STEPPING THINGS UP & US Warning to iran; Ocean Park-WA

June 21st: It rained all night - and all day, here in Ocean Park-WA

I woke up listening to the raindrops tap-dancing across the roof overhead … and decided to make a quick stew for Supper 👍

So, while my chosen flavor of coffee dripped into my coffee mug, I gathered all the ingredients I would need, and prepared them ahead of time to cut down on standing in the kitchen around Supper time:

Ingredients for my version of Fireside Stew made with 4Patriots dry mix …

I also bounced a thought back and forth in my head. I have been focusing on the negative aspect of Holland's preference to "just be friends" in this weird marriage … he does have TBI combined with PTSD - and I do have PTSD: communication & reception can often suffer sporadic static.

I've been [taking space] after the last sporadic static; and he's been making moves to "make things right" by initiating short dating episodes. At first I was angrily annoyed. Then, I thawed some - after all, we do miss each other's company. Maybe it will be fun dating my husband 😉 - perhaps the faults he has as a husband will shine as virtues in a boyfriend 😂🤣

What Are the 40 Virtues? (Full List): https://www.familiesofcharacter.com/blogs/virtue/what-are-the-40-virtues-full-list

Kenny Loggins - "Meet Me Halfway" Lyrics: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBWSwO91hdQ)

As a friend, we are best friends despite the marriage static. As a boyfriend, he was calm and relaxed. As a husband he put himself under enormous pressure … the fallout from his familial dysfunction was always in high gear. Yes - maybe reverting back to Friend & Boyfriend status for the time being will actually be best for both of us, until he feels comfortable and confident enough to step things up to Husband status without feeling like he's straining against a choke collar.

Tim McGraw - 'My Best Friend' Lyrics: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRJ0lpu6XaU)

He is wanting to do more Road Gypsy adventuring with me; and he really is the best person for me to adventure with - even when I'm distancing from him for peace's sake … he is diligently searching the internet for interesting places to stake our pegs and explore, making sure I have a hiking trail to walk. He's even talking about getting another dog to keep me company (really for his peace of mind while I'm out and about in the wilds, on my own) - a dog that will have a calmer personality than Bleu did: we loved having Bleu, but he tore Holland's arms and feet up something terrible with his toenails; toenails he wouldn't let anyone close to with clippers.

We will be enjoying more road trips.

We'll see about the dog …

We both have trust & abandonment issues that trip us up when stressors overwhelm our circuits. When life slides sideways & overwhelms, Holland gets domineering … and I get defiant: and the marriage gets sidetracked (distracted from the main purpose, or course; in essence, it gets delayed from what was originally intended).

We are actually both in the wrong.

When a Taurus bull & a Capricorn goat butt heads, love gets challenged.

But in the end, we both know neither of us are going anywhere. We are 2 best friends that love each other - and are caught in a whirlwind moment that feels overwhelmingly daunting, in the moment. We also know that these moments - intense as they can be - are fleeting, and not as frequent as they may feel when we are caught [in the moment]. Holland's stress overload cools quicker than mine; and he easily blows off the heated words. It takes me longer to cool down; and quite a while to forget the words and overlook the heat behind them.

I want to talk the issue out, to sort it out and lay it to rest: he does not. He refers to let things ride until they coast to a slow and easy stop by themselves - I want to talk it out, and apply the brakes as soon as possible to avoid further pitfalls: letting things ride only prolongs the heat instead of turning it off. MPO

However, I do understand that defusing the heat before talking, touching, or enjoying a drive together is the way he tamps down his trigger points. I am learning that when he says, "We need time apart! You're impossible!" - he isn't leaving permanently, he's just going for a cool down drive; and by "impossible", he means he isn't getting his way in that particular moment. Because of his TBI, the angry words and domineering behavior is loud and intense … but so is the flipside of that: he's ready to make up, forget the anger, and move forward as soon as the blue smoke clears. He's confused as to why I am stalling his "good intentions".

