Good Riddance 2021

 
I mean, really. Where to start? What a messed up year. I find it hard now, looking back, to contemplate the weirdness of it all. Unprecedented comes to mind. But I also saw how the Lord was protecting me the whole time. I'm convinced that He thwarted many attacks and set-ups that I didn't even know were happening until after the fact. So I'm just going to list some of the highlights. 

January 2021. I was the sole admin in a 3-man office for an Indian casino in Oregon. I was in charge of over 200 employees – making sure that all their paychecks were correct and all their leave of absences and FMLA paperwork was completed on time. 

My manager, who was my boss at the time, seemed to be constantly looking for instances of me failing and took the floor supervisors side against me on more than one occasion. The night before I was expecting some made up accusation against me to hit the fan, my boss was in a horrible car accident. He was in the hospital with a shattered foot and a broken arm. All of sudden the stress level in our department went way down. I felt really bad about it, but at the same time, the guy was like a nemesis to me. I was also surprised at the timing of the thing. I'm sure it had nothing at all to do with me, but that particular chess piece was off the table for the next 5 months. 

February 2021. There was a terrible ice storm and I literally got stuck at work for 3 days straight. The road between my job and home was closed and I probably couldn't have driven on it anyway, since it was all steep mountains and my little Honda Civic Hybrid wouldn't have made it. They put me up at the lodge for two of the nights, but the second night the electricity went out. I had to use my lighter in the pitch black stairwell to get off the 4th floor and make my way out of the building and to my office. The office had no electricity so I set up a command center in the back of one of the kitchens that had a computer. I was able to field all the calls of employees not being able make it in. My Director saw that and was impressed. More on that later. 

I also turned 55. I was now officially an honored citizen. 

March – May 2021. It starts. Not that there wasn't foreshadowing, what with the required mask wearing and temperature checks as you enter the building. The strong suggestion that you stick a needle in your arm from the outside world had come to my little office. One by one, I watched as all my friends lined up and took the jab. I tried to warn them. I even showed them the documents from the official Pfizer website stating the double-blind randomized placebo experiment that they were all ignorantly participating in. They just shrugged and got a second dose six weeks later, even after some of them had horrible side effects. At least one ended up in the hospital from adverse events and still got the 2nd shot. 

Oh – and they made me employee of the month for my work during the ice storm. 

June – August 2021. The summer of bribes. Here is a short list of some of the “incentives” government officials gave away to encourage people to go out there and take one for the team. Hamburgers, french fries, donuts, beer. The state of Oregon was one of a handful of states that actually gave away one million dollars. Lucky you. The esteemed establishment where I was employed gave away a Traeger grill, and a plethora of five dollar gas cards. Really? How much gas can you buy with five bucks these days anyway?

September 2021. I knew it was coming, yet it was still a surprise when it happened. All employees at my little casino would now be REQUIRED to get the shot. It was now mandatory and a condition of your employment. Considering how short-handed we were and how hard it was to get employees during regular times, I thought it was a really stupid business move. The Lord let me know that not only was it time to leave that job but to leave the entire state of Oregon as well. 

The rest of the year has already been posted on this blog. We are now in a good place in Kansas and I have a new job where I can work from home. 

I got a newsletter today from Christine Beadsworth where she has another encouraging word from the Lord.  You can listen to it here:

I AM the Seasoned Warrior God

May God bless you going into the new year. It is the Chinese year of the Tiger – but I believe it is God's year of saving grace to all of those who love Him and take a stand for Him. Take care my friends.

By Ones or by Twos

                                                                                

I watched as my husband walked by my “home office” on his way to the bathroom towards the end of my shift yesterday. He was shaking really bad the whole way. It took him 20 minutes – round trip. As soon as I clocked out I went online to look for apartments and houses for rent. We had been discussing the fact that he probably needs a wheelchair and we would need to move out of the RV. I read the descriptions to him and the rent amounts. Really, we can't afford much more than $500 for rent because it always costs around $250 for utilities on top of that, give or take. 

I spent about an hour looking at what was available in our area. Not much really, but I felt this urgency.  Then all of a sudden, something occurred to me. 

I asked my husband, “Are you able to do a big move? I mean physically? Do you think you are up to it?”  He was quiet for a moment. “No.” he said. “I don't really think I am.” That was the end of the search. I closed my computer. 

One of the ways that I deal with huge stressful things in my life is not to deal with them. I just don't let myself think about it, almost to the point of ignoring it. I spend my time looking up recipes and making grocery lists. The carrot recipe I tried was awful by the way. It tasted good for the first bite or two (which was probably the melted cheese.) but after that it was yukky. I won't be writing that one down in my recipe book. 

The truth of the matter is, my husband is dying. A slow painful death. He wakes up in the morning and blows blood clots out of his nose. He sleeps most of the day. When he is awake, he sometimes says weird stuff that doesn't make any sense. Everyday he gets a little bit weaker than the day before. In the rare instances when we talk about it, he tells me that he is afraid there will be a day when he won't be able to get out of bed. I'm afraid of that day too. 

On my break today, I looked over at him. He had his back to me with the headphones on, watching a movie. His breathing was strange, like it was hard for him to take a breath. I almost lost it at that point. I had to pull myself together to get through the rest of my shift. Thank God, it was my last break. 

There was an email newsletter from Christine Beadsworth waiting for me after work. I don't know why but her little podcasts have been hitting me right in the heart. Like they were written to me personally about my circumstances. This latest one especially. Not all of it, but some parts definitely. You can listen to it here:

Plucked and positioned.

She had a word from the Lord that she wrote in her newsletter. This isn't all of it, you can hear the rest on her podcast, but this was the part that really touched me.

“Surrender fully and trust that the hour of your greatest usefulness to the kingdom is at the door. For I will sow you anew, seed by seed - precisely positioned for My maximum glory. Know this, I have your future securely in My hand, and no one can pluck you from it. As the dew that falls, I will quietly scatter My seed handful by handful - not carelessly, as one tosses aside chaff, but carefully and tenderly, will I place you by ones and by twos. While the world is distracted by the light show of the fallen ones, My hand will work speedily and surely to pluck you and plant you. Ready your heart, for even now, I take my hand from My bosom in readiness to move.” 

It is good to know that the Lord has our future securely in His hand, whether it be by ones or by twos.

One Day at a Time

My husband is not well. He is getting worse these days. He can barely get around the RV and making the trip from his chair to the bathroom, a distance of roughly 15 feet is challenging. Every day it is looking more and more that he will need to be in a wheelchair soon. While coming to grips with the reality that he needs a wheelchair, it is also a fact that he could not use a wheelchair and live in an RV. There is no room. 

