Working my way thru my reading list

The last couple years I've been buying up paperback novels at garage sales & thrift stores. Everytime I walk into a thrift store I still look for interesting reading material.

Most recently I read "Better Off" - a book about turning off the switch on technology & living simply; "An Arrow Pointing to Heaven" - about the life and ministry of contemporary Christian singer Rich Mullins who died in 1997... and "The Backward Life: In Pursuit of an Uncommon Faith" - by Jarrod Jones. I've not started this book yet so I cannot give any details other than the title intrigued me.

A friend suggested I read "Roughing It" by Mark Twain. I searched every thrift store I walked into looking for it - no luck. I did find it online but it was going to be a pain in the neck to try to read a little at a time... so I finally bit the bullet & went to our local library, got a library card & asked if I could find "Roughing It" here. They didn't have it but were happy to borrow it from another library! It arrived - a beautiful old book, copyrighted in 1899 & signed by Mark Twain! I'm almost halfway thru it & it has proved to be quite entertaining! Why books like this are not required reading for high school or college level students is beyond me! I have enjyed this book thus far - especially the detail Twain uses to describe things! Who knew one could spent 4 pages describing a coyote?!

The same friend who suggested "Roughing It" has been studying the Bible and challenges me to read mine more and really pick verses apart!

I will continue to read thru the boxes of books I brought with me... chances are they'll last all winter & maybe then some. In the meantime, I will be buying more books as I come across ones I find worthwhile! There's just something about sitting in my chair by the fire, sipping hot tea & reading a good book (or the Good Book!) that soothes the soul!

What books have you read lately?

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We were fortunate to be able to spend the day with good friends at their cabin... eating WAY too much! Today we're feasting again - on leftovers!
We have so much to be thankful for: our woodstove & plenty of wood, fresh air, a gazillion stars to light our night sky, 12 volt electricity!, plenty of food to eat, our health, the love of family & friends, our little Community Church & the freedom to worship without persecution, friends who let us watch Husker football in Buffalo country, and so many other things I can't even think of at the moment.

T'was the month before Christmas......

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

*December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd!*

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penney's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

*Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday !*

Please,all Christians join together & wish everyone you meet during the holidays a

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Jesus Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

Wood Ministry.... and our folly

We've been busy the past week or 10 days... we've been blessed with awesome weather that has allowed us to work outside!!
We got the south side of the cabin completely sided!!! Only the east side remains "naked"... we may get it done yet before it gets too cold/snowy to work! We bought more aspen tongue & groove (6") to finish the kitchen walls - and still we're about 5 board short of being complete. We haven't done any finish work on the cabinets (doors & trim) but some friends from church have lots of aspen in their home & we were inspired by their cabinet doors & will most likely copy them! We also bought 8" tongue & groove for the living room... most of 2 walls now have T&G up about 4 feet - and drywall above that.

About the Wood Ministry... some gentlemen from our church decided to help out the community: 1) by cutting down dead trees (fire mitigation) or trees that threaten someone's home and 2) by giving the wood to those in need. While we're not "in need", trying to get the LOVE SHACK finished has taken up the good weather days we would have otherwise used to cut our own wood. I approached these men last Sunday about getting some of their seasoned wood & making a donation to help defray some of the cost of for their gas & upkeep of their tools, etc. Yesterday after lunch Jerry, Skeeter & I went to pick up a trailer-load of wood -- about 1 1/2 cord. Everything went great... until just before we were about to pull onto the highway. Jerry thought maybe we should strap down the load. Did I mention the sun was setting - quickly!! We stopped & got out to strap the wood down... and noticed the trailer was sitting funny. Upon further examination we discovered that we not only had a flat tire... but it was completely off the rim. UGH! Nothing like being in the dark with a trailer load of wood 15 miles from your intended destination. Jerry called AAA - they don't fix "utility trailer" tires. Hmph! So......... this morning we got up early (it was about 20 degrees!) and went to where we had left our trailer of wood. We figured we'd make three trips to get all the wood home -- we couldn't possibly jack up the trailer with all that wood on it! So.......... three pickup loads later the wood is home -- just in a big pile, not stacked -- and the trailer still has NO tire on it! We tried to change it but the hub must be glued... oh, Jerry says it's probably welded not glued :o)... onto the axel and the spare tire is also is on its own "hub"... so there sits our trailer. Hopefully we can figure out how to deal with this as we use the trailer a lot!
Better days are ahead I'm sure!