But he is beginning to understand that my need to initiate an immediate talk session during - or following - a heated back and forth word war, is my way seeking assurances that our unity is not seriously broken. When I say, "don't touch me" after a particularly ugly heated battle of the wills, I'm not pushing him away indefinitely … I just need space to bury the hurt feelings & soothe my soul. I don't want to be touched in the moment - I do not want to be placated. I don't want my feelings to be manipulated: I want to be heard. I want to be respected. I'm going to need time before I get friendly again.

This will all eventually be worked out peacefully; we are, after all, still newlyweds. We are still in the finding out about each other phase of marriage. Marriage is a new experience for Holland.

We are both damaged souls from serious traumas throughout our separate lives. We have differing views on just bout everything - and that is the complication driving everything 😟

We both know why we react the way we do … and we both look towards the Day we will understand what trips each other's triggers, so we can be wiser in how we react when life overwhelms our circuits.

We are both survivors - we know how to adjust and get what we want out of Life.

We actually do have more good times than we have challenging times.

Maybe it will be fun dating my husband; the dating period between that first coffee date, and the marriage trip to Reno-NV was very brief. We wouldn't be the 1st married couple that needs a "getting to know you" introduction period of after-the-fact-dating 😉

"Stepping things up" in this realm of Life, could be a very pleasant undertaking that leads to a peaceful, happy, domesticity 🙏🩹💘🕊️👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

As I set the soup pot on the hot plate, I received a text from a friend:

"The Last Rapture Sign Just Appeared" – John MacArthur THE BEST MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3V0qc5wpU)

I listened to the video while Supper simmered, and my hands kept the yarn moving smoothly along the WIP I hope to have done, soon …

Stew simmering, & working on my WIP to the backbeat of raindrops tap-dancing across Independence's roof.

Husband says, 'it's a repeat' ;-)

VAL'S UPGRADED 4PATRIOTS FIRESIDE STEW Recipe; Ocean Park-WA: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2025/06/vals-upgraded-4patriots-fireside-stew.html)

Then, following Supper, I received another text - it appears there is a "stepping up" happening in another realm of Life, also:

News Report on US Strike on iranian Nuclear Sites follows at end of this Posting …

And I closed this "stepping up" Shabbat, with a peaceful turning of the calendar page; with a prayer for peace, and a hope for substantial stability concerning all angles and levels of my Life 👊

*************************

‘Totally Obliterated’: Read Trump’s Remarks After US Strikes Iran Nuclear Sites

~The Sacramento Bee Updated June 21, 2025 8:01 PM

The text of President Donald Trump’s address Saturday, June 21, 2025, from the East Room of the White House following the announcement of a U.S. bomber strike on three nuclear sites in Iran: 

{{“A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise.

“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.

Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people. And hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate. In particular, so many were killed by their general, Qasem Soleimani.

I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue.

I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before. And we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done.

And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that’s so. I hope.

I also want to congratulate the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine. Spectacular general. And all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack.

With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal.

But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago.

Tomorrow, General Caine (and) Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will have a press conference at 8 a.m. at the Pentagon.

And I want to just thank everybody and in particular, God. I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them.

God bless the Middle East, God bless Israel, and God bless America.

Thank you very much. Thank you.”}}

~This story was originally published June 21, 2025 at 7:25 PM.

I HOPE JANUARY 2025 IS A FRESH START; Fortuna-AZ

I woke up to a very windy morning; Independence was being hit solidly by strong gusts of wind - and the metal structure shielding us was sounding like rusted hinges that needed oiled:

Unhealthy, today; Fortuna-AZ

Windy morning = rocking Independence; Fortuna-AZ

Despite the manic, dusty, wakeup's … I'm gonna miss AZ.

AZ really is beautiful when the dust settles; but beauty is not worth dying for - as the mucky-mucks in CA are finding out: maybe this horrific happenstance will wake the {woke} up & reality will slap them in the face hard enough for changes to be made.