We are starting to look at renting a house or an apartment – but rents are so high that, we haven't found anything we can afford. We still have a month left on our current lease, so hopefully something will show up then. The Lord has promised to meet all our needs, and this is definitely a need. Please pray for my husband. 

My sister is having an operation today. I am praying for her as well. 

The Shaded Side of the Mountain

A new podcast from Christine Beadsworth can be found here.

Have a great day!

Beating the Crowds

It was dark when I drove into town this morning. Someone on Buckeye had a blow-up trailer with Santa in their yard. It looked like the one from the you-tube video above. Just thought I'd share.

I wanted to get my groceries before anyone else was up and about. The store will be closed tomorrow. That's a nice perk. There was only one other car in the lot as I pulled into my usual spot. Sweet! The feral kitties and their shelters are gone. I wondered about that.

The guy who bagged my groceries asked me where I've been lately. I let him know that I'm working now and can't come to the store every day like I used to. I guess I'm a recognized regular now. LOL. I asked him where the cats went as we walked to my car. He said someone came and got them. Hhmmm, hopefully they will be well taken care of. I asked him if he had any damage from the storm. He told me that he lives on 3rd Street and they were all protected by the mill. I told him about how I felt sorry for those on 3rd because they never see the sun. “Naw,” he told me, “It's nice. It never gets too hot.” Funny.

My husband has recently decided he is never eating pork again. Ever. He says it is biblical. Well, that rules out ham for dinner. I'm okay with it. I am making meatloaf, stove top stuffing and cooked carrots. Not necessarily traditional fare, but I have half a bag of baby carrots that I really need to get rid of. I found this recipe that I'm going to try here. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Hug your family this weekend. My family is all far away – so hug each other and says it's from me. Take care everyone! Love you guys!

P.S. Blogger is trying to tell me that the word Street above doesn't exist. Whatever - spell check sucks.

V Park

The R is missing from the sign near our spot. It must have gotten damaged in the storm. Now it just says V PARK. 

I am enjoying my training. I'm loving the work so far. I am busy these days, but I have Friday off the next two weeks (paid holiday!) so I will get a decent blog post out soon. Take care of yourselves!

Sad Winner

Remember the raffle at work? The one where you had to upload your V card for a chance to win $2500? If the company could reach 70 % V rate then it went up to $7500. Our class checked to see who won. I didn't pay any attention to who the winner was. When the contest first started, I checked to see what the V rate was for the company. At the time it was at 49%. At the end of the contest the company didn't make it to 70%, but it did go up to 54%. This stupid contest raised the rate by 5%. How very sad. Now think of all the companies running contests like this. Yep. People will sell their birthright for a bowl of stew. Others will just be worn down and give up and get it in the end. 

When I first quit my other job over this, my father-in-law told my husband, "Why doesn't she just go get the shot?" My husband was pissed. He told my father-in-law that if I had done that, he would have lost all respect for me. He loved the fact I was willing to take a stand. Still does. 

The time to make a stand is now. It is not going to get easier either. Resist the devil and he will flee. The consequences will be dire if you don't. 
 

Prepare Now

It is 26 degrees outside as I write this. It was colder when I went out to start the car this morning. I knew I needed to let it warm up before going to the store. Don't want my fingers to freeze. 

It was a nice drive into town. Hardly anyone was on the road for a Saturday. I thought about the last week. It went fast. I still have two more weeks of training before I will be working on my own, but I will have different trainers. Yesterday was the last day we would be training with C. and T. T was going to be off on Friday but she told us on Thursday that she had taken both the booster and the flu shot earlier that day. She said that her arm felt like lead and was in a lot of pain. 

Even though T was on PTO, she stopped into our training session to say goodbye to everyone. She told C that she was having a severe reaction to the shots and that she had NEVER felt so sick in her life. I prayed for her when I heard that. She is really sweet. I hope she is going to be okay.

A local was giving the little feral cats some water when I pulled into the parking lot. I prayed for the kitties. They say it is supposed to get down to 11 degrees tonight. 

On the way home I stopped at our gas station. I really felt that still, small voice telling me to get gas, even though I still have half a tank. We have dark days ahead. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. Most of the damage inside the store has been repaired from the storm. My landlady asked me if we are staying warm. I said, “we are trying to.” She laughed, “You are camping. That is what my husband always tells me. Yes, we are camping I tell him back.” I smiled. 

Yes, I guess we are camping too. Out in the wilderness where the Lord has placed us. When I got home there was an email newsletter from Christine Beadsworth in my inbox. She mentions about having light in our dwellings, and it is interesting that I said the same thing in my last blog post. You can listen to it here:

Oil your Shields and Brace Yourselves

So, I am spending the rest of the day prepping for the week ahead. I have several meals planned, so I am chopping all the veggies now and putting them in baggies, so that all I have to do is pull them out to make dinner. 

I wasn't sure how to end this post, but I feel very pressed to tell everyone to get prepared now. Fill your tanks full of gas. Stock up on some food and have some cash on hand. Most of all, pray. Whatever you do, do NOT get the shot. No matter what they throw at you. Take a stand for the Lord. He is your shield and will make sure that you have lights in your dwelling. Take care out there. 

High Winds Warning

I woke up with a weird sense of doom this morning. I didn't really know why, but speculated that it may be that I was a little harsh when I evaluated the cultural diversity training video I watched the day before. Strongly Disagrees all the way down. I am in my first 90 days of my new job and they can let me go for any reason. But when training started, nothing was said so I assumed I was safe for now.

Around 2pm, my husband got a high winds alert on his new cell phone. It was pretty windy out. The dog went out for about 2 seconds and decided she could hold it a while longer. She was freaked out by the strong gusts. I didn't blame her. 

Around 3:30pm, it was raining hard and shaking the RV. It was thundering and lightning. Then the power went out and so did the internet. I was starting to get really worried. I called the attendance hotline to let them know. I didn't like having the power go out during my training. They just went over the nightmare it is to fill out the paperwork if you miss your out punch. Luckily everything came back on right before it was time to clock out and I was able to rejoin the training team. Phew. Nightmare avoided.

I was off work and the wind had died down. It was almost eerily quiet, like we were in the eye of the storm. I decided to run down to the little gas station store and pick up a couple things so I didn't have to go into town for a big shopping trip. 

Poor little gas station. They were hit hard by the storm. A huge chunk of the roof was blown off. I went inside and there was water everywhere. My poor landlady was frazzled and they already had an insurance adjuster there to look at the damage. I chatted with her about the storm and then said, “Oh, you probably aren't selling anything.” She answered, “Yes, we are still selling stuff.” I grabbed a couple things and then she asked me if I wanted to have the leftover Shepard's Pie from the lunch special. She didn't think it was enough for two but didn't want to deal with having to put it in the fridge. I said sure. I thanked her and went back home.

