing her head and horns against me, and eating my weeds.

I immediately called the authorities to report a lost goat. Then I started calling my friends and neighbors. Someone had to be missing a goat but I as I write this I have no idea who owns her. There is always the possibility the owner doesn’t even know she is missing.

It is now early Saturday morning and the sun has not even risen yet. The goat has spent the night in the garden; I am guessing curled up somewhere sleeping. My plans are to leave her there tell either I find the owner, or more likely—find someone with goats who is willing to take her until the owner is found or keep her permanently.

It is not going to take her very long to eat up all my vegetable plants, weeds, grass, etc. Once the garden is cleaned out, which depending on her appetite could be sometime today or tomorrow at the latest, she will be out of food and so she cannot remain in the garden. (I did provide her with a five gallon bucket of water.) Without any other way to secure her, she could wander off onto neighboring property all of which is owned by hunters. For her own safety I need to find better accommodations quickly.

I will share the rest of the story later, after it has happened. Let me just close with this—we should never underestimate God. I hoped for a goat to clean out my garden but I did not really pray about God sending me a goat because it seemed like pie in the sky wishful thinking. A goat just wandering into my yard was too improbable, and yet God provided me with a goat. Not only did God send me a goat, he sent me one that is affectionate and doesn’t want to leave my side, and thus was willing to follow me into the fenced garden. I thought I would have to solve the grass problem myself by seeking someone with goats willing to lend me one, but God had the last laugh.

(Matthew 14:31) “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’

(Matthew 17:20) “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.”

(Mark 9:24b) “Lord, I Help my unbelief.”

Accessing the Internet via Satellite

2011-11-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

When I moved out to the country my options for access the internet became very limited. Basically I had one choice—satellite. There are no phone lines to the property (will cost $5000 to have one installed), so DSL and dial-up was not available to me. And of course cable does not exist anywhere in the county. There was a Wild Blue satellite dish on the south side of the house so I looked up the company online (before I had totally moved out here and still had internet access at my former residence). They came out and hooked me up.

Accessing the internet via satellite is very different then DSL or cable. On the surface it is the same, I turn on my computer and the computer communicates with the modem and I magically am logged onto the internet. But a satellite feed is affected by the weather. I have learned over the past 22 months that even fog can prevent that feed from reaching my dish. So if it is raining outside or foggy, I am not surprised if I cannot get online. But it is not just local conditions that affect whether or not I can get online. I have been told my satellite feed comes through Laredo. In 2010 a tropical storm hit Laredo causing a lot of flooding. That entire week my access to the Internet was spotty. Sometimes I was able to get online and sometimes I wasn’t. I just never knew. Eventually Laredo dried out and my access to the internet improved greatly.

Sun spots has an effect on internet access, just like it does for cell phones, ATM machines, gas pumps and everything else dependant on satellite technology.

So when I got kicked off the Internet last Thursday I was baffled but not surprised. First thing I did was turn the Weather Channel on to see what was happening in the state. The radar showed clear skies. So I knew the problem was probably not weather related. I then turned the modem off and shut down my computer. I waited a few minutes and turned everything back on. Still couldn’t get online. I tried it again, keeping everything off for a longer period of time, but it still did not work. So I called the company. As soon as a human being answered the phone, I suddenly was back online.

Since Thursday I have been having more and more problems. Got kicked off Friday and half of Saturday. Sunday and Monday no problems, but since Tuesday I have spent more time off line then online. Yesterday I finally broke down and made an appointment for someone to come out and figure out what is going on. I am baffled as to what problem could be so intermittent.

Fortunately just 15 miles from home is the Claud H. Gilmer Library, which is rated eighth in the nation in its expenditure category. It may be little but it offers a lot. The library is in the town of Rocksprings, pop. 1300 (the county only has about 2000 human residents). One service they provide is Wi-Fi. Which is why I am sitting in the Gilmer Library right now, I have a guaranteed access to the internet here. I may live in a rural area but in today’s modem world I still have access to modern technology, even if it does break down once in awhile.

My Compartment Filter Made Me Sick

2011-11-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday on the way to church I started feeling bad. By the time Sunday School was over I felt fine and totally forgot all about not feeling well. Then on Monday, before the sun had even risen, I hopped into my car for the hour long drive to Kerrville. Since it was once again a chilly morning, I turned on the heater. Then just like the morning before, I started feeling bad. I started thinking of what might be going on. For instance, I analyzed what I had eaten for breakfast the past two days. Just about the time I started feeling like I might throw up, it hit me. Maybe the cause was my car heater. I immediately turned off the heater, which produced instance relief from the need to gag. I would drive for the next 45 minutes without any heat. Since it was in the low 40’s F (7c) outside, I was pretty cold when I finally arrived in Kerrville.

After stopping for some hot tea (my favorite hot beverage), I dropped by my auto repair shop. He turned my car on and looked under the hood but found no obvious problems. My fluids all looked good and everything sounded fine. After a brief discussion he asked me if I had ever changed my campartment filter (also called cabin filter), not to be confused with the air filter. I own a 2006 Toyota Rav4, which I purchased in 2009. I had never heard of this filter.

As it was explained to me this cabin (or compartment) filter is just like the AC/heater filter in our homes. It occasionally needs to be changed. All air passing through the car’s ventilation system and coming out the vents into the car, basically the air we are breathing, first passes through this filter. Not all cars have such a filter (the mechanic checked to make sure I did). I am guessing that all or at least most new cars have this filter. I decided to have the filter changed. I was shown my old filter which was covered in a thick coating of dust. My total cost was $60.

I have no idea how long I have been breathing bad air in my car. I do know for the past few months whenever I turned on the AC the air smelled dusty. (Sunday was the first time in a long time I felt the need to turn the heater on.) I had complained to a few backyard mechanics about the dusty smelling air, but I was ignored (probably because none of them knew cars have a compartment filter). Clearly the air in my car has not been good for some time. Since very few folks seem to know about this filter, I have to wonder how many people are out there breathing air full of dust, mold and other allergens, but the air is not bad enough to cause the driver to head straight for their auto repair shop?

My ventilation system is now providing me with cleaner air. The big question is do you have a cabin/compartment filter? And if so, does it need to be replaced?

I'm Now A CoCoRaHS Volunteer

2011-10-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Sacramento, California and the weather seemed like a pretty consistent event. If it was raining at my house it was guaranteed to be raining all over Sacramento and I assumed it was raining similar amounts. This was the days before satellite assisted weather reporting and so I really knew nothing about weather patterns. I only knew it rained all winter and was sunny all summer. That was the reality for all of us children. When I was in the fifth grade my teacher put up a bulletin board that read “April Showers Bring May Flowers”. One boy voiced what we were all thinking, “how dumb is that, everyone knows it doesn’t rain in April”. Well, it almost never rains in April in Sacramento, but I would learn later in life that for much of the country the weather is not so predictable.

I now live in Texas where it can rain all year or not rain all year. It can be raining on one side of the house and sunny on the other side of the house. I once was with a friend driving by the entrance to the San Antonio Airport. It was coming down so hard we could barely see out the window. It was one nasty storm. I couldn’t wait for that night’s weather report to learn how much rain we got. I just knew it had to be several inches. So when the weather man reported we had received no rain at the airport, not even a trace, I couldn’t believe my ears. The freeway I had been on was less than a mile from the weather collecting data station but not a drop had fallen there. That is Texas for you. It is also the reality for many people across the country.

Recently I learned about CoCoRaHS, which is short for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is “volunteers working together to measure precipitation across the nation.” CoCoRaHS is free to join. All one needs is an official rain gauge and the willingness to daily record your rain/snow totals when home.

This morning with the help of the County CoCoRaHS Coordinator and her husband, my official rain gauge was installed. They also took a GPS reading of my location, since the map software CoCoRaHS uses put me in the middle of the highway. Anyone can visit the site and check in to see how much rain has fallen in different areas. For instance I am in Edwards County. My location is TX-ED-22. I am the 22nd person to volunteer in Edwards County, but I am aware of a few more people who will soon be joining the force.

If you want to find out where in your own county volunteers are, you can simply go to the CoCoRaHS web site and click on the map to find your own county. Then see where totals have been reported. And if while there you want to know how much rain has been arriving at AOCCCI, click on “MAP” on the top menu bar, then “Station Number Maps”, then under “Map Location” choose Texas and Edwards county Once the map pops up just look for station TX-ED-22. Once you know where AOCCCI is located on the map, under “Map Type” you can select “precipitations” from the drop down menu. There you will get a map showing the rain totals for all the stations in Edwards County who reported that day. You can also change the date to see what the totals were for any date in the past.

If as you have been reading the thought has crossed your mind that this sounds like fun, then may I suggest that you visit the CoCoRaHS web site and learn more about it. It really does not matter if you live in the country or a large city, the more people recording their precipitation totals, the better. This is more than just a fun hobby. This information is being used by climatologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, engineers, and more. It could even save lives. So if you think this is something you would like to do, then check it out.

And finally, I took some time this afternoon and looked up Sacramento County in California, where I grew up. It rained a few days ago and there were lots of people reporting rain totals. As a child I might have thought everyone was receiving the exact same amount of rain every day, but one look at that map told a different story.

Serving God

2011-09-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

I never chose to move out here for myself, but to serve God. This past summer I have been having lots of opportunities to do just that.

One way I have been serving God is by sharing the bounty in my garden. When I planted that garden last spring I dedicated the garden to the Lord and asked him to make it bountiful so I could share with those in need.

This has been a tough summer to try and have a garden. Texas has been in a severe historic drought. It has never been this bad ever. The dry conditions have allowed our temperatures to sky rocket. While much of the country was just beginning to thaw out from winter we were already hitting triple digits here (100f = 38C). Because of these conditions many folks never even bothered to plant a garden. Those that did often had poor results. For instance, I do not know of a single person in this county who managed to grow tomatoes. They all had the same problem—no flowers. I planted tomatoes but in my case the plants got eaten before they got big enough to even think of flowering.

I may not have had any success growing tomatoes, but God did answer my prayer. I have been harvesting zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, arugula, mesclun greens (for salad), and basil all summer. Nothing else I planted grew but I have harvested so much squash and cucumbers that I have shared with quite a few people. Most folks are in shock that my garden has produced anything. I really believe I have had a harvest because my garden was dedicated to God with the purpose of sharing and so God has blessed it.

I just planted a fall garden. I have no idea if anything will grow but if I do get blessed I will be sure to share with others.

Before I owned my own car I use to get occasional rides from friends. Now I am providing that service to one of my neighbors, who I have become good friends with. This elderly couple lives about 3 miles from me. The husband gets all his medical care at the Veterans Administration (VA) clinics and hospital. He usually goes to the clinic in Kerrville, which is an hour east of us. Last month they wanted him to have some special tests that can only be performed at the VA hospital in San Antonio. They do not know San Antonio that well but I do. So I said I would drive them. I have now driven them to the San Antonio VA several times. On one occasion it was for exploratory surgery and all three of us had to stay overnight in a hotel. He has several more scheduled appointments at the San Antonio VA hospital which I will be driving both of them too. Every trip to San Antonio is always a full day affair.

Besides these tests, last month the husband had a mild stroke on a Sunday morning. It affected his ability to speak and understand what others are saying. I was at church when the husband finally was able to ask for me and his wife called. I rushed to their house and managed to talk him into letting me drive them to the VA hospital. He was admitted that evening, upon which his wife and I returned home. We made the 120 mile (193 km) drive back to San Antonio that Monday and again that Wednesday. He was released on Wednesday but he still had a doctor’s appointment that Friday. So I put 1000 miles (1,600 km) on my car just that week.

The husband’s speech is improving daily but he may have kidney cancer. We should find out next week at his next doctor’s appointment in San Antonio. I promised them I would be there for them and I intend to keep my word.

I am also keeping busy these days trying to learn Dreamweaver, which is web design software. I have viewed some tutorials during the past few months and have learned a lot but still need to learn a lot more. Designing web sites is a very tedious and time consuming activity. It is not easy at all, especially when using new software. I have just begun the process so I do not expect to have the new site finished for some time now. Most likely I will still be working on it next year.

Mohair

2011-07-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

As I sit here at my computer it is the beginning of a new day. I will admit this day is beginning a little earlier then I like it too. I have been up since 3:30am. A nap will be required later today. The sun has yet to rise and I have already read my Bible (Jeremiah chapter 50), eaten breakfast, made a few posts of facebook, and done a little research on the word xerophytes (A plant adapted to living in a dry arid habitat). Once the sun comes up I will be out the door to feed the cats and do some morning chores before it gets too hot. When I have decided I have done enough for one day, I will then take my shower, have a morning snack and probably then lay down for awhile.

Yesterday a friend and I made the hour drive to Kerrville. We each came with long lists of places we wanted to visit and items we needed to purchase. I always make these trips with grocery lists from other neighbors. When you live so far from the stores, you plan accordingly. We petered out before we got everything done that was on our to-do lists, but we had a productive day and bought a lot of what we needed. The main reason we wanted to go yesterday (Wednesday) is because that is the only day the Kerr County Produce is open to the public. They sell vegetables at wholesale prices. We always stock up. After putting our vegetables into the ice chest, we walked over to two different thrift stores where we both found items we needed. I found a great basket for carrying vegetables from the vegetable garden to the house for only $1.25.

Kerrville is an hour drive east, but Rocksprings is exactly 15 miles NW. This is a very rural area and ranching is the main industry around here. I often see cattle, sheep, and goats grazing no matter what direction I drive. Unfortunately due to the extreme drought all are suffering. Many folks have been forced to sell off their livestock due as feed is very expensive to buy and there is no grass for the animals to graze on. Rocksprings is considered the Mohair capital of the world. Mohair comes from Angora goats and due to the rocky conditions here, this area is great for raising goats. Until the 1980’s Edwards County had more Angora goats than anywhere else in the world. After the Mohair became less profitable, many ranchers diversified and so today there are many breeds of goats in the area, along with the sheep, cows, and other animals. But wool from Angora goats and sheep is still big business here.

A few weeks ago I was with a friend and we wondered into the Priour-Varga Wool & Mohair Inc. I had my camera with me and after asking for permission, I took the enclosed shots.

Life continues here on the ranch.

2011-07-15T15:47:00.001-07:00

Today I paid to have some oak trees surrounding the cabin trimmed and leaves swept off the cabin roof. Water had leaked through the cabin roof and hopefully now the wind will blow the leaves away, preventing the leaves from acting like a sponge that allows water to seep through the seams of the metal roof. I will have to wait for another rain storm to see if this fixes the problem.

This morning I drove into Rocksprings and spent a few hours volunteering in the Library. For over a year now I have been scanning all the children’s books looking for those which need to be updated for the reading tests given to the school children. Rocksprings is so small that the school library is also the public library. For such a small library a lot goes on there and it has won awards.

After I left the library I went by the church to pick up my reusable water bottle which I left in the sanctuary last Sunday. When I arrived I spotted four turkeys outside the side door. The secretary told me there use to be huge flocks of them outside. This Texas drought is really hurting everyone, especially the wildlife.

After a quick visit with the church secretary, I drove over to the Rocksprings Visitor Center which is also home to the Devils’ Sinkhole where millions of bats take up residency each year, except for this year. They are blaming the drought for the lack of bats. Volunteers take folks out to the Sinkhole to watch the bats exit the sinkhole at night. They also take people during the day for hiking and birding tours. A good friend of mine is one of the volunteers and I spotted her car so I knew she was working there today. I had brought some lunch with me so I ate it there and socialized with her. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

Last week I finally got around to loading Dreamweaver onto my computer. Dreamweaver is web design software. I really need to create a new web site but finding the time to do so has been a challenge. First step is learning how to use the software. Every night this week I have been searching the internet for tutorials on how to use Dreamweaver. So far I have not found anything that is useful. The librarian gave me an idea of where to look (youtube) so maybe this evening I will find something that is actually helpful, something very basic.

I have been working on a raised bed for strawberries and last week I finally finished it and planted the strawberries. Hopefully next year I will have lots of yummy strawberries to eat and share.

Overall the garden has not been very productive. This drought and intense heat is really taking a toll. I am not the only one having problems. None of the neighbors have had any success growing tomatoes. The plants are a good size but no flowers. The only success I have had is growing summer squash, which is doing well. I have picked enough yellow squash and zucchini to share with several folks. I am hoping a fall garden does better.

The intense heat (over 100F or 39c daily since early May) and severe drought, not only is affecting the garden but the wildlife is suffering too. The deer really look anorexic. There is just nothing out here for them to eat. A lot of hunters and ranchers buy corn and hay for the deer and other critters, but with rising prices many are can no longer afford to do so. These animals must eat so they go after anything they can find. I planted a couple rhubarb plants but someone ate the baby shoots. The plants died after that. I also purchased and planted a yucca plant (for fun) and again the baby shoots got eaten. It is pretty hard to kill a yucca plant so when I saw new green shoots sprouting up I placed a cage over the plant to protect it. I am guessing cotton tail rabbits (which I have seen hopping around) ate the yucca and rhubarb plants. They probably are guilty of eating some of the other vegetable plants I planted in the garden. My next outdoor project is to make the garden rabbit proof. An 8 foot fence around the garden already makes it deer proof.

A friendly reminder, I am not out here just for myself. This ranch was purchased so others in need of a place to live due to Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and/or other medical issues have a place to live while seeking God’s healing. The spare bedroom in the house is now furnished and available.

Far View Lodge Corn Relish

2011-06-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have been busy but until this afternoon I had not realized so much time had passed since my last post. I apologize for my negligence.

The past couple of months I have spent a lot of time working outside, but mostly in the early morning. I had barely turned the calendar to May when summer hit and hit hard, reaching temps in the 100’s on a daily basis. You might have heard that Texas is in a terrible drought, which is part of the reason this year has been so hot. Without moisture in the ground there is nothing to keep the temperature down. Last summer, which followed a very wet spring, I do not remember the thermometer ever hitting 100. This summer we are all praying for rain and relief from the heat.

Finding ways to conserve water is a must. The well here is pretty deep so hopefully it will never go dry but there are ranchers out here whose wells have dried up and so they must pay to have water hauled to their property for their livestock. Conserving water is a neighborly thing to do.

All air conditioners produce condensation and must be drained away from the unit. My AC drains into a 9 gallon galvanized tub. I use a lot of that water to water the 2 baby olive trees, but I always try to leave some for the wild life who are suffering from this drought too. Food and water is very scarce right now and I have seen critters at night coming for a drink of water. Even the bees hang around that tub drinking.

Other ways I try to conserve is by only running the washer when I have a full load. I leave buckets where dew dripping off the roof can fall into them. I also have invested money into rain barrels and gutters so when it does rain that water can be saved to water the garden when it doesn’t rain. I also am saving most of the dish water. I purchased a dish pan to wash dishes in and then dump the used water into a five gallon bucket, which I carry to some plant(s) to water. Occasionally the water is just too dirty or oily to be thrown on a plant but that is rare. It is amazing how much water is used just washing dishes. Today alone I dumped about 5 gallons on a native bush I want to save. Without the dish water I could not justify watering this bush. I have a future goal of replumbing the house so water going down the drain, also known as grey water, goes straight to water trees, instead of to the septic system.

About three weeks ago my foot came in contact with a chair and though I never got it x-rayed, the evidence pointed to a hairline fracture. It must have been a small fracture because I have healed very quickly, which is a big praise. At first I had a tough time watering my garden. I could put some weight on my foot but this land is very rocky and every step that was not flat footed hurt a lot. I had no choice but to use a cane or something to keep me from falling, such as a hoe. One of my neighbors came to my rescue and on several occasions came over and thoroughly watered everything for me. I am most appreciative.

Like every Saturday, I got up early, fed myself and then as soon as the sun had risen I was out the door to feed my cats. Once that job was done, it was off to the garden where I dumped the kitchen waste onto the compost pile. I then watered everything. There is a faucet by the gate door, with a splitter on it. When I turn on the faucet, half the water goes to a soaker hose which waters the main raised garden bed. The other half of the water goes into a hose which I take around the garden to water individual pots and the corn field (about 8 feet by 8 feet). With this set up it does not take that long to water the entire garden.

After I was done watering, I grabbed the necessary tools and cut down 3 small cedar trees and located a rock of the right shape to use as a border I am building in one corner of the garden for a raised strawberry garden bed. Hopefully by next weekend that garden bed will be completed, including transplanting the strawberry plants. Hopefully next year I will have my first strawberry harvest.

This afternoon I have been busy in the kitchen. First I made corn relish. I first came across corn relish while on a two week camping trip with my mother during a summer break from college. We traveled through the Four Corners area visiting many Federal Parks. At Mesa Verde National Park we ate many of our meals at the Far View Lodge where corn relish was always on the table. I really loved the relish and upon returning home my mother encouraged me to write the chef and see if he would give me the recipe. I was thrilled when I received a reply but taken aback when I read the recipe-which fed 100 people. Obviously I was going to have to do some math and see if I could reduce the quantities to something more reasonable. Here is what I came up with:

Far View Lodge Corn Relish

3 cans of corn (about 5 cups)
½ cup diced green onion
½ cup diced green bell pepper
½ cup diced red bell peppers
1/3 cup white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ teaspoons celery salt
¾ teaspoons dry mustard

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Allow ingredients to marinate a few hours for best flavors.

I also made zucchini bread which I baked in the solar oven. The solar oven produces really moist baked goods. I love it. Baking does take longer than it would in a conventional oven, but it is sure nice baking foods without heating up the house. The only problem I have had is it can get very windy here and wind can tip the oven over. So I can only use it on days when the wind is 7mph or less.

I am now enjoying the fruits of today’s labor.

A Day of Shopping

2011-04-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

When you live out in the country every trip to town is planned. It is a 15 mile drive to the nearest town, Rocksprings. Rocksprings has a few stores I can shop at, but for real shopping one must drive an hour to Kerrville. Yesterday as the sun was just coming up I picked up a neighbor (and her dog Lucky) and we made the trip to Kerrville. By going together we saved money on gas and had each other to keep company.

First stop, we dropped Lucky off at the groomers to have all her fur cut off. It is starting to feel like summer here and the poor dog has been hot.

Texas prefers one’s car be inspected in the county where it is registered, but often in these rural counties there is no one licensed to do car inspections, which is the case for me. The TV in the small waiting room at the shop was tuned to a Turkey Hunting show. As soon as the male customer’s car was done and he left, we grabbed the remote and changed it to something more to our liking—the Food Network. After my car was finished we found two carnations on the dash board.

Next we headed out to the dirt store. Okay, that is not the name of the place, but that is what I wanted to buy. This land produces rocks, not good gardening soil. To grow a good vegetable garden one basically has to buy gardening soil. After looking around at a few sources, I decided on the place I wanted to purchase it and yesterday wrote a check. This morning a dump truck arrived with that precious soil. I have already started hauling some of it to the raised garden bed. A lot more needs to be hauled over before I can start planting my first vegetable garden. I am praying for a bountiful crop to share with others.

After a few more stops, including getting groceries, we picked up Lucky, who was thrilled to see us, and headed home. The entire trip took over seven hours to complete. But that is life when one lives so far from the city.

Life Goes On

2011-04-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been very busy. Thursday, April 7 I had to go to San Antonio to attend a fund raiser banquet. Fortunately I was able to get an appointment for April 8 to address my dental pain. It turned out I had developed an infection on the tooth I had a root canal on. After reviewing the situation, the dentist decided I needed a two-part procedure because the infection was so bad. Part 1 was to remove the root canal and insert medicine in the tooth. I will return on April 26 to have a new root canal done on that tooth. I returned home that Saturday, April 9.

On April 12 there was a Health Fair in Rocksprings, which I promised to drive a neighbor too. She is having a tough time and wrecked her car. She was able to sign up for food stamps and I got information on some of the services offered in the County. I also took the time to sign up for Air Evac Insurance, something I just had not gotten around to doing. One benefit of signing up at the Health Fair is I got a free cap.