Statewide.

This wildfires out of control did not have to happen.

January 9th, 2025

I couldn't watch any more fallout from stupidness … so, I finished up my latest project ;-)

MOD Beach Theme Kitchen Towel Finished.

I LOVE YOU, ELOHIM; Fortuna-AZ

I got a PM very early Saturday morning, informing me that my BIL died a couple weeks ago.

I cried most of the morning - and off and on, all through Sunday; I loved Rick.

I never met Iris or Rick face-to-face, but we shared many phone calls and FB humor.

I don't really know much about Rick: but I know he loved my sister, Iris, deeply. And he mourned her death unashamedly.

Iris & Rick.

They came into my life at exactly the right time; and brought light into my darkest widowing days – Bob had been taken Home, December 14th morning in 2018; and Elohim brought Iris & Rick into my life, February 14th, 2019.

My youngest sister, Carla Emerson was the one that made the connection happen - she did a 23nme DNA test and was surprised when a match came up with a sibling she had heard me mention constantly through the years: Carla called me right away …

Me: "What's up?"

Carla: "Val, are you sitting down?"

Me: "Noooo … do I need to sit down?"

Carla: "You might want to - I found Iris."

I sat down. "Talk to me."

Carla: "I did that DNA test I told you about, through 23nme ... and her name came up as a definite sibling match. No doubt about it. We have her, Val."

Me: "I'm SO GLAD! Man, I wish Bob were here for this day - I talked about Iris all the time; from the moment we started dating, I told Bob about her straight off. I wondered what she was like - where she lived (USA or Germany; I learned she had lived with her grandmother in Germany for 13 years) … I never stopped talking about her. Bob would be so happy for me right now. If I had known that for decades Iris had only lived hours from me during her years in WA State! Bob would gladly have driven me to where she was."

When Carla hung up, I cried happy tears.

And I laughed with unbound joy.

And I profusely thanked Elohim.

Then, I immediately got on FB, found Iris, and sent her a message on FB 😘😉

((((HELLO IRIS)))) was what I posted to my 'found' sister: I had waited 51 years to say that to her.

I had prayed every day since finding out about her, that someday - somehow … some way … Elohim would make a way.

He did - He was faithful.

She called me the next morning 🥰

We talked for 2 hours - it was wonderful; we were immediate friends … like we had grown up siblings. We talked just about every Wednesday following that first phone convo :-D From Valentine's Day 2019 to August 2019; she left this life September 3rd, 2019 following a surgical procedure that she never woke from.

I can still hear her voice; I will always treasure those phone convo's.

And Rick continued the phone convo's every month after that, telling me more about my sister as we comforted each other in our widowing days.

I can still hear Rick's voice, too; so, I did cry with missingness of Rick.

Holland, bless him, kept the coffee coming … and listened to me talk my sorrow out between wiping tears and snot ;-)

I hadn't slept.

My head ached, and my eyes burned.

But I was alert enough to notice that Holland was bustling around switching the burnt out microwave with a new one - while also making sure my coffee cup was always refilled, and Kleenex as near:

Microwaves being switched out; the old had been struggling for months, it finally gave up the ghost 3 days ago.

I perked up and dried my tears from my face, when the Ruach HaKo'desh pricked my memory to remind me that Elohim hears our prayers … and He is not slow in responding to my prayers about this situation with Mr. Complication: He always answers our prayers … ON HIS TIMELINE, not necessarily ours.

The timing of the PM message, the timing of the reminding prick - and the replacement of the microwave was perfect timing.

A few years ago, I had asked Elohim "for purpose … something to make me feel alive, again" - and He blessed me in spades, with Holland; he is a genuine "new experience". Holland definitely gives my life purpose, and he certainly keeps my life interesting ;-)

********************

Today unfolded with upper 70's sunshine … and a weekend blessing :-D

And there's Mr. handsome - he tickles my ears with his sweet song, every morning ;-)

Loving this warm AZ weather!  The front door stayed open until bedtime; Fortuna-AZ

Working on a Spring design ;-)

I can't wait for the weekend!

