The VA in Fayetteville has helped me over the past eighteen months, or so, with all my health-care issues, procedures, medications immunizations, eye care, dental care and other health concerns. Before we left Arkansas, I had some concern about tremors in my hands and was examined by a neurologist who felt I was sleep deprived and needed to "catch up" on sleep I was losing. I've never been able to sleep long hours, and there was a period of time when I was getting only about 4 hours per night and often less than that.
While he did recommend I take Melatonin, I have been reluctant to use pills to help me sleep, so have not used it over the past month we have been away from Arkansas. I do use a CPAP machine to help with sleep apnea, and the machine does tell me about the amount and quality of sleep I get over a seven day and thirty day period. Over the past thirty days I have averaged seven hours per night (up from around six hours per night the previous month). Over the past week, I have averaged over seven-and-a-half hours sleep per night, so I am getting caught up as we slow down our work/travel schedule. I feel better, have less of a baggy look under my eyes and feel like the change of pace and change of scenery has been good for me.
Since we are without television, and there are no late night work responsibilities, Karen has been getting to sleep earlier and been sleeping more, too; and we can sleep in without early morning duties to attend to. This has been a good change for us and along with some modifications in our diet, reading about and implementing some nutrition alterations, and relaxing more, we are feeling better and gaining strength for the next assignment, whatever that may be. The weather has been very pleasant since we left Colorado, and with 70's during the day and 50's at night we have been very comfortable.
Sleep is good, rest is good........God is Good.
Sent from my iPad
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Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Sunday, November 26, 2017
November 26, 2017. Colmesneil, TX. The World Keeps a'Goin'
Out here in the woods, with the quiet and dark, I mentioned that we have no t.v. or radio, so it's tougher to find out what's going on in the world. We do have good cell phone service, and our smartphones are just as smart as when we were in Eureka Springs, Madison or Colorado, so the source of our news of the day is what we get from the phone. It's good to check the headlines every so often to make sure what the state of the world is, because I don't think there is a telegraph office, pony express stop or a barber shop in Colmesneil.
At last report, the world was still intact; there are still wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines and much turmoil and political and economic strife, but for the most part, it is business as usual on Planet Earth. Ladybugs had descended on Eureka Springs the day before we left and it was a battle for those last two days, but the freezing weather of Kansas and Colorado seems to have done in all but a few, and we can handle them. Here in Texas it has been anywhere from the 30's at night to the 70's during the day, so most of the critters are confused and not sure whether to come in or stay out, so we have not had any problems......yet.
Without television, we don't have to endure the Bronco losing streak, the Ninjas, Perry Mason on MEtv, or a host of other "favorites" we enjoyed in the big cities of Eureka Springs (population 2,074) or Madison (population 4,060). We have been watching movies with Loren and Diane most evenings and I have been getting over seven hours sleep per night, an increase from our other venues. We are told we are missed, but the world and TGPP and SLMI are managing without us........imagine that. Yes, the world keeps a'goin, we are getting rested and when the time is ripe for us to jump back into the fray.........jump we will with the same desire to serve God and serve people we have had for our time as ministers and witnesses for Jesus Christ. We are content, blessed and grateful for all we have been given and the life we live. Each day is truly thanksgiving day for us. Press on.
Sent from my iPad
At last report, the world was still intact; there are still wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines and much turmoil and political and economic strife, but for the most part, it is business as usual on Planet Earth. Ladybugs had descended on Eureka Springs the day before we left and it was a battle for those last two days, but the freezing weather of Kansas and Colorado seems to have done in all but a few, and we can handle them. Here in Texas it has been anywhere from the 30's at night to the 70's during the day, so most of the critters are confused and not sure whether to come in or stay out, so we have not had any problems......yet.
Without television, we don't have to endure the Bronco losing streak, the Ninjas, Perry Mason on MEtv, or a host of other "favorites" we enjoyed in the big cities of Eureka Springs (population 2,074) or Madison (population 4,060). We have been watching movies with Loren and Diane most evenings and I have been getting over seven hours sleep per night, an increase from our other venues. We are told we are missed, but the world and TGPP and SLMI are managing without us........imagine that. Yes, the world keeps a'goin, we are getting rested and when the time is ripe for us to jump back into the fray.........jump we will with the same desire to serve God and serve people we have had for our time as ministers and witnesses for Jesus Christ. We are content, blessed and grateful for all we have been given and the life we live. Each day is truly thanksgiving day for us. Press on.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, November 23, 2017
November 23, 2017. Colmesneil, TX. Quiet and Dark
Nighttime at the Passion Play is quiet. Here in Deep East Texas, nighttime is Quiet. In point of fact, it is QUIET. In Eureka Springs, at night, there are police and fire sirens, coyotes and barking dogs. In Colmesneil it is so quiet there are no sirens, coyotes and dogs have nothing to bark at, except me when I wog in the daytime. I think snoring is against the law. So, it is QUIET. We did hear a siren about 11am today, the first siren since we arrived here a week ago, but it didn't last very long. I think the Tyler County Sheriff arrested the Colmesneil Policeman who hit the switch. It is VERY QUIET here. And dark.
Almost everywhere we have stayed or stopped for the night has some kind of outside light, but here there are no outside lights, the stars are too far away, since we are only 250 feet above sea level, and we can't see the moon through the trees It is Dark. In point of fact it is DARK. When we walk over to Loren and Diane's house at night, we must carry a flashlight. When we go to bed it is so dark in our motor home, we need to have a night light in the front room to see our way out of the bedroom. In the bathroom we have a light on the shelf in front of the toilet so we can find the toilet paper. It is VERY DARK.
But, it is peaceful here, and without television or radio reception, we only have movies to watch. It's nice to just be still, hear an occasional acorn drop on the roof, not have railroad whistles in the middle of the night, and only hear one gun shot when a deer or elk happens to wander into someone's backyard and become freezer-fill for the year. There's a lot to be said for country living, especially in Deep East Texas.
This has definitely been a change for us, and one we are getting kind of used to. We know we will be back to serving where we are called, in time; but for now we are helping Loren and Diane and Joseph with some of the work they are doing to expand their house, constructing hydroponic grow boxes, encouraging them with their healthcare issues, and just being friends. Their hospitality and friendship has been a blessing and on this Thanksgiving Day, we are certainly thankful. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and Thank You, Lord for the freedom we have in You and the life You have called us to.
Sent from my iPad
Almost everywhere we have stayed or stopped for the night has some kind of outside light, but here there are no outside lights, the stars are too far away, since we are only 250 feet above sea level, and we can't see the moon through the trees It is Dark. In point of fact it is DARK. When we walk over to Loren and Diane's house at night, we must carry a flashlight. When we go to bed it is so dark in our motor home, we need to have a night light in the front room to see our way out of the bedroom. In the bathroom we have a light on the shelf in front of the toilet so we can find the toilet paper. It is VERY DARK.
But, it is peaceful here, and without television or radio reception, we only have movies to watch. It's nice to just be still, hear an occasional acorn drop on the roof, not have railroad whistles in the middle of the night, and only hear one gun shot when a deer or elk happens to wander into someone's backyard and become freezer-fill for the year. There's a lot to be said for country living, especially in Deep East Texas.
This has definitely been a change for us, and one we are getting kind of used to. We know we will be back to serving where we are called, in time; but for now we are helping Loren and Diane and Joseph with some of the work they are doing to expand their house, constructing hydroponic grow boxes, encouraging them with their healthcare issues, and just being friends. Their hospitality and friendship has been a blessing and on this Thanksgiving Day, we are certainly thankful. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and Thank You, Lord for the freedom we have in You and the life You have called us to.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, November 20, 2017
November 20, 2017. Colmesneil, TX. On the Wog Again?
As I have begun the physical and hair growing preparation for the Passion Play the past four years, I start my wogging (walking/jogging) program sometime in January or February. This past year, I think I started in February, while we were still in Georgia, and soon developed a pain in my right heal which was uncomfortable enough to curtail the program. I delayed having it looked at by the VA until we returned to Arkansas, and even then it was well after the Play started in May.
The pain, plantar fasciitis, never really disappeared, the inserts made for the condition were never used because of the "pea gravel incident" and I still have a puffy ankle. I have not used the splint which is intended to restrict motion in my ankle since I feel I need to flex my ankle to prevent it from freezing up and being more limited than it is if I were to use the splint. But, as we are on hiatus from our physical activities in GA and AR, I felt the need to get back into "PP shape", lose a few pounds and be able to get into my winter jeans, which seem to have shrunk in the wash since last year at this time, if you know what I mean.
So, today, I went out for my long-delayed first wog since nine months ago, and well in advance of "spring training" time. I went out for about half an hour on the back roads of Colmesneil, TX. I met some local cows, who did not wog with me as they did in GA. I also met the neighbor-across-the-way's pit bull, who seemed more afraid of me than I was of him. I returned to the RV feeling okay, spent the day with Karen, Loren and Diane in Lufkin, TX walking around some hard-floored stores and am now blogging about my wogging with an ice pack on my heel, not sure if I need further medical advice before resuming the wog program, or just need some different strategy to get into my shrunken pants.
Oh, the complexities of trying to stay active, and pain-free, as we grow older. As Loren and I discussed our health and wellness condition today, we accept that each of us have our individual issues, but he and I are blessed to be able to still contribute, and will continue to do so however and wherever we are called. It may not be the best, but it far better than it could be, and for that.......we are thankful. Yes...........Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
The pain, plantar fasciitis, never really disappeared, the inserts made for the condition were never used because of the "pea gravel incident" and I still have a puffy ankle. I have not used the splint which is intended to restrict motion in my ankle since I feel I need to flex my ankle to prevent it from freezing up and being more limited than it is if I were to use the splint. But, as we are on hiatus from our physical activities in GA and AR, I felt the need to get back into "PP shape", lose a few pounds and be able to get into my winter jeans, which seem to have shrunk in the wash since last year at this time, if you know what I mean.
So, today, I went out for my long-delayed first wog since nine months ago, and well in advance of "spring training" time. I went out for about half an hour on the back roads of Colmesneil, TX. I met some local cows, who did not wog with me as they did in GA. I also met the neighbor-across-the-way's pit bull, who seemed more afraid of me than I was of him. I returned to the RV feeling okay, spent the day with Karen, Loren and Diane in Lufkin, TX walking around some hard-floored stores and am now blogging about my wogging with an ice pack on my heel, not sure if I need further medical advice before resuming the wog program, or just need some different strategy to get into my shrunken pants.
Oh, the complexities of trying to stay active, and pain-free, as we grow older. As Loren and I discussed our health and wellness condition today, we accept that each of us have our individual issues, but he and I are blessed to be able to still contribute, and will continue to do so however and wherever we are called. It may not be the best, but it far better than it could be, and for that.......we are thankful. Yes...........Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Friday, November 17, 2017
November 17, 2017. Colmesneil, TX. A Mountaintop Experience at 320 Feet
You're where? We're staying with our PP friends Loren and Diane, out in the country, with Rockland to the north, Doucette to the south, Chester to the west, and Town Bluff to the east. Now you know where we are. Right? Anyway, we travelled almost 1100 miles from Fort Collins and are going to spend some time here, just relaxing, enjoying the quiet, getting caught up on our sleep, helping L and D "a little" , reacquainting with Gus, one of my favorite dog friends from the PP and just vegging out.
Years ago, our friends Bill and Zeta were planning to build a Retreat facility at Crystal Lake, CO. They had wooded property at about 9,000 feet which was a place to escape, clear some trees to make room for the proposed Retreat facility and get away from the hustle and bustle of the Colorado front range. The four of us spent many weekends over a number of years on that property, enjoying the quiet, the work and the dream B and Z envisioned. But, the pine beetles had a different idea for the property and it was soon obvious, the dream was not to be. The trees are mostly gone, the property has been sold and God set them in a different direction, a home on the front range with a lake in their backyard and a gorgeous west-facing view of the front range mountains.
And now, we find ourself on a mountaintop of sorts, only at 320 feet above sea level, in East Texas, on wooded property with a modest house out our front window, enjoying a peaceful, quiet, pleasant day, 76 degrees at noon, Karen dozing off in the recliner of our motor home, me back from a walk in the woods having had my devotional and journaling time. No plans, no expectations, no timetable, no place to go........and, as strange as it seems to us.......needing it and loving it. We really don't know "how to act" since this is really new to us. God rested from His work and called us to do the same, and we will do so until the cloud moves again, and we answer God's call, whenever and wherever it may be. Blessed and thankful.
Sent from my iPad
Years ago, our friends Bill and Zeta were planning to build a Retreat facility at Crystal Lake, CO. They had wooded property at about 9,000 feet which was a place to escape, clear some trees to make room for the proposed Retreat facility and get away from the hustle and bustle of the Colorado front range. The four of us spent many weekends over a number of years on that property, enjoying the quiet, the work and the dream B and Z envisioned. But, the pine beetles had a different idea for the property and it was soon obvious, the dream was not to be. The trees are mostly gone, the property has been sold and God set them in a different direction, a home on the front range with a lake in their backyard and a gorgeous west-facing view of the front range mountains.
And now, we find ourself on a mountaintop of sorts, only at 320 feet above sea level, in East Texas, on wooded property with a modest house out our front window, enjoying a peaceful, quiet, pleasant day, 76 degrees at noon, Karen dozing off in the recliner of our motor home, me back from a walk in the woods having had my devotional and journaling time. No plans, no expectations, no timetable, no place to go........and, as strange as it seems to us.......needing it and loving it. We really don't know "how to act" since this is really new to us. God rested from His work and called us to do the same, and we will do so until the cloud moves again, and we answer God's call, whenever and wherever it may be. Blessed and thankful.
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
November 14, 2017. Dumas, TX. Abundance
Whenever Karen and I travel, we are amazed at the abundance in our country. So many fields growing so many different crops, so many oil wells, wind farms, shopping centers, streets in small towns lined with business after business, restaurants by the thousands, car lots filled with new cars and highways full of semis transporting goods between cities. So many banks, gas stations, hotels and motels, new home and business construction and tons of people doing things and going places.
It's hard to fathom so much empty land, yet someone owns it. Thousands of miles of roads, railroad tracks and airports and millions of houses almost all of which have electricity, water and sewer access. Thousands of cattle on a thousand hills, feedlots, power plants, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, parks, ball fields, a post office in every town, court houses and city halls, police stations and fire houses, hospitals and countless road signs, mile markers, traffic lights, and churches of all shapes and sizes.
And with all this abundance, we marvel at the things from our past which are abandoned, falling down, in shambles, dilapidated but still occupied, trash on the roadside, junk yards, garbage dumps and even in this element there is abundance of a negative kind. We look at falling down barns and clapboard farmhouses and imagine what they might have been like in their prime. So much to observe and ponder as we travel the miles of our life and get a glimpse of what is, what was and what the future holds for us all.
I say it again; what a blessing to live the life we do, share our life with friends and family and total strangers and to have them share their life with us. And yet we are just passing thru. We are here only a short time, living with the promise of an eternal future even more abundant than the abundance we now enjoy. Thank You, Lord, for this life, for the ones we get to share it with: but thank You even more for what is yet to come. As the song says; I can only imagine.
Sent from my iPad
It's hard to fathom so much empty land, yet someone owns it. Thousands of miles of roads, railroad tracks and airports and millions of houses almost all of which have electricity, water and sewer access. Thousands of cattle on a thousand hills, feedlots, power plants, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, parks, ball fields, a post office in every town, court houses and city halls, police stations and fire houses, hospitals and countless road signs, mile markers, traffic lights, and churches of all shapes and sizes.
And with all this abundance, we marvel at the things from our past which are abandoned, falling down, in shambles, dilapidated but still occupied, trash on the roadside, junk yards, garbage dumps and even in this element there is abundance of a negative kind. We look at falling down barns and clapboard farmhouses and imagine what they might have been like in their prime. So much to observe and ponder as we travel the miles of our life and get a glimpse of what is, what was and what the future holds for us all.
I say it again; what a blessing to live the life we do, share our life with friends and family and total strangers and to have them share their life with us. And yet we are just passing thru. We are here only a short time, living with the promise of an eternal future even more abundant than the abundance we now enjoy. Thank You, Lord, for this life, for the ones we get to share it with: but thank You even more for what is yet to come. As the song says; I can only imagine.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, November 11, 2017
November 11, 2017. Loveland, CO. Mission accomplished
We came to Colorado to take care of some "legal matters" regarding our vehicles, licenses as well as financial matters and to get together with friends and family. Tomorrow we will visit our home church in their new location, meet a few more of our friends and then start the process of getting ready to head back eastward and southward to warmer weather and a hoped-for time of rest and relaxation.
> We will be retracing, in part, the route we took in 2013 when we started this grand adventure as on-the-road missionaries. Who would have ever imagined then what these past four years held in store for us? We have had very few moments when we doubted what we were doing or what God was placing in our path. Even now, we will be setting out with only a short short-term plan, but know that if we keep our eyes and ears open, our minds open to a possible new direction, God may have something unexpected waiting for us to tackle. Fear not, be anxious for nothing, be still, wait on The Lord and trust in His plan, be obedient and abandoned to Him. It sounds trite, but it is true, and has been our testimony for not just this adventure, but for our entire journey with Him.
We had some trepidation as we left Eureka Springs and our initial impression of Colorado as we returned to it was of a place far different from the Colorado we left in 2013. But, it has gone well, our mission will have been accomplished and we look forward to the "road" ahead. Above all, we rest on the knowledge that God is Good, He has a plan already in place, and wants us to be aware of when and how He reveals it to us......and.....just be obedient. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
> We will be retracing, in part, the route we took in 2013 when we started this grand adventure as on-the-road missionaries. Who would have ever imagined then what these past four years held in store for us? We have had very few moments when we doubted what we were doing or what God was placing in our path. Even now, we will be setting out with only a short short-term plan, but know that if we keep our eyes and ears open, our minds open to a possible new direction, God may have something unexpected waiting for us to tackle. Fear not, be anxious for nothing, be still, wait on The Lord and trust in His plan, be obedient and abandoned to Him. It sounds trite, but it is true, and has been our testimony for not just this adventure, but for our entire journey with Him.
We had some trepidation as we left Eureka Springs and our initial impression of Colorado as we returned to it was of a place far different from the Colorado we left in 2013. But, it has gone well, our mission will have been accomplished and we look forward to the "road" ahead. Above all, we rest on the knowledge that God is Good, He has a plan already in place, and wants us to be aware of when and how He reveals it to us......and.....just be obedient. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
November 8, 2017. Loveland, CO. Brrrrr....er
A month ago I wrote about some cold weather in Arkansas when it was hovering around 40 and we were bundled up like Eskimos to avoid frostbite, hypothermia and other cold-related ailments. Well, it is a different place and a different type of cold here in Colorado. When we left Colorado four years ago to start our "road trip" it had been below zero, snow was on the ground which had no possibility of melting and a vehicle which was unstartable and unable to be lived in by novice RV'ers. We did manage to get a break when the temperature crept above freezing, we were able to crank up the diesel and headed south into an ice storm in North Texas, settling in for five days of real Eskimo-like survival.
This trip back to Colorado has greeted us with our first snow since 2013, temperatures in the 30's during the day, prospect of high teens at night and predictions of more of the same to come. But with some experience under our belt, space heaters and back-up space heaters, a full tank of propane and multiple layers of hoodies and extra blankets, we are bearing up pretty well and getting done what we came here to do. With no real timetable, we are actually enjoying the change of pace and the change of scenery, but our old stomping ground is changed: now more hectic, with more people, more traffic, a different political and social climate and a place we don't feel as "at home" in. We'll be here until at least next Monday, finishing up our "business" visiting friends and family, going to our "home church" and then we'll see what happens.