I put the Shepard's pie in the oven to re-heat and made us some salads to go with. It was an excellent dinner. (Thank you, Lord!) As soon as we were done, the wind picked up – worse than before. The two cement umbrellas by the pool had been uprooted and were dangling off the side. The power went out again. The RV was shaking back and forth and occasionally we heard a big boom, like something hit the side of us. I started to pray hard, that a bubble of protection would surround us. 

My husband started the generator. Now we have lights and internet. I wondered if the Israelite's felt like this. The plagues and storms whipping around outside their dwellings, but inside they had light. The wind died down just enough for the poor dog to go out and do her business (as quick as she could.) As I struggled to close the door when she came in, I stopped when I saw the moon. It was orange. This is not a natural storm. Major spiritual battles are going on out there. I prayed for the people who will be affected by this, like my landlady. God, help us though these storms and keep us protected, in Jesus' name. Thank you.  

 

Concerning Mustard Seeds

When I wrote that blog post about Moving Mountains I couldn't remember the verse. All I remembered was the say to the mountain part and it going into the sea part. This morning I got an email newsletter from Christine Beadsworth. She mentioned that verse and I was glad to be reminded of the beginning of the verse. The verse is, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, be removed and go into the sea.” I had forgotten the faith as small as a mustard seed part. 

You can listen to her recent podcast – where she talks about harvesting mustard seed, among other things here:

The Threshing Floor Separation – Part 3

The day's training went fast, but then I had to babysit the IT guy for an hour and a half after work. Unfortunately, he will need to “put in for a higher level of tech” for the problem to be resolved. Thankfully, my husband felt up to washing the dishes today so that is one less thing I have to do tonight. I am making us a nice dinner of cordon bleu and salads. It is one of our favorite dinners.

While I was waiting on the IT guy, I read this blog post from Wes over there at NCRenegade. You should really read what he has to say. This is where the battle is. 

For All You Renegades

Have a peaceful night my friends. Lean into the Lord and Keep the Faith. Even if it is only the size of a mustard seed.  

No One Shaves Their Legs in Winter

Just a random thought I was having as I was drying off after my shower. I did shave my pits, however. Just in case I'm wearing a tank top and raise my hand during one of my online training sessions. Don't want to mortify any of my new co-workers.

Have a relaxing Sunday. 

And the grand prize goes to...

It was a brutal week of training. It is so nice to finally have a day off. I love working from home. When it is my lunch break – I'm already right in my own kitchen.

They are having a raffle at work. The prize is $2500. That is a lot of money for people who are making 15 dollars an hour in this crappy economy. To enter, you just need to upload a copy of your V card. The kicker is, if they get to a 70% vax rate for the company, the grand prize goes up to $7500. Wow, have you ever heard of such a thing? What an incentive to go get the jab. Unfortunately, it will be a motivator for some. It's only a chance to win. It isn't even a guarantee!

I am trying to get a bunch of stuff done today so I don't have to do that much tomorrow and can maybe relax a little before Monday. The list is so long that I've already decided that laundry will have to be done tomorrow. I've made some coleslaw so it can chill in the fridge. I am baking banana bread at the moment. I plan on making a weekly chore list so that I could do some cleaning on my breaks during the work day so I don't have so much to do on Saturdays.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

New Grandbaby

My son called me last night to let me know that I am a new grandma (again!). Her name is Madelyn May. She was 19.5 inches and weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Very exciting. That makes 4 grand babies so far. They are in Alaska and I am in Kansas, so not sure when I will see her.

Happy Friday everyone!

Moving Mountains

I give all glory to God for this. A miracle happened at work yesterday.

So we got a satellite dish for the SOLE purpose of having the internet speeds that are needed for my new job. It is required that I have a download speed of 25 mps and an upload speed of 5mps. I have those speeds when I use the parks wifi, but the job also requires that you plug in with an ethernet cable.

I've been running speed tests since we got the dish but could not get any speeds close to 5mps for an upload. My husband called the internet provider and they told us the highest speed we could get was 3mps. (He told them the requirements we needed before they hooked everything up and they said, Oh yeah, no problem. Why do people lie so much?) At the time my husband gave me the news, I was highly stressed out about other things. I could not add another thing onto the pile. I told him, “I can not deal with this right now. God is just going to have to handle it.” 

So yesterday came the inevitable official speed test. The instructor told us to run the speed test and put the download and upload speeds into the chat. Now, the instructor was not actually watching the speed test being run. She was trusting us to be honest. So of course, the temptation was to lie, because she would never know. That temptation only lasted 2 seconds because I don't lie. I needed to have legitimate 100% honest downloads and upload speeds. I ran the test over and over. The numbers kept changing. The highest download speed was 40.1 at one point, but try as I might, the highest upload speed was 3.69. 

I started to tell the Lord that it was His idea to get this job and that I needed a valid download speed of 5mps. I reminded Him of that time when Jesus said that you would say to this mountain, Be ye removed and go into the sea (or something along those lines). I said, this is a big Ol mountain Lord and I need 5mps right now. I started praying as hard as I could. I put my hands on the modem and kept saying 5, 5, 5 as the test was going. That is when the miracle happened. 

The Lord went above and beyond what I asked and gave me 7mps. Even though I was praying and believing, I was still shocked when it happened. I took a screen shot of it and posted it in the chat. Then finished out the rest of my break yelling, Oh Thank you Lord! Oh Thank you Lord! I mean wow. 

I know what some of you are thinking. Don't worry about the 33. That was the legitimate download speed at the time. 

Wow just wow. Thank you Lord!

I was able to relax for the rest of the class. I have a great, big, wonderful God. 

The Other Shoe

Yesterday was the HR Orientation for my new job. They talked about all the benefits of working there, one of which was medical coverage. Unfortunately, this poke in the arm thing is not going away.

Starting February 18th, if you haven't been poked, the out of pocket medical taken out of your check will double. For me and my spouse, that would be over $400 a month, just for the cheapest plan. The high quality plan would cost $700 or so a month. You can't just opt out of the medical and still be able to get the vision and dental. It's a package deal. Having medical through your work use to be a highly valued perk. But now with the looming mandatory V A X, medical benefits just aren't what they use to be.

The HR lady stressed the fact that getting poked was NOT a requirement for employment. She went on to say that the company highly encourages it and that without it, I would not be able to enter a company building or participate in any company events. Thank God, I am working remote.

So my husband and I decided that we would be better served by opting out of the medical. I will need to do it within the first 30 days of employment or be automatically enrolled. It is too bad, but that is the way things are going. I also think this was a heads-up from the Lord. This will just be temporary. Once they really crack down and make it mandatory for employment, my time there will be done. Too bad. I really like the place so far.

Breathing Optional

I guess they are trying to implement a permanent mask mandate over there in Oregon. So sad. There is a story about it (here). 

