Country Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.