I love you, Elohim: thank You for greatly loving me, highly favoring me … and surrounding me always with Your unconditional love.

LEWIS RIVER RV PARK; Woodland, WA

We were up early, and made our scheduled inspection appointment on time: the news was not good :-(

Mobile West RV Service; #1503 41 Pl, Seaview, WA 98644

Getting the verdict …

The conclusion was not good :-(

Another assessment & a Storage Unit = m.o.n.t.h.s. of twiddling our thumbs.

Holland said we'd need to find an RV Dealer between Longview & Vancouver willing to do the much needed inspection … and I pulled out my Tablet to do an internet search for RV Parks we could utilize for 2 weeks; time enough to get my eye exam (as stress-free as possible), and reschedule another inspection. An RV Park in Woodland-WA had a spot big enough for us, so we turned Betsy's nose in that direction.

Barely 10 minutes after we turned onto the Astoria-Megler Bridge, we missed being involved in a head-on collision when some crack-head speeding towards us in our lane (no sane person would have tried it!) decided to pass a loooong string of 20 cars … the driver barely had time to swerve into the correct lane directly in front of us - Holland was laying on Betsy's horn, and drivers in the on-coming lane had stopped forward movement, altogether; so as not to be sucked into the anticipated wreak. It was so close I don't know how the front bumpers missed contact.

Where do these brainless drivers come from? AND WHY do they always find us while doing their stupid (a lack of good judgment or intelligence and they are not at all sensible) deeds???

THANK YOU ELOHIM for the grace You provided this morning: there was no impact, and no lasting complications; You are a good God.

Woodland-WA from Ocean Park-WA; 1 hr 58 min (97.3 mi) via US-30 E

The Falvel Mansion dominates the scenery as one turns onto Main Street, in Astoria-OR; I have been inside that place (before show-biz tickets were required), and it is something to see ;-)

Flavel House Museum - #714 Exchange St, Astoria, OR 97103:  (https://astoriamuseums.org/explore/flavel-house-museum/ & https://oregon.com/attractions/flavel-house)

Flavel Family Background Info: 

(https://raisethestakeseditions.com/george-conrad-flavel-house/ & https://thatoregonlife.com/2017/10/flavel-house-astoria/)

Other than that heart gripping-adrenaline infusion, the drive to Woodland was relaxing and enjoyable. The chilly, wet, cloudy weather was left behind … and the warmth of sunny, blue-skied Spring weather enveloped us: it felt wonderful :-)

When we reached Woodland, we drove up the Old Lewis River Road (new experience for me; Holland fished this river) to reach our destination, and Holland did great in carefully jockeying Betsy back and forth in the tight area (walkie-talkie convo wasn't working, so I pitched mine in the open window and strolled around the grounds because I couldn't watch anymore - it was a very tight and stressful situation) to carefully back looong Independence into a shady, forested slot along the Lewis River in Woodland-WA

Once Independence was in place and set up, I started putting things in place inside, and Holland got the internet going … then we both took a nap to relax our tired bodies (didn't get much sleep last night = too much on our minds), and stressed minds (complex decisions, a near head-on collision, and a very tight parking slot).

Mt. St. Helens; Port of Longview-WA in forefront - crossing the Lewis & Clark Bridge from OR into WA

Port of Longview: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Longview)

Holland registering us …

Lewis River RV Park & Country Store;

#3125 Lewis River Rd, Woodland, WA 98674

Carefully tucked among the towering Firs …

My back steps are literally at the edge of the upper level bank; I will not be utilizing these.

The view of the Lewis River from our front door ;-)

Tomorrow, I think I will try to loosen up my left leg muscles with a walk around the Park: it will feel good to walk among the scentual barked giants, again ;-)