I normally don't care about the hypocritical nature of those that want to impose their tyrannical rule over us while not adhering to it themselves. But here is a story about Oregon Governor Kate Brown partying without a mask. (here)

If you think the leadership in Oregon will stop at this, you are sadly mistaken. They will lock down the borders of that state and you will not be able to leave unless you show your V card. Watch and see. 

I have some advice for all you poor Oregonians out there.

Move to Kansas.

Love you guys! Have a great Tuesday.

Training

It is lunchtime for my training so I thought I would multi-task and start writing my blog post for the day. This morning went really well. I think I am going to love my new job. I am very thankful to God that all my equipment arrived on time and everything works. There are several in my class that were having major malfunctions. Some of them maybe never set up a computer before. Poor things.

The home office set up is working well. I made breakfast before my class started and I have an hour for lunch. I'm glad to have a whole hour. I made sandwiches for us. The plan was to make burritos for dinner, but I have to run into town to get some groceries after work and my husband suggested getting take-out. Works for me. 

Not sure the dog is too happy with the set up. She has been staring at me through the baby-gate. She is being a good girl though, no whining. She will get use to it I suppose. Okay, my lunch hour is almost over. I will post more later. 

It was a good first day. I have more I could write about, but I'm just too tired. Have a good night.

The waiting is over, time to start

My equipment has finally arrived and I spent the morning getting it all assembled. Did a couple test runs of everything so I can start my training for my new job tomorrow. I am excited, but nervous too. I have to do Zoom meetings as part of my employment. My cuteness cannot be adequately captured on film, digital or otherwise. It is what it is.

I set up a comfortable office space and I rigged it so that I can easily shut down the office laptop and start my personal laptop. I will have to schedule times to take a break from them both.

Our little RV park has a convenience store and a gas station. Gas is down to $2.85 a gallon so I stopped in to fill up. They make home-made pizza's to go there. We have not tried it yet. On the wall is a sign for a Tuesday Special. Two Pizzas, Two Toppings and a Two Liter Soda for $20. Sounds like a good deal. I made a meal plan for the week, so pizza on Tuesdays was a good addition. 

When my husband and I first met, we were perfect for each other. He LOVES to cook and thinks about making food and different recipes all day long. I love to wash the dishes, (really I do!) I find it very relaxing. So it worked out very well for us both. But my husband hasn't been able to do any cooking lately. At first I found the task daunting. I mean, I can cook. I'm actually a pretty good cook. I just don't really like to. But the need is for me to be the chef around here, until further notice. What your hand findeth to do, do it heartily as unto the Lord. 

Challenge Accepted. 

So I've been spending a lot of time looking for simple recipes online that I can cook in the evenings after work. I've actually found some really good ones, using stuff we normally have in the house. For lunch today I made sausage, red potatoes and cabbage using this recipe (here). It was yummy! I added a little chicken bullion to the water and used a little Mrs. Dash. You have to put your own spin on these things. LOL. 

Now that everything is in place and I have a plan, I feel very peaceful. I think things are going to work out just fine.

Sabbath Rest

I wrote this blog post yesterday, so that all I had to do this morning was post it. I got an email newsletter from Christine Beadsworth. It talked about battle fatigue and how the Lord wants the saints to have a Sabbath rest. The audio version is here:

Battle Fatigue

I have been very busy around the house for the last several weeks. I am taking today off (as much as I can). All the meals are planned out. Tomorrow I will be preparing for my first day of my new job. But today I will rest.

Sunshine - It's Not What You Think

It is 60 degrees, and a beautiful sunny day here in Kansas. It's hard to believe it is December. As I drive into town, I turn on the heat, roll down the window, crank up the radio and pretend it's summer. There are only two parking spaces in front of the post office and they are both full. I decide to circle the block and hope one of them leaves.

I take a right down 3^rd Street. On the right is an old mill, several stories high. On the left are several old Victorian style houses. The houses are beautiful and unique. They use to build them with quality back in the day and the lawns looked well kept. The homes and their yards are dark, completely overshadowed by the bulk of the mill. I felt bad for the people who lived there. No sunshine for you. Ever.

Still no debit card and no equipment. My job starts in three days.

I tried to search songs about sunshine on you-tube, but it was kind of disappointing. I got quite a shock when looking through videos of “You are my Sunshine.” Here is the song as I remember it: Happy and upbeat:

But here is a version that has the original lyrics from the James Davis and Johnny Cash versions. It was not a happy song. Beware this is a creepy version when you actually hear the words. Gave me goosebumps:

Kind of reminded me of what is going on these days. A nice whitewashed version of life, but if you dig a little deeper, you start to see how it really is. It will get darker before we are through. But in the end, there will be no need for sunshine. The Father will give us all the light we need. The battle is the Lord's. He will fight for us. 

He will win.

Winter Abilene Style

I took my (almost) daily drive into Abilene. I remembered to mail my dad's letter, but when I got to the Post Office I realized I had forgotten to stop by the dumpster on my way out of the park. The bag full of garbage was still sitting on the floor in the front seat. Yuck. 

Nothing in the mail except ads. My husband has been waiting for his debit card for his new account for over a month. Why yes sir, you can have a checking account, we aren't going to give you access to your money though. It is ridiculous.

The yards in front of the mansions on Buckeye Avenue are all decorated for Christmas. The trees are covered in garlands and shiny little ornaments. One guy went a little overboard. He has a huge blow-up Clydesdale horse and a row of inflatable reindeer along with his lights. I just shook my head and smiled. 

The picture above is for the horse that is on the sign for Rittel's Western Wear, also located on Buckeye Avenue. Someone has put woolen blinders and a winter horse blanket on it. (I guess the blanket is called a turnout.) So the horse statue is ready for winter too.

There are three wild cats that live near the parking lot at the local Country Mart. A black one, a tan one and a strange looking gray one. Someone has built a couple of little shelters for them with bricks on top so they don't blow away with the wind. One of the bagger ladies told me, as she brought my groceries out to the car, that there is a woman in town who comes into the store just to buy cat food. Then she feeds the little feral cats. God is looking out for them too I guess. 

Bundle up guys. It's going to get cold out there.

Sigh

 Another day, another variant. Give me a break.

Raindrops

It was a busy morning. I made coffee for myself and then my husband when he woke up. I take 3 scoops, he takes 5. Fed the dog, then took her for a walk. Made omelets for breakfast. Ran into town to check the mail. Swung by the store, realized I forgot to mail my dad's letter. I will have to get it out tomorrow. Bought groceries. Stopped by the manager's and paid the rent. Came home, put away the groceries. Made lemon bars and washed the dishes. Made bean and cheese burritos for lunch. Called my liaison at my new job to let her know that my equipment hasn't shown up yet. She texted me back an hour later to let me know that it will be shipping out tomorrow. Sigh of relief.

