Parking Privileges

Unplanned work! Well at least that’s how it started. I had been toying with the idea of cutting a swale in on some higher ground to drain and dry out some constantly wet land running down the hillside. And I was thinking that, at some point, we would need to do something about parking since it is so muddy around the backside of the house. And voilà

, in a completely unrelated conversation, our neighbors Carl and Linda M. gave us an index card with various people who had done work for them. I saw and excavator’s name and called.

Enter Fay Bradley. I can’t say enough good about Fay. He responded to my phone call within 24 hours, was onsite within another 24 hrs, provided a firm quote at the first visit, with a VERY fair price, and was done within a week of my having placed the call. How often does that happen?

Now to be fair, we caught him at a good time, just finishing up one big job and getting ready to move to another big job, so our small one and a half day project was perfect.

While he was here we asked, "could he put in a short walkway, so people could/would perhaps use the front door?"

"And maybe cut a swale in on the hillside?" You may be able to see that the water is already pooling and beginning to run.  This will add to our open field recreational space.

No “one-half down before we start.” His policy is no payment until we are done to your satisfaction. Who does that any more? 

Fay does!

And now we have mud free, spacious parking and (we anticipate) over the next month or so, a much dryer hillside on which to play.

Now I can focus on the next project – covering the walls in the utility laundry room and then...the bathroom! We are making progress.

Thank you, Lord, for your grace and mercy. Jehovah Jireh!

 

Eliza's Rest

Eliza's Rest

I planted two trees today as tears filled my eyes. The depth of emptiness was almost unbearable. If not for the grace of God...

The first tree is an Eastern Redbud (screen left) donated by Leah Rosser Terrell in memory of our beloved granddaughter Eliza Gail Hallead. The second tree is a White Dogwood (screen right) a favorite of Carol's and mine and also a reminder, to me, of my grandmother and grandfather Hallead's house that bore a dogwood tree in a special spot.

Log Cabin site on flat

The trees were planted at the opening of a space I am developing on the property called “Eliza’s Rest.” It’s a place of quiet, away from the residential house at the edge of the woods. My hope, one day is to build a small one room log cabin (with bathroom) there that will act as a place of refuge or rest; a place apart.

 View out back from cabin site                              View out front from cabin site

I rarely talk about this loss, largely because it is just too painful. I am not a believer in the “talk about it” therapeutic model. That has never worked for me, sharing with some stranger "how that makes me feel" is a waste of breath. But conversing with the Lord brings great relief. He knows my pain. He knows my thoughts. And he alone can deliver me in times of distress. I’m comfortable with that. He’s the only one capable of understanding anyway. He’s the only one who truly knows me. And that is enough.

I've got the wind chimes that will soon be placed.  And a hamock that will be hung...for now...And I'll have my conversations with the only one who is able to do any sort of healing, of any kind. 

"...thanks be to God! He gives us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

1 Corinthians 15:57