The nearest small hospital is a good hour drive away. Often when there is a medical emergency out here, the decision is made to fly by helicopter the patient to a San Antonio hospital. Medical Insurance pays very little of the actual cost of that air ambulance, leaving the patient with a very expensive bill. That is where Air Evac Insurance comes in. For only $50 a year per person, I am totally covered should I ever have a need to be flown to San Antonio in a medical emergency. I also learned they provide site insurance. In the future people will be living here for different amounts of time and trying to insure each individual will be tedious. The representative explained that with the site plan they determine the average number of folks who live at the site and bill for that number of folks. He shared he had just set up a site plan for a county jail. When the time comes I was assured it will be easy to switch my individual insurance to the site plan.

Last month I hired a handyman crew to do a few things around the property. The first task was to build a fence around the garden. The fence was mostly finished a couple weeks ago and has been protecting the garden from hunger critters ever since. The second task was to install a gutter on the cabin and feed the rain water into a cistern sitting only feet away. The final task was to run a pipe and install a spigot for running water to the garden. The final two tasks were completed this past week. I am really enjoying not having to carry buckets of water from the back of the house (the location of the only other outdoor spigot) to the garden anymore.

2011-04-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Olive Trees in Texas

2011-03-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

One of the goals I have always had for this land is to grow food. So it was with interest that a year ago I read an article in the San Antonio Express News about the growing Texas Olive industry. Apparently Texas is a great place to grow olive trees, something I had never considered. The following weekend a friend and I attended Olive Ole' International Olive Festival of Texas. We had a great time learning all about rowing olives and eating great food.

A year has passed and after learning a different friend was concerned about her one year old olive trees, I visited the web site of Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard and discovered Olive Ole' was just around the corner. Friday I picked her up and off to San Antonio we went. We stayed overnight at a friend's house, which was a blessing. This year Olive Ole' was held at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. We spent Saturday tasting olives and all kinds of yummy foods. We left stuffed. We attended a lecture on growing and cultivating olive trees, presented by the founder of Sandy Oaks Olive Orchards. We later were able to talk to her personally. My friend learned what was most likely going on with her olive trees and not to worry. her trees are still alive and will make a full recovery. I learned that even where I only have four inches of soil covering sheets of rocks, I can still plant olive trees. We both were given advice on which trees to purchase for our climate and needs. We each purchased two olive trees.

The garden is coming along.

Bees

2011-03-19T03:30:00.001-07:00

Everyone needs water. For the most part though, I don’t think about how my non-human neighbors get fluids, especially the non-mammal ones. It just doesn’t usually cross my mind. My part of Texas has been experiencing severe drought conditions since last summer. The situation is pretty bad. Many of us out here are leaving food and water for the deer and anyone else who wants to partake. Last summer I got the idea of placing a galvanized metal tub under the drain pipe for the AC. The tub had been left here by the previous owners. All summer long the tub collected that cold AC condensation and I often had to remove some of the water because the tub was over flowing. I always used the water to water my little garden. When I stopped needing to run the AC the tub quickly dried up and since the animals were still thirsty, I started filling the tub with well water. A few weeks ago I began to notice bees swarming around my tub of water. On days the tub was filled to the brim I see more bees. I often find bees floating in the water, obviously from drowning. Yesterday I finally grabbed my camera and started shooting. I have never really thought about how bees get their fluid intake, but I now know.

Using Sun Power

2011-03-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I shared that I purchased a Sun Oven. Yesterday I used it for the first time and have been enjoying muffins ever since. This morning I cut up a bunch of vegetables, placed 3 chicken breasts on top, then spread black pepper, thyme, and some olive oil on the chicken. A dark thin pan such as granite ware is best for solar cooking, but the only granite ware pan I have would not fit in the Sun Oven. So I got out a Pyrex bowl with a lid. I put everything in the dish and placed it in the Sun Oven. Throughout the day I checked on my dinner, repositioning the oven to face the sun as the sun moved across the sky.

I am now eating a complete meal prepared totally by the power of the sun. I have a plate of chicken and vegetables baked by the sun. I am drinking a glass of ice tea, brewed by the power of the sun (sun tea). With energy costs rising daily, it is nice knowing that I used totally free sun power to prepare my meal.

I mentioned yesterday that one of the jobs I had hired a crew to do was install a clothes line. Well it is now up. As I write this blog the washer is busy cleaning my clothes. Instead of throwing the clothes into the dryer, I am going to let the sun and wind dry my clothes for me.

It’s Been A Busy Week On The Ranch

2011-03-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

This has been a very busy week at The Ranch.

SATURDAY I went to my very first auction. Basically the entire town of Telegraph, including the road sign which read “Telegraph Pop. 2” went up for sale. There was a lot of excitement because this is a historical landmark and there were lots of antiques for the taking. Arriving in Telegraph was like stepping back in time. On the road sat a small store with an attach house in the rear of the store, just like yesteryear. The lone building sat on one acre of land. At noon the property was auctioned off as is. I was happy to hear the man who ended up with the property plans on reopening the store; that is after he does a complete renovation. I am sure everything, including the electrical and plumbing, needs to be updated.

I went to this auction with the hope of leaving with some bedroom furniture for the spare bedroom. I would have been content with just a metal frame and a small kid’s dresser. I never expected to walk away with a complete bedroom of gorgeous furniture. If I had purchased all three pieces at a used furniture store, I would have easily spent over $2000. But including the auctioneer’s fee and taxes, the entire thing only cost me $124. All I have to do is a little cleaning and that spare bedroom will be ready for someone (or a couple) to live in.

MONDAY my friend Ruth came over and helped me clean out the spare bedroom so there would be room for the new furniture. I had been using that room for storage. We had it completely cleaned out in an hour and then moved outside and started cleaning out the cabin. The previous owners left a lot of stuff, some of it useful but a lot was just trash. We made a lot of progress but still have a lot more to do.

TUESDAY a different friend, Jeannie, came over. We spent the morning running errands in Rocksprings and volunteering at the Library. Then in the afternoon we went out to the garden and started laying rocks for the sides of the raised garden bed I spent all summer digging.

WEDNESDAY bright and early a work crew showed up. I hired them to build a deer fence around the garden area, install a gutter on the cabin and convert a cistern sitting next to the cabin into a rain barrel, install a clothes line, replace the door handle on the cabin (which no longer locks) and install a kitty door in that cabin door. A very tall fence is mandatory if I want to grow any food out here. Deer can jump pretty high. But deer are not the only critters out here who would love to feast on my hard work. Last summer right as my zucchini plant was about to start growing little zucchini’s, someone ate the entire plant. I do not want that happening again. So before I even plant my garden the fence has to be installed.

It was many years ago that I first was introduced to solar cooking. Ever since then I have wanted a solar oven and Tuesday my brand new Sun Oven arrived. The Sun Oven is the Royals Royce of solar cookers. So it is possible to buy a cheaper model, or even to build your own solar oven. Plenty of plans are available on the Internet. Last year at the Renewable Energy Fair in Fredericksburg, TX I saw the Sun Oven and decided that was the oven I wanted to buy.

Solar cookers are becoming popular all over the world, especially in sunny regions. Though it really does not take much sun to be able to cook a complete meal with a solar oven. One can bake, steam, or boil one’s food. The computer CD that came with my Sun Oven said it is impossible to burn your food when cooking with the sun. Bread comes out moister then when baked in an oven. It can also be used like a slow cooker. Put a chicken in the Sun Oven in the morning and return home to find dinner all done. If one wants the food done faster than every 30 minutes the oven will need to be turned so it faces the sun. Since today was the first time I ever cooked using the sun, I decided to just bake some muffins. It took awhile because I am still learning, but they tasted great.

I took the muffins out of the oven about the time the last three workmen were getting ready to leave. They had never heard of a solar cooker and were fascinated. I cut one of the muffins into four pieces and we all shared. They all left wanting their own solar cooker.

Tomorrow I plan on roasting some chicken and vegetables.

I was told that tomorrow my clothes line will be ready for use. The cement should be dry by morning. I have heard the dryer is one the biggest electricity user’s in a house and so it will be nice letting the sun and wind do the drying instead. The Sun Oven will also help save on the fuel bill. Instead of heating up the house by turning the oven on and then the AC on to cool it back down, I can just throw food into the Sun Oven and let the sun do all the cooking. Every little bit helps.

(p.s. There is a mattress; I just need to wipe down the box springs before placing the mattress on.)

Preparing For Spring

2011-03-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Winter in much of the country is pretty simple-cold. In South Texas winter is more of an adventure. Every year winter takes it sweet time arriving. One never knows if it will be cold enough to wear a Christmas sweater before the big day. But usually by late December or early January it finally starts feeling like winter and we here in South Texas are forced to look for our winter coat.

We do have freezes here. Typically we can count each time it drops below freezing on our fingers, with plenty of fingers left over. That is the way January started out. But this year was not typical. In the beginning of February it dropped down into the teens for four days in a row. If records were kept around here I am sure they would have been smashed. Ranchers all over are still repairing the damage from that major freeze. After that freeze it warmed up considerably for a few days, only to drop once again below freezing, but least it was not as cold.

The second half of February, in South Texas style, warmed up into the 70’s. Suddenly the sweaters were put away and the short sleeve shirts were put on. We could have another freeze any day now but right now it is easy to think spring has arrived. Every year a local San Antonio weather man is asked if it is time to plant tomatoes yet, but it is still too early. Even though I have already worn shorts on several occasions, a freeze is likely to happen even as late as April.

It may be too early to plant a garden but it is not too early to prepare. In February I purchased a mini greenhouse to start some seedlings indoors. Many of the seeds have now sprouted and are enjoying the morning sun shining through the community room windows.

Last week I dug a few holes in hopes of finding a place suitable for planting a fruit producing tree. This is such rocky soil that there is no guarantee a tree will make it, but a friend has had some success with her trees. Her success gives me hope because my dream is to have enough fruit and nut trees on the land to supply everyone eventually living here.

This past Wednesday my friend and I drove to Kerrville and visited a few gardening stores. I came home with a 6 inch (15 cm) Bay Laurel tree and a fig tree, among other plants. In case you do not know, Bay Laurel is what we buy when we purchase dry bay leaves in the grocery store. My little tree may be small today but it will be very easy to transplant (only need to dig a small hole) and once it is big will provide shade in the garden and bay leaves for cooking. I intend to plant it in the garden so the deer don’t eat it.

Speaking of deer, they are a problem. So are a lot of other critters roaming the land looking for something yummy to eat. And what could be yummier then a nice green vegetable garden. That is why I have hired someone to install a fence around my garden. This is not a cheap project. The fence must be pretty tall so the deer cannot jump over it. Also, out here one cannot just dig a hole for the fence posts. Instead the rock must be crushed so there is a place to put the fence post. That is why I am not doing it myself.

I am also paying the same crew to install a rain gutter on the cabin and turn a cistern into a rain barrel. Right now that cistern is just sitting there collecting dust and when it rains I can only catch a few 5 gallon (18 liters) buckets worth of water. Once the project is complete and it rains (we are currently in a bad drought), I will be able to hook up a hose and water my garden in luxury, compared to hauling the water to the garden.

So it may not be spring yet, even if it feels like it has arrived. And it may be too early to plant a garden outside, but that is not stopping me from getting ready.

Of course, a fence and plants are all necessary for a successful garden, but so is a place to grow the plants. I spent last summer digging an 8 feet (2.44 meters) by 12 feet (3.66 meters) garden bed down to solid rock. I removed tons of rocks and some dirt. I put the dirt back but since I only dug down about 5 inches, I must build up. Over the winter I have been adding food scraps and dead grass for composting, but I will have to purchase some garden soil. Since only raised garden beds will work out here, I must build the sides of my garden beds. The most logical choice out here is stone. So off and on, when it has been warm enough outside, I have been going out to my little garden and laying my stone wall for the raised garden bed, which is not an easy task.

How To Build A Stone Wall.

1. Search the pile of stones for a stone that will fit nicely next to the stone you plan to lay it by.
2. Remove cat from stone wall.
3. Position stone on wall so it fits as best as possible.
4. Rub cat under chin.
5. Repeat step 1.
6. Once again remove cat from stone wall.
7. Repeat step 3.
8. Remove cat from pant leg.
9. Repeat step 1.

I think you get the idea. I love these kitties but they sure make it hard to get much done outside. I now must schedule some time for petting kitties into my busy schedule.

Until next time, God Bless You

God's Protecting Hand

2011-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

South Texas thawed out just in time for another arctic blast to hit us. Many folks around here spent the weekend repairing broken pipes from the last freeze. I have visited a number of public bathrooms with signs saying the sink still has no water. Sunday I heard from a number of people who were born and raised in the area who could not remember a time where it had been below freezing for so long. That last storm really was a history making storm.

Sunday after church I drove to San Antonio, visited with a few people, and spent the night. Monday morning I got an oil change, did my shopping (and shopping for two other friends), and then drove home. Before arriving home though I had to make my first delivery to a neighbor. Once home I unloaded the car and checked on the cats, who were fine thanks to my neighbor who had checked on them that morning.

Tuesday morning I drove to Rocksprings to make the second delivery and did a little work in the library. I also stopped at the grocery store for a neighbor and picked up a few items. Out here we have to help each other, it is just part of being neighborly. After I was done there I headed for home, first dropping off the groceries.

Normally I would not attempt going to Rocksprings and Kerrville in the same day but the weather forecasters had been telling us freezing rain was coming, and I wanted to beat the bad weather. So I got my things, picked up a friend who lives a few miles to the west, and we headed for an afternoon of shopping.

The reason I felt such a need to go to Kerrville yesterday was to visit a business in town that sells Derksen Portable Buildings. The people I purchased this land from had started to build a house but instead purchased this mobile home. This past year I have been staring at the foundation that was left trying to decide what to do with it. I still have not made a final decision but one thought is to just buy a portable building, put it on the foundation, and then turn it into a small efficiency apartment. Because of the space it would not be fully functional, but it is just a short walk to the house for cooking and other needs. Like I said, I have not made my final decision, but I do know I need to do something before that foundation rots away.

It is now Wednesday morning. Yesterday it reached about 70F (21c) with gusty winds. This morning it was 13F (-11c) when I woke up. The cats are once again locked in the kitty condo, though they do not appear happy with my decision. It is lightly snowing outside.

I know there are a lot of folks praying for me and I am extremely grateful. God is listening. He is taking care of me. One bad thing about the location of The Ranch is when I drive to Kerrville in the morning the sun is in my eyes. When I drive home in the evening the sun is in my eyes. It is especially bad this time of the year. There is one stretch of Hwy 41 where the sun basically blinds a person. That was the case Monday evening as I was driving home. I just could not see where the road was except for knowing I was in a turn. God took care of me though. Just in time I caught a glimpse of where the road was and was able to adjust the steering wheel so I remained on the road and avoided hitting the road sign I had been heading for.

God would once again have to protect me as I and my friend drove home from Kerrville last night. This time we were on Hwy 27, a hilly curvy road with lots of trees, brush, and deer. There were 4 cars behind me as we drove towards the tiny town of Mountain Home, when out of the brush came 2 deer running at full speed. As the buck ran right in front of my car I managed to hit the brakes and somehow avoid hitting him; miracle number one. The doe came right behind the buck but she chose to run behind my car instead. I am still amazed that the truck, which had been driving to close to me, somehow managed to avoid crashing into me and the doe; miracle number two. There were several more cars behind the truck, who also managed to stop in time; miracle number three. In the opposite direction came another car that also had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the two deer; miracle number four. In addition to all the cars, on the opposite side of the road was a bicyclist who narrowly escaped getting run over by the deer who headed straight for him; miracle number five.

As soon as we escaped the deer I looked in my rear view mirror and could not believe my eyes. A car, which turned out to be a contract mail car, was driving on the shoulder and speeding past all us cars. If there had been even one more deer running out of the bushes, that car would have crashed into the deer, and then probably crashed into us. That driver could have easily caused a multi-car accident with fatalities (remember the pour guy riding his bike). As soon as he passed me he moved back into the driving lane and quickly increased his speed and was out of sight. I am guessing he speeded up to at least 70 mph, maybe faster. The speed limit there (before we arrived in town) was 60 mph.

How all of us managed to not hit the deer or another car is truly a miracle. God protected all of us.

The Big Chill

2011-02-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

The last of January I put on a short sleeve t-shirt. The highs were in the 70’s and it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect to go out and spend a few hours doing outside chores. I love days like that.

Around 1:00am on February 1 I was woken up by gusting howling winds, hard rain, thunder and lightning. The storm the weathermen had been promising us had arrived earlier than expected. Unable to sleep I got up to hand wash a few dishes. I have a weather station monitor near the kitchen window and every time I looked at it the temperature had dropped. Around 2:00am I decided it was dropping to fast and decided to bundle up and go lock the cats in there kitty condo (formally a makeshift cabin the previous owners lived in). The cats greeted me with lots of meows (not normal for them to meow so much) and were thrilled when I filled their dishes full of food. I left, closing the door behind me. Now the cold air would have a harder time chilling the kitty condo off.

I was able to fall back to sleep around 3:00am, only to wake up to bitter temperatures. For the next three days it would remain below 20F. Records are not kept out here but if they were kept I am sure a few records would be broken, or some close to being broken. I know San Antonio broke a few records this week. I stayed inside as much as possible, but I have 10 month old kittens to take care of so several times a day I would go check on them. One result of such cold temperatures is their water kept freezing up. So every few hours I would bundle up and walk out to the cabin with room temperature (or often a bit warmer) bowl of water to replace the now frozen water out in the cabin. I also would get up in the middle of the night to exchange warm water for frozen water, so my cats always had water to drink.

One danger of freezing temperatures is frozen pipes and frozen well pumps. Out here our pipes cannot be buried, only covered with caliche. Monday I did walk the length of my pipes to make sure there were no exposed areas. I also have a heat lamp aimed at my well pump.
When I woke up Tuesday morning and realized just how cold it was outside I quickly started turning on faucets to let them drip. Unfortunately the pipes to the small bathroom had already frozen up. I still had water to my bathroom and the kitchen, which I am very grateful for. I have several neighbors who have not been so fortunate. Wednesday morning I learned of several nearby friends whose water had stopped flowing. Since then I have heard of others. I have taken water to my neighbor and a little food.

Another consequence of rain followed by freezing temps—the backdoor lock is frozen. I can turn the deadbolt lock on the inside but I cannot put the key into the key hole. Obviously some water got into the key hole and froze up.

One nice thing about living in South Texas is this kind of weather is very rare and when it does hit—lasts only a few days. It is suppose to start warming up and tomorrow I and the rest of the folks out here should get above freezing.

Before it does warm up though the one event that many children in South Texas never see happened—it snowed last night. I saw on the news this morning that San Antonio basically shut down, partly because they got freezing rain last night before the snow arrived. I went outside around 3:00am to exchange the cats water bowls only to discover it was snowing. We didn’t get a lot of snow, but even a dusting out here is a big deal.

As I write this it is mid-morning and the temperature outside has reached 26, the highest it has been since Tuesday before the sun came up. After days of clouds the sun has come out. We are all now counting the hours tell we can put the thermal underwear back in storage. I am sure the ranchers out here are even more anxious for warmer weather then I am. I personally know folks who must spend hours outside daily feeding livestock. My heart goes out to them as I find it tough just running outside to give my cats’ thawed water. Though it has been a tough week for the ranchers, I have to think about those ranchers in the northern climates. Many of them deal with weather much worse then what I have been living through, not just once in awhile but every winter for months at a time.

So today as you sit down to eat, remember the rancher who went out in freezing temperatures to feed that cow or chickens or…. Some of those ranchers and farmers braved temperatures well below zero with wind chill factors of minus (pick a number). Without them you and I would not have food on our table today. So we need to thank God for them and pray for them daily. They have a very tough job.

The Picture to the right--left side is the kitty condo.

The open door is a small shed.

What Happened to January?

2011-01-29T06:29:00.000-08:00

As I sit here the sun began rising in the eastern sky less than an hour ago. I have been awake for several hours and face a to-do list so long I doubt I will be able to cross off even one item. That is just the way life is out here. If I do manage to complete a task, there are many more waiting to be done. Maybe that is why a month has passed since I last posted, though it feels like only a week ago.

Today began like most mornings. I usually wake up around 5am. Sometimes earlier and then after breakfast I fall back to sleep, but 5 is typical. Since I still live alone I turn the heater off at night. If it is expected to be a chilly night I turn a space heater on in my bedroom and shut the door. Last night was not cold, so no space heater. Upon waking (and after a short struggle) I haul myself out from under my warm covers and go turn the heater on. As soon as possible I am back under those covers.

Once it is warm enough I once again haul myself out of bed to make breakfast. I rarely eat much first thing in the morning, but my body needs something. One of my favorite breakfasts is a breakfast sandwich. I make my own. I like to buy those mini bagels, which I toast. I have a microwave poacher for my egg. I make my own breakfast sausage and just reheat one patty. Put them all together and I have a breakfast sandwich. One sandwich with a cup of tea or orange juice and I have just the right amount of food. Depending on how warm it is in the house, I usually eat at my computer, where I check email, or back to the warmer bedroom to enjoy breakfast.

Since it is winter outside and therefore cold, I usually return to bed after breakfast. I like to snuggle under the covers as I read my Bible. Today I read the first three chapters of Amos.

According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the sunrise for Rocksprings occurred at 7:33am. Shortly before that I did what I do every day. I put on my shoes and coat and opened my front door. Tiger is usually on the porch to greet me and often her sister, Little Bit, is nearby. They know it is feeding time. Today they ran ahead of me into the cabin where I feed them and have their bed. They jump on the counter eagerly waiting for me to dump some dry cat food in their bowls. Sometimes I give them a quick pet, but today I just hurried into the warm house. I will go outside later today and spend some time petting both kitties and in return they will lick my hands and fingers. (Little Bit-red collar/Tiger-blue collar)

That is how I spend most mornings. In the summer I am out the door as soon as it is light enough to do gardening and other tasks before it gets too hot. But in winter it is hard to motivate myself to get out of bed and do anything. I much prefer to lie in bed under those warm covers, reading a book and praying, and occasionally falling back to sleep.

Even though I am anxious for spring to arrive, it seems like winter is passing by way to fast. There is so much I need to do inside this house and I had planned to get it all done during the winter months. I still need to get that office organized, bookkeeping completed, other rooms organized, etc. From the way this house looks it doesn’t look like I have done a thing.

I have been busy. Right before Christmas I accompanied a friend to San Antonio. She had to take her husband to the airport and really did not want to drive around that city alone. Since I know the city I did most of the city driving. It was a there and back trip, making only a couple stops for shopping.

On January 12 I returned to San Antonio with a different friend. This neighbor is elderly and I had promised to take her to the Sams Club in San Antonio. I buy a lot of stuff for her at Sams Club and this was a chance for her to see what the store had for sale so on future trips she could just hand me some money and a grocery list. It was a very fruitful, but exhausting trip.

I have had to make several trips to Kerrville. Both times I took a third neighbor with me. Over a year ago J lost her house in a fire and then a few weeks later a tire blew and she rolled her truck, breaking her back, but fortunately not suffering any spinal injury. Because of his job, her husband is gone all week, leaving her all alone and isolated on her very rural land. She always welcomes any excuse to get out and go anywhere. Both trips she was very thankful that I had invited her and I was thankful for the company.

This past week it has been warm enough to go outside for an hour or two so I have enjoyed doing some outdoor chores. On those very cold days I often find myself sitting in my rocking chair under a throw reading and trying to stay warm. I have gotten a lot read this past month. The rest of the time I work on the computer of find some other task that needs doing.

Looking Back, Staring Forward

2010-12-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas (and my birthday) has come and gone and there are only a few more days left of 2010. This week one year ago I and a friend drove up to Kerrville, stopped at my realtor’s office to pick up the keys to the house I now live in, and then we drove another hour arriving late in the day. It was the first time to set foot in the house since viewing the property the past October. We walked into a cold, dark, house full of trash. The first task was to get the electricity on before dark. The second task was to unpack the car and set up our air beds so we would have a place to sleep that night. The third task (now dark) was to figure out how to turn the pump on so we could have running water. That first night in this house was truly and adventure.

