Things don't always go as planned!

We're into the second week of heating work being done.  With all of the cold weather the contractor is constantly receiving calls of no heat. They're doing inspections and "red flagging" unsafe equipment, and otherwise running into situations that are stretching their ability to stay onsite.  With a shortage of licensed qualified workers, the industry (like so many trades) is experiencing a qualified worker shortage.

Nevertheless they press on. They've wrapped the ductwork...

       

set the furnace, and placed the supply ducts and registers...

 

...and in my thinking the biggest challenge they face is putting all of this equipment down a 24"x24" hole into a 30" crawl space.

But there's light at the end of the tunnel.  The gas line is in. We'll have heat in the house by Friday, and we can get back to work on the interior spaces...

An open door...

The holidays are behind us. Things have settled down.  We're back into a routine and ready for the next project.  A door was opened that we couldn't help but walk through.  Money being cheap we decided to leverage the equity in our mortgageless home to make the move to installing a whole house heating system.  We could have taken money out of an IRA but with the market still in pretty good shape it was a relatively easy financial decision.

We're contracting this work out to a local business with a very good reputation.  We decided to go with a forced air system rather than the base board hydronic due to  the price of copper.  We'll put it into what we are calling the mechanical room (or second bathroom to sound nice).

The room currently holds the pressure tank, the water heater, and a toilet, hence the "second bathroom" title.  It's not much at this point. In fact it's pretty rough but in time...I keep telling Carol that I'll make it right! 

We'll shift the pressure tank further to the right closer to the corner and then move the hot water heater back against the wall. Because there is a vent on the wall (apparently there was going to be a gas water heater at some point...if they ever had the gas hooked up...) we'll need to remove that vent to move the water heater.  And then we'll pull the toilet and move it toward the hot water heater to make room for the furnace, trying to get it as close to the center of the house as reasonably possible.

 While we're doing all of this work, we'll change out the waste line (which is currently a 4" line to the septic field) to a 3" line to the outside wall where it feeds into the septic line, bringing it up to code.  When all the heating work is done, we'll reseat the toilet and find some place to add a small sink, making use of the small and less than appealing" vanity which is currently in the main bathroom.

At this point, there is a gas line, with regulator valve all, which is "live" just outside the front wall of the of mechanical rooom (er...second bathroom).  We''ll tap into that and have a "header" built with four lines to feed a new stove (converting from propane to natural gas), the furnace, a clothes dryer (she'll be so glad not to have to go to town to do laundry, or to hand wash and hang out by the wood stove, the unmentionables), and an extra line in case we someday want to change out the hot water heater.

It snowed again, blessing us with a meager 2" coat to freshen things up. It's still quite cold (getting down to below zero at night and highs in the teens to low twenties during the day) so our contractor is busy on emergency calls (as he describes "fixing those who don't like to do regular maintenance).  But we expect them out tomorrow morning to begin this next phase.  And once that it done, I'll get back to work replacing the toilet, running water lines for the sink/vanity, and insulating and covering the walls.

In the meantime I have a bit more insulation work to do in

the workshop so that I can transfer over the propane tank and get that space heated...so that I can do more work on the house...

The fun never ends! May the Lord bless your socks off as he has us!

 

 

Winter has arrived...

 Winter has arrived here in north central PA.  We've received around 18" in the last day and a half or so.  It was good snow. Soft, light, easily shoveled...

I continue to feel so very blessed to be in this place at this time.  In addition to being closer to family, mortgage free and retired from the rat race of institutionalized ministry, I am able to appreciate the beauty and the splendor of God's creative prowess.

I've generally been able to adapt to (or at least learn to tolerate the many varied settings in which we have lived - the wonderfully temperate highlands of Nairobi (in spite of the poverty, noise, and pollution), the heat and humidity of Chiang Mai (along with the haste, overcrowding, and what was terrible and is now the worst air quality in the world),

and the heat and humidity (along with the Harmattan winds, the noise and waste) of Accra Ghana (in what is often considered the hottest and most humid area of the world).

Not that I didn't complain from time to time, but I have long had the sense that complaining about that over which one has no control is a waste of time.  It neither makes good, helpful, or endearing conversation, nor does it change anything.

I've known people who say "I could never live anywhere else" when referring to the place in which they've lived all of their lives.  And I guess I can appreciate that the good Lord does not call all to the lifestyle to which I seem to have been called.  But I do wonder what might happen if each of us, and I include myself in all of this, were to say to God, "Here I am, send me."  Do we have the trust in our Lord to be uprooted from our jobs, our homes, our family, all that is familiar...

Can we say, in spite of what we might want, in spite of what we may think we can and cannot do, in spite of what we like and enjoy, that we are truly WILLING servants.

Carol and I are currently in something of a discernment mode regarding our future work with the Great Guana Cay congregation.  It would put us back into a more active ministry role.  It would move us from our comfortable home here in north central PA, near our family...to the Bahamas.  Some might say, "and you VACILLATE?

Many of us tend to stay put because we fear change or we tend to go because we love adventure.  The human spirit is fickle.  So how do we discern the will of God?  It begins with a willingness to set aside all that we like, all that we love, all that we have established, and say openly and honestly, that we would rather live in destitute poverty in the slums of Kibera witnessing to God's grace, than to live in the lap of luxury and confidence, comfort and convenience, doing little for the Lord.

So as Carol and I look forward to getting a furnace installed in the next couple of weeks, we realize too that this will free us up for more possibilities. We won't be locked in to feeding the wood stove every 3-6 hours.  We wouldn't have to flush the toilets with antifreeze, turn of the water and drain the lines.  We will be more fluid, more free to move about... God just keeps making it easier to do His will (for all of us).

Internet communication makes things possible that have hitherto not been possible.   Information flows freely across the airwaves.  Travel is easier now than it has ever been (in spite of people's anxiety about having to produce a vaccine card and wear a mask, and even quarantine oneself).  

Since Christ suffered so much for us, might we not more easily and willing follow in His footsteps, taking on His yoke? Who are we to whine, complain, make excuses, or otherwise neglect the wonderful possibilities he sets before us.

It's not so much a matter of "I haven't heard God's call."  It's more a matter of not really having been interested in listening for that call nor being willing to obey when we hear it, forsaking all others...Too often we hear God's call once and we stay with that, even past the expiration date of the call, thinking it wouldn't, couldn't, and won't be done with out us, never wondering if maybe it could or should be done without us, or maybe not done anymore at all. God's call is difficult to construe to be sure...but it must be that which we seek with all the intelligence, imagination, and love he makes available to us

The new Heaven and the new Earth which God promises should make one realize just how bland, sick, broken, and ugly this earth is.  Our future resurrection lives will mock today's existence - the Grand Canyon, the Pyramids of Egypt, the small Parisian Cafe, are all but things which moth and rust consume, things which will be made new without decay, without decline, without destruction. 

So what's holding you back?

 

 

 

 

Holiday Chill-laxing!

So just as the cooler weather set it, we took on another 3 cords of wood and got that stacked and covered.  (The assumption is that 5 full cords of wood should last us the winter). We also managed to get another wall done, this time in the kitchen.  But in the process I managed to tear up my knee and was out of commission. We would, however, be able to prepare, in a more relaxed manner, for Thanksgiving.

Zach, Kara, Jain and Fiona are in from Thailand and would be up for a few days.  They would make use of the guest bedroom and put it to the test. Caleb would be down from New York, Jacob, Joanna, and James, Natalie and Titus from Wellsboro would all be with us. It would be busy and it would be fun. It's my favorite holiday - unmuddled by competing theologies or commercials trying to sell you something that will fulfill a deeply perceived emptiness within. It's simple.

Thanksgiving came and went. My knee began to mend.  Christmas came with all of its trappings but we were able to spend more time with family.  It snowed and the Thailand contingent were able to build a snow man and hike in the snowy woods.

Now the decorations are down.  We've sold the Christmas tree opting to try a real tree next year. I was able to see a doctor and get that wonderfully simple cortisone shot in the knee. And we are back into work mode.  

In the midst of all of this we've managed to get two different heating companies out to talk about heating systems.  The numbers are being run and we hope to have quotes by the second week of January.  One of our longer term goals is to get heat in the house so that we can be away during cold weather periods without having to drain all the lines, put antifreeze down the drains and otherwise winterize the property.  The encouraging news was that the work could likely be done yet this month!

AND BEST OF ALL my amazing wife encouraged me to move ahead with a changeover for the guest room.  We've made it into a study!!!  We found a great futon and plan on using the Master Bedroom as the Guest Bedroom when friends and family come and make use of the study futon for ourselves. So there is yet another before and after series of pics...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, as we continue to get the other rooms settled, we're able to unpack boxes and make the living/dining room areas more functional.

 

So while we still have 100 amp more service to add, gas lines to run, a laundry room to put in, a bathroom to remodel, a living/dining/kitchen area to panel, lighting to install, flooring to put down, new windows to put in and insulation and siding to be applied outside, not to mention a garage to build, tile to run to dry out some of the land, and a pond to dig, WE ARE making progress... I have to keep telling myself that.  

God is good!

Part III - At the same time...

I'm also trying to get the workshop set up. 

[*all pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them]

I've studded the back and side walls, insulated and covered that up using the plywood and OSB I'm removing from the walls inside the house.  The cupboards also came from inside the house.  For now I'm working via an extension cord from the house as we only have 100 amps.  I have contacted the electric company and they are moving forward on the request to bump that up to 200 amps.  Once that is in I'll have to connect all the wiring.

The lighting will likely come from the 5, 8' double fluorescent shop lights which currently decorate the ceiling of the kitchen, living, dining room areas!

We're currently also using the workshop to store some of the items that won't be unpacked until next spring summer...