As I was checking my list to see what was next to be done, it started raining. It doesn't rain very often here in Kansas. I love the sound of the rain. I looked to see what time it was. 2:45pm. I said to my husband, “It's 2:45 and it's raining. I think I'm going to take a nap and listen to the rain while I can. I think I've earned it. I won't be able to take naps next week when I'm working.” My husband said he was going to take a nap too. So we all (dog included) laid down for a nap. 

I slept for about an hour. This is what I'm listening to as I write this. Have a great day.

Disappointment

So I'm disappointed in what I'm about to tell you. This is just an example of how everything is going in this world. There is just no getting away from it anymore.

Sometimes what to write on my blog comes easy based on what might have happened that day, or things going on in the world. Other days, I'm not so sure what to write so I had gotten in the habit of going to Tony Evan's website. There would be a little 15 minute sermon that he had done in the past posted on the main page. Granted the sermon was also filled with commercials about trips to Israel or his latest teaching series. The sermons were inspiring so I was willing to overlook the ads. 

I went to the website for a little inspiration today. Unfortunately the inspiration was in a different direction than what I had hoped. The little sermon audio was gone. In its place was a headline that states:  Your gift will help us continue sharing the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Below it was a logo for Giving Tuesday. What happened to freely you have received, freely give? No more free word of God for you.

In the past, when I have missed a sermon on the front page, I could scroll down to where it said Sermons and click on it and it would take me to a page with his past sermon audio clips. So I clicked on the link to the sermon page. This time the link did not take me to the sermon page – it took me to the Apple store where I could download the free app to hear Tony Evan sermons. I'm not downloading the app because I don't have a smart phone. If you scroll down at the link it will let you know that yes, they will be collecting your data when you use the app. They promise none of the data will be linked to you. Yeah, I'm totally sure they are telling the truth on that one. So no more anonymously listening to Tony Evan's old sermons.  

I thought that I could at least sign up for the weekly email newsletter. I guess not without giving my mailing address. Why would I need to give my mailing address for an email newsletter? I was beginning to get very sad. 

On a whim I decided to look up Giving Tuesday (here) If you scroll past all the wonderful sounding fluff about giving and ways to do it, you come to the leadership supporter. Yep. Right there in big letters: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. So there you go. Tony Evans has sold out to the enemy. Maybe he is not aware of what is going on with his website, but I doubt it. These are sad dark days indeed.  

UPDATE - the giving tuesday logo has been taken off Tony's website as of Dec. 1st. 

Pressure

Our Thanksgiving was nice. I drove to Junction City to pick up Thanksgiving dinners from Cracker Barrel that I had ordered the week before. It was really delicious! We had just enough leftovers for turkey sandwiches for dinner (which is the best part of Thanksgiving!) It was a wonderful day and my husband and I were happy with the way it turned out.

This morning, I drove into Abilene to check the mail and pick up groceries. The lights on the metal snowflakes on Buckeye Avenue are actually blue, not white, like I first thought. Hmmmm. My equipment for my new job has not shown up yet. I started to worry. My new job starts in little over a week. 

I started to feel some pressure about my responsibilities. My husband is down, letting his hernia heal. Making sure that everything runs smoothly in the household all falls on me. I was thinking about how I'm going to accomplish it all and work at the same time. I don't complain and I hide my feelings about it for the most part. I thought about that saying. You know, the one where they say it takes great pressure to turn coal into diamonds. It made me smile. Then I thought that they are probably lying about that too. Coal and diamonds could actually be two different naturally occurring elements. There is no way to check if it's true or not either. Lying bastards.

When I got home, I started to write this blog post, but the dog was sitting there staring at me. I could tell she wanted to take a walk. She has one of those permanently sad faces and big brown eyes so you could almost forget that she is a manipulative bitch. Someday, I will tell you the story about my relationship with her. I tell her, okay. I get my scarf on to cover my ears and put on my jacket because it is cold outside. Once we get outside, I'm kind of glad I have a dog. She's like a blessing and a curse. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have known that it is a beautiful day outside. 

We come back into the house and I start writing this post again. “I know you are feeling a lot of pressure,” my husband says. I was shocked that he knew that! I thought I was hiding it. I guess the Academy Award does not go to me. We talked about everything that I was worrying about and I felt much better. We are in agreement that God will make sure that all our needs are met, including little things that need to be done. I don't know if I said this or not, but I have the best husband ever. We have a really good relationship. Not sure I could handle all the dark things going on in the world if it wasn't for him. This post ended up being different than when I first sat down. I'm just thanking the Lord again, for how much He cares about my life and the many blessings he has given me. And especially for my good husband. 

Thankfulness

I have a lot to be thankful for today. A year ago this month my husband was very sick and in the hospital. The hospitalist (who I did not like from the moment he opened his mouth) told us that my husband only had a few months to live, if that. My husband had serious health issues, but it was his hernia that was hurting him the most. They told him that they could not do surgery due to his other health conditions. They gave him a bunch of prescriptions, told him to see his regular doctor in a couple weeks, and sent him home. 

We went to see his regular doctor. His doctor recommended getting the you know what but my husband informed him we would NOT be getting the you know what. Then his doctor got very serious. He rolled his little stool over to us and put a hand on our knees. “I really think you should get the (you know what.) You know Donald and Melania both got it and Dr. Fauci is a brilliant virologist.” I had to bite my tongue at that point. Oh. You don't know how angry I got. If I would have said anything, I'm sure I would have started screaming at him and he would never had heard the end of it. We decided when we got home that his doctor was either in on it, or a complete brainwashed idiot. Regardless, his doctor could no longer be trusted. For that matter, no one in the medical profession could now be trusted.

My husband got worse and worse. He could barely get out of bed, he was so weak. I was worried about going to work and leaving him alone during the day. He was so bad one day that I actually called his dad to tell him that I wasn't sure how much longer he would be with us. But the Lord has other plans for my husband. My husband decided to take charge of his health issues. He changed his lifestyle and his diet. He weaned himself off all the drugs the doctor had prescribed and he started to get better. His hernia was still a problem, but he started to get his strength back. 

Fast forward to today. My husband is still with us. A couple weeks back we ordered some hernia poultices from a health store online. We should have ordered them a lot sooner, but they are expensive. They started working right away, and for the first time, his hernia is starting to heal. It's only been a couple days that he has been using them, but he could tell the difference the first night. Thank you God.

He still has good days and bad days. While his hernia is healing, we felt it best that he didn't move around too much. He felt really bad about not being able to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but I told him that I would handle it. (Not the cooking, just the dinner. Lol!) I ordered thanksgiving dinner from Cracker Barrel and I will go pick it up later. 

Thank you Lord for all the ways you take care of us and especially for healing my husband. Although I am especially thankful today, thinking back on the last year, I am thankful everyday for all the big (and little) blessings the Lord gives us. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. 

Brownies Make Things Better

 

The satellite guy finally showed up yesterday and hooked up our new dish. It is huge! Now I'm ready for my new job. The equipment for the job should be showing up any day now. We have a new home phone with a local number. First time in years.

My husband has not been feeling well lately (more on that later). I am making him some brownies. The store had boxed treats on sale, 2 for $4, so I bought lemon bars for later. I went shopping today because I know tomorrow will be really busy and we were out of everything. I've been very busy with stuff around the house, so I will write again soon.

Beware the Trending of Words

 Picture from here

Apparently, the above is starting to trend among those who have not rolled up a sleeve yet. It started late September when a person mentioned it on Tik Tok, which was quickly picked up by MSN (here) and The New York Post (here).  I hadn't heard it until Mike Adams mentioned it on his podcast yesterday. This is the article he posted about it (here). 

I like to listen to Mike Adams podcasts because I hear about stuff I wouldn't normally hear from the news. But, I am also aware that there are serious gatekeeper overtures in what he talks about and this particular article made me very suspicious. Also, the guy is a billionaire. They are all in the big club, and 'you ain't in it'. I'm not saying he IS a gatekeeper. Just – you really can't trust anyone these days, especially those who are still allowed to speak in this time of extreme censorship. 

Nothing trends these days unless the forces of evil want it to. Every single form of propaganda is being used against the people of the earth. Pick a side, any side, we have a whopper of a lie to tell you. Trying to find the truth out there is like finding a piece of hay in stacks full of needles. Needles, needles everywhere. If you are pro-needle stand in this line and if you are anti-needle stand in this line. Still on the fence? We have a line for you right over here. Look at all the pretty lines. Right where we want you.

There is only one Truth. That truth is Jesus Christ. Pray for discernment on any thing you read and let God open your eyes. Don't bother watching anything on TV, it is all deception. Not to mention, that it has gotten so filthy (especially commercials) that it just isn't worth it to have all the junk go right into your hypnotized mind. Just turn it off. And don't use the term from the picture when referring to yourself. I believe it is not going to turn out well for you. 

Be careful out there my friends. 

More on Flooding

 I am including a link to a video from Blazing Press where he discusses some of the flood damage that happened in Canada from the same storm front. I guess Canada got hit hard with roads and railways destroyed. Here is the link:

Blazing Press

Flooding in Otis, Oregon

 

I found out yesterday that the RV park we used to live at in Oregon was totally flooded last week. Here is an excellent article about it:

Newport times

This article also mentions the Echo fire that evacuated the same RV park September before last. My husband and I were evacuated during that fire and spent a week in a hotel in McMinnville. That was not a naturally occurring forest fire. The buildings in that area were totally destroyed but most of the trees were left standing. I don't believe the flooding was naturally occurring either. The article states that the flooding occurred because of “Atmospheric Rivers”. What a joke. Here is what NOAA says about atmospheric rivers:

Although atmospheric rivers come in many shapes and sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor and the strongest winds can create extreme rainfall and floods, often by stalling over watersheds vulnerable to flooding. These events can disrupt travel, induce mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property. A well-known example is the "Pineapple Express," a strong atmospheric river that is capable of bringing moisture from the tropics near Hawaii over to the U.S. West Coast. - NOAA – Pineapple Express – yes they are mocking us. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is actually a part of the US Department of Commerce. Now why would the Dept. of Commerce be interested in this sort of thing? Could there be money to be made by flooding out entire communities? Why yes there can. Most insurance companies do not cover floods. Flood insurance has to be purchased separately.

According to a CNN article, (here), the National Weather Service stated, - By late Thursday an atmospheric river event is expected to begin. Now how would they know that? Could it have been a planned event? Of course it could. 

There used to be a company called A Q U I E S S that all mention of has been scrubbed from the internet including Wikipedia. They were pretty open about their weather mod(ification) technology. Here is a very old you-tube video of their CEO laughing about how he would NEVER use this technology for flooding:

What a douchebag. Here is an interview he did:

Here is a mention of the company with a PDF talking about their oh so benevolent work in Africa that has somehow missed the scrubbing. Read it while you can – Here

Here is a video where the news is mocking us while they actually tell the truth for a change:

So yeah. I'm pretty sure that is what happened in Otis. Thank the Lord, He moved us out of there. I'm sure the attacks will continue on the poor people who live in that area. 

Winter is Coming

The satellite guy showed up for about 20 minutes yesterday. He took a look around and said he had to order a bunch of stuff and promises to be back on Monday and actually do something. I will believe it when I see it.

The flags are gone on Buckeye Avenue. They have been replaced with big metal snowflakes with tiny white lights. I will have to come back and see them when it is dark. I stop and check the mail. Nothing but a newspaper with local holiday sales. I am waiting for the equipment for my new job and some medical supplies we ordered for my husband. I will have to check again tomorrow.

I stop by the store to get a few things. I find myself standing in front of a holiday display for teas. They have Pumpkin Spice and I am trying to decide if I should buy some. I love the concept of tea. All the beautiful boxes with flavors that sound so good. But my actual experience with tea has been fairly disappointing. I once bought a box of Spiced Apple tea. I made a big deal of heating up the water and getting out the cup. It smelled so good as I was steeping it that my mouth was watering by the time I could take a sip. Pardon my French but it really tasted like shit. That box is still taking up valuable space in my cabinet.

With the exception of Chamomile, I have not been able to find any teas that I really like. Once while I was social distancing in the check-out line at Bi-Mart, I found myself waiting in the tea aisle. Right at eye level was a box of Bigelow tea called Sleep. It was a Lavender and Chamomile blend. I decided to impulse buy it. Not only was it delicious, but it actually did help me sleep. I have never been able to find that tea again at the store. I have one individually wrapped tea bag left. I am saving it for the Zombie Apocalypse. Should be any day now. The Pumpkin Spice is six dollars a box. I decide not to buy it.

It is dark and cold outside this afternoon. It is dark in the house as well. I am really unmotivated to do anything and I have a sink full of dirty dishes that really need to be washed. I tell my husband that I don't really want to do anything today and he tells me I don't have to. SWEET! I'm just going to take it easy for the rest of the day.

Mandela Effects

The satellite guy called yesterday to say he wasn't going to make it and rescheduled for today. We spent some time re-leveling the RV and I put heavy stone bricks under the tires and jacks. My arms are a little sore this morning.

I've known about the Mandela Effects in the King Jame's bible for several years. Remember how it was the lion that would lay down with the lamb? Yeah, well now it's the wolf (Isaiah 11:6, 65:25). Lions can be good or bad, but wolves are always bad in the bible. If you are not familiar with the Mandela Effect you can look it up on Duck Duck Go. (Don't use Google. They have abandoned their “Don't be Evil” stance.)

Somehow, I thought that the book of Revelation was safe because there were very specific curses on anyone who added to, or took away any words from that book.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. - Revelation 22: 18 and 19, New International Version

So the night before yesterday, I was reading Revelation 17 about Mystery Babylon and how she was drunken with the blood of the saints and the blood of something else that I can't quite remember. I was so tired, that I stopped reading and decided that I would re-read that chapter the next night and I went to sleep. Last night when I was reading it again, in verse 8 it said that the something else was the blood of the “martyrs of Jesus”. I immediately knew that was not what it said the night before. I got back out of bed and looked at other translations to see if there was something else there. The New International version as well as Young's literal translation both said “the blood of those who had the testimony of Jesus”. I knew that was definitely closer to what I had read the last time. I guess the forces of evil do not care if they piss God off.

It was a reminder that although we are safe and peaceful here in our little spot, the spiritual battle is still raging. The bible has been allowed to be corrupted and everyday it is being corrupted still. The famine of the word of God, spoken of in the book of Amos is here. I guess it has been here for several years already. If the words of the books we have in our possession can be changed, including the King James Bible, what else is being changed? Draw closer to God while you can and pray that your eyes will be opened to the deception going on around you. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

Here is a link if you are interested in more information:

http://supernaturalbiblechanges.blogspot.com/2016/10/isaiah-116-lion-shall-lie-down-with.html

Preparations

We have been getting things ready for my new remote from home job. Today the internet guy will be stopping by to set us up with a satellite dish so I have better internet. While we currently have wifi through the park, I need to be able to plug into a modem. We are also getting a home phone. Our current trac-phones are 3G and they will periodically go down for a day or two. Plus – they aren't allowing us to buy minutes online anymore, although I can still buy minutes at the store and enter it manually.

We bought a baby-gate. Lately, the dog has decided she likes to sit on the floor next to me and quietly whine. There is a whole back-story on how I feel about the dog that I am not going to get into right now. Let's just say, she is not my favorite. The baby-gate is to keep her out of my area while I am working. I love the baby-gate. It has already paid for itself because the dog is always under foot while I am cooking and pushes me up against the counter as she walks by. Now when I am going to cook I just grab the gate and block her out. It makes a huge difference.

My job begins in three weeks. I will have four weeks of training before I actually work with customers on my own. I can't wait to start. 

because I just can't help myself lol!

 

Standing in the Fire

I am subscribed to several email newsletters. This morning I got a newsletter that I thought was from someone else. I was amazed at the spiritual growth of this person while I was reading it and thinking that I would make a comment on their blog and link to the post. When I got to the end of the newsletter I realized it was not written by the person I first thought. That does not detract from the profound insight that was in this newsletter and also the confirmation of things the Lord has been putting on my heart.

Here is an audio link to the podcast by Christine Beadsworth: Standing in the fire:

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/freshlightreleases/episodes/2021-11-10T01_33_48-08_00

Driving towards the Daylight

I looked up from my computer and noticed the time. It was a quarter to eight am. “I gotta go,” I said to my husband, and kissed him good-bye.

I drove to Salina to take a drug test for my new job. We spent the day yesterday jumping through the hoops of digital paperwork. All the hoops would have been easy if we had smart phones or a printer or a scanner. But we don't. Luckily, I know how to be resourceful. I asked the landlady to print out the document I needed for the drug test. We used the camera's on our computer to take pictures of my ID and uploaded them to the right place. I called my prior employer and they emailed me a letter (on official letterhead) that stated when I was hired and when I separated that I was able to forward.

It's not a bad drive to Salina. It's about 30 minutes or so from where we live. The closer I got to Salina the darker it got. I actually had some interviews there last week and it always seems to be covered with thick black clouds. I thanked the Lord again, for my new job, and the fact that I did not get hired to any of the places I applied to in Salina. I would have hated that drive back and forth to work.

The drug test was over before I knew it and I was driving home again. Driving towards the daylight. Interesting that I found a song named that:

Job Update

 Just a quick update! I got a job offer today and have spent the afternoon filling out forms online. It is a work from home position! Thank you Lord!

And One Ring to Bind Them.

I don't know how I missed the first two generations:

If this doesn't bother you than you truly need to wake up. Notice the subliminal reminder of covid. "That let's you know you are feeling unwell, even before you do." Yes, because people can be sick with this b.s. without even knowing it. Garbage. Oh, and it is water resistant up to three hundred and thirty feet. Yep 33. 

But what is even more ironic with this generation 3 version is - you spend $300 for the ring to give them all your bodily data for free, and THEN, they want to charge you 6 bucks a month in order for you to access it! And people will line up to purchase this. Unbelievable. 

DMV

My poor husband has ventured out to the Junction City DMV to attempt to get a Kansas driver's license. I asked him if he wanted me to come with him, but luckily he said no. No reason for both of us to have to wait around all day.

It is quiet in the house. It is not very often that I have the place to myself. So I applied for some jobs. It is nice when 15 minutes after you email someone your resume, they call you for an interview. I have a phone interview tomorrow at 11am. It is for a temp company, so who knows, I may be working sooner than I think.

Giants and Loss

Yesterday, the sermon at tonyevans.org was on Slaying the Giants in your life, based on the bible account of David slaying Goliath. Today it was on Living with Loss, where Tony Evan's son talked about his mother's death. At first I thought that the living with loss sermon didn't really apply to me, and that the two sermons were not connected. But on further reflection, I realized that it did apply to me.

Loss doesn't necessarily have to be a death in the family. I lost the job that I loved less than two months ago. I really did love that job. I loved the work and most of the people. I had some adversaries there that were constantly trying to make me look bad, but I knew how to handle them. Many times the Lord protected me from attacks I didn't even see coming. I never would have quit that job except for the mandatory vaccine requirement that just happened to show up.

The giant is the whole process of looking for a job. Filling out lengthy applications (boring!). Then they send you weird psych tests in your email box. Please check all the words that apply to you (and there is 50 words listed). You have checked too many words, please uncheck some. I'm sorry that I don't fit into your little corporate box. All sarcasm must be checked at the door for interviews. Of course I can do the work. No, I haven't worked in a call center. How hard could it be to answer the phone? Smile. Picture them naked – or that might be something else? Sigh, I hate job interviews.

What's interesting is the jobs I've gotten, I was just myself in the interview. Once an interviewer asked me, “There will be times when you will be in the office alone. Will you be okay with that?” I answered, “Well...I was in the military, so....I have been trained in hand to hand combat.” The interviewer's jaw about hit the floor. He ended up hiring me. I worked for that company for five years.

