October 14th: I woke up to furious rainfall this morning; California is experiencing its first widespread soaking of the season, which will also include the heaviest Sierra snowfall so far this fall. This storm system is currently diving southward along the California coast, with rain from the Central Valley into parts of Southern California, and snow falling in the Sierra.
Fall is the transition period in California. Sometimes, strong Santa Ana winds fan large wildfires in October - even so, where we are currently, is the best place to be; considering the destructive weather 😳 in places we are normally are hunkered down in this time of year (Yuma-AZ, Quartzsite-AZ, Parker-AZ, Kingman-AZ to name a few).
When Holland was up and finished his mug of coffee, he suggested driving into Coalinga for our Tuesday bucket of chicken from KFC
Along the way, we skidded on wet mud, off the road, and nearly smacked an orchard tree with Betsy's broad side. We could see across the way that there was a tow truck … so, Holland walked across the highway to ask for a pull out of the slick & sticky mud: the man obliged - and refused pay; we were thankful, and I prayed a blessing on the man for his open-handed kindness 🙏
We had a fun time filled with laughter and light-hearted teasing, following the livened up mudding incident; we made Coalinga without any more interesting snafu's, and Holland asked one of the KFC workers if there was a hand wash car wash in town … there was 😁👍 We had driven past it many times without noticing. Today, we noticed, and utilized it 😉
We got back home before the gray clouds unleashed more pent up precipitation - and enjoyed our hot chicken in Independence's cozy warmth.
More than hot chicken was enjoyed in our cozy nest: we are both working on ourselves this year to shore each other up, and mend the torn fabric of the Life we are weaving: we know what we want … and we both know that Elohim knows how to get us there.
Our relationship hasn’t been rainbows and roses the whole time - and it’s been really tough, at times. But that’s life, isn’t it? Some days are good. Some days are terrible. We don't know from one day to the next how it will go, but we both just know that our lives are better with each other in it, than it is without. Some days you just drift apart for a while - you get your ugly times, your bad times and your horrific times. But if you love each other enough, you'll work through.
I remember when it dawned on me that Holland was courting me: Holland had cooked something (for everyone gathered, but specifically with me, in his thoughts), "with margarine - not butter; for the first time, there is margarine in my refrigerator": I knew then, that he had placed me in his priority zone.
I remember when he went out of his way to bring Thanksgiving Supper to me - he thought about me the entire time he was with his Kelso family members … and he told them about me: that he was going to marry me. When I agreed to Christmas Supper, the family members were already prepped to meet me. He is always a forward thinking man.
I remember when I wanted to get out of Longview for good … he gamely jumped on my Road Gypsy thought train and drove us clear across America (to West Virginia), to purchase Independence, because we could buy her at half cost, and have her out-fitted on site; to suit our needs.
I remember that while we were touring America and wildfires broke out everywhere around us - he drove nonstop through several States, to get me safely to a place where there was no smoke in the air: wildfire smoke started in Idaho, wound down through Nevada .. and up the coastline from California, Oregon, and to Long Beach-WA. We finally found a safe haven at David's beach property, where the air was clear and Holland could rest easy (his mind, his body, his generous loving heart).
I remember that even when the fight is on hot and heavy - he is the first one to forgive bad behavior and seek to rectify the situation (loving ministrations more with actions, than with words); I'm not so quick … and he overlooks that, letting me cool down in my own way, in my own time.
I remember the sight-seeing detours he planned along routes he hated - just so I could have the chance to see those places & share through pictures & videos, those places with my far-flung friends across the globe.
And I remember so many other things, too, that let me hear "he's the one."
I remember that he is fighting demons from his Past, that at times hamstring him from enjoying the Present.
No one else has to understand it; half the time WE don't understand it … and that's okay: we know that God brought US about (no other way "we" could have happened), so we'll continue working it out - for the 95% of time there are no questions 😉
The prayers this year are the same as last year: we want to enjoy each other, and have fun with each other's company; we want relative solitude; we want to visit, and camp, in far-flung isolated ghost towns, abandoned mining communities; where the only sound is the quiet hum of nature, and a skidding pebble under the soles of our shoes as we explore … I want to listen to the coyotes sing their night songs, and view the stars, and milky way, in all their nighttime glory. We want a smaller camper - a smaller camper would help us check off our Bucket List events. We want to visit places in the mid-West, and on the East Coast, where we won't have to be overly concerned about undersized parking areas. We want to be able to park and camp, inside National Parks, instead of 4 hours outside them.
Of course, Elohim's Plans for us may not be our plans for us - but on the off-chance that we are all in agreement, we are hoping & praying that Elohim agrees with these wants, and helps to provide us with a workable solution.
As the evening arrived & progressed into the wee early morning hours, I had watched several humorous movies, and finished up 2 little clothing items that will be going into the city with us next month, when we go that way for grocery shopping:
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