Amidst this we are spending a lot of time in prayer for our immediate and extended family and their families some of whom are wrestling with some major life issues.  We invite you to join with us in those significant matters.

God IS good, ALL. THE. TIME.

Part II - Along the Way...

The past month has seen more than it's share of personal challenges but God has provided encouragement along the way with His grace being sufficient in every way.  Soli Deo Gloria!

We've finished up the Master Bedroom with the exception of replacing the window and hanging the closet doors.  An 11' cedar closet and carpeting along with some touch up painting was the focus here. The window replacement may need to wait until spring at this point.  And the latter will depend upon my ability to secure decent lumber.  (Finding good quality, well-planed, straight, AND affordable lumber is a still a challenge.  Fortunately we have connected with a family-owned lumber yard that is serious about their business.)

   This...                                        to this...                              to this...and

We've also finished most of the work in the Guest Bedroom with the window replacement being the exception in this room as well. (We're planning to replace the furniture and orient the room toward a play room for grandchildren after the holidays.) 

 

   This...                                      to this...                       to this...

 

And we've started on the hallway.  

All of this is most immediately oriented toward entertaining family for Thanksgiving. Our son and daughter-in-law and two granddaughters will be back in the country for the holidays and we're excited about being able to host them.

In the meantime we're continuing to unpack, place, and packaway the household items we brought with us from NC, insulating the workshop, covering those walls, and putting away tools.

in all of this we are thankful for the deer and deer that parade around, the mountains and the autumn beauty...Soli Deo Gloria!

***pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them

 

Part I – The beginning...

So we closed on the Snake Pit Rod and Gun Club property and began a new chapter in our storied lives, on 4 acres between Keeneyville and Shortsville. On a "good day" I can sometimes get a signal on my Trac phone at the corner of the front porch. The nearest Verizon signal is about 6 miles away. No land line phone, no internet, just the beauty of God's created order...

The cabin is, well, some of you have seen pictures, rustic as most hunting clubs are in north-central PA.

The inside has one layer of rigid foam board insulation and is otherwise ready for wall coverings, although we will add another layer of insulation prior to covering them.

It boasts a bunk room (with  four built in 2x6 beds three of which are bunks) and a second smaller bedroom, a large bathroom with a second toilet in the utility room, and a very large (900 sq foot) open concept kitchen-living-dining space.  There is a wood stove to heat the entire house and a spring fed, hand dug well for water. 

It took a couple of days of strenuous work tearing out the built-in bedframes piling up the mattresses and otherwise clearing out the bunk room which will become the Master Bedroom. Some of the lumber was salvageable... but those screws...well over 100 per bunk...I counted...

The plans are to use pine tongue and groove pretty much throughout the house, with a some accent walls strategically placed to break up the monotony. So a trip to town was made, an order placed, and the first lumber delivery would happen before the work could actually begin.

In the meantime we had to empty the fully furnished cabin.  Our son, Caleb, took the sectional couch and the once decent Lazy Boy.  So we still had the vibrating Lazy Boy, another couch, a couple of chairs, 7 bed mattresses, and a kitchen table and chairs that had seen too many better days, in addition to all sorts of smaller well worn items.  We filled a 15' Uhaul truck and hauled off 1539 lbs worth of dump worthy items.  

This first week we also replaced the hot water heater, made numerous calls trying to get a phone line and or internet (unsuccesfully), and took delivery of 128 cubic feet of wood (3 full cords) for the winter heating season, hoping it would be enough.  My lovely and incredibly fit wife was eager to help pile the wood. As we did this I remembered well, my dad saying to me that wood normally warmed you at least two times, once when you stacked it and the other when you burnt it.  (Fortunately we didn't have to cut and split it this year!)

We ended the week by taking delivery of the first order of lumber and getting to work on revealing the promising future.

 

We received the second order of lumber the second week and have finished up most of the rough construction in the Master bedroom.  Just a bit more finish/trim work to do, a ceiling to be pained, cedar to be installed in the closet and some doors to be hung, but progress is notable.

 

As if all of this wasn’t encouraging enough, the garden tractor arrived...John Deere X580. I immediately set off to conquer the acre and a half or so of lawn. We still have another ¾ of an acre that will need to be brush hogged but I was one happy camper. AND we were finally able to schedule an internet connection (HughesNet) and telephone installation.

 

As we begin our third full week we are thankful. This morning four gobbler's were on full display, strutting, trying to win the affections of any of a dozen or more hens while deer grazed in the background on the hillside across from the front porch while fresh bear skat occupied a placed just inside the edge of the wooded acreage behind the horse barn. 

 

We’ll be on the road back to NC later this next week. I’ll be preaching at the Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church on the 17^th, and we’ll have the opportunity to visit with much missed friends and check in on Carol’s

folks. We'll also load the final U-Haul with all of my shop materials. (My shop arrives on the 26^th of Oct.   

 

And God's grace continues to rain down upon us. His faithfulness has been abundantly evident!

Th-th-th-that’s all for now folks.