Hi 👋 We're Val & Holland Redmill … living our Life Story as silver-haired Road Gypsies in our 5th wheel RV Home~40 months married & 60,000 miles traveled across America; covered in grace every Day & trying mightily not to lose our sanctification during the bad & ugly times. I post everywhere - about everything: and if what I post can help someone else, I'm glad for the experience. But from sunrise to sunset, we live our Life for US. Trusting Elohim every step of the way.
Sharing it today, because it's real life realities; and a good mindset to walk into the new week, with:
You can be a really good friend, and still not be liked. You can hold someone dear and still not be valued. You can say all the right things, and still have someone twist your words, brush off your words, or worse—use your words against you. You can give it your absolute best, and still have it not work out.
You can be pure as humanly possible, and still be painted as the bad guy.
After years of work, these are some things I’ve learned:
1. You can’t control other people. Not even in the slightest, and it is a complete waste to ever assume you can. It will make you angry, and exhausted, and chasing something you don’t have a chance to catch, so switch gears and control you. Control your mouth. Control how you treat people. Control your attitude. Guard your heart, and keep it genuine. Keep showing up, and let that be enough.
2. Other people aren’t you. They don’t think like you, or feel like you. Their experiences belong to them alone. They approach situations differently, and their outlook is nothing like yours. Don’t expect them to handle things exactly like you do. They aren’t you. They’re them. Do your best to love them for it.
3. Some people are never going to like you, and there isn’t necessarily and a rhyme or reason. Your life will improve significantly as soon as you learn this.
4. Sometimes you’re actually the bad guy. Sometimes you’re the one acting foolish. Sometimes you’re the one with the toxic trait or two. Check your own heart. Clean out the junk, and grow from it. Apologize, and now that you’ve learned - take that wisdom, do better next time, stay humble, and give others an awful lot of grace along the way.
5. There is a purpose to it all. There is beauty everywhere. That failed friendship will teach you how to do the next one better. That heartache will remind you to be gentle with other people. That loneliness will help you appreciate connection when you do find it - and you will find it. Not every season lasts forever, but every season does produce something precious eventually, even if it’s just a fresh perspective.
So sleep well, my dear friend.
Life is a long series of letting some things go and holding others close: a catch and release sort of cycle. Let go of needing approval. Let go of bitterness, and resentment, and any of that junk. Let go of insecurity. Let go of guilt. It will keep you shackled like nothing else.
Hold close to the people in your life who have stuck around. Hold close to your morals and your integrity. Hold close to your light and your joy and your hope. Hold close to today. Believe in tomorrow. Hold closest to love. At the end of the day, it’s all that really matters, and as long as you have it - you have more than enough.
Holland had gifted himself … finally. He rarely spends $$$ on himself, so I was glad packages arrived for him.
Holland gifted me: a couple days ago, my headphones gutted out on me … and immediately, Holland went online and ordered me a new set - it was good of Elohim to make sure that everything arrived at the same time.
And my current Cussler-Fargo storyline is about thwarting greedy thieves; and gifting South America with their own artifacts, by the Fargo duo working with the governing leadership to stop black market criminals.
After coffee, we drove across the Columbia River to retrieve waiting packages:
Rainier-OR Post Office from Toutle River RV Resort, in Castle Rock-WA~via I-5 S; 23 min (20 mi)
Holland's piece for Betsy arrived - he's happy.
A water filter, so we'll be able to cut down on the bottled water; no matter where we go. And the added water softener to city water systems will be filtered out, thus skin irritations will be curbed.
He's also happy with his new shower head.
My new headphones also arrived - no more crackling static, or cut out dead silence. YAY!
Movies, documentaries, music - all coming thru loud & clear - I'm happy.
Various Artists - Adonai: The Power Of Worship From The Land Of Israel: (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyk37WZD9hqVNdbeGOY2xgX9BrI7IwYW)
And, they fit my Tablet, too! Bonus - I use my Tablet a lot, on the road.
Today is basically a Day of Rest, so the morning drive was the extent of busyness. The rest of the Day was pretty laid-back, with lounging, napping, personal choices of low-key activity: we gifted ourselves with just "being".
My choice was getting back to the jungle adventure, in South America, with the Fargos …
Cussler-Fargo Novel~The Mayan Secrets
Last night, the Fargos left Valladolid-ES, to return home, in San Diego, CA
Today's adventure begins with them leaving La Jolla-CA to travel to an ancient mayan compound, in Belize.
Polochic River, Guatemala = The Polochic River is one of Guatemala's main rivers, draining into the Caribbean Sea. The river has a fairly cool climate - but also experiences excessive rainfall during the winter months, which generates a lot of humidity.
Polochic River, Guatemala
Guatemalan Highlands hillside.
Guatemalan Highlands.
Towering La Danta Pyramid rises from the jungle floor, of Guatemala's highland region.
From Belize, to Guatemala City & onto Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico
Calakmul's murals and frