The Hike
There is a lot to be said for people who spend countless hours outdoors.
There is more to be said for those who hike for days on end over terrain I only want to see in pictures and videos.
Except this year, I was hiking in places I never dreamt I would go. The only thing I am sorry for is that we didn’t do more of it.
There are two places we visited on vacation that I can only describe as places of wonder.
One was Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park. The hike was uphill to a mountain lake, and only a couple of miles out. But it was dense forest and at times unnervingly quiet. There was the anticipation of running into the wildlife that was much larger than you, and of course, it was physically exerting.
The hike wasn’t too steep or cliffside- we didn’t have to cross any water and there was a well-worn trail for us to follow. But, it was still out of my comfort zone.
The mental game in my head was really something I had to overcome. Unrealistic fears and not giving my body enough credit were continuous fights.
At one point I considered quitting. I thought- we could turn around and just be done. Who would know? Nobody on planet earth had any idea where we were or what we were doing.
But, I would. And I know my husband, (who plans these trips for an entire year), woud be mortally disappointed.
We have always said “Where you go, I go”. That includes vacation, serious life events, my mother-in-laws house and now mountain hikes.
Even after stepping out of my comfort zone, praying hard, fighting with my own insecurities and mental health and even a bit of tired exaustion, I never quit!
And my husband never quit on me, and that was the catalyst for me to keep moving my legs, climbing the trail and wandering deeper into the forest than I have ever been.
When we finally cleared the trees and the trail, I saw the most breathtaking scene. As hubs approached the water, I sat on a bench and started to cry.
It was not only breathtaking, but I made it, and that meant something.
I thanked God for allowing me to have the stamina, the endurance. I thanked him for giving me the strength to continue and finish what I started.
Sometimes we quit too soon- right before the finish line- and we miss out on the mountain lake that awaits us.
I hope you enjoy these pictures.
It was worth every second. It was absolutely stunning,
Xoxo,
Marriage Therapy: Building a Chicken Tractor
The chicken tractor is complete!
It took us a while, but we managed to buckle down and through a lot of research, looking at a lot of options, we designed and settled on this option.
Let’s take a tour.
The entire thing is wood framed. We used hardware cloth, not chicken wire. (Better security)
We already owned a set of vintage nesting boxes, so we used those as our guide for measuring the house part, raising it off the ground so the chickens will have space underneath.
We repurposed metal roofing from a building we tore down.
The food and water are now inside the tractor, but we are considering moving them outside because chickens are messy, and I am tired of cleaning off the lids.
The food and water containers are buckets, and each has unique dispensers, which I will link at the bottom of this post.
The wheels on the back are actually trailer jacks, and the front hitch is used to move the whole unit with a trailer dolly.
We crank it up and roll it around the yard every 5 days or so, ensuring we don’t leave it sit too long to create a bare spot in the grass.
We still let them out to free range when we are home, but when we are not here, its nice to know they are safe from predators and won’t get out on the road.
At the end of the day, we are happy with how this project turned out. We completed it before vacation and it made it much easier for our house-sitter to care for the animals.
LINKS:
Links may be affiliate links which means I earn a little.
Dry Bones
Whenever I hear a reference to the dry bones in Ezekiel, I turn my bible to the pages and read the story again.
The Valley of Dry Bones
37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
Ezekiel 37:1-10
It takes my breath away to have a full understanding of what this means. Dry bones are lifeless. They are dusty and dirty and dead. They are sometimes broken and splintered.
But God can revive even dry bones when we are obedient to his commands.
Do you hear that still small voice, whispering in your heart when you have prayed for guidance?
Do you feel the twinge, the feeling of guilt when you ignore the voice?
Do you push back that feeling when you know you are about to do something but you quit because of fear?
Do you understand the disappointment when the fear speaks louder than the voice and you allow it?
These are your dry bones, coming to life with the realization that the Holy Spirit indwells- it lives within us. It guides us when we ask and prompts us when we don’t. It is provided as a guide to make discernment understandable and obedience clear.
Only the Sovereign Lord can give us such a gift.
What will we do to receive it?
Listening and acting in obedience is no small task, but it does build spiritual wellness, and confidence and teaches us to be bold in our faith.
Tuning into our own still small voice is an important part of our faith journey. It is supported by an active prayer life, reading and learning scripture, and spending time in the quiet with God.
Working within the boundaries of obedient faith also makes our own dry bones story one of redemption that we cannot get anywhere else.
xoxo,
Marriage Therapy: Garden Greenhouse
When we had our windows replaced last fall, John was careful to tell them to please save the old windows.
The windows were stacked in the barn and I forgot about them. This spring, John started a rough drawing and together we built a small greenhouse for me to toodle around in.
My ultimate plan is to grow herbs and vegetable starts in this space each spring.
If you have never done a DIY project with your spouse, you should.
It is always a good time, a good arguement, and a good amount of growing for both of us.
We have done multiple projects together, so this one was not met with any surprises.
Measure twice, cut once.
Buy enough screws.
Windows from the early 1900’s are not all the same size.
Plug in the tools battery chargers. They work better that way.
Pace yourself and wear sunscreen.
This project was a lot of fun to work on together, cost way more than some free windows, and is an added asset to our little bit of acreage.