I haven't heard back yet about any jobs. I will let you know.

Fresh Perspective

We moved to our permanent spot yesterday. It is one of the highest spots in the park, right next to the laundry room and the pool. (The pool is closed for the winter). We have a great view and are surrounded by wide open spaces with lots of grass. The dog really likes it and wants to sniff every inch. I have to ration her because it is just too cold to spend a lot of time out there. I guess the guy who was in this spot before us decided to steal the nice fire pit – leaving a pile of charcoal and ash on the grass. Jerk.

I noticed a bunch of tennis balls on the lawn, but once I got closer I realized they were some weird fruit that had fallen off the trees. I looked them up online and apparently they are called Osage-orange or hedge apples. Unfortunately they are not edible except for the seeds. Too bad.

When we first moved here gas was $2.99 a gallon. Last week it was $3.06 and this morning it was $3.09. When I went to the store there was a sign on the bread shelf apologizing for the lack of variety. They were out of Rye and Sourdough. Oh well, White it is. I suppose the evil plan will be to nickel and dime us to death. The adversary is getting pretty ballsy these days. I just remind myself that the Lord will be dealing with him shortly. God always wins. In the meantime, the waiting continues.

Just an update

Hi everyone! I've actually had a busy week. I had several job interviews for different companies. Now I'm waiting to hear back. Hope you all are well!

Snuffy's

My interview went really well. It is now in God's hands. We went out to celebrate at Snuffy's in Abilene. The food was excellent and so was the service. My husband loved the coffee. I added 4 creamers and 3 sugars before I could drink it. But we will definitely go back some day. I will keep you posted on the job. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Job Interview

 I have a job interview Monday at 9am. Please pray for me! Thanks!

Rest in Peace, O Men of God

I found out yesterday that Russ Dizdar passed away in the last couple days. While researching that, I found out that Rob Skiba passed away within the last couple weeks. Very, very dark news indeed. Both these men have made a spiritual impact in my life at various times and it is horribly sad news that they are no longer with us. 

This is a you-tube video that discusses both of them and their ministry. I have not listened to the whole thing yet but just wanted to get this post up. As Vox Day posted on his blog recently, "the spiritual war has gone hot."

Please pray for the families of these men. Pray for all the men you know who have dedicated their lives to the work of the ministry - that they can have hedges of protection around their lives and their families are safe from the attacks of the adversary.

You may need to start the video from the beginning.

Things to do while you wait

As I walk the dog in the morning I think about what I should write about on my blog. I don't want to write just for the sake of posting something. I want it to matter, to be important to whomever may be reading it. Sometimes I'm just posting stuff so my parents know we are doing okay and getting out of the house once in a while. It saves minutes on my phone.

We currently don't have an income. That would normally bother me, but I have been on this road before and trust the Lord to make sure that our bills get paid and we have food to eat. I'm applying for jobs but I trust God on the outcome. I try not to write about the state of the country too much or the insanity of everything these days. Which is why I don't always write everyday. I spend a lot of time researching on line and have seen many doom and gloom dates come and go without incident. But it is impossible not to see the signs of the times everywhere.

Strangely, I find a lot of inspiration and hope in the daily sermons posted on tonyevans.org. Right before my back went out last week the sermon was titled, “Never give up.” This morning it was called “Praying for Change” and it was a sermon he had done 30 years ago. But God changes not and the things he talked about were exactly what I needed to hear today. He was talking about the book of Nehemiah and how God had placed Nehemiah right where he needed to be to accomplish God's will. The way Tony described it, it was like Nehemiah didn't even realize how being the king's cup-bearer made it possible to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It made me think about where God has placed me. Smack dab in the center of the country, far away from any borders, in the middle of no-where.

So while I wait for answers, I have a nice little routine I set for myself. Get up early, have coffee, make breakfast, do the dishes, walk the dog. I pray a lot about the state of our country and what the future holds. I take things one day at a time, trusting the Father has a plan for us that will be revealed in due time.

Message from Patriot Nurse

I wanted to post this video from Patriot Nurse because I believe it is a powerful message for our times. You can find the rest of her videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePatriotNurse/videos

Buckeye Avenue

It is starting to get very cold in the mornings. I had to bundle up to take the dog for a walk. She likes the cold and spent several minutes sniffing before doing her business. Luckily the sun came up while we were walking and I started to warm up. It ended up being a beautiful day.

Buckeye Avenue is the main drag through Abilene. Everything you need is on that road including the Post Office. There are American flags flying on every other light pole. Several mansions line both sides and sometimes there are tours. If you take a right on 1^st street, you will reach the Leopold mansion. The man who bought it was in the newspaper last week. He bought it because he thought it looked like the Addams family mansion. He is having a tour there on Halloween night from 6pm – 10pm. I think I will skip it.

Buckeye Avenue is sometimes called Eisenhower. The Eisenhower presidential library is on that road as well as car washes, churches and dollar stores. What use to be the world's largest spur is there, but I guess there is a bigger spur somewhere else now. It is pretty rusty at the moment.

I drive this way a couple times a week, when I go to the store or check the mail. There is no such thing as traffic in this town. Maybe six cars at any given time. It is peaceful here.

Family Buffet

It was a good morning. I made breakfast, did the dishes, walked the dog and did a load of laundry. I was at the spot on the list where I would have to start doing stuff I don't really like to do. As I was contemplating getting out the vacuum, my husband said suddenly, “Let's go do something. I want to get out of the house.”

Music to my ears. So I spent some time looking online for things to do in the area. They do have a nice dinner train trip you can do on Saturday nights. There were some other day time train trips. One was a train trip from Abilene to Enterprise with a tour of Enterprise and lunch. We kind of laughed about that one. We already drove to Enterprise one day last week. (It is about 5 miles down the road from I-70). It really wasn't anything to write home about.

There are a lot of museums around. There is the greyhound museum in Abilene and the racing car museum in Chapman, plus several in other towns. My husband can't do a lot of walking so that kind of rules out museums. Although we still want to go watch greyhound racing when the season opens up again.

Somehow the conversation turned to Chinese buffets. There use to be one in Abilene but the phone number doesn't work and their last post on their facebook page was in 2017. We found one in Junction City. I called them to make sure they were still open and that they were still a buffet. “Yes! Family buffet!” the man said on the phone. He sounded pretty authentic.

We drove to Junction City and had a nice lunch at a real chinese buffet. All the buffet's in Oregon are closed now because everyone there is afraid of germs. Not here in Kansas, we can still have yummy buffets here. Plus, all the stores and restaurants have signs on the front doors, saying, masks required, but everyone just ignores them and no one wears masks. I love it.

We were super-full driving home. That about covers dinner as well.