Twelve months have now come and gone and I am staring straight into the second year of my life (and AOCCCI) here. This past year has been a year of many changes and progress towards the ultimate goal, a place for people with MCS to come and live. The work towards that goal will continue in 2011.

Occasionally when I am in San Antonio people will ask me if anyone has come out to live here yet. The answer is no, but I have had some serious inquiries.

The first inquirer came via a friend of mine currently living in Montana. I had sent out a ministry letter and she passed it onto a friend who could not face another cold winter in Montana. Since it was spring I suggested to him that he remain in Montana tell summer is over with and then travel south to a warmer climate. I have no idea what he eventually decided to do but I have not heard from him since.

The most recent person to consider coming out first contacted me this past fall. After numerous emails she asked me to help her come out here. At the time she was in El Paso and her health was pretty bad. This request came right before Thanksgiving and I had a few commitments preventing me from traveling out to El Paso. Besides, her situation was not desperate, as she did have a place to stay. Around the holidays we kept in touch, she asking me many questions about this place. In the end she decided to drive out to Pleasant Valley Ministries in Georgia. A decision I think was the right decision for her.

I have had a number of other inquirers between these two, but so far no one has decided to come live on this land. I guess no one wants to be the first. But that is okay, since getting this place ready for folks is taking a lot longer than I expected. I am hoping that this time next year, whether or not there are other folks living on this land, that the infrastructure is in place for at least a few folks to live out here. In order for that to happen God is going to have to supply volunteers and donations. It takes money and workers to build. Please pray.

Finally, Happy New Year!

Differences Between City and Country Life

2010-12-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

I have been awake for several hours but the sun has just risen on this first day of a new work week. One advantage of working out of my home is that I can accomplish business and personal tasks at the same time. As I sit here typing I am also washing clothes. I have already eaten breakfast, read my Bible and prayed, read a chapter of a book, ran the dishwasher, and checked my email. If I had to travel to an office away from home, there is no way I could have accomplished all this before 8 o’clock in the morning.

In the past few weeks I have attended two Christmas parties. The first one was for my Rocksprings Church Sunday School class. The second one, just last Friday was for my San Antonio Church Sunday School Department which is made up of several Sunday School classes. I had a great time at both parties. Both parties had lots of yummy food.

The first party we had a White Elephant present exchange. For those who have never heard of a White Elephant present exchange—each person buys one gift and then at the party we all draw numbers and in numerical order pick a gift. If we like a gift someone else has already picked, we can steal that gift or we can pick from the unopened pile of gifts under the tree. The gifts can be nice, a joke, crazy, or whatever. I walked away with bookends made from horse shoes.

The second party we had a musical group as guests. This group is made up of church members who visit a nursing home every Friday to entertain the residents. They are really good and we all enjoyed being entertained, even joining in to sing with them sometimes. It was really nice seeing my old friends and getting lots of hugs. Everyone there was happy to see me too.

I have made several trips to San Antonio this past month and the difference between city and country, big city church and small rural church is very striking.

Folks in the city are more conscience of how they dress. Almost everyone was dressed up at the San Antonio party. While some were dressed up at the Rocksprings party, many were a lot more casual, I do not remember a single dress. The same can be said for Sunday Morning. It is rare to see a suit jacket in Rocksprings, whereas jeans are very common. People dress nicely in both churches, there is just a difference in attitude.

When I drive up to the San Antonio church I see manicured lawns, pruned bushes, flowers, etc. When I drive up to the Rocksprings church the lawn is mowed, but chickens are always roaming the property. Lately there have also been turkeys and even the occasional deer. It is amazing how noisy a flock of turkeys and a few roosters can be.

I have noticed a difference in personality and ruggedness among the members in Rocksprings compared to San Antonio. Though there are a number of frail members in the Rocksprings church, they just seem less frail then those in the city. I know a disabled woman in Rocksprings who must use support to walk. Even with that support she often falls, but she just picks herself up and goes on. This woman never hesitates to get on a tractor and is looking into buying a few goats. I cannot imagine anyone with her disability and limitations who lives in the city doing even half of what she does. But it seems out here no one gives it a second thought. Even those folks who are frail with age related health problems try to do more than their doctor probably advises. I have known many folks in the city who are full of excuses, whereas here in the country people just keep trying. And when someone really is unable to do something, others pitch in and help.

Which is another difference; folks out here help each other. I have received help from church members getting large items delivered out to the house. I know one person who drove to another state to pick up someone’s son and bring him home. His father has health problems and could not have made the trip. I have a neighbor who I often shop for when I go to San Antonio. She has occasionally picked up a few things for me in Kerrville. I could go on and on with such stories. People just help each other out here.

Though there are folks willing to drive people to the doctor, take them to the store, change a light bulb and help out in other ways in San Antonio, I also have witnessed a lot more selfishness in the big city, especially among certain populations. It saddens me how often I was unable to find a ride home from church because people were just too busy to drive a mere 2 miles out of their way. I often had no choice but to walk home. If my car was to break down in Rocksprings, I cannot imagine being stranded there. I am confident someone would help me get home, even though I live 15 miles from town.

Life out here can be hard, but there is a peacefulness too. At night instead of hearing sirens or other loud noises, I listen to the sound of the wind, animals, of just the quiet stillness. I love it out here.

This is difficult land though. Farming is not a possibility out here. Ranching is. This is goat and sheep country. When I drive to Rocksprings I always see goats, sheep, and cows. Sometimes I see deer and other wildlife too. A few weeks ago three people sitting near me were discussing when they could get together to have a church financial meeting. One man could not meet at a specific time because he had to feed. It takes him 2 hours to feed all his livestock, a task I am sure he does daily no matter what the weather is like. On another Sunday after church we had our monthly pot luck meal. The discussion turned to goats. The disabled woman I mentioned earlier wanted to purchase a few goats and so a rancher told her the price of a goat ($80 and above depending on the breed, gender, and age of the goat), and other issues that have to be addressed. I sat there listening with great interest. I love hearing people’s conversations because I learn so much. Life is very different out here and I am enjoying it.

These are just a few examples of the differences I have witnessed between the city and the country. I could share a lot more but these are the ones that pop into my head. It has now warmed up into the mid 50’sF (mid teens C), so I should put on my work boots and head out the door to tend the kittens, take the kitchen waste out to start composting, and tackle a few other outdoor jobs.

I pray both you and I have a good day.

The Newest Feline Residents

2010-12-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

The other day I promised to share some more of what is Happening at the Hyatt House later. So let me keep that promise and share a story.

Any good story one must start at the beginning. It was Christmas morning 2009 when a cat showed up at a neighbor’s home. They named her Chrissy (because of the day she first appeared) and started feeding her. A few months later she had a litter of kittens, three of which have survived and are now 9 months old. My neighbors are elderly and on a fixed income. Just the cost of feeding all these kittens has been financial hardship, so spaying all four cats was out of the question.

I have mice. This past summer I have caught in traps at least 3 mice in my bathroom. I can honestly say having to remove dead mice from my bathroom is not something I enjoy at all. I want them gone. The best way to keep mice away is to have a barn cat. My neighbor has offered me kittens. There has just been one problem. I do not want to have a kitty population explosion here and getting four cats spayed is expensive. It would just be wrong to take a couple kittens and have only those spayed, letting my neighbors deal with a population explosion. So I have only thought about this problem, nothing more.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving I returned home, passing through Kerrville (like I always do) and noticed tents. I instantly realized it must be Market Days and decided to stop and take a look. Market Days happens monthly and allows crafters and others to display their wares for sale. I saw lots of booths, wasted money on a food treat, and spoke to lots of people. One booth I stopped at had a program of spaying/neutering feral cats and returning them to where they were found. So I asked someone manning that booth how much does it cost to spay a cat. She pointed me to the booth next door, Freeman-Fritts Animal Clinic & Shelter. So I walked over to that booth and told the story of the kitties and asked about the cost of spaying. I never got an answer. Instead the woman I spoke to said I might be eligible for a grant. She took my name and number and I left.

The next week she called me at home and informed me there was grant money available and all four cats would get spayed and a rabies shot for free. An appointment was made for the following week. I was thrilled beyond measure and so were my neighbors when I told them. This was a huge blessing. Having to get up before 5am in order to get the cats to Kerrville was a small sacrifice to make on my part. I was just thrilled to be able to help us both out.

It has now been almost a week since the kitties’ surgery. Everyone is doing very well. Chrissy and one of the kittens, Yeller, are back home enjoying being barn cats. The other two kittens, Tiger and Little Bit, are with me. It took some time but I and a friend finally were able to make a home for them inside the cabin. They need to stay enclosed until they become attached to me and decide this is a good place to live. Since they were born only a few miles away this is a more difficult task compared to if they had come here on their own. So every day, several times a day, I go check on them and spend time petting and talking to them. Hopefully when they are released they will stick around here and start killing those unwanted mice.

Breakfast Sausage

2010-12-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

okA lot has been going on this past couple months which I plan to share in future blogs when I have more time. Right now though I only have the time to share what I am doing right now, this is making Turkey Breakfast Sausage. I first came across this recipe more than a decade ago in The Yeast Connection Cookbook, by William G. Crook, M.D. and Marjorie Hurt Jones, R.N.

1 pound Ground Turkey
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼-1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
½ -1 teaspoon dried sage
0r
10-12 fresh sage leaves

Mix all the ingredients together, using a fork or a food processor. Shape into 6 thin patties or links. Fry until brown. Leftovers can be frozen.

I find it just as easy to use my hands. I also have found a big round cookie cutter helps me get the patties a more uniform size. I also add other ingredients. I personally like fennel seed. I buy the seeds and use my blender (or you can use a seed or coffee grinder) to grind up the fennel. Sometimes I am in the mood for spicy sausage so I add red pepper flakes. I also leave the salt out, just don’t need it. Basically, you can do whatever you want when you are making your own sausage. And if you prefer pork sausage, just look for ground pork or ask your butcher to make you some. If you are allergic to sage, then just leave it out and find something else you really like in sausage. Be creative.

I love those egg and sausage sandwiches sold at most fast food restaurants, and even in the freezer dept. of most grocery stores. But they are so expensive and commercial sausage usually contains MSG, nitrates, nitrites, and other ingredients’ harmful to our health. But I love those sandwiches, so I make my own. I make them with mini bagels, which usually are found on the bottom shelf in the bread isle beneath the bigger size bagels. I just toast the bagel, add my sausage patty, and an egg. I personally do not like cheese on my breakfast sandwich so I leave it off, but when you are making a sandwich from scratch you can do whatever you want. I found at Wal-Mart an egg poacher for the microwave, making it very easy to prepare the egg for my sandwich. To reheat my sausages, I just pop one into the microwave for a few minutes. Use the reheat button and don’t let it stay in the microwave to long or it will turn hard.

The final tip I have it buy large containers of ground turkey. Some brands add Natural Flavorings (which is a method used to hide MSG in product). I spend a little more money and get a huge container of ground turkey. I used half of it the other day to make a batch of sausage and finished the package today. Today’s batch will go in the freezer.

If you have been avoiding sausage but miss it, why not make your own. It is so easy to do.

More Photos of Scenes I Enjoy All The Time

2010-11-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

Pictures taken around 6pm. Full moon is to the Northeast of house. Sunset is to the Southwest of house. When the moon is full it is so bright outside it is like I have street lamps.

Benefits of Country Living

2010-11-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

Sunrises two days in a row.
Right: Nov. 14. Below: Nov. 15

Vegetable Garden and What To Do With All Those Rocks

2010-11-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

When I think about the folks that settled this land I often wonder about their ruggedness. Homesteading was not easy no matter where they settled, but it must have been much tougher on the Edwards Plateau. It amazes me how different the weather is here compared to San Antonio. Because of the elevation I get a lot more wind. As I write the wind is gusting outside. I recently bought a little weather station that included a wind speed indicator with storm detection ability just to find out how windy it is outside.

Wind is not the biggest problem out here, it is rocks. Rocks are a major asset and a major pain in the neck. There are rocks everywhere. I have lived in areas before considered to have a lot of rocks but nothing compares to this place. I can look out of any window in the house and see hundreds of rocks. They latterly dot the landscape.

One of the goals I had for this land was to grow food. In most parts of the world if you want to plant a vegetable garden you simply rototill the land, plant some seeds and water. Not here. Sometime last spring I started clearing the rocks from an 8 by 12 foot area of land. Once the larger rocks were relocated, I began the tedious process of digging up the grass and small rocks. I soon learned that a hoe works much better at digging up the rocks then a shovel does, but both tools were needed. Once the top layer of rocks and grasses were removed, I slowly, layer by layer, started “hoeing” up rocks. When there was enough gravel and dirt accumulated I would shovel it onto a metal window screen positioned over a wheel barrow. Of course specks of rocks would fall through the screen but the majority of the small rocks and gravel would remain while most of the dirt would fall through into the wheel barrow. The soil here has a high clay content and most of the clumps of clay were too big to fall through the screen.

When I started the work on the first garden plot I had hoped to finish in time to plant some vegetable seeds but the work was slow and tedious. Frequent trips to San Antonio and Kerrville also slowed the work down. But mostly it was all those rocks that made the work so slow. I am guessing I removed over a million rocks, of all sizes, from that 8 by 12 foot plot of land. In the end I was able to dig down about 5 to 6 inches before reaching solid rock.

I started working on this garden plot last spring. I finished the first phase today. This morning I removed my last rock from the garden plot. There is no more digging to be done. I may not have finished in time for the 2010 growing season but I will be ready to plant in the spring.

As I removed the rocks from the dirt I needed a place to put the dirt, so as I finished one side of the plot I returned the dirt to that side. But I also added grass, some prickly pear, and other items to form a compost bed. I am hoping come spring it will all have turned into compost, turning the dirt into fertile soil. This morning I poured several buckets of water on the heap, along with compost starter.

A good foot of soil is needed to grow vegetables so I plan on building up the sides of the garden plot by about 6 inches using rocks. Then I will have a raised vegetable garden. I will have to purchase some good black soil to fill in the plot, but that can wait tell next year. For now I am just celebrating my accomplishment. In years to come I plan on building more vegetable plots so that even more food is grown. The more vegetables that are grown the less have to be purchased at the store.

All those rocks I removed from the ground are being put to use. After pricing how much it will cost to wrap a deck around the house, I decided to reduce the size of that deck and instead make a rock walkway in front of the house. After removing the grass from between the front door and the pipe to the septic system, I placed wagon loads of the small pebbles, gravel, and cliché (clay) so that people will be able to walk to the front door without having to step over the septic pipe and/or walk in mud. Today I basically finished that segment of the walk, though in the future I will probably add some stepping stones. But first a rock wall (skirt) around the mobile home needs to be installed.

I have also been using the gravel and cliché to fill in pot holes down the road from me. This land is located on a road the county does not maintain. Since all the other land owners on this road are absentee, meaning they actually live somewhere else, it is basically up to me to fill in the pot holes.

Even though I did not finish the garden plot in time for the 2010 growing season, I did grow some vegetables. Five large pots full of good black soil were left in front of the house by the previous owner. I have grown lettuce and zucchini in those pots. The tomato plant did not do very well. Neither did the first zucchini plant. Someone ate it one night, leaving barely an inch of stems. So I had to plant new seeds late in the year. That is one danger of having an unfenced garden—critters will help themselves. So a fence is going to have to be built around the garden plot I just completed today. I enjoy seeing the wild animals out here but I do not enjoy sharing the vegetables I work hard to grow with them.

Top Picture: garden plot (the front is filled with dirt, dead grass, and other stuff for composting).
Middle Picture: walk way between stairs and septic pipe.
Bottom Picture: I placed most, but not all, of the large rocks outside the the garden plot as I removed them. The medium size rocks I located elsewhere.

Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair

2010-09-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am currently sitting at my friend's computer here in San Antonio. It has been a very busy week, which started last Saturday when I drove to Fredericksburg, TX, to attend the annual Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair. I have attended several times before and always walk away learning something new. This year I attended two workshops.

The first was on solar cooking, which is a great way to cook for people all around the world who live in sunny environments. There are several non-profit groups trying to provide solar cookers to folks in Africa where coal and wood for cooking is expensive and hard to come by. But more and more folks here in the US are using solar cookers to prepare some or all of their food. It is great for camping too. It is an efficient way to prepare food and once the cooker is made or purchased there is no more expense. The only must have ingredient is patience. There is tons of free sun at The Ranch and so I intend to purchase a solar cooker in the near future. I heard the prices really drop in winter, so I am waiting for cold weather to make my purchase.

The second workshop I attended was on solar water heating. The presenter first discussed all the different technologies available for heating water, pointing out the good and the bad of each technology.
When he finally got to solar water heaters, he discussed the different technologies out there and again discussed the problems and benefits to each one. Since he lives and works in Texas his talk was focused on our needs, which is very hard water but tons of sun. I walked away with valuable information.

Just walking around looking at all the booths is always educational too. This year I learned about a toilet technology, The Enviro Loo, that is legal in Texas and does not need a septic system for disposal. Composting toilets are illegal, but installing septic tanks is not only extremely expensive but difficult in the rocky terrain of Edwards County. The septic tank on The Ranch is only partially buried. This product looks like it could be a great way to provide bathroom facilities for folks living at The Ranch. Of course more study is required.

After leaving the fair I drove straight to San Antonio. I had decided to come on Saturday instead of Monday to save gas, but coming early turned out to be a blessing. Mary fell on Sunday requiring seven stitches in her hand. Mary helped me out when I broke my foot and again last March when I had surgery. It was nice to be here to help her out.

On Tuesday Mary flew to Omaha for a college friend's reunion. I am house sitting for Mary and had my six month checkup with the surgeon on Tuesday and my annual eye exam on Wednesday. Both appointments went well and I got excellent reports. Both doctors want to see me in one year.

This afternoon I will go pick Mary up from the airport. Then tomorrow I plan to return home with a friend who wants to see the bats before they return to Mexico. People come from all over the world to visit the Devil's Sinkhole, a large cavern or collapsed cave, where millions of bats sleep each day and exit at night to go eat trillions of bugs. My friend's car is in need of repair so I said I would take her with me when I return home and bring her back early next week.

It has been a busy week and I will have another busy weekend but every moment has been worth it.

Women's Prayer International

2010-09-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

Every year Women’s Prayer International (WPI) has a celebration dinner, which is part fundraiser and part educational. It is a time where members can invite friends to learn more about this important and life changing ministry. WPI is women coming together once a month to pray for our families, our schools, our communities, our government (all levels), our military, our pastors, and more. We meet once a month in a neighbor’s home. We are Catholics and Protestants. We come from mainline denominational churches and non-denominational churches.

I had decided not to attend the dinner because of expense and time. The last week of September I have to be in San Antonio for doctor appointments so it did not make since to come just for an expensive dinner on September 17. But then the founder, Joan Bond-Courtney called and asked me to share my testimony. Last year I had written her a letter and it was that story she wanted me to share. So I changed my mind and last Wednesday drove to San Antonio, returning home on Saturday.

The testimony I shared at the WPI Celebration Dinner:

I became acquainted with Women’s Prayer International after attending a city wide prayer gathering. There was a woman signing up people who wanted to be part of a prayer group. I signed up, but it turned out there were no groups in my neighborhood, so I was assigned to a group quite a distance to the west of me. At the time I did not have a car and therefore was depended on the bus system to get around. God knew, but I am sure Joan and the volunteers did not know, that bus route 90 passed only 2 blocks from my apartment and went directly to the home where that group met.

Last September a friend and I decided to attend the Renewable Energy Fair, which is held in the Texas Hill Country annually. We drove up there Saturday afternoon and shared a motel room.

I tend to be an early riser and found myself wide awake by 5am. My friend on the other hand was still sound to sleep. Since I did not want to wake her up, turning on the light or TV was not an option. So I started praying. I prayed for my own needs and anyone else I could think of. About 10 minutes later I ran out of friends to pray for. Not wanting to lay in the bed bored, I asked God for help. Immediately the president and government popped into my head. So I started praying for my government officials and any related issues that came to my mind. After I had exhausted that topic, I once again asked God for help, and immediately another topic came to mind. I kept up this pattern until after awhile it suddenly occurred to me I was praying the WPI prayer guide categories I pray monthly with my neighborhood group. I was just praying the categories in a different order. Later when I arrived home I checked and I had prayed every single category on the list.

The last thing I shared with the audience is I now live in Edwards County and while I am excavating rocks, clearing out Mountain Cedar branches and other mindless activities, I often will think of one of the WPI prayer topics and start praying.

In closing I just want to add that I use to find it impossible to pray for an hour so I assumed I could not. I tried methods such as ACTS, but without success. But I learned last year that I can pray for an hour, I just needed the right guide to help me. I have found it. You do not have to be part of a prayer group in order to follow the WPI prayer guide (or prayer focus). You can download a copy of the prayer guide and simply follow the suggestions.

Making Progress

2010-09-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Progress is being made at the ranch. A new floor was installed in the community room and the spare bedroom. The carpet had to be removed due to urine stains and odor in those two rooms. One of the uses I planned for the community room is a library. Now that the floor is in I am setting up bookcases and filling them up with lots of books I have collected over the years. Also, the desk I purchased last month has been delivered and I have been slowly unpacking boxes and getting organized.

Now that the carpet has been removed, the spare bedroom is available. At the moment the room is empty but once God brings the right person to live in it furniture will be obtained, if needed.

Outside I have been very busy too. I spend a couple hours every morning on one or more different projects. The project I have been devoting most of my time to lately is the garden. In order to put a garden in I first have to remove as many rocks as possible from the area. I have been digging down 4 to 6 inches removing dirt, rocks, and occasionally other debris. This garden bed will be about 2 yards by 3 yards and will be a raised bed, since rocks are everywhere. I have removed thousands, possibly even a million rocks from this one small area.

This land is covered in rocks and is layered with rocks. With all the rocks available it makes since to use them for multiple purposes and God has given me lots of ideas.

One idea is to use the rocks to build stone buildings. The first building I envision is a bathroom/shower/laundry facility for folks living in campers or out of their cars. By building such a building I can provide the necessary facilities quickly for people to start living here. Eventually I hope to build some stone cottages, but a multipurpose room such as what is available at camp grounds will at least provide facilities for folks who are in need now. Until a multipurpose building is built, the main house is always available.

I also have many other ideas for ways to use these rocks, all of which in the long run will save money. Instead of buying lumber or other supplies we can just use the free rocks. But there is no way a single person can accomplish all that needs to be done. Volunteers are a must. Volunteers are needed for both outside jobs (building, gardening, etc.) and inside jobs (web site design, bookkeeping, cleaning, etc.).

If you have any interest in relocating to The Ranch, please let me know. I fully understand that each person with MCS and related diseases has different needs. When I was ill I was exhausted all the time and basically bedridden. On the other hand, a friend found physical work (including sweating) actually made her feel better. If you are someone who at the present time cannot imagine even volunteering one hour a day, do not let that stop you from inquiring about coming to the Ranch.

Finally, on September 7 tropical storm Hermine passed right over San Antonio, TX and then the Hill Country, causing flooding and lots of damage. Some areas received a foot of rain. Here at The Ranch the rain gauge recorded ¾ of an inch of rain. If it was not for satellite technology I would never have known Texas was being bombarded by a tropical storm.

Back On The Ranch

2010-08-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

My house sitting ended on Monday when I drove to the airport to pick up my friend. The airport is about a 5 minute drive from her house, which makes picking up folks pretty easy. Just sit by the phone and wait for the call. No waiting at the airport. Pretty easy.

There were a few things we needed to do together so I stayed another day. Basically, I am her computer tech and had to teach her and help her with some computer tasks. No big deal. It was nice to spend a day just visiting and getting things done.