I think we've grown in the past four years, more aware of what is important, Who is more important and how blessed we are, even when we are hunkered down, bundled up and dripping water to keep the lines and pipes from freezing. Yes.......blessed.......and grateful. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
This trip back to Colorado has greeted us with our first snow since 2013, temperatures in the 30's during the day, prospect of high teens at night and predictions of more of the same to come. But with some experience under our belt, space heaters and back-up space heaters, a full tank of propane and multiple layers of hoodies and extra blankets, we are bearing up pretty well and getting done what we came here to do. With no real timetable, we are actually enjoying the change of pace and the change of scenery, but our old stomping ground is changed: now more hectic, with more people, more traffic, a different political and social climate and a place we don't feel as "at home" in. We'll be here until at least next Monday, finishing up our "business" visiting friends and family, going to our "home church" and then we'll see what happens.
I think we've grown in the past four years, more aware of what is important, Who is more important and how blessed we are, even when we are hunkered down, bundled up and dripping water to keep the lines and pipes from freezing. Yes.......blessed.......and grateful. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, November 4, 2017
November 4, 2017. Oakley, KS. Time
Our time in Eureka Springs is done for the year. We set out yesterday morning with time to say goodbye to many of our co-workers at the Passion Play, leaving us enough time to reach Wellington, KS before sunset time. We don't like traveling at nighttime.
Today we got up with time to spare, as we wanted to reach Oakley, KS in time to settle into the RV park we usually stay at any time we travel between Colorado and Arkansas. We also left time to recharge our car battery which always seems to run down any time we stay here. We had time to do a quick set-up, enjoy a Casey's pizza at dinnertime and have time to blog. We also needed to set the time back on our clocks since it's that time of the year to "fall back" an hour, so we will have the correct time when we get up in the morning, in time to get on the road again.
Tomorrow we will go from the Central Time Zone to the Mountain Time Zone which means we gain another hour of time in our day. A twenty-six hour Sunday. What a blessing. What a time we can have with that extra time, and still get to Colorado with time to spare before it's sunset time, even though the time for sunset is actually an hour before sunset time tonight. Did I get that right? Tomorrow, we will actually go from the CTImeZ to the MTImeZ in Kansas, then back to the CTImeZ and end up in the MTImeZ when we drive through Haigler, NE in the very southwest corner of Nebraska and into Colorado. Confused? I won't recount the time we had in Nebraska in1983 with me on a bicycle. There's time for that another time.
Well, it's time to put a wrap on this blog, have some time to relax before bedtime, knowing I will get up in time for Quiet Time before our time is up here, and it's travel time again. We are just trying to make the most of our time, not wish our time away, and use our time to work for The Lord, knowing that in the final analysis, our time is not really our own time at all. It's His time and everything is in His good timing.
Time's up. See you next time.
Sent from my iPad
Today we got up with time to spare, as we wanted to reach Oakley, KS in time to settle into the RV park we usually stay at any time we travel between Colorado and Arkansas. We also left time to recharge our car battery which always seems to run down any time we stay here. We had time to do a quick set-up, enjoy a Casey's pizza at dinnertime and have time to blog. We also needed to set the time back on our clocks since it's that time of the year to "fall back" an hour, so we will have the correct time when we get up in the morning, in time to get on the road again.
Tomorrow we will go from the Central Time Zone to the Mountain Time Zone which means we gain another hour of time in our day. A twenty-six hour Sunday. What a blessing. What a time we can have with that extra time, and still get to Colorado with time to spare before it's sunset time, even though the time for sunset is actually an hour before sunset time tonight. Did I get that right? Tomorrow, we will actually go from the CTImeZ to the MTImeZ in Kansas, then back to the CTImeZ and end up in the MTImeZ when we drive through Haigler, NE in the very southwest corner of Nebraska and into Colorado. Confused? I won't recount the time we had in Nebraska in1983 with me on a bicycle. There's time for that another time.
Well, it's time to put a wrap on this blog, have some time to relax before bedtime, knowing I will get up in time for Quiet Time before our time is up here, and it's travel time again. We are just trying to make the most of our time, not wish our time away, and use our time to work for The Lord, knowing that in the final analysis, our time is not really our own time at all. It's His time and everything is in His good timing.
Time's up. See you next time.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
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