I drove back home on Wednesday, stopping in Kerrville to run a few errands. I usually spend the first part of the trip listening to KLOVE, switching between the San Antonio and Fredericksburg stations, but at some point the static is to much for me and I switch to a Kerrville country music station. It is on that station that I heard an ad for Kerr County Produce. This store sells fresh produce at wholesale prices to the public every Wednesday. After inquiring where A St. is, I eventually made my way there and was happy I did. The store had a great selection of produce at fantastic prices. For example, red bell peppers cost $0.69. I bought 3. Everything there was much cheaper than the same items in the local grocery store. I filled up a paper sack for less than $11.

Besides grocery shopping, I also looked at a desk that a friend wanted to sell. It will fit in the office nicely and take care of the many needs that I need in a desk. The desk and the gas for them to bring it out here only cost me $130. She and her husband are scheduled to come out this Saturday, which means I have been very busy cleaning out the space the desk will occupy. Currently there are file cabinets and a computer in the way.

I also picked up the baseboard and transitions to finish the new floor that is occupying the community room and spare bedroom. The actual floor was installed before I left to go house sit. He is scheduled to come out on Monday and it should only take him a couple hours to finish. Then I will finally be able to finish the unpacking. A mini library is planned for the community room.

I also purchased a can of paint. I really hate painting and am hoping a second coat of paint is all that is needed to finish that living room. After that, only a few more tasks to be completed and this house will finally be what I have envisioned all along.

Though this house is my home, it is also a community center. What the builders meant to be a family room, I am turning into a community room. The walls will be lined with bookshelves for the mini-library. Chairs and/or a table will sit in the middle of the room. It is a great spot for small group meetings and other activities. This is a 3 bedroom house. I occupy the master bedroom. One of the spare bedrooms I turned into AOCCCI’s office. The other spare bedroom is available for anyone needing someplace to live. Currently there is no furniture in there, but I plan on getting at least a bed.

As I write this it is almost 7 am. Before I took off to house sit I would have been outside working. I like to spend the cool mornings outside removing rocks from the future garden, gathering up cedar branches to burn when the burn ban is lifted, and many other outside tasks. Only 10 days ago by now the sun would have risen enough for me to see what I am doing. But as I sit here it is still pretty dark outside. I can see the beginnings of the day, but there is not enough light to venture safely outside.

When I lived in the city I rarely paid attention to the sun rising or setting. Now that my daily activities are governed by sun I am noticing just how quickly the days are becoming shorter. It is truly amazing the daily changes in the sun’s rotation. I am pretty far south. I am sure the changes are much more dramatic farther north, especially in Canada.

With each passing minute I am seeing more light outside. By the time I post this, get my shoes on and do everything I need to do before venturing outside, there should be enough light to safely walk in the tall grass. So by for now. May God bless each of our days.

House Sitting

2010-08-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Monday I drove to San Antonio, where I have been ever since. I am house sitting for a good friend who is at her high school reunion. My duties have been pretty simply, feed the cats (former strays that live outdoors), water some plants, and just watch the house. I brought a lot of work with me, so I have been keeping pretty busy this week.

Tuesday morning I took my friend to the airport and then visited a few stores. Didn't spend much but did get some good ideas of how I can solve a few problems back at the ranch. Spent some time visiting with a friend who live only a few blocks away. I also worked on a computer issue for the friend I am house sitting for. I happen to be her computer tech.

That evening when it was not as hot, I washed my very filthy car. Living on a dirt road means the car is always filthy. Since I already had everything out and was wet, I washed my friend's car too.

Wednesday morning I worked on future newsletters. Then after lunch I went to my former church and put in a few hours working in the library. I have been on the library team at that church for years and it was kind of nice to get out of the house and see some old friends. I put in about 3 hours in the library and got a lot done. The exercise was helpful too.

Thursday spent the entire day working on newsletters. Just assembling one newsletter takes about a day to complete and I am currently working on assembling enough newsletters for the rest of the year. I continued this task on Friday. I have made great progress but still have a lot more to do.

A few months ago I began to notice my lap top occasionally felt hot. Then one day it shut down unexpectedly. These symptoms continued to occur and grew more frequent. The last time I was in San Antonio I stopped by the computer store hoping to get it fixed. Unfortunately there was a back log of computers needing to be repaired. We discussed my symptoms and the decision was made to just order a fan and I could bring the lap top in later. It wound up taking three weeks for the fan to be ordered and delivered (not the store's fault, but the parts company did not respond quickly). The fan arrived on Thursday. Yesterday morning I took my lap top in and it was repaired by the afternoon. Hopefully I will have no more computer problems.

Last night I started reading The Federalist Papers. Fortunately my friend has a good dictionary because I need it. The Federalist Papers is not light reading but it is very enlightening. There is a lot about the history of this nation that most of us just do not know about.

My plans for the rest of today is to meet someone for a business lunch. Then I will probably return to the house and do some reading or other work. Tomorrow (Sunday) I will go to church in the morning, have lunch with a friend from Church, and then return to the house. Monday evening I will pick my friend from the airport.

I knew my friend wanted me to house sit for her but knowing how busy I am she did not want to really ask. God though kept showing me work I could do here and as you have read I have been keeping quite busy. I doubt I will complete everything I brought with me to work on. But that is okay. Least I have taken care of my friend's home and gotten a lot of personal work accomplished too.

Progress Is Being Made

2010-08-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday afternoon as I write this. I had a wonderful time at church this morning. I really enjoy my Sunday School teacher which is saying a lot. Having completed half the required classes for a Master of Divinity degree, I often get bored as I know more than most lay teachers, but this guy does an excellent job. I also like the simple country ways of the preacher. His simple sermons are to the point and perfect for this country community.

In San Antonio I attended a rather large city church. The membership population of the church is a lot larger than the entire population of Edward’s County, the home of AOCCCI. The church I now attend in Rocksprings is your basic country church but it is growing and doing a lot of good things in the community. God is really using it. Another unique feature of this church, which you will never find in a large city church, is that chickens live on the property. Often one can see the rooster and chickens roosting in a tree behind the parsonage. Today I saw a mother hen with half a dozen baby chicks following her. All I can say is they were sooooo cute.

Edwards County is basically a dry county and water is precious here, so all efforts to conserve water must be employed. Before I moved here I attended a rain water catchment seminar where each participant was sent home with a rain barrel. I positioned my rain barrel in a spot where rain water naturally falls off the roof. It has filled up several times since I moved here, but is currently running on empty. I also positioned buckets in spots where rain water naturally falls off the roof. All this water has gone to watering the garden. Not only does this save water but it also saves electricity. The only other source of water on the property is from the well. It takes electricity to run the well pump that pulls the precious water out of the ground. The Edwards Aquifer is large, covering hundreds of miles, but San Antonio (one of the largest cities in the country) also draws its water from the same aquifer, so conservation is a must. Capturing rain water just makes a lot of practical since.

In case you do not know, an AC produces a lot of distilled water, which most is just wasted. I had seen the white plumber’s pipe lying on the ground. I had no idea why it was there. Earlier this month I spoke to an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) expert. About a week later I walked by the white pipe. The air conditioner was running and I noticed the ground was all wet where the pipe ended. Then it occurred to me, that pipe was draining the excess water the AC was producing. My eventual goal is to feed that pipe into a rain water barrel but until then I have lifted the pipe so the water can flow into a metal watering pan. My hope is the deer find the water soon and start visiting the house. It is pretty dry outside since it has not rained in awhile and I know the deer are thirsty.

This has been a very busy week for me. No house is perfect and shortly after getting the key I discovered one big problem. The previous owner’s dog had used two rooms in the house as his toilet. I shampooed all the carpets in the house but the family room and one of the spare bedrooms was not salvageable. The stench was just unbearable. I purchased new flooring for the rooms months ago but not until this week were they installed.

God has been good in leading me to several excellent handymen. In July a handyman replaced all the electrical sockets in the living room (they all had been painted), ceiling fans installed in the two small bedrooms, and a small plumbing job. Another handyman installed some solar shades for me in the living room. The shades allow me to look out onto this beautiful land but block out the harsh sun. After three weeks in Florida, the first handyman returned and on Tuesday he called to see if he could come out and start on the floor. It took three days of hard work but now the pee soaked carpet is gone and family room (future community room) and the small bedroom (which I plan to rent out to someone) have a beautiful new floor. I am so happy. It won’t be long now and this place will start looking like I envisioned it back in January.

Company

2010-08-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Another very busy month has come and gone. It is hard for me to believe it is already August. Though it feels like yesterday, actually it was eight months ago that I signed the papers on this land and started the process of moving myself and the ministry here. Time sure does fly by fast these days.

The first part of July I was pretty busy. I have never taken the time to sit down and make a list of all the different projects I am working on, I just know there are a lot. Every day I pick whatever I am in the mood to do that day and start working. Slowly I am making progress but I really could use some help. There is just too much that needs to be done for any one person do accomplish. I am doing my best.

The second half of July I did take a break to play hostess. On July 23 I picked up my mother’s best friend from the airport. Back in the late 1970’s my mom and Christine worked together at the Department of Health Services for the State of California. Both were young attorneys and became lifelong friends. I was in high school at the time. So Christine is like family to me and I have wanted her to come out and see the Ranch for some time. Christine now practices law in Jacksonville, FL and getting away was difficult for her but she managed to squeeze in a few days to come out and see me and this part of Texas for the first time. She loved the rural countryside, this land, seeing me, and everything we did. It was a quick trip but she really did enjoy herself.

There was one surprise that neither of us could have predicted. Saturday after a leisurely morning, we went outside to go for a nice walk on the ranch, only to be greeted by three dogs; a Jack Russell Terrier, a pure white Shepherd mix, and a Bull Mastiff. All three dogs were soooo loving and wanted nothing more than some food, water, petting, and rest. I had just purchased a bag of cat food and so we fed the dogs some cat food and filled a container with water. The dogs ate up the food, drank the water and then laid down for a much needed rest as Christine and I went for our walk. The dogs never left the front yard but got up to greet us every time they saw us. We both fell in love with the dogs.

The dogs’ behavior made it clear these were pets who most likely were dumped on the side of the road, unfortunately a common practice among people who can no longer afford their dogs or just do not want them. The Bull Mastiff had a choke chain on and the other two dogs were wearing very old flea collars. All the dogs were covered in fleas, ticks, and showed signs of injury. The terrier clearly got to close to a prickly pear cactus as we pulled a lot of stickers out of her. Our hearts just went out to these poor dogs. That evening we drove to Rocksprings and purchased dog food and some bones for our visitors. The next morning I left a huge barrel of water for the dogs, the entire bag of dog food (minus what they ate the night before) and gave them the bones. Christine had fallen in love with the terrier and thought a neighbor (who just lost a dog) would love her too and might want to adopt her. So on Saturday Christine purchased the terrier a plane ticket and we took her with us. I dropped both off at the San Antonio airport mid Sunday morning.

I fully expected the other two dogs would still be at the house when I returned on Tuesday but sadly both had taken off, leaving most of the food behind. I have not seen them since. I just pray a dog lover found them and is taking good care of them. Some ranchers will shoot stray dogs because it is impossible to take care of all the dogs people dump out in the country. But these dogs are so loving I know they will make wonderful pets.

I did not return home alone on Tuesday. I brought a good friend, Mary, with me who I have wanted to see the ranch since it was purchased. I stay with her every time I go to San Antonio and share with her everything I am doing. She had a wonderful time seeing the ranch, visiting Rocksprings and going on the tour to the Devil’s Sinkhole (a collapsed cavern), a Texas Natural Area where millions of bats sleep during the day each summer. It is quite a site to see these bats exit the sinkhole at dusk to fly 60 miles south to eat millions of bugs each night.

I took Mary home on Thursday. I then did a few things in San Antonio, including having lunch with another friend on Friday. Saturday morning I picked up an order of Angel Food and that afternoon I drove back to the ranch. It is good to be back home.

The past couple of weeks have been an exhausting but exhilarating time entertaining my friends. I am so glad both were able to come out and see my world and that both had a great time. Now it is time to get back to work.

Service, Work, Donations, and Blessed Rain

2010-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over a week since my last trip to San Antonio. I made the trip to attend a friend’s memorial service on June 21. Sue was 85 years old and had been sick for the last year of her life. Her daughter informed us all that this was a party and it certainly was as we sang many of Sue’s favorite hymns. It really was a joyous time as we all knew Sue is now happy, healthy, and full of life in heaven with Jesus.

I took advantage to my time in San Antonio to visit my Women’s Neighborhood Prayer group friends and attend the monthly prayer meeting. Since moving I have only been able to attend two of those meetings and it is always a joy to see those women and to pray for our country with them. Whenever I am in San Antonio the last week of the month, if it is possible I make an effort to attend that prayer meeting. The US (including local governments, families, schools, etc.) is in serious trouble and we need to pray.

Last December Norm Grimmett (church deacon) and I had visited two home-bound seniors, taking them the Lord’s Supper. Both Kay and Helen were really grateful and we enjoyed the visit too. The Care Team may think our purpose is to minister to and bless our home-bound church members, but the truth is we get just as much blessing from reaching out to them as they get from us. Well, in May I received a post card informing me the deacons wanted to provide the Communion to the home-bound again. So I contacted Norm and told him if it could be arranged I would like to accompany him to provide the Lord’s Supper to Kay and Helen again. Both women were upset with me moving out to the country and I knew they would be thrilled to see me again. After a few phone calls were made, that Wednesday Norm and I carpooled to Helen’s home (a 30 minute drive) and visited with her before all sharing in the Lord’s Supper together. After that we drove to the Assisted Living Facility Kay had moved to after falling last February. Once again Norm and I had a nice visit and then the three of us shared the Lord’s Supper together. Both women were grateful we had made the trip to bring them this sacred sacrament.

It was time for lunch when we left Kay’s room. So Kay went off to lunch at the facility and Norm and I went to a local restaurant. Afterward I returned to Kay. Kay is still in the process of cleaning out her house to be sold. She wanted to donate a bunch of tools to AOCCCI. So I picked her up and drove her to her house. While she looked for some things in her home she wanted to take back to the facility, I selected tools out of the shed I thought would be useful here at the ranch. I came home with several metal rakes, a bunch of shovels, a hoe, pick ax, and a few other items. Afterward I took Kay and several bags of stuff back to her room at the facility. She was very grateful the tools were going to good use and I am thankful for the donations.

Thursday I made the long drive back to the ranch, where I have been for the past week. It seems no matter how much I get done here there is still more to do. Friday and Saturday I had to address the water well pump quitting on me. Same problem both days—it doesn’t take much for the pressure switch electrical connection to be disrupted. Causes include rust, ants, other insects…. A neighbor helped me on Friday but Saturday I had to drive to town and purchase new parts and emery boards which cleaned off the pressure switch allowing the electrical connection to occur.

Sunday evening Rocksprings Baptist had an old fashioned Baptismal service at the river, where more than half a dozen folks were baptized. Afterward we had a church picnic. It was a lot of fun.

Monday I painted the living room. Looks a lot better than before but is in need of a second coat of paint.

Tuesday the wind that had plagued the area all month was finally still, allowing me to burn a bunch of paper (bills and other private documents), an old tattered flag, and lots of cedar branches. I managed to get it all burned even though rain threatened all morning. I also hauled a bunch of rocks to the house. Wednesday I hauled even more rocks. Plans are to build a rock wall skirt around the house.

Thursday morning I drove to Rocksprings where I spent an hour volunteering in the library and ran a few errands. I then returned home.

Though Hurricane Alex hit Mexico Wednesday evening, Texas also has been touched by this storm. Of course the gulf cities received most of the rain, but I have seen rain off and on all day yesterday and today (Friday). Since Edwards County was in danger of going into stage 1 water restrictions if we did not get rain this week, this rain is a blessing.

In anticipation of the rain I placed 5 gallon buckets and a garbage can in strategic places to catch water as it poured off the roof. Around noon today during a lull in the rain I went out to check. Since Thursday morning the rain gauge measured about 3.5 inches of rain and every container is filled to the brim with water. The rain barrel is now half full.

It is possible to live a modern day life without a well or access to city water. In the Texas Hill Country a family is doing just that. All their water comes from catching rain water. Water wells around here tend to have low pressure and can supply just so much water. So it makes since to think about the future and install more rain water barrels. There is already a cistern on the property that can hold a lot more water then my little rain barrel. Hopefully it can be converted into a rain water storage container. It sits next to the cabin so it should be easy to convert. It is also nearby an area perfect for gardening.

Finally, I want to share I have twice now spotted a rabbit running under the cabin when I walk by. Clearly the critter has a home there. The question is: is this rabbit a he or a she with a nest full of babies?

And lastly, for those in the United States…Happy 4th of July!

Busy in June

2010-06-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe June is half over. Once again time seems to be flying. On June 6, right after church, I headed to San Antonio. I had several doctor appointments to attend. Monday was for an annual appt. Tuesday was a checkup with the heart surgeon. Then on Wednesday I saw my primary care physician. I have wanted to get a tetanus booster for some time now, but learned I had to have a doctor appt. if I wanted insurance to pay. Insurance companies can be so dumb. They won’t pay for a $60 vaccine without a doctor diagnosis of an abrasion, but no problem paying for a hospital stay and months of therapy due to lock jaw. Sadly, people do contact lock jaw every year. 1 and out 5 who get the virus, which is found in soil, will die. The rest will have lifelong medical issues resulting from the virus. A tetanus shot prevents all this. They say we should get a booster every 10 years but you can become at risk sooner than that. With all the work I am doing out here, I am getting scratched and poked, resulting in mild bleeding frequently. Getting the shot is worth the peace of mind.

I came home Thursday, June 10. Always nice to get home but it can be a long drive. I had to make a number of stops in Kerrville. One of those stops is always at the grocery store for food.

Saturday Pastor Albert and his wife Karen Green hauled my mattress in their truck from the mattress store in San Antonio and delivered it to my back door. I can now sleep in my new bed in the master bedroom. I had been sleeping in my old bed in the office. The master has a ceiling fan, the office does not. Though while in San Antonio I bought ceiling fans for the office and spare bedroom. It is hot in those rooms and a ceiling fan is necessary to save on cooling costs. I am very thankful to Pastor Albert and his wife for bringing me my mattress. The person who originally promised to help me get it here has been unable to do so due to his elderly father’s declining health and multiple hospital stays.

I have been busy working ever since I got home. Outside I have gardening to do, rocks to haul, and much more. Today I filled a 5 gallon bucket half full with caliche and carried it about half a mile to a pot hole in the road. Still needs more but I need a wagon to haul anymore. I am collecting rocks to build a rock wall skirt around the mobile home. Need to get the north wall done as soon as possible. The back door is on the north wall and those stairs to the door are dangerous. They were never built properly. Once the skirt is built on the north wall, a deck and new stairs will be built there.

I have been busy working inside too. There is always bookkeeping to do, computer work to finish, emails to read, and much more. I spent last night cleaning the two bathrooms.

Last fall I started feeling an urgency to go looking for land. That is when I hopped in my car and took off for the Texas Hill Country. I had planned on visiting a number of realtors and assumed it would take awhile to find the land God wanted me to purchase. Instead the very first realtor led me to this property. I am once again feeling that urgency. There is so much to do here, so little money, very few volunteers, and an urgency to get it done. Places need to be built for people to live in. The other day stone buildings occurred to me. There are a number of old stone houses in Rocksprings. There are plenty of rocks on this land with which to use to build with. God just needs to supply people who know how to construct a stone building. I am sure He will.

This Saturday I will be returning to San Antonio. A dear friend (Sue McClellan) passed away a few weeks ago at the age 85 and her service will be held on Monday. She had been sick for awhile and now is healthy, well, and mentally alert in Heaven. Her sister, Polly Wiggins, worked with me in the church library for years. I had a wonderful visit with Polly last week. She is moving to a retirement community in the Phoenix area next weekend and will be near her daughter. Polly will be 90 years old on July 4th. I probably will never see her again on this side of eternity. So it was good to spend a little time with her.

Please keep Sue’s loved ones in prayer as this is a difficult time for them. And pray for workers and donations to come to this ranch. People are contacting me and it is just a matter of time before folks start showing up.

Mission Opportunities

2010-05-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Living out in the country has both its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are obvious; the quiet, beauty, nature all around.

Disadvantages also exist. If I crave something but do not have it in the house, tough. There is a small store in Rocksprings, a Super S. But the nearest decent size grocery store and Wal-Mart is an hour away in Kerrville. Believe me; I keep paper attached to the fridge so I can keep a running list of what I need at the store. It would be a real drag to drive to Kerrville and forget something at the grocery store. On the bright side, I no longer succumb to fattening cravings.

It can be very inconvenient living so far from civilization. It is hard to get large purchases delivered and when the company will deliver, they charge a lot. A few months ago I purchased a mattress. A friend had said he would help me bring it home since the company refuses to deliver so far away. Unfortunately things came up and he has been unable to do so. I have found someone else with a truck who can pick it up for me and I am anxiously waiting.

No matter how inconvenient it is living out here or how lonely I may get at times, it is worth it because I am here doing God’s will. For over a decade I have been making decisions based on God calling me to help people who are sick like I use to be, who need help, and who still need to discover God still heals.

I will admit though that at times this project seems overwhelming. There is so much to do. No single person can get it all done, let alone have all the needed skills. I have been doing what I can do and praying for volunteers to help with the rest. The need is great and urgent. Just last week I received a letter from a woman in need. She is very ill and had a long list of medical problems, so many she can no longer take care of herself. She also mentioned a couple with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) who also are in need. Then last Friday I received a call from a man who also has MCS. He is not sure what he is going to do but does not want to spend another winter in Montana.

If you have a desire to spend a few days out in the country spending some time doing missions, let me know. I have plenty of room (1,700 sq ft house) for people to stay. I have two airbeds, a twin bed in the office, and soon a double bed in the master.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Install a laminate floor in the community room;
Build a small deck (8ft by 19ft) and stairs off the back door;
Build raised vegetable gardening beds (rock walls);
Convert a cistern into a rain barrel for catching and storing rain water for watering the garden;
Minor house repairs;
Sawing/trimming dead Mountain Cedar trees to be used in building projects, burning off the left twigs;
Cleaning out a cabin/shed;
Painting;
Plus more…

ao_communities@yahoo.com

Outdoor Activities

2010-05-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

There are several outdoor chores I tackle on a regular basis. One is tackling the many piles of dead Mountain Cedar trees in view of the house. Mountain Cedar is not actually a cedar tree, but is related to Juniper. Each pile contains 2 to 5 dead trees. The trunk branches of the trees I am saving for various purposes. My first goal is to build a compost bin. I bought a plastic compost bin at Lowe’s but it started breaking within a few weeks of use. It was a colossal waste of money. I still use it but only until I have built a better one. I plan on using the smaller trunk branches for the compost bin. I am saving the really big branches for fencing. Many around here use Cedar for fence posts. The smaller branches and twigs I am burning, along with other waste. Hopefully I will finish this project by the end of the summer.

Another project is my tiny vegetable garden. The previous owner left some planters with wonderful black soil. Last March I cleaned out the dead plants and planted some vegetable seeds and baby vegetable plants. Because there is no fence I have been in battle with raccoons. Friday I discovered my 8 inch tall pepper plant had been completely eaten. Today I took the seeds from a red bell pepper I purchased on my last trip to Kerrville and went out and planted them all. Hopefully some of the seeds will sprout and the raccoons will leave these plants alone. I am praying for my plants protection.

Besides the little vegetable garden I have planted a lot of watermelon seeds right into the ground. So far I do not have watermelon plants but I keep hoping. If I ever do get a bounty of crops, I plan on sharing. At the moment there is only me, though I pray that changes soon. But even so it will be awhile before there are enough folks here to eat everything that is grown. There are a lot of hungry poor people around here to share with.

Friday I spent four hours in the morning working on these two projects. My pile of Cedar branches is growing. I was able to burn two tree trunks. I then filled my watering can with rain water from my rain barrel and watered my little garden. I obtained the rain barrel last December when I attended a rain water catchment seminar in San Antonio. I learned a lot and am very thankful for the rain barrel. I brought it out here on the first trip of the move and we just put it in the back of the house where it stayed until yesterday. The first time I checked out the barrel after moving here, I was surprised to discover it was more than half full. We had placed it in a great location for water to flow into the barrel from off the roof. Within another month the barrel was totally full. Just one problem, we had placed it on the ground and I was unable to attach a hose to the spigot to get the water out. It needed to be elevated. A wooden platform was lying around so I grabbed it and moved it near the barrel. I had to wait for someone to come help me lift the now full barrel onto the wooden platform but once I got that help I was able to screw the hose onto the spigot and start drawing water from the barrel.

It didn’t take me long to realize I did not like the barrel behind the house. Everything I needed to water was in front of the house. So every time I wanted some water I had to grab my watering can, go fill it up from the rain barrel or the only outdoor water spigot, which also is in back of the house, then walk around to the front of the house to water the plants. Then I would make another trip around to the back of the house to refill the watering can. This became very old real quick.

Well, Friday I emptied as much of the water as I was going to be able to empty. The water was now coming out at such a slow rate I just left the spigot open to let it drain onto the ground. Saturday’s I like to do relaxing jobs and just stay inside. There is plenty to do inside too. But Sunday after church I decided to go out and try and move the barrel to the front of the house. It was easier to do then I had expected. Once everything was moved to the front, I positioned the platform on some rocks to elevate it even more. Then I hauled the barrel onto the platform and hooked the hose to it. I made sure to place the barrel at a spot where the rain would likely flow off the roof.

Now all I needed was some rain, but rain had not been in the forecast. Saturday through Monday wind was forecasted and it has been very windy. The rest of the week was suppose to be partly sunny. But not once had I seen rain forecasted for the entire week. So I expected a long wait before my rain barrel started filling up.

Guess what, this morning it started raining. I went outside to see if the barrel was catching any rain and noticed the rain was missing the hole by a couple of inches. So I put some shoes on and went out in the rain to move the barrel so the water flowing off the roof would land right in the hole. I also took the lid off the compost bin so it would get a little water. So far today I have seen three short storms. Not much rain has fallen but it doesn’t take much to fill up a rain barrel as even a little rain pouring off a roof is a lot of water.

An hour ago when it started raining again I decided to check the forecast. It had drastically changed from just a couple days ago. Rain is now forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday. I just heard thunder way off in the distance. At this rate I should be able to use the rain water to water my little vegetable garden in a short amount of time.

Thank you Jesus for today’s rain.

Busy Trips to San Antonio

2010-05-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it has been an entire month since I last shared what is going on. It feels like it was just the other day. There is so much to do that every day I look around and decide what I am in the mood to do and get busy doing it. With so many things needing to be done I guess it is just easy to forget about this blog. For that I once again apologize.

Since last writing I have made two trips to San Antonio. The first trip was a spur of the moment decision. The first Thursday of May is the National Day of Prayer. For years now I and a hundred(s) other people have gathered at the steps of the San Antonio City Hall for a prayer service. Somehow it just doesn’t seem right to not gather with others in prayer for our country on the National Day of Prayer. Since I no longer live in San Antonio I went to the National Day of Prayer web site to see what prayer events were taking place near me. I was saddened to discover nothing was scheduled for Rocksprings. I did find an event in Kerrville, which is an hour away, but nothing closer. After thinking about it for a few hours I decided I would just head to San Antonio on Wednesday and return home Thursday afternoon, after the prayer event was over. Besides prayer, I also made this decision because I knew the Sam’s Club had filing cabinets for sale and I have needed to purchase several. So I called my friend Mary and told her I was coming. Thankfully she is always happy to have me stay with her.

My closest full time neighbor is Lionel. I don’t know him very well but he has made it clear anytime I need help I can call on him. I returned home late on Thursday, so Friday morning I drove over to his place and asked for help. With Lionel’s help the two of us were able to get the filing cabinet into the family room. Over the weekend I cut up the box and removed the filing cabinet.

Saturday I spent several hours loading my car with flat rocks perfect for stepping stones. My friend Mary has a bad mud problem. When it rains, the area right outside her kitchen door becomes a muddy lake. She is always helping others and I wanted to help her. So I loaded my car with the stepping stones and then right after church on Sunday I headed to San Antonio. Mary had no idea what I was planning.

Mary is a volunteer chaplain at the University Hospital. Every Monday she visits all the patients on one particular floor and I knew she would be gone for several hours. That morning while she was getting ready I went and purchased over 20 bags of pea gravel. Then as soon as she took off, I put my hiking/work boots on got to work. A mutual friend, Frances, came over to help. The biggest help was bringing her gardening wagon she had just gotten for Mothers’ day. I really didn’t expect to get everything done before Mary got back from the hospital, but with Frances’ cart and assistance, the two of us were able to unload my car and get everything in place long before Mary returned. I was even able to take a shower before she got home. Believe me; the look on Mary’s face when she saw what Frances and I had done was worth every penny spent and every drop of sweat I perspired. We even got to see our work in action as San Antonio got a 2.72 inch rain storm the morning before I left. No muddy lake.

Tuesday I spent running errands, including paying an arm and a leg to get my car washed. I hate spending the money because I know it will get dirty on the outside just driving home as I live one mile from a paved road. But after piling all those rocks and bags of gravel into my car, it was pretty dirty on the inside too.

Tuesday morning a prayer meeting met in Mary’s house. I joined them. Tuesday evening there is a prayer meeting at church. This is truly a prayer meeting, no talking about prayer needs in advance, we just pray. I attend it every time I am in town. Then Friday morning Mary had the Women’s Prayer International prayer meeting also meet in her home. I stayed for it once Mary told me about it and it is a good thing I did. If that prayer meeting had not been scheduled I would have left bright and early and been caught in a down pour. It rained so hard none of the members of the group were able to come. By the time it stopped raining in San Antonio there were tornado watch boxes on Hwy 41, which I have to travel most of to get home. So I stayed put in San Antonio until Saturday. Better to be safe.

Wednesday I had a luncheon engagement at the pastor’s home. They are inviting different Sunday School classes over. I had a wonderful time seeing many of my old friends and seeing their beautiful home. This pastor is fairly new to the church, less than two years. Saw more friends on Wednesday night when I went to the weekly dinner/Bible Study at church.

Originally I was going to leave on Thursday and by now I was anxious to come home, but Mary had a table to fill up at the annual Agape Pregnancy Help Center fundraiser. It was underwritten. I had a great meal and the key note speakers were fantastic. I really enjoyed myself. This ministry is saving lives, both women and babies. Keep them and/or your local crises pregnancy center in your prayers.

As stated earlier I had intended to come home on Friday but the weather kept me stranded in San Antonio tell Saturday. I had a very long fruitful week there but was very glad to come home and get back to work here. Before leaving San Antonio I again stopped at the Sam’s Club and purchased another filing cabinet. Thank you Lionel for helping me get it into the house. I also filled up my gas tank. I have discovered gas can be as much as 10 cents a gallon cheaper at the Sam’s Club gas stations. Since this discovery I make Sam’s Club my last stop before heading home.

There is a lot to do here and I really am in need of donations and volunteers. Since returning I have been back at work sawing Mountain Cedar branches, cleaning and organizing the house, moving rocks, cleaning out the storage cabin, and more. My workload is never ending. There have been volunteers out here but no one has come in the past month. Pray for volunteers. I have received some donations, but since moving I have had major problems getting mail forwarded and donations are way down. Pray donations pick up soon.

Feasting on Rain

2010-04-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a very soggy week. In case you are unaware of Texas weather, south and west Texas got hit hard by rainfall. When it comes to rain, in South Texas it is either feast or famine.

For the past couple years it was famine, one of the worst doubts in recorded history, making Texas a dry, hot and dusty place. Last summer in San Antonio, every high temperature record was broken and then broken again. In fact every day that summer we broke between one to three records as we reached 100f (38c) or above day after day. So when the rains began to come, everyone in Texas began to praise God.

This past week it has been feast. The first three days I saw drizzle to light rain, about 0.20 inch rain daily. Then on Thursday I saw down pours that were unbelievable. At times I could not even see out my windows as they were covered in sheets of water. That evening the rain subsided again into light rain so I trudged through the standing water to my rain gauge to see just how much rain had fallen that day. My gauge only holds 6 inches and it was all the way to the brim. Friday I would see another 1.60 of rain and Saturday a mere 0.25 inches of rain.

This land is very rocky and so it takes awhile for the rain to seep into the ground. As I look out the windows day after day I have felt like I am living in a swamp. I can see pools of water out every window. I literally am living in a marsh right now. Because of all the water I am stuck inside and suffering from a severe case of cabin fever. I want nothing more than to get outside and enjoy nature while I do some outside work. But right now the land is to wet for any outdoor activities.

When I first purchased this property I had plenty of ideas of what I could do to quickly make it a viable place for people in need to come live. But during the past couple months I have realized those first ideas are not practical. At first I thought about a campsite, and though I will allow folks to camp here until better accommodations can be built, this land is very windy. I have lived in windier places but when the wind picks up I think trying to live in a tent would be uncomfortable. Living in a car would be better. Another problem with a camp ground is this land is rocky. Rocks are everywhere and many of the rocks cannot be moved. So, if people want to camp out on the land it will be permitted, but I do not think very comfortable.

Then I got over 6 inches of rain on Wednesday. During the times I was able to look outside the windows I noticed the rain seemed to flow from the north side of the house towards the south side. Though it has not rained today (Sunday) the south side is still full of water while on the other sides of the house the water has soaked into the ground and I just see mud. But on the south side I still see pools of water. This is valuable information. While most of the 20 acres are to the west of the house, I now know how the land flows by the house. It is also apparent to me that all buildings need to be built off the ground. Due to the feast/famine nature of rain around here, placing buildings on cement slabs is dumb. All buildings need to be off the ground so when heavy rains come, the buildings won’t flood.

I admit I am tired of the rain. The forecasters say we should have one more dry day and then more rain is due. Today I learned I had more rain than anyone else I know at church. Most of them got 3 to 4 inches, but one guy saw none. So I am happy to share with him. May God move next week’s rain clouds onto his property. But whatever happens next week with the rain, no matter how bad my cabin fever gets, this past week of rain has given me valuable insight into the land I now live on and is the home of AOCCCI.

Volunteer Help Came For A Visit

2010-04-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Another very busy week has passed. Last week some friends drove up from San Antonio to volunteer their time. They completed a lot of minor repairs that needed doing around here. They did not have the time to stay to complete any of the bigger projects. But least the toilet seat stays in place and the dryer works now, along with another dozen small maintenance repair jobs. There is a lot to do out here that I just do not have the skill knowledge to complete and I really value these friends who come out and give me a hand. But these friends all have responsibilities elsewhere and can never stay long. I really need someone living here full time to help complete the many tasks that still need to be done. A few of the more urgent tasks to be completed include replacing the back staircase (not up to code and is dangerous), installing a floor in the community room, and building raised garden beds.

So far most of the expenses out here I have been footing, but I am quickly running out of cash. Donations are a must, but as I tell people—sick people don’t donate. Which means donations have to come from those individuals who are able to give. Every little bit helps. It will be impossible to purchase or build cabins for people to live in unless there are donations to cover the cost. Right this moment I could take a major step towards fulfilling a goal of this ministry if AOCCCI had $30,000, but it doesn’t. I have been praying for the money to come in. Please join me in praying for this money and if you can make a donation, no matter how small, it will be greatly appreciated.

Last week the Texas AgriLife Exension Service, which is part of the Texas A&M System, offered well water testing for only $5. When the house was inspected before sale, the inspector had the water tested and bacteria were discovered. Everyone always believed the bacteria was due to no one living here for the past year. The water was treated and a $35 home test found no signs of bacteria. I knew though that the water needed to be professionally tested and when I read about this service in the Texas Mohair Weekly, I made sure to participate. Saturday I received the results and the water passed all the tests. There are no bacteria, nitrates, or anything else bad in the water. Though this land is over the Edwards Aquifer, the same source of water for San Antonio, the distance is so great that it might as well be two different aquifers. The water out here is a lot better then what I drank when I lived in San Antonio and any contamination that occurs in San Antonio will not affect my well.

The needs here extend farther than just maintenance. It has been apparent to me from the day this property was purchased that a new web site needed to be created. A web site is a very time consuming job to take on. I know as I have done a number of them. But paying someone else to do it will cost thousands, which AOCCCI just does not have right now. Unless someone volunteers to do this job, I will have to do it. But first I need to purchase web design software. What I have always used in the past is very out of date. Web design software is not cheap, but a must. After that I will have to take time out of my very busy days to work on the site. I have been praying for months that God would provide someone else to do this job, but no one has come forward and a new site really needs to be completed. One thing about web design, it does not matter where the web designer lives, the Internet is everywhere. So someone volunteering for this job would not need to even live in the US.

I have had several inquiries from people who have a desire to come out here or know someone with MCS who is homeless. The individuals who have expressed a desire to come here all had a valid reason why the trip is undoable. The homeless person has yet to contact me. If anyone does need a place to stay, they can camp on the land. Eventually (hopefully in a few months) the spare bedroom in this house will be available for someone to live in, but at the moment it is being used for storage.

Hopefully before the year is over with there will be others living on this land, but right now it is very quiet outside. There are spring flowers blooming. The vegetable seeds I planted in a few garden pots are sprouting. I threw melon seeds out in the grass and rocks which hopefully are also sprouting. It will be nice to have a little bit of home grown food in a few months and hopefully the raccoons and other critters will leave enough for me to share with others.

Good Friday

2010-04-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

I returned home on Monday after spending almost 3 weeks in San Antonio. On March 13 I attended a brunch fund raiser for the Women’s Prayer International (WPI). I really enjoyed the speaker, Betty Moni, and even purchased her book, Butterfly Life In A Caterpillar World, though I have only read one chapter so far. On March 16 my old (WPI) prayer group was meeting and I was able to attend. It really felt great to spend time praying for our nation with them again. Then on March 18 I had a cardiac procedure to close a PFO (patent foramen ovale—specific type of hole in my heart). It was successful and I got great care while recuperating in San Antonio.

By Sunday the desire to return home started to grow. My friend Rick had wanted to return with me so I would not be alone, and install a new floor for me, but his dad has been having health crises and he was needed at home. So Monday I drove home alone. I enjoyed staying with my friend Mary and will be staying at her house in the future, but it is great to finally be back home.

Since coming home I have spent most of my time doing indoor work. I have so much paperwork to accomplish it is unreliable. I really need help out here. Until yesterday I have had been restricted to how much weight I can lift, which prevents me from doing much outside. But I have started doing some minor gardening. I planted some seeds in pots left by the previous owner. I have also tossed cantaloupe, bell pepper, and water melon seeds out in the weeds. No idea if I will get some plants but the seeds came free with my produce purchase. I had prayed for rain this morning and it was predicted, but none fell. So this afternoon I had to water the seeds in the pots by hand.

So that is what I have been up to. My plans are next week to drive back to San Antonio, purchase a desk, and bring it and Rick back to the ranch. Once the floor is in and the desk is put together, I can start organization this place.

This morning I got a call from a former WPI member about a woman she met who is chemically sensitivity. Apparently she is living in her car with her teenage sons. The friend has given her AOCCCI’s brochure. She is going to give her my phone number for her to call. No idea if she will chose to come live on the property. Except for a spare bedroom, I can only provide a place to park her car and pitch a tent. Time will tell. I have had a couple people express a desire to come live out here but most of them had reasons why it was impossible. For instant one woman currently lives in Europe. I need help but I am leaving it all up to God.

Well, today is Good Friday. It is a day of hope. If Jesus had not died on the cross in our place, we would have no hope. Nobody deserves to go to Heaven, but Jesus paid the price for us. In a few days we will celebrate the wondrous resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will be attending services in Rocksprings. If you are physically able to, I pray you will attend services too.

Country Living

2010-03-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Living out in the country sure is an adventure. It seems the more I do, the more things I see that need to be done. I have paid a few people to do things for me and a number of friends have come and volunteered their time, but the to-do list just keeps on growing. Some of the tasks I have accomplished is getting a new fridge (the old one was very small and hardly held any food, ordering new flooring (which a friend is going to install for me), and staining the well house (which I paid someone to build). I also painted half the living room with sealant (to cover over the very dark paint the previous owner chose). I have made many trips to Rocksprings and Kerrville for supplies. For instant I bought a compost bin in Kerrville and am now actively composting all my food scraps. I also spread about 20 ounces (bag contained 24 oz) of Texas Wild Flower Seeds. So hopefully in a few months the view out the windows will be even more gorgeous then it already is. This week I learned where I can take trash to for disposal. The cost is $3 a bag. It is high because the trash must be trucked to the dump in another county.

This has been one of the coldest winters in history, following the hottest summer ever in Texas. Spring though has finally arrived and the last few weeks I have been spending a few hours a day collecting rocks. Rocks are everywhere and I mean everywhere. The goal is to build a rock wall skirt around the mobile home. Considering I will never run out of rocks here, it makes since to use them and save money. I average about 5 wheel barrows of rocks a day. Slowly the pile is growing larger and one day there will be enough for my friend to get to work and build the skirt rock wall.

A raised garden vegetable bed is in the planning stage. There are so many rocks in the ground that planting straight in the ground is not possible. I have picked the best spot for a raised garden and next time my friend comes out we will purchased the materials to build it. Today though I planted some apple seeds (I ate the rest of the apple). I have no idea if any of the apple seeds will find a pathway through all the rocks to grow into a beautiful tree, but I am hopeful. There are plenty of Mountain Cedar trees on the property so I know it is possible. I also tossed the seeds from my cantaloupe out into the wind. Hopefully I will have cantaloupes this summer and the critters will leave some for me to enjoy. I plan to do the same thing with watermelon seeds later on.

Speaking of critters, I was told the previous owners had a lot of trouble with raccoons and I believe that report. I have had to pile rocks against the doors to the compost bin to keep them out. One morning I found a large rock moved away from the compost door, the door opened, compost pulled out, and a half eaten apple about a yard away. I hope the raccoon enjoyed the treat. I put the compost back in, put the door back in place, threw the half eaten apple back into the compost bin and went got some more rocks. My friend said he will build me a raccoon proof compost bin.

Even with all the work, I love it out here. I enjoy the solitude, but I also enjoy the company. Though I love having my friends visit me, I really look forward to the day the Lord brings me a roommate. Right now that extra bedroom is being used for storage, but it won’t be long before those boxes will be emptied and the person the Lord brings here can move in. I know it will happen in the Lord’s timing. Until then, I will keep the air beds inflated and the door open for my friends to come and give me a helping hand.

Tomorrow I head back to San Antonio where I will remain for a couple of weeks. I am blessed with lots of friends who are happy to open their home to me when I must be in the big city. I will be attending a fund raiser brunch for Women’s Prayer International on Saturday and then later next week will be having a medical procedure. I hope to return with my friend Rick who has promised to install the new flooring in family room (which I plan to use as a community room/library). So please keep me in your prayers.

The Move is Complete

2010-02-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

I have been intending to share what has been going on with me, but the truth is I have been so busy I just haven’t had the time. I spent the entire month of January moving. I made multiple trips between San Antonio and “the ranch”, each time filling my Rav4 with stuff. Many of those trips one or two friends accompanied me. They helped me clean, do repairs, unpack the car, and much more. Even though I made multiple trips and rented a U-haul, I still have a few things left in San Antonio to pick up. Thank you to the friends who are storing my stuff for me.

This is ranch country, mainly because the soil is very rocky. Angora goats are plentiful here, though not as plentiful as it once was. Back in the 80’s the market for angora wool apparently plummeted, but high school in Rockspring Texas’ mascot is the Angoras. Besides goats, there are many ranches with cows, horses, and exotic wildlife is everywhere. Most of the exotics around here are raised for hunting, though the other day some friends and I went for a drive and came across a preserve where we saw animals native to Africa including a couple giraffes.

The Ranch, the new home of AOCCCI, consists of 20.08 acres, a 3 bedroom double wide Palm Harbor Mobile Home, and a few other rundown buildings: a ‘cabin’ which is mainly used for storage and a camper trailer which would take a huge amount of TLC to be livable and probably does not run. Honestly, if someone wanted the trailer and was willing to pay to haul it away, I would happily give it to them.

This land is very rocky, has lots of Mountain Cedar trees and a few other species, and other types of vegetation. This place is rural which has always been the plan. I bought this property to be a place where ministry to folks with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) could take place. The MCS population has a high incidence of homelessness and needs help. To accomplish this goal it is going to take a lot of money and sweat equity, but the first step has occurred—AOCCCI now has land.

According to the phone company putting in a landline will cost almost $6000. I would be expected to pay around $4500 of that expense. Maybe someday God will supply the money but right now it is not in the budget. Only AT&T cell phone reception is available here. And even that is spotty. But least I get pretty good reception inside the house. A Direct TV satellite dish provides television, and a Wild Blue satellite dish provides me with Internet, which is much slower then DSL or Cable. If money is donated for a telephone line, then we would be able to get DSL out here.

Several friends have come out here to help me clean, do repairs, and other tasks. Their help has been greatly appreciated. Even though everyone comes out to work, they have all enjoyed being out in the country. Working vacations can be very relaxing and so far everyone who has come out here has not wanted to go home. In fact several times people have decided to stay an extra day because they love it so much.

As I said earlier, the house has 3 bedrooms. Of course I took one bedroom and a second bedroom is being used as an office. I am looking for a roommate for the third bedroom—someone who either for a season or more permanently wants to be a part of this ministry. There is so much that needs to be done and I can’t do it all by myself. If you are interested in learning more, let me know.

This house also has a family room which I intend to line with bookcases for a mini library and make into sort of a community room.

Snow is rare here, but this has been an usually cold winter. It snowed here once in January but at the time I was in San Antonio. It snowed again this past week and I was able to take pictures. The next morning some of the snow was still around, especially on my back stairs where a raccoon clearly had visited me.

Adventures of Moving

2010-01-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Starting with the trip to pick up the house keys from my realtor, I have now made four trips out to the property. Each trip a friend came with me to help me out in some way. There has been a lot of cleaning and other work to be done; including unloading all the stuff I packed in my small SUV. I really appreciate the help I have received. I have spent the weekend packing and preparing to rent a moving truck to take my furniture to the ranch. I must be out of my apartment before the end of the month. Once again friends will be helping me with the move, including driving the moving van.

Last Wednesday my friend Rick and I were in Rocksprings getting stuff from the hardware store and taking care of other things. One question I have is how much will it cost to install a landline to the house? The previous owners used Wild Blue High Speed Satellite Internet Service. The satellite dish is still attached to the roof. If a landline is cheap enough, then I probably will install the line so I can have DSL. But until I know the costs, I will not have internet access at the property. So I will be out of touch for awhile. Hopefully I will have the info I need later this week to install DSL or get service from Wild Blue.

Once Rick and I were done in Rocksprings we got a big surprise. My car (out of the blue) would not start. We both thank God that we were in Rocksprings and not out at the ranch when this happened. Instead of being stranded and having to call for help, we just walked one block to Ray’s Garage. They came and jumped my car. I then drove the block to the garage where they quickly figured out my four month old battery had died. It would not hold a charge at all. It was clear I had to buy a new battery and thankfully they had one that was the right size for my car. Once installed and a hundred dollars poorer, we were on our way. Back at the ranch Rick fixed the well and I got ready for the trip back to San Antonio. We arrived just in time for Church.

Since it was time for my oil change I took care of that Thursday morning. Sunday morning one of my tires had been very low so I told the shop about my tire and battery. They found a nail in the tire but nothing else wrong with the car. I know I made at least two trips to the ranch with a nail in my tire. I am very thankful to God for taking care of me and my friends during these trips.

Now I must get back to packing. And remember, I will not have access to the internet for awhile. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and this move.

Sunset in Edwards County

2010-01-06T18:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday a friend and I drove out to the property to do some house cleaning and maintenance work that needed to be done before I can even think of moving. On the way home last night from Rocksprings we were greeted with a beautiful sunset. I just had to take a few pictures. We returned this afternoon to avoid the very cold weather predicted for most of the country, but still have a lot of work to do.

Left (wide angle view): taken in front of the house.

Right: taken on the road home.

The Property Has Been Purchased

2010-01-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share a quick update. On Dec. 23 I signed the papers for the property. This was done via FedEx, saving me a trip up there right before Christmas. On Wednesday, Dec. 30, a friend and I drove up to Kerrville and picked up the keys to the home, which my realtor had. Then we drove another hour to the ranch. We left the contents of my car in the house and drove home the next day. The previous owners had not totally cleaned out the place, so it was like going on a treasure hunt around there. Work, but fun. Thursday morning we went for a hike on the property. Shoes still need to be cleaned. Lots more to do and to investigate but it was a good start. Will be making lots more trips out there as I move the rest of my life to Edwards County.

Dangers Of Owner Financing Your Home

2009-12-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

One way people often purchase property or a home is through owner financing. This can be very appealing for a variety of reasons, for both the seller and the buyer. This is especially true right not as banks are not approving people for mortgages even when they have good credit and a have a well paying job. But buying property through owner financing must be done carefully. First, if a realtor is not involved it is a good idea to get an attorney to make sure all the legal documents are in order. A few years ago I heard about someone who paid monthly payments for their new home for a year only to be evicted and lose everything because of some little loophole the owner had included in one of the documents. An attorney would have caught it but the buyer never got legal council before signing all the papers. Then he was late on one payment and according to the contract everyone had signed, the seller was able to evict the buyer and keep all the payments that had been made. The buyer lost everything.

Last night on the news I heard about another issue that a person needs to watch out for when buying straight from the owner. A couple bought a mobile home knowing there were back taxes on the home that needed to be paid off. This time an attorney was involved and he promised and later claimed he did pay off all the taxes. So the couple was in shock when they got a letter saying the home was being foreclosed due to back taxes. In this case the couple contacted a local TV station who was able to get the situation resolved. Before buying property with back taxes on it, get proof all those taxes have been paid off. Or at least insist in writing that the back taxes be paid off by a specific date and insist on receiving a copy of the receipt proving it was paid off. Verbal assurance is not enough.

The last warning I want to share is what apparently happened to the widow who is selling the property I am trying to buy. My realtor shared with me that the couple bought the land directly from the previous owner and paid for it by owner financing. They never got a mortgage from a bank and apparently never hired an attorney. Once the couple paid off the property, the previous owner filed the proper papers to change title of the property. Apparently though he only put the title in the husband’s name, not in both the couple’s name. The wife assumed her name was on the title, which it should have been. If her name had been included on the title, she would have owned the property outright upon her husband’s death. Since her name was not on the title, not only did she not own the land, but his children from another marriage actually have legal rights to the land. This one little issue has created a huge mess. Fortunately for me, the children have signed papers relinquishing any claim to the property. Now I am just waiting on the Title Company to finish the Title search and approve the sale of the property.

Property Update and Visit

2009-12-08T14:44:00.001-08:00

I thought I would provide an update on the issue with the property. First, last Thursday a friend and I took to the road and drove up to the property. We had planned this trip for over a week and unfortunately it turned out to be the day before the coldest day of the year, the next day the area actually received some rare snow. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the property, measuring the front of the mobile home (plan to build a deck) reminding myself what I had seen on my first visit, checking cell phone reception (no land-line hookup) and of course taking pictures. I had planned to do more on the trip but with the thermometer reading 32F (0C), we both wanted to get back in the car ASAP. I might add that my car (Toyota RAV4) has a really good heater/AC. Within seconds it was warming us back up.

Upon leaving the property we headed to the nearest town, Rocksprings TX. It took some asking, but we finally found the Chamber of Commerce. At least we found City Hall which is the closest thing to a Chamber Rocksprings has. They had a table with some literature on it and I was able to get a telephone book (about ½ centimeter thick and includes 10 towns). After our short visit there we headed back home.

Now for the update, I spoke with my realtor today. As of today it looks like I will be signing the papers for the property before Christmas. Probate for the will should be completed by the end of this week and next week the Title Company should have everything they need to do a final Title search before approving the sale of the property. It there are no more problems, I could possibly be driving up to the realtor’s office by the end of next week. Please keep this in your prayers. I am anxious to get moving.

Glitch

2009-11-30T13:55:00.001-08:00

Last week I got a call from my realtor to inform me a glitch has occurred and we had to change the closing date on the property. It seems the seller’s realtor did not do her job properly. The first inkling there was an issue occurred when I received the Title Report. Apparently the land’s title is in the deceased husband’s name. The mobile home is in both of their names. For some reason the widow decided to put the property on the market before the will was probated. As of this writing it still had not been probated. Why the seller’s realtor did not ask more questions before placing the land on the market is unknown. All I can say is my realtor is mad and so am I. When I made the offer on the land and home, this issue was never disclosed. The seller did ask for an increase in option money from me, but there was no disclosure ever made concerning the issue with the will. In fact all communication pointed to a need to sell the land and home quickly so the widow could buy something else near her son. That constitutes fraud. Until the will is probated, this property should never been placed on the market, let alone agreeing to sell the property and home to me when she legally does not own title.

Last week I agreed to postpone the closing date until December 30. If the will is probated sooner than that, then I will be closing on the property immediately. But if the situation has not changed, then I will have no choice but to walk away. I cannot live in limbo not knowing if or when this issue will be resolved. Since I have already spent over $1800 related to the purchase of this property, I will have to consider taking legal action to recoup that money. Hopefully it won’t come to that. Hopefully the legal issues with the property will be resolved before Christmas. I really do want that property. Please pray God’s will be done in this issue.

It's About The Cross

2009-11-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

Escrow

2009-11-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

It has been a lazily Saturday for me. This morning I listened to Car Talk on the radio. Later I watched The New This Old House and a few cooking shows on TV. In between those activities I have read the latest Communities Journal and looked over yesterday’s mail, which included the Title Report on the property that is in escrow.

When I was a child my mother went to law school. Reading the Title Report reminded me why I never had a desire to attend law school. I am not a detailed oriented person. Even so, this is an important document so I carefully read every word. I do have a few questions that need addressing, but overall it looks okay.

If everything goes as plan, December 1st, at the latest, I will be signing papers on 20 acres of land and a few buildings. Then the real fun begins. Of course the first thing I need to do is move. But the real question is how long will I live on the property alone? I cannot turn 20 acres into a community by myself. It will take a lot of work to turn a rural piece of land into a place where people with MCS can come to live. Over the years I have tried to gather a group to help me make such a place a reality, but usually it seems like everyone is waiting for me to do everything. Well, so far I have done everything myself, but that now has to change.

The property comes with a 3 bedroom double wide mobile home. I am thinking of turning one of the bedrooms into an office. I will take one bedroom for myself. That will leave the third bedroom for someone else. There are also a couple camper trailers, one of which was turned into a cabin that someone could eventually live in. They both need cleaning and some work done to be livable, but once that is done I am sure someone (or a couple) will find it a nice little home. And of course there is plenty of room to pitch a tent, yurt, or another camper.

I need to build a deck on the front of the mobile home, something I am not capable of doing myself. I am also thinking of installing some fencing, planting some fruit and nut trees (peaches and pecans are major cash crops in Texas), planting a garden, maybe getting some goats (to use as lawn mowers) and chickens for meat and eggs. I hope to install a rain water catchment system and dream of one day installing alternative energy sources. I also think the quickest and cheapest way to make the property accessible to folks with MCS and who are currently displaced is to create a campground. That will require bathrooms/showers, and a laundry facility. I am going to need help to accomplish these projects. I also could use help with creating a new web site. The current site is outdated. So people with all types of skills are needed. Money is also needed to accomplish these goals. Since AOCCCI is a 501(c)3 organization, donations are tax deductable.

If you have an interest in helping with this project, whether you just desire to come out and spend a few vacation days, or you would like to live and work long term, please contact me. I would really like to talk to you. For the rest of you, tell others about this blog and the project that is happening in Texas.

Looking For God In The Texas Hill Country

2009-10-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Last time I shared I was getting ready to leave town. Well, bright and early Friday morning I finished packing my car and headed west on IH-10 into the Texas Hill Country. Fortunately I was driving out of town, whereas those commuting to work were going the other direction. So I had little traffic while on the other side of the freeway the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace.

As I shared last time I really did not know where I was supposed to go. I had the general area in mind but as I have joked, God never sent me an email telling me what county to look in. I honestly was prepared to spend five days, sleeping in my car in State Parks and visiting many realtors in many towns. I fully expected to return to San Antonio without finding anything specific but hopefully with a better idea of where God wanted AOCCCI to be located. I did not even bring the checkbook with me that has all the money in it. I just did not expect to need it.

What I expected to happen is not what happened at all. I went looking for God in the Texas Hill Country and I found Him. What occurred last weekend was just plain amazing. Basically, finding a needle in a hay stack would have been less amazing then what I witnessed in a 48 hour period.

When I drove into Kerrville, Texas I had two immediate needs. The first was to buy some window cleaner to clean my outside mirrors. When I saw a store I pulled in, picked up the window cleaner and a brief conversation with the only two employees in the store led me to the Chamber of Commerce, which turned out to be just down the street. Up until their suggestion it had not occurred to me to visit the Chamber of Commerce. Looking back though it was clear God was aiming His light in the Chamber’s direction and I followed it.

Once in the Chamber I picked up some free items that looked interesting and casually mentioned my need of a realtor. The young woman behind the counter said, “I would use this woman” and grabbed Ricki Eichler Real Estate’s brochure and handed it to me.

Once again God was shining His light and fortunately I followed. It would have been very easy for me to veer off God’s path as finding Ricki’s Eichler’s office was not easy. The woman at the Chamber neglected to tell me the highway her office is on gets a new name every few miles. I only learned this after stopping and asking for help. It took awhile but I finally did locate her office. In the process I spotted several other Real Estate offices but it never once occurred to me to stop at any of them. If I had stopped at a different Real Estate office, I would have missed God and/or wasted a lot of time.

Before walking into Ricki’s Eichler’s office, God clearly was directing my path but I had not yet recognized it. But it did not take me long to see God once I was speaking to Ricki. Most of the time when I tell people about AOCCCI, they think I am talking about people with chemical dependency, that is drug addiction. So I am very use to having to explain to people just what Multiple Chemical Sensitivities is. That did not happen when I shared with Ricki the goal of AOCCCI and what I needed in land. Instead Ricki informed me she had once suffered from severe allergies too and just how sick she had once been. I then told her I too had MCS and that God had healed me. She then responded that God had healed her too. At that moment I knew I had a realtor who understood. When I told her I write a newsletter on the mind/body/spirit connection, she said great. God’s lamp was clearly shinning.

Then it was time to get to business. I already knew finding an appropriate piece of land for AOCCCI was not going to be easy. Off and on during the year I had searched the Internet and had picked up a few Real Estate publications aimed at folks looking for rural property. Not once did I ever see anything that would work for me. Usually the land was either way to expensive and promoting huge luxury homes and/or fantastic views (which means not much usable flat land) or properties without any buildings and advertised for hunting. But one thing nice about using a realtor is they have access to multi listing services and knowledge of web sites I have not found. Ricki quickly accessed such web sites. As expected most of the listings in my price range involved only an acre or two or land without buildings, but several possibilities did show up.

Ricki had previous commitments that prevented her from showing me any properties that weekend, so she enlisted the help of another realtor in the office. Though I was shown a property that afternoon, both of them felt another property looked the most promising and Saturday morning shortly after 7:00 the realtor and I headed off for an hour drive to see the property. The seller’s realtor met us near the property and showed us the way. We drove down a caliches road making several turns before finally arriving at our final location. The property features a double wide mobile home, a cabin (which had been turned into a storage building), and a dusty old camper trailer. With 20 acres of flat land, there is plenty of room for a variety of needs.

As I viewed the property, I did not see any real red flags. The few issues I did see would be easy to resolve. The pluses way outweighed any negatives. And then there was the issue of location. On the drive out to see the property I could not help but notice that just down the highway was property that Lee Grover (co-founder) and I had visited back in the 90’s. Last summer I had sensed God telling me to look in the area that Lee and I had looked at property in the 90’s and now a decade later my realtor was taking me to that same area. Once again God’s lamp seemed to be shinning.

I have no idea what the record is for finding a client their future home, but I am sure I am near the top. Ricki and her team showed me two properties in all and I placed an offer on the second one I looked at. I am now in escrow.

Stay tuned for more of this adventure.

Following God's Lamp

2009-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

It is 7:00 in the morning as I sit down at my computer to write. I have two loads in the dryer, my camera battery is charging, I am thinking about what I need to do today as I prepare for leaving town, possibly tomorrow. There is a lot I must get done before I can even think of taking off.

Before I purchased my car I had to take the bus everywhere or depend on others to take me where I needed to go. Both modes of transportation are slow. Both modes of transportation require waiting on others. So I thought once I got a car I would be able to get a lot more done in a much shorter amount of time, leaving me with more time at home to get work done. That has proven to be a fallacy. The truth is I seem to be even busier then I was before. Now some of the activities that are taking up more of my time are by choice. I am now able to attend the Tuesday night prayer meeting at church which I was unable to attend before due to lack of transportation. And the past two Tuesday’s I have picked up a gentleman who is unable to drive due to a stroke he had years ago. But most of my car trips are doing stuff that before I would have just put off until someone could take me. So I really am getting a lot more done, just not on the computer.

I went to bed pretty early last night and so I have been awake for several hours. As I laid in bed this morning thinking and praying, I remembered the first few years of my life with AOCCCI. The first year Lee Grover was in charge. In fact when I first met Lee and learned about this project he had in mind, I really was not interested. I occasionally gave him some female advice when he asked, but that was the extent of my involvement and I liked it like that. Then in April 1996 the Lord began to speak to my heart. Keep in mind I was still very ill with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) at the time, and this ministry did not even have a name yet. But there was no mistaking what the Lord was saying to me. Not in words, but to my spirit. Only weeks earlier Lee had come to the conclusion that his idea would have to be a Christian ministry, and now the Lord was telling me He wanted me to be a part of it.

The first 10 months of my involvement were a difficult time. During those months both Lee and I learned about the mind/body/spirit connection and I was healed of MCS. Before my healing I could only work a few hours a day, mostly typing. We occasionally took road trips, where Lee had to keep in mind my fragile health. We also talked on the phone a lot, as Lee lived in the Texas Hill Country, an hour drive north of me. Once God healed me of MCS a lot changed. I suddenly could do things I had never been able to do before, mainly because I now had energy and was not reacting to everything in my environment. I think the change in me was difficult for Lee to get use to. Anyway, I was healed around October of 1996 and after that our conflicts became even greater.

I will never forget the February day I received a letter in the mail from Lee. My mother was visiting me that week and I was living in a very small apartment at the time. The only private space in my apartment was the bathroom, where I suddenly spent a lot of time in prayer. The letter Lee sent me basically said God told him to resign from AOCCCI and at my convenience he would bring all the files and other information he had gathered. Though we had been in a lot of conflict, I was not prepared for this letter. I immediately went into panic mode. Since Lee and I were the only people working on this ministry, by default his resignation left me the one in charge. Lee had filed the paper work with the state, but had barely begun the work required to apply for non-profit status with the IRS. There was a ton of work to do and I had no idea how to do any of it. I had never taken a business or legal class in my life (unless you count sitting in on my mother’s law school classes whenever she didn’t have a babysitter for me). I had no idea what to do or even where to begin. On top of that, my mother, who was not a Christian and therefore never prayed, was visiting me. I could not share anything I was going through with her, she would not have understood. So, I started taking very long showers (private place where I could pray). My mom got tired a lot and needed naps, so I would go into the bathroom and pray during her naps. During the week my mother visited me I spent a lot of time in the bathroom praying. There literally was nowhere else I could go and close the door for privacy.

During that week of panic praying, asking God for help, Psalm 119:105 came to my mind.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

The Lord would light my path one step at a time. First He gave me peace. He was still in control. I do not remember the very first direction He gave me, but it was enough to let me know exactly what my first step was to be. The rest of the week that my mom was with me was a time of calm. There was not much I could do until she left, so I just relaxed. As soon as my mother was out of town, I contacted Lee and in a few days he delivered several cardboard boxes of files to me. In the days, weeks, months, and years to come I would continue to seek the Lord for guidance and He provided me with all the support I needed to learn how to do what I needed to do. With the help of a pro bono attorney, I got the 501(c)3 papers submitted to the IRS just in time. Along with all the other legal papers that needed to be completed. God is good!

I have changed and grown a lot since 1997 when the Lord put me in charge of AOCCCI. In many ways I am a totally different person having grown spiritually in ways I could never have imagined. But I am still having to learn to follow God’s lamp as He directs my path one step at a time.

Unless something comes up to change my plans, I intend to leave bright and early tomorrow morning where I will head towards Kerrville, Junction, and who knows where. My purpose is to go property hunting. I do not have enough cash to buy property outright but it is time to start looking. Through prayer, I know this is the direction I am to go. Before Lee resigned, the two of us took many trips in this direction and even considered two pieces of rural property which we were unable to purchase at the time. One piece of property was in Real County. The other was in Kimble County. This summer when I started asking the Lord where I should began my search for land, these two sites came to mind. I am convinced that somewhere in that direction, basically west of San Antonio off Interstate 10, is the property the Lord has waiting for me to discover. I have no idea if this property will be revealed to me on this trip or on another trip I take a year or more from now. All I can do is follow God’s lamp as it lights each step I take.

Please keep me in your prayers. Thanks.

My First Car Trip

2009-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

I took my first real trip in my new car this weekend. I had taken a few trips to Boerne (pronounced burn-ie), TX to see a doctor, but that is just a short 30 minute drive over the county line. Saturday a friend and I drove to Fredericksburg, TX and spent the night in a motel. The purpose of the trip was to attend the Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair. I had attended the fair one time 8 or 9 years ago, but my friend had never even heard of it before. Since the school she teaches gardening at just got a grant to install a rainwater harvesting catchment system, she wanted to go in hopes of learning anything she could on the subject. I wanted information on all sorts of issues concerning green living.

I cannot recommend the motel we stayed in but I can heartily recommend the fair. It would have been better if we could have attended on Saturday but I was not able to leave town until late afternoon.

9:00 am Saturday morning I had to run over to church and pick up my Angel Food order. If you are not familiar with Angel Food Ministries, it is a way to buy lots of meat and other food items at about half the price it would cost at the store. Today as I write, my freezer is full of chicken, turkey burgers, beef and pork. I also have a number of bags of frozen vegetables, plus a bag of potatoes and onions. I have been ordering Angel Food off and on for about a year now. Unless you are on a very specialized diet such as vegetarian or all organic, I highly recommend you check them out. If there is a participating church near you, buying a box of Angel Food can really save you a bundle.

As soon as had loaded all the food in my freezer, I threw my bags into the car and headed over to my friend Polly’s house. From there we carpooled out to the town of Garden Ridge where the Church Librarian lives for the annual Librarian Appreciation Luncheon. Polly and I have been volunteering in our church library for years now. Polly is 89 years old and has many limitations, but she is still a vital part of the librarian team. We work together and she is a close friend of mine. I have divided the work up between us so she does what she can physically do and I do the rest. It works out great. It is not often the Library team can get together as one group so when we do have meetings or special events, I always like to attend. It is often the only time I hear what other volunteers are doing, since we all work in the library at different times. Our meal was catered from the Olive Garden (yum yum) and it was a wonderful time of socializing and sharing. I must say I loved the gift all of us volunteers were given, a coffee cup that reads “Library Volunteers are the Greatest”.

Once our luncheon was over with, Polly and I headed back to her house. From there I immediately headed to my friend Margaret’s place where the two of us headed for Fredericksburg, TX. We took my car, more cargo room in the back and Margaret is a plant lover. We shared the driving duties. We arrived in Fredericksburg quicker than we thought we would, found our motel and then headed to down town (which was not that far since Fredericksburg is a small town. We snooped in shops and found a wonderful place to eat dinner, The Buffalo Nickel Bar and Grill, where we shared a wonderful salad (Pocahontas) and possibly the best burger I have ever had. It was not on a hamburger bun but special bread that made all the difference. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you are adventurous and want to try buffalo meat, which I did spot on the menu.

I won’t bother to mention where we stayed the night as I do not recommend this motel, but I will say I have been in worse. At least it was a safe place to spend the night. Early Sunday morning we visited a wonderful little church in town for worship and then headed to the fair. We spent the morning visiting booths, buying stuff, taking free information, and attended part of one workshop. For lunch, we bought an expensive hamburger at the fair. Margaret and I both are in agreement that we have had enough hamburgers for awhile. In the afternoon we attended a workshop titled Sustainable Rainwater harvesting Systems. He had some good information but we both want the book he mentioned at the beginning. We were unable to stay for the entire presentation and so I am now trying to track down the presenter, who lives near Boerne.

We left the fair a little before 2pm and headed to the Wild Seeds Farms. They raise wild flower seeds and much more there. They have a butterfly exhibit and Margaret was in paradise. We both spent money there and the back end of my car was filled with plants blocking the rear view window. If you are ever in the area the Wild Seeds Farm is a must stop. It is a wonderful place to visit and they do sell sandwhiches. We just got something to drink.

In October they will be tagging Monarch Butterflies which pass by on their migration path to Mexico and Margaret plans on trying to plan a Saturday field trip for her young students (pre-K through 5th grade).

After we left the Wild Seed Farms, we headed back to San Antonio. It was a quick trip, but educational and fun.

My New Wheels

2009-09-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

I have been pretty busy the past few weeks. There have been the typical projects, such as getting a newsletter out, my church library volunteer work, prayer meetings, etc. But on Thursday, September 3 a new chapter of my life began, I bought a car-like SUV.

For my entire adult like I have used alternative transportation. During my college years and pretty much through the 1980’s my main form of transportation was my bicycle. It was good exercise, got me most places I needed go, and was reliable. The rest of the time I either carpooled or took the bus. When I moved to Texas I found myself sick with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and unable to work. By the time I was awarded disability I was too sick to even care about a car. In 1996 God healed me but my economic situation was such that a car was just not a financial possibility. Though San Antonio Texas has a good bus system, it is not perfect and does not go many places. When I broke my foot last year the situation became even more difficult for me. I now was unable to walk to bus stops, which made getting around very difficult. Thankfully, my church came to my rescue and several folks started providing me transportation to church, the store, and other places I needed to get too. They were really a blessing.

Recently my economic situation has changed and I am now able to afford a car. So this past summer I started researching exactly what type of car I should get. If God had never called me to AOCCCI, my automotive needs would be totally different, but God did call me to this work and eventually I will no longer be living in one of the largest cities in the country. With that in mind I wanted a vehicle with good ground clearance and space inside. At the same time I did not want a vehicle that was so large it would be more car then I could handle, would be a gas guzzler, would be unsafe and/or break down often, or a color that would create a solar oven affect. So I spent a lot of time studying the different choices and praying. I went out and checked the possibilities for blind spots. Several friends told me I was wise for doing that and if they had done the same thing they would not have purchased the car they now owned because of the blind spots. So for anyone considering buying a car—do not forget to check for blind spots. You need to be able to see out of it when driving.

Another prayer request I had was for help. This was the first car I have ever purchased and I knew I needed some help or it would be easy for a car salesman to take advantage of me.

God answered both of my prayers. My friend’s husband has the gift of car buying. He has purchased many cars in his life and knows how to play the game well. He is a godly man and we prayed for God’s guidance in the car I should get. He also knew what to look for. Larry saw things I never even noticed. He also knew information I was ignorant of such as one dealership I had looked at also ran a car rental agency. He suspected the car I had looked at had been a rental and when he asked, the salesman confirmed it had been. In the end, with Larry’s help, I bought at very good price a 2006 Toyota Rav4. I do not believe I could have gotten a better car at a better price. Larry talked them down to $18,500 out the door (includes the TTL).

Of course after I signed the last piece of paper and wrote a check for the full price of the car, I had to follow Larry home to his house, in the dark, in my new car. Both of us would have been in a lot of trouble if we didn’t show the car to my friend (Larry’s wife). When she saw it she promptly said, “I want one”, which Larry replied, “she what trouble you have caused”.

Now that I have wheels, I am not stuck here in San Antonio anymore. Though money is still being raised for property, I can now start the process of looking. AOCCCI does need donations before property can be purchased, but we also need your prayers. Like buying a car, I have never purchased or even seriously looked for property. So your prayers are very important.

GoD and DoG by WJ Francsico

2009-09-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Nation's Banking Crisis Hits AOCCCI

2009-08-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

We have all heard about the banking crises in our nation. Big banks have had to be bailed out. Smaller banks have been taken over by the FDIC and turned over to more profitable banks. I never thought the banking crisis would affect me personally, but it now has.

I didn’t think I would be affected by a bank closer because my personal finances are with a small credit union. Credit Unions are different then banks in that the members of a credit union are the owners. Every year I get a ballot in the mail so I can vote for next year’s trustees. Though there are many similarities between banks and credit unions, there are differences. And a major difference is credit unions are less likely to fail because some idiot or idiots are in charge.

I am not just responsible for my own finances though. I also manage the finances of Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured (AOCCCI). This is not a job I want to keep and have been praying for years that God will send me a bookkeeper or accountant, but so far that prayer has not been answered.

Years ago I opened a Non-Profit checking account at Guaranty Bank here in San Antonio. It was the best deal at the time. Most business checking accounts come with lots of fees. The non-profit checking account has much lower fees and none if a balance of $200 (at the time) was kept. A really good deal.

I first heard that Guaranty Bank was having problems last month when it was mentioned on the news that the bank was looking for a buyer. Well, over the weekend BBVA Compass Bank. The only thing I know about Compass bank is they have branches around the city. I did look at their web site and do not see any special checking accounts for non-profits. Hopefully they will honor the terms of the non-profit account. If they do not, well I will deal with that issue when it arrives.

If you subscribe to Healing God’s Way, AOCCCI’s free online newsletter, you should have received a newsletter last week in your email box. If you did not, please let me know. I know one person did not because it bounced. Fortunately I am in contact with this person and have her current email address. So I was able to go correct the address in the newsletter mailing list. But most folks who change their email address I never hear from again. If your email becomes no good, and you do nothing about it, you will stop receiving Healing God’s Way. Please let me know you are changing your email address if and I can make a change to the mailing list. Or at the bottom of the newsletter is a link that will allow you to make the change yourself.

If you are not receiving Healing God’s Way, you can sign up on the web site. It is free.

I never did solve the problem I am having but I did figure out the problem is with a specific template. So I started over in developing a new template. Not happy with what I created last week but I got a newsletter out, which was most important to me.

Update on my car shopping. I have test drove a few vehicles and am close to making my decision. I have been praying a lot about what exactly God wants me to buy. I expect to buy something in September.

Newsletter Problems

2009-08-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

The Apostle Paul suffered a lot during his earthly life, but there is one hardship he never experienced, the hassles of dealing with tech support. I discovered several months ago for some unknown reason I suddenly could not save anything when trying to put a newsletter together. I never had this problem before so I was stumped. I use a web based service to create my newsletters. When I discovered the problem online chat was closed for the day so I sent an email. Several days later I received an email asking me what browser I used and I promptly responded. It took a week to get a response from them, but basically nothing was happening. So I finally contacted them using the online chat support. After an hour chatting, the tech said he would look into my problem and email me. I never got an email. So today I once again logged on and clicked on chat support. I spent one and half hours with chat support. This tech discovered my template had a bunch of extra codes, but never gave me an answer as to what caused the problem in the first place. I was able to save items in the template a few months ago and now suddenly I cannot. Why? In the end he said he and others needed to clean it up and he promised to email me later. Well, as I write this the chat support is closed for the day and I still have not received any emails from them. I went and tested my template and it still will not let me save. Needless to say, I am very frustrated. Believe me; I want to send out a newsletter. But until this problem is solved I cannot create newsletters.

On March 13, 2008, while walking to a bus stop, I twisted my left foot on a broken brick. An MRI would reveal I broke my navicular bone. A year and a half later I still suffer residual problems from that injury. I have always been baffled how I could fracture my foot just walking. Well, this past Saturday after praying with a friend I hung up the phone, got up out of my chair, and walked towards the kitchen. I have no idea what happened but somehow my right toes caught on something and I am now lying on the couch with my foot propped up on pillows. It is swollen and very colorful. I went to an emergency walk-in orthopedic clinic today. The doctor said he did not see anything on the x-rays but said sometimes a hairline fracture will not show up for a few weeks. I have a follow-up appointment with the doctor who treated my left foot last year. Hopefully by then all the prayers being said for me will be answered with significant healing.

I really do not have time for all these problems. I am in the market to buy a vehicle. I have been researching exactly what I want to purchase. Last week I spent several days visiting used car lots with one purpose in mind. I wanted to narrow down my list by sitting in vehicles to check for blind spots. I have driven a few cars over the years belonging to my friends. They had no trouble seeing out the windows, but I did. Of course, in every case the friend was much taller than me. I did cross several vehicles off my list, some for a variety of reasons. Hopefully by the time I finish my online research and am ready to start test driving, my toes will be much improved. Somehow I don’t think a dealership would want someone wearing a medical shoe and on crutches test driving their cars.

Frustrations

2009-07-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Life is full of frustrations and mine is no different. For the past year I have been dealing with computer issues. I finally broke down and got a new computer earlier this year, which I thought would be the end of my problems. I was wrong. This computer uses Vista, which means the software I used to use to create web sites not only will not work on this computer but is not even made. At this point in time I have no idea what software I should buy. To be honest, I would prefer someone who loves to make web sites volunteer to take over that job. I really don’t have the time or energy to learn new software and redo the web site from scratch.

If you have any advice on what software I should consider, I would appreciate hearing from you.

But that is not the only frustration I have had to deal with. I have been using an online service that provides me with everything I need to put together a newsletter and send it out. I have been having problems with the site. The latest issue occurred just the other day when I tried to put a newsletter together. When it is time to put a newsletter together I have a template I use to cut and paste the different sections into the newsletter. For some reason when I hit the save button, what I had just pasted into the newsletter disappeared. This kept happening so I finally gave up and emailed the company. This newest problem has yet to be resolved but I sure hope it is soon.

If you regularly watch the weather reports you might have heard Texas is in a major drought and experiencing record heat. Well, I presently live in San Antonio Texas and I can assure you it has been one of the hottest summers I have ever lived through. How hot? Well, yesterday marked the 30th day this year we have hit 100F (38C) or higher. In fact we had a record of 102F (39C). In 1998 we hit 100F (38C) or higher 36 times which is the all time record. Honestly, I will be surprised if we do not break that record as there is no relief from these hot temperatures. One reason it is so hot is the soil is done dry. This drought is said to be worse than the five year drought Texas had in the 1950’s. We have had very little rain in the past 23 months.

So if you are one of those people living in the Northeast part of the United States where summer appears to be passing you by, come to San Antonio, Texas the tourist capital of Texas. There is plenty of stuff to do on vacation here and there is plenty of hot weather for you to enjoy.

Test Results

2009-06-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report I do not have Diabetes Insipidus (water diabetes). I had an MRI of my pituitary gland which showed no problems. The water deprivation test revealed nothing to worry about either. I honestly did not think DI was my problem, but it is nice to know for sure.

Water Deprivation Test

2009-05-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

If you have read the past few posts you then know I have had a few difficult years. In earlier posts I have shared my unexpected move, broken foot, and computer problems. What I have not shared is the health mystery I have been struggling with for years. I have gone to many doctors and done lots of praying, but as of this writing I am still living with a mystery, which is getting worse. I had seen an endocrinologist in 2006 who said I did not have an endocrine problem, but decided it was time for a second opinion earlier this year. Hopefully this doctor will have some answers for me soon.

Since my first visit to my current endocrinologist in March, I have had three 24 hour urine tests, lots of peeing in cups, to many to count blood draw’s (think I have given a gallon or kg of blood to that lab) and a trip to the hospital.

I was admitted to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital on April 20 for a Water Deprivation Test, which is used to determine if the patient has Diabetes Insipidus, also called Water Diabetes. It has nothing to do with the more common sugar diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus). Diabetes Insipidus is usually caused by a problem with the pituitary gland (injury or tumor), resulting in a lack of antidiuretic hormone being secreted. This hormone tells the kidneys to conserve water by concentrating the urine. A person with Diabetes Insipidus will continue to urinate no matter how dehydrated they may become. I have a lot of symptoms, but one of my most serious symptoms is chronic thirst. I am drinking two to three gallons of water daily (1 US gallon is equal to 3.79 liters).

The first thing I learned is just how rare this test is. When I told the nurse why I was in the hospital, her response was “what’s that”. After reading the doctor’s orders, she returned to say I was right but she had never heard of the test and was going to have to call my doctor to get more detailed instructions. During my 48 hour stay, every shift of nurses, lab techs, etc. said the same thing to me. They had never heard of this test before, let alone had to do the test on a patient. As I waited for my friend to pick me up when I was released, it became obvious to me I had been the talk of the floor because of my unique test.

So, what happens during a Water Deprivation Test? Basically, nothing by mouth for at least 24 hours and round the clock urine tests, blood tests, and weight measurements. I had my last drink of water around 1:30pm on Monday afternoon. I was not allowed to drink or eat anything until about 7pm Tuesday night. During that time they took a urine sample and weighed me every hour around the clock. Every two hours several vials of blood was taken. Having to get out of bed every hour for over 24 hours also meant I got very little sleep. Around noon on Tuesday my doctor visited me and decided my labs said it was time for a shot of antidiuretic hormone, formally referred to as vasopressin. After the shot I had 4 more hours of urine samples, getting out of bed to stand on the scale, and blood draws. Once I was given food and water, I no longer got weighed but the lab tests continued. I think I was told three times this was the last blood test, before they finally stopped poking me. My last blood test was around 3:30am on Wednesday. I would be released around 1 pm that afternoon. My friend got me back home around 2pm.

I still do not know the results from the Water Deprivation Test or the MRI of my pituitary gland I had a week later. I see my doctor next Tuesday and hopefully I will have some answers then.

I share this for one simple reason. Before going into the hospital I was unable to find any web site that told me what to expect from the test. The Diabetes Insipidus Foundation web site does have information for doctors but I found nothing for the lay person. If you are a patient reading this post, I would love for you to share your experience. It may help someone else facing this same test.

Computer Problems

2009-02-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

It is a little late but Happy New Year. I pray 2009 so far has been good to you. It has been busy for me,

Last year, 2008, was a year filled with trials for me. I spent the entire year dealing with computer problems, which began in January when my hard drive failed. With very little notice I was forced to move due to toxic mold spreading throughout the entire apartment building. Then I broke my foot and spent several months in a wheelchair. And then as my last post reveals, after a very long illness my mother passed away.

As 2009 arrived I still had computer problems hanging over my head. So in early January I reinstalled all the software on a new hard drive hoping that would solve my problems, but new ones surfaced. Basically I could no longer safely get on the Internet. I was using Windows 2000 and a lot of expensive old software and could no longer obtain security software to protect the computer from viruses, etc. I basically had no choice but to use the old computer for certain purposes such as bookkeeping and get a new computer with more up to date software. Thanks to some generous donors who wish to remain anonymous, I was able to purchase a lap top to use for Internet purposes.

If you are someone who loves to create web sites and would enjoy assisting me with this major task, I would welcome the help. At the moment I don’t even have software with which to work on the website, let alone the time to do so. So anyone who would like to volunteer to help out on the web site, please contact me.

And for everyone else, I hope 2009 so far is treating you well.

Tribute to My Mother

2008-11-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

2008 will go down as a very tough year for me. I have been plagued with computer problems, an injured foot, having to move unexpectedly, along with many other problems in my life. If that were not enough, for the past few years I have had to watch from far away my mother slowly decline in health. She has been very ill for the past decade but her struggles ended on November 12, 2008.

My mother was an amazing person and to this day I do not know how she managed to have the energy to do what she did while I was growing up. While working full time and raising me as a single parent, she managed to get a college degree and attend law school. After passing the California State Bar, she got a job with the State Dept. of Health Services, where she moved up the latter to the highest level a person could rise to. The governor appointed her immediate supervisor. Her career was an accomplishment for any person, let a lone for a woman (and a single mother) at a time when women did not become attorney’s. I think my mother would be surprised if she were to pick up a copy of today’s Sacramento Bee and read it.

To read Donna Hyatt’s obituary news story:
http://www.sacbee.com/obituaries/story/1416558.html

The following was sent to me by one of her co-workers:

It is with great sadness that I learned that Donna had passed away. As a 31 year Medi-Cal employee and now the head of Medi-Cal, I want to pass along my thoughts and prayers to you.

During her tenure in our Department, Donna meant a lot to me and was a great counsel and advisor to the program. I personally learned so much from her and she gave great advice and representation.

Donna worked on issues that made a difference to the people of California . Her work made a major contribution to the health of the people served by Medi-Cal, low income families, children, pregnant women, seniors and persons with disabilities. People’s lives in California are better because of the work that Donna did. She is very much a legend in the Medi-Cal program.

I spent many hours working with Donna and will always remember them fondly.

I wish you the best and will always be grateful for the work done by Donna to make the world a better place.

Thank you.
Stan Rosenstein
Department of Health Care Services

Life Comes At You Fast

2008-08-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

WOW! Boy has time flown by.

A lot has changed since my last post. If you subscribe to the newsletter then you know what has been going on with me. But for those of you who do not subscribe, I share the following newsletter:

Life Comes At You Fast
By Kiri Christina Hyatt, 2008 ©

Here in the USA there is an auto insurance company whose TV commercials are metaphors for life and has spiritual application. In each commercial something totally unexpected happens to a person’s brand new car. For example, in one commercial a huge can of paint falls from a hanging scaffolding onto a parked car. The fire department immediately shows up, pushes the car out of the way, then goes to work rescuing the painter from the dangling scaffolding. Seconds later a delivery truck slams into the new car totaling it. Then, as in every commercial, the announcer says,

"Life comes at you fast, Nation Wide (insurance) is on your side".

Sometimes life does come at us fast. Sometimes it comes at us so fast we barely know what hit us. That is how 2008 has felt for me.

Unexpected Event Number One

At first the year seemed like any other year. Nothing much out of the ordinary, but by the end of the month I was having some computer problems. Nothing to alarming but all these strange problems prompted me to back up everything on my hard drive: a task I had been neglecting. Then the first week of February my hard drive died.

I spent the next few weeks trying to recover from that catastrophe only to discover something had gone terribly wrong with the back up feature included with Windows. I had never had a problem before using that program, but this time the program had totally failed me. I finally figured out how to solve the problem on a few of my backup files, but even to this day a number of files, including articles I had written for future newsletters, along with medical articles, book reports, the web site, office information, the accounting, and more documents seem to be totally lost. I am baffled as to what happened and will never trust the Window’s backup feature again.

Unexpected Event Number Two

Before I had a chance to fully recover from the hard drive failure, another unexpected event would come at me. I had lived in my former apartment complex for a long time and though I never really liked the place, it was in a good location. The complex needed a lot of repairs but it was just too much work and too expensive to move. During the past year though the physical environment in my apartment complex deteriorated to the point that on February 20, 2008 an announcement was made that all residents would be relocated due to toxic mold. Since moving out, an Environmental Mold consultant was hired who found Stachybotrys in my unit and other toxic molds in other units.

Starting from the day after the announcement was made, my life became extremely hectic and stressful. My former complex has 100 units and all of us needed to find a new place to live immediately. The problem is there was a limited number of complexes from which to choose from. Often over twenty individuals would express interest in a specific complex that only had one or two vacancies available, so a lottery would take place to award the available apartment(s). In the end God answered my prayers and I wound up with a wonderful apartment. But for three weeks my life was in total chaos as I visited complexes, filled out paperwork and packed to move.

Unexpected Event Number Three

On March 12, 2008 the movers arrived and by that afternoon I was in my new apartment. I was thrilled. I now lived in a nicer bigger apartment, a nicer complex, and across the street from a lovely park. I could not be happier. I wrongly assumed that as soon as I unpacked all those boxes and got organized, my life would settle down and I could get back to work. I forget that sometimes life comes at you fast.

On March 13, about 25 hours and 30 minutes after the movers’ left, I twisted my foot. I was simply walking when I stepped into a parking lot and my foot twisted causing intense pain. Eventually I would be diagnosed with a fractured navicular bone and a sprained ankle. I spent several months in an air cast and on crutches, even forced into a wheel chair. Three months after being injured I am still struggling with tendonitis and lots of inflammation, making walking very painful. So far I have endured more then 2 months of physical therapy three times a week.
Breaking a foot is hard enough, but to do it the day after moving is a nightmare. Trying to cope in an apartment full of boxes while unable to walk was a difficulty I do not wish on anyone. All I can say is that sometimes life comes at you/us fast.

When Life Comes At You Fast

If a similar scenario had occurred in your life, do you know how you would react? Are you the type of person who breaks down in tears when life comes at you fast? Or do get angry? Maybe you stuff your emotions? We all react in specific patterns, do you know how you react? Is your way of reacting hurting you and others? Is it displeasing to God?

Like most people, there was a time in my life I simply reacted. I never thought about it. Some frustration would occur and I would react in a very predictable manner. Then I began to pay attention to how I reacted. Only then did I discover my particular pattern for responding to frustration, injuries, etc.

Do you know your particular pattern for responding to life? If you do not know, make a commitment to start paying attention. Ask the Holy Spirit to begin showing you how you respond to life’s frustrations.

Once you began to recognize how you react to frustrations and other life events, then you are ready for step two. Why do you react the way you do? Often there is a specific reason that can be traced from your childhood.

You may know exactly why you behave the way you do in certain situations, or you may be totally clueless.

If you are totally clueless, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you why you react the way you do. There is a reason. It may take awhile but the Holy Spirit will began to show you things about your life you never realized before. Be open to what He has to show you.

This is not a one-time prayer. Even though I had become aware of how I reacted in certain situations, I had no idea why. I knew the way I reacted was not good, but I had no idea why I reacted that way and no idea how to change. I just would react. Then later when I realized what had happened, I would ask God why? Why do I behave that way? Why do I get so upset when ______________ happens. It was a slow process but in time the Holy Spirit began revealing the answer to that question to me.

I am now at a place in my life where I know how I tend to react in certain situations and why I tend to react that way. I still have a long way to go in changing to a healthier pattern of behavior but I am making progress. So on March 13 when I twisted my foot I was angry (I knew my apartment was full of boxes needing to be unpacked so it was a terrible time to be injured), but at the same time I was aware of my old patterns of behavior and with God’s help I was able to make a conscience decision to not behave that way. That was a major victory in my life.

If you have never thought about how you react when life comes at you fast, I pray you make the effort to start doing so. God does not want us to be absent-minded when it comes to who we are. He wants us to know ourselves. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can get to know who we are, change our self-destructive ways, and become more like Jesus.

In closing I just want to state I have only shared the major events that have taken place this year. There have been numerous minor events. One such event was the host for the newsletter temporarily loosing the template for the newsletter and completely changing the site, so I have to learn it all over again. With all these problems hitting me at once and the pain of a broken foot preventing me from spending much time at the computer, I just have not been able to put new newsletters together, as I would have liked. I am very sorry for that. Hopefully during the next few months I can rectify that situation. Until then, the newsletters will be sporadic.
_____

I learned from a friend that hard drives have a warranty that goes beyond the warranty provided by the company that puts the computer together. Since I replaced my own hard drive I was able to check with the manufacture’s web site, which told me my four-year hard drive had a five year warranty. I followed the directions and shipped my dead hard drive off to the manufacturer who promptly shipped me a new in return. Keep this in mind if you ever experience a hard drive failure. Even if you pay someone to replace your hard drive, it is worth it to ask the tech for your old hard drive or for him to ship it off to the manufacture if it is still under warranty.

The 2008 Saga Continues

2008-02-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

If you have not read last month’s post, you might want to do so. This really is part two of my last post.

I was hoping February would be a better month then January was, but so far that has not been the case. In essence, On Tuesday, February 5 my hard drive died. I have still not recovered but have made significant progress.

I have learned a few things from this experience. Today I will share one of those lessons. Never trust MicroSoft Backup. If you have never heard of this program, you can probably find it on your computer by going to start, programs, accessories, system tools, backup. But don’t worry about remembering this.

I have been using the backup feature since Windows 95. All backup does is condense files onto another medium. I have been using zip disks since 1998 to store those backup files. I used the system successfully with Windows 95 and 98. Then in 2005 I purchased a new tower and Windows 2000. I was shocked to learn that MS had changed the backup feature in Windows 2000 and it was no longer compatible with 95 or 98. With a lot of help from other people, I managed to restore my data from the zip disks onto a computer with Windows 98, then manually transfer them to the new computer. It was time consuming and laborious, but in the end successful.

I have continued to use the backup feature figuring it will be awhile before I can upgrade to XP. The problem is I have some very expensive software that is not XP compatible. So I reasoned that as long as I am using Windows 2000, using the backup feature was still safe. Well, it was not. Even though the only thing that has changed on this computer is the hard drive, not any of the software, the backup feature is proving to be a failure. The program just simply does not work. It took a lot of prayer and analyzing what was going on but I finally realized that for some reason the computer just did not know what program to use to open the backup files. The problem turned out to be the extensions were missing.

If you notice, all files have a two part name. The name may be "letter.doc". The first part "letter" is what you choose to name the file. Your name of you file is then followed by a (.) and then a 3 letter code that tells the computer what program to open the file with. In this case, Word would open letter.doc. Well, for some reason all my backup files were missing the (.) and the 3 letter extension (bkf) that told the computer these files are backup files. Starting with a file I could lose, I tried renaming the file, adding the (.bkf) to the file. I then went to the backup program to see if I could restore the file to my computer. It worked. So I tried another and another and another-each time it worked.

Since then I have discovered other problems. Not all of the files I backed up onto the zip drive actually made it onto the zip drive. I have never had this problem before, so I am totally baffled as to what happened. I think I have some backup files still around from 2005, but that still leaves a lot of missing items. Needless to say, this is a very frustrating problem and maybe a catastrophe. Some very important documents are missing.

The moral of this story-if you have important documents that you cannot afford to lose, save them to another medium such as a CD or external hard drive, but never never never use MicroSoft’s backup program.

Before closing I want to share something else I learned. While my computer tower only had a one-year warranty from the company I purchased it from, the hard drive itself had a longer warranty. Each hard drive has a label on it that reveals who produced the hard drive and when it was produced. In my case the hard drive was produced by Western Digital in late 2005. Western Digital hard drives have a five year warranty. So I went to their web site, requested a RAM, and sent it back to them. I just checked and they have received it. If all goes well, I will receive a new hard drive in the mail in about a month or two. Since a new hard drive can cost $70 or more, what I spent in shipping is well worth it. The web site says to wrap the hard drive in Styrofoam, but since I do not have it I used a lot of bubble wrap. Keep this in mind next time you have a hard drive failure.

Not My Idea On How To Begin The New Year

2008-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Well, The soup is simmering on the stove and I have a few minutes to share what is going on in my life. First I want to say that I am shocked at how much time has passed by since I lasted posted. I knew life had kept me from posting this month but I had no idea I have been so neglectful. I did not realize so much time had passed since my last post.

I had intended to make a New Year’s post but obviously I was unable to do so.

A few years ago I met a woman on the bus while visiting my mother in northern California. This woman is deaf and so all of our conversations basically consisted of passing notes, even though I had two years of American Sign Language in college. (It is true-if you don’t use it you lose it.) Well, I would see her every day on the bus as I went to see my mother and she went to work. I was only in California for a week but sometime during that week we exchanged emails and that friendship continued on after I arrived home.

After much prodding from this long distant friend I finally decided to sign up for Yahoo Messenger. It did make our occasional conversations much easier. Last year I decided Yahoo Messenger may come in handy in ministering to others. Besides being able to chat with by typing, Yahoo Messenger allows long distance voice conversations over the Internet for free. My only problem is I did not have a microphone. So in December I started looking around to see what was available. I also went to ebay, where I discovered I could get a web cam much cheaper then in the stores and it would come with a free mic. So after speaking to a tech friend, I made a bid and won.

For a web cam to work DirectX software is required. Downloading such software should be easy but something went terrible wrong for me. Having several techs tell me they had never heard of the problems that I was having ever taking place before did not comfort me. One tech even said it was impossible. Basically, my computer could no longer find any hardware. The computer still worked, as I was still able to get online, back up my data, and do many tasks. I just could not print, load pictures from my camera or do many other tasks. When I went into Device Manager I discovered it was empty. My computer simply could not find the hardware.

I had tech friends all over the country trying to help me but everyone was stumped. Finally I was left with no choice but to reload Windows. That solved my hardware problem but suddenly I received errors when trying to get on the Internet. After wasting a day trying to solve that problem I finally downloaded Internet Explorer again. In the end, I spend over a week trying to fix this computer. For the most part I am up and running again, though FrontPage 98, which I use to design the web site and another program are still not working. If you are familiar with FrontPage and tech savvy, please contact me.

I have never desired to be a computer tech but over the years the Lord has given me opportunities to learn. The experience does come in handy when I have a problem, saving me from having to pay someone to help me. But lately I have been getting a lot of experience.
In December my neighbor asked me to look at his computer. With the help of a tech friend who lives in Illinois, it was determined the hard drive was fried. I borrowed several books from the library and am now prepared to replace his hard drive, just as soon as he has the money to buy a new one.

In early January a friend from Church complained about how slow his computer had become. I have been over to his house to clean old files and Spam off the computer and look for any other possible causes. He may need a new battery.

A few weeks ago an elderly church friend contacted me asking for help in setting up her new notebook and a lesson in how to do email. I still have not been able to get together with her, but it is on my to do list.

So here is a little update as to what I have been doing. I hope your New Year has gotten off to a better start then mine. And I promise to try and do a better job of keeping everyone informed of my activities.

Back to the reason all my computer problems began. If you have Yahoo Messenger and desire to speak to me about any spiritual issues, I am available by appointment. To do so please email me at ao_communities@yahoo.com and share your desire. We can communicate via email, chat or talk using Yahoo Messenger. But first you must email me and make your desire known. I do not chat with total strangers who contact me out of the blue.

This photo is the view I woke up to looking outside my apartment window on an early January morning.

Angel Food Ministries

2007-10-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

I promised to return in a few weeks and I have returned. Like I said, there is a lot going on.

First: I made another trip out to see my mother in the Sacramento area. A year ago in the Healing God’s Way newsletter I shared that my mother has Alzheimer’s disease. I last visited her in May and I have noticed a continued decline in her condition in only these past five months. Her life is now reduced to eating and sleeping with only brief periods of wakefulness. Occasionally I see life in her eyes and some type of response but not nearly as much as I did last May. If you did not see that issue of the newsletter and would like to read the article I wrote, please send me an email. I will be more then happy to email you a copy of the article. There is a spiritual root to this terrible disease and people with the diagnoses of Alzheimer’s do not have to be doomed to a slow death like my mother is experiencing.

Second: Sphere of Faith Community Church has participated in a number of isolated social endeavors, but nothing that is large scale or on going. That is now changing. Please keep reading even if you do not live in the San Antonio area because what I am about to share is spreading all over the country. Earlier this month Sphere voted to become an Angel Food Ministries host church.

Angel Food Ministries partners with churches to provide food at a lower cost then you can get at your local grocery store. Each box of food costs $25, but the same amount of food if purchased at your local store would cost over $60. A menu is provided a head of time so you can decide if you want to purchase a box for that month. This is not a box of canned food supplied by the government, but chicken, pork, turkey, beef, frozen vegetables, complete dinners, and more. For instance last month people living in Texas would receive lasagna, mac and cheese, pizza, hash browns, ribeye steak, etc. This month the menu is totally different. The Angel Food Ministries web site posts the menu each month, and has a listing of all the host churches in the country. If there is a host church near you, you do not have to be a member of that church. Just contact them and let them know you want to buy a box (or more then one box) of food. If there is no host church in your area, why not share this ministry with your church and become a host church. It really is easy.

Until next time…

2007-10-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven’t been by to share anything lately. So many things have been going on I just never seem to have the time. But since it has been over a month, I guess I must make the time.

Back in April I shared about Sphere Community Church. Actually I have since learned the name is actually Sphere of Faith Community Church. Well, this past summer the Pastor was told we were going to have to move. At the time Sphere was located in a community theater. The man who owned the theater sold half his interest to a partner, who wanted to speed up the renovation. In order for that to happen, Sphere would have to find a new home. But God is good. The Pastor learned we had to move on a Friday. By that Sunday a door had opened for a new location. Sphere is now meeting at the Ruble Center, which is located at 419 E. Magnolia St. If you live in the San Antonio area and are looking for a service oriented church, check out one of the members MySpace page.

This new location is a huge improvement over the old. There is a large room for the church to meet in with many side rooms that we can use childcare and classes. There is a kitchen available which makes coffee making a lot easier. Even though I do not drink coffee, I was drafted into that job. Every Sunday I arrive about an hour early to make coffee for our time of fellowship after the service. This move really was a blessing.

Sphere’s Sunday service begins at 6:00p.m.
Bible Study every Thursday at 6:30p.m.

Everyone living in the San Antonio area is welcome to come by for a visit.

There is a lot more happenings at the Hyatt house going on, but I am not ready to share them. In the upcoming weeks I promise to stop by and share those happenings. In the mean time, please keep me in your prayers.

My Savior My God By Aaron Shust

2007-08-15T11:00:00.001-07:00

Is Your Commute Unhealthy?

2007-08-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

There are some Top 10 or Top 25 lists you just do not want to make. Unfortunately when it comes to the fattest cities, San Antonio is among many Texas cities that rank high. So when I read a news article on the top 25 most unhealthy commutes in America, I was thrilled and surprised San Antonio did not make the list. I was surprised because there is so much construction going on all the time that getting around town can be a nightmare, especially on certain freeways. At the same time I am not surprised because for the most part our air is pretty good. We do get smoke from Mexico every spring when the fields in the Yucatan are burned and at times we get dust from Africa, but for a city as large as San Antonio we are blessed with good airflow patterns.

If you want to find out if your city made the list: http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/103291/The-Most-Unhealthy-Commutes-in-America

Or go to http://my.yahoo.com/
Click on News, and search for:
The Most Unhealthy Commutes in America

The Forbes article provides a slideshow listing all 25 communities that made the list.

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

2007-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how Noah must have felt? He had lived over about six hundred years with pretty good weather (Genesis 7:6). Not once had it rained. Then he climbs in the ark with his wife, his three sons and their wives, and the world’s first zoo. I like animals, but I have my limits.

Once Noah and his family and all the animals were in the ark, God closed the door. For the next 40 days it rained. It rained all day and it rained all night. It rained and it rained and it rained.

As I sit here at my computer, it is raining outside. It has rained all day. It has been raining off and on every day for weeks. Occasionally we get a day or two of sunny, but humid weather, but this being South Texas, a storm can pop out of nowhere. In fact they are called popcorn showers. Popcorn showers need the heating of the day to be activated. Today’s weather is due to a tropical wave off the Gulf of Mexico.

Though it has been raining since morning, it hasn’t been that bad, at least not in San Antonio, TX.

Northeast of here, New Braunfels received over 8 inches (20.32 cm) of rain today. The Guadalupe River is just one of many rivers in danger of flooding again. Some of you may remember that just last month Texas was hit by a ton of rain. Many counties were declared disaster areas. Today’s rain is just as bad but mainly effecting South Texas.

Pleasanton, about 36 miles (57.94 km) south of here is just one of several areas that got about 4 to 5 inches (10.16 to 12.7 cm) of rain per hour. That is a lot of water.

The past two summers we were in a severe draught. We couldn’t get it to rain a drop. It was hot and dry. This summer it has been cool and wet. Everyone is complaining. We are getting to much rain. People’s yards have turned into swampland. It is rare to see the sun these days. The local weatherman’s pepper plants have turned to mold. People are joking that we now live in a rain forest. We really need to dry out.

Even though a lot of Texas is water logged, it has not rained continuously. I have managed to run errands without needing my umbrella. It has not rained for 40 days and 40 nights.

I wonder what Noah and Mrs. Noah thought after it rained constantly for a week? Maybe they were still in shock from hearing the screams of people trying to get on the ark?

I wonder what Noah and Mrs. Noah thought after it rained constantly for 2 weeks, then 3 weeks, then 4 weeks? When did the complaining begin? Or were they to scared to complain?

40 days of rain followed by at least a month of waiting for the water’s to go down. Talk about cabin fever.

As I listen to it rain outside, I am grateful that it will be clearing up in a day or two. I pray this rain moves to the west where it is really needed.

Updates

2007-07-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it has been over 2 weeks since I last made a post. Time sure flies.

Last time I wrote about the newsletter Healing God’s Way. I am pleased to report that just this week another person signed up for the newsletter. I have to wonder how many people tried to sign up when I was using Topica, but failed? If you receive the newsletter, I would like your feedback. I am open to ways to make it better. If you have never subscribed, you might consider doing so. If you don’t like it you can always unsubscribe.

Earlier this week I discovered a wonderful and easy way for AOCCCI to raise funds. GoodSearch.com is a yahoo based search engine that donates about half its revenue (about a penny) is donated to your favorite non-profit. You can make it your homepage or you can download a toolbar. Either way, each time you use GoodSearch for your Internet searches, you are contributing to AOCCCI.

If Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured does not automatically show up in the Who Do You GoodSearch For? box, please add us.

I spent much of the day making minor changes to AOCCCI’s web site. Mainly I added links to GoodSearch and Amazon. Amazon is another excellent way to give to AOCCCI. When you shop Amazon from the web site or from the link provided on this blog (look under Links), a percentage of what you spend is donated to AOCCCI.

Now for an update on Sphere of Faith Community Church. I first wrote about Sphere in April. At the time we were meeting in a community theater which was in the process of being renovated in between musical performances. When the owner sold half his interest in the theater, we were told we needed to move. The new partner wanted to speed up the renovation. Pastor Bill learned all this on a Friday. Since he is human, panic set in. But God already had a plan for Sphere and by Sunday morning we had a new home to move too. We now meet at the Ruble Center, about 2 miles (3 km) from the previous location. This facility is a huge improvement and a real blessing.

Besides the Sunday evening services, we now meet Thursday evenings for Bible Study. We have a wonderful time. The first Thursday our youngest member, a 14 month old boy, came to the study. We shut him in the room and allowed him to roam freely. He had some giant legos and other toys to play with. One toy played digital music. Just as we adults bowed our heads for a time of prayer, the music toy started playing the Lone Ranger theme song.

Dear Heavenly Father, please bless each person who reads this blog. Amen.

Healing God's Way Newsletter

2007-07-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have been publishing an on-line newsletter, Healing God’s Way, since the late 90’s. I am always blessed when someone tells me they have been helped by what I have shared.

Earlier this year I started encountering a lot of problems with Topica, the free newsletter service I was using. I suddenly started having problems receiving my own newsletter. A little investigation revealed I was not the only person. So in June I started searching for a new home.

For the last few weeks I have been busy setting everything up. I am now using GraphicMail, which does cost a little bit, but unlike Topica allows graphics. It has been hard work but so far I think it is worth it.

I think having to move Healing God’s Way may be an answer to prayer. People used to sign up all the time but not a single person signed up in 2006 or most of 2005. I made some changes to the web site and prayed a lot but still no one signed up. It really baffled me.

When I decided to start looking for a new service I needed to change the web site page where people can sign up for the newsletter. Since making the change two people have signed up to receive Healing God’s Way. Makes me wonder if Topica is the reason I was not getting new subscribers.

If you have never subscribed to Healing God’s Way, why not consider doing so. It is free, though donations to cover the cost are always welcome. Just go to: http://www.aocommunities.org/newsletters.htm

Since the beginning of the year I have sent out the following newsletters:

The Dangers of Fantasy, Part 1 http://www.aocommunities.org/letter1.htm
The Dangers of Fantasy, Part 2 http://www.aocommunities.org/letter2.htm
Fear vs. Faith http://www.aocommunities.org/letter3.htm
Faith On The Mission Field http://www.aocommunities.org/letter4.htm
It’s Cold and Flu Season http://www.aocommunities.org/letter5.htm
The Three-legged Stool Of Health http://www.aocommunities.org/letter6.htm
God Is The Same… http://www.aocommunities.org/letter7.htm
The Prayer God Loves To Answers http://www.aocommunities.org/letter8.htm
Train Wrecks http://www.aocommunities.org/letter9.htm
Temptation http://www.aocommunities.org/letter10.htm
Women’s Neighborhood Prayer International http://www.aocommunities.org/letter11.htm
Type C Personality http://www.aocommunities.org/letter12.htm

I don't usually post old newsletters on the web site, but since I know I was not the only person to have a problem, I took the time to post them. I don't usually post old newsletters on the web site, but since I know I am not the only person to have a problem, I took the time to post them.
They will not stay in the web forever, so if you want to read these old newsletters I suggest you do it now.

San Antonio Celebrates Spurs Championship 2007

2007-06-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

What A Way To Spend Father's Day

San Antonio River Walk:
Our floats actually float

Inside The Alamo Dome

Spurs Win Championship

2007-06-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations San Antonio Spurs
NBA World Champions:
1999, 2003, 2005, 2007...

Prayer Requests

2007-06-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Back in the spring of 1999 I felt a strong call to attend Seminary. By autumn I was enrolled and attending my first class. For a number of years I took one or two classes a semester. By spring 2004 I had completed half of the required 93 hours to receive my Masters of Divinity. Then two major problems occurred. First, I ran out of scholarship money. Second, I injured my right hand on June 15, 2004. The lack of scholarship money was a serious problem, but the injury forced me to drop out all together. After nine months of therapy my hand was much improved but my financial situation was now much worse then it had been before, I had incurred some medical expenses which I still have not paid off. I simply do not have the needed cash to attend graduate school. I have searched for scholarships but they simply are not available when it comes to religious degrees. My hearts desire is to return to Seminary and finish that degree. The only thing stopping me is a lack of finances. Please join me in praying for this need.

Back in the mid 1990’s the Holy Spirit gave me and some others a vision of a community out in the boondocks where people who have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and/or other diseases can live, learn about Jesus, and find healing. Over time the others given this vision have left to do other things, leaving me all alone to run Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured (AOCCCI). I have prayed for others to help in this work. Board members are needed. Volunteers with a variety of skills are needed. Over the years people have come, but usually not for very long. The need is great. Please pray for this situation. And if the Holy Spirit may be leading you to join the work, please let me know. I am more then happy to discuss how and in what ways you may be able to serve God through the work of AOCCCI.

2007-05-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, Only paying guests can swim in the hotel pool.

Spent Time With My Mother

2007-05-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

If you get Healing God’s Way newsletter you know my mom isn’t doing well. She lives in a Living Assisted Facility, Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit. About a year and a half ago she stopped talking. They also put her in a wheelchair so she wouldn’t fall. For a variety of reasons, including breaking a rib, I have been unable to visit her for a little over a year. So when I made my airline reservations last month I wasn’t sure if she would remember me. On Tuesday, May 15, I walked up to my mother and greeted her. Every day I would say hi, then tell her my name and that I am her daughter. Her face didn’t tell me if she remembered but her behavior sure did. She quickly grabbed my fingers and refused to let go. Whenever her grip would loosen and I would try to pull away, she would grab on again. By the end of the day my left arm hurt from all the strange positions it had been in. The staff noticed my mom seeded really happy all day. The rest of the week she didn’t grab me much but smiled at me whenever I told her "I love you", which I did repeatedly. She seemed a lot more engaged, that is when she wasn’t falling asleep, and even chucked a little bit. Clearly she remembers me and benefited from my visit. It saddens me I can’t visit her more often and that there are over 1,700 miles (2,736 km) between us.

While in California I purchased some clothes for my mother. All of her clothes were several sizes to large. Tough buying winter clothes in May, but with the help of others I found a very large thrift store where I was able to get some long sleeve shirts for her. I also got her some slacks.

I won’t mention where I stayed but I have to say it was the worse room I ever been in. The décor was bad enough (San Francisco 49er's football wallpaper and furniture) , but finding a spider in my bed when I got up in the morning and another baby spider in the bathroom sink didn’t make me happy either. There were other problems with the room, which I sure hope they fix. Fortunately after finding the spiders they moved me to a much better room.

I flew on ExpressJet, a new airline that has non-stop flights. No other airline flies from San Antonio to Sacramento without forcing me to change planes. I got a little meal and was able to listen to XM Radio. I have no reservations of flying with them again. The plane held about 50 people, so it is small, but the flight was enjoyable. The only warning I have for others is we had to climb down steps, then walk over to the plane, and walk up more steps to get into the plane. They do have a way to get passengers in wheelchairs onto the plane, but be sure to let them know ahead of time if stairs are a problem for you.

National Day of Prayer

2007-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

The first Thursday of May, by order of the Congress, is to be set aside for a day of prayer. The United States has a long history of setting aside special days in order to pray for the nation. Prayer events occurred all over the nation today. Every year I make a special effort to join hundreds at the steps of city hall for a time of prayer and praise.

I have no idea if groups of other religions (such as Jewish or Muslim) celebrate this important day, but Christians come out in mass to celebrate. Atheists also like to participate, usually with protest signs. They seem to think that people should only pray at church, but not on publicly owned property, such as the steps of city hall.

When I see the protest signs my heart goes out to them. I grew up in an anti-Christian home. I have relatives who are atheists. I do not understand the hostility toward Christians, but I do understand the darkness they live in. One individual held a sign that I think revealed the real issue: "No Gods, No Master". Atheists want to be in control of their life. To even admit the possibility that God exists means that you can no longer be the ruler of your life.

I have lived on both sides of the fence. I grew up in a home where God did not exist. The concept of sin was totally foreign to me. It didn’t matter what I did as long as it did not harm others or myself. Of course what is harmful is very subjective. My pre-Christian life was a life in darkness. Looking back I realize that I was depressed and pessimistic. I was taught you live and then you die and that is it. Life has no real meaning. In college I learned we will either blow up the planet in a nuclear war or pollute ourselves to death. Then our bodies will just decompose. Pretty dismal existence.

When I invited Jesus into my life everything changed. I had a reason to live. Over the years God has done amazing things in my life. If it weren’t for Jesus’ love I probably would not be alive today. I find it sad that so many in the world do not know God’s love and have no hope. And so today as the atheists stood in the crowd with their protest signs I prayed for them. When they heckled the Mayor while he read the proclamation he had signed declaring today the National Day of Prayer, I prayed for them. They are in spiritual darkness.

If you live in the United States, I hope you participated in this National Day of Prayer. If you did not, it is not to late. You can join by praying for our nation now. If you live in another country I hope you pray for your own nation. If your nation has a specific day like the US does, make an effort to join a prayer event. If it does not, then pray alone or with some friends. Take the time to pray for your leaders, the citizens, and your nation as a whole. Pray also for those who still live in darkness.

Sphere Community Church

2007-04-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last month a friend told me I should attend a new start-up church. Pastor Bill Hill had preached a couple times this past summer, after our Senior Pastor had resigned. So I was familiar with Bill but had no idea he and others had formed a new church. Sphere Community Church has been meeting in an old community theater that is currently being renovated. The man who purchased it last year had started praying that a church would start meeting in the theater. For the past few months now, at the Woodlawn Theater, plays are performed in the afternoon and then Sphere Community Church meets for worship at 6:00 p.m. Since Sphere has only been meeting a few months, the numbers are very low, but that is to be expected.

Before I learned of Sphere, Bill and others walked the neighborhood praying and handing out fliers informing folks of the new church.

Saturday April 21 Sphere held a neighborhood picnic on a triangle piece of grassy land behind the Woodlawn Theater. We served hotdogs, chips, cookies and sodas to all that came by. We had all sorts of activities for the children. We got many new contacts. It was a very successful day. But I forgot to put sunscreen on and got a minor sunburn.

When I first was told about Sphere I promptly forgot it. Then that Sunday the Lord spoke to me about Sphere. I spent several weeks praying (and visiting the church) and finally came to a decision that the Lord wanted me to join forces with Pastor Bill. Being part of Sphere will have no effect on AOCCCI. A day will come of course when I will have to leave Sphere because the work of AOCCCI will take me away from San Antonio. But until then I will serve God in both ministries and will probably grow spiritually and professionally.

Please add Sphere to your prayers. This church is still very small with very few workers. There are many folks in the surrounding neighborhoods who have no church affiliation and many who have never met Jesus. We want to reach these folks.

Apartment Gardener

2007-04-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

I struggle with discontentment. I live in an apartment but I want to live in a small town or out in the country. I really want to live a more environmentally sound life. I would love to have a yard full of vegetables. For now I have no choice about my living situation but I do have a choice how I live and I control my attitude. My apartment complex may not provide a way for me to recycle but I can save cans and paper, which I take to recycle bins at nearby churches. I also have turned my balcony into a vegetable garden. I have found basil, parsley, kale, baby bitter greens and of course aloe vera grow very well. Tomatoes and peppers don’t do very well. I don’t think they are getting enough hours of sun. I have also had a tough time growing mint which is frustrating since mint grew on the side of the house I grew up in and we could never get rid of it even though my mom thought of it as a weed. This year I am trying broccoli raab, arugula, and cilantro. I also have a couple of nasturtium plants, which happen to be edible flowers. So I may not have a home where I can share space with others and I may not have a yard for a vegetable garden. I may not have a lot of what I desire, but that has not stopped me from doing something. And when my attitude goes down hill, when I get really frustrated that AOCCCI has not moved to the place I believe God intends it to be, I spend time in prayer. I repent of my attitude and seek God’s direction for today. Then I go out on my balcony and water my vegetable garden.

Why The Name?

2007-04-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Coming up with a name for this blog was a challenge. Should I pick something more in line with the ministry or more focused on myself. I finally decided that since this blog will focus on both, it probably would be better if the name kind of touched both aspects. There is another reason I finally settled on Happenings At The Hyatt House, it is a pun. Hyatt is my last name. It is also the name of a five start hotel chain. I have no idea how people get my number but occasionally I get calls from people asking if this is the Hyatt Regency. They may not have reached the Hyatt Regency, but they did reach the Hyatt House. It is my home and for the time being the home office of Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured. I hope you like the name. But if you think you have a better idea for a name, please share it with me.

Greetings and Troubles Starting A Ministry

2007-04-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

It is probably good the Lord never told me how difficult starting and running a non-profit ministry would be. If I had known I might never have taken on the challenge. The hard part is starting, especially a ministry that most people just do not understand. If I had started say, a Children’s shelter, well that is something people can grasp. But a ministry to help the chronically ill, especially a disease that many people have never heard of is another thing all together different. Often when I say Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), the response is, "Oh chemical addiction". I then have to explain what Multiple Chemical Sensitivities is and that is has nothing to do with drug addiction.

If you are one of those folks who have never heard of MCS, you can visit the Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured web site for a brief explanation.

All non-profits depend on donations but I have discovered sick people rarely donate and healthy people don’t donate to ministries they do not relate to or understand. What the answer is to this problem the Lord has yet to tell me. But I keep praying. Somehow someway I know the Lord will move AOCCCI from my apartment to the countryside. Until that day occurs I will keep ministering to folks online and in person when the opportunity arises.

Over the years I have published Healing God’s Way Newsletter, which is ministering to many folks. But not everyone has a need for such a newsletter. I have tried other ways to connect with folks who might be interested in this work but often they have failed. My hope is this blog will be that instrument. I plan on sharing what I am up to, what God is doing in my life, the progress of AOCCCI and whatever is on my mind. I hope you enjoy it and keep coming back. I am open to questions and comments but not arguments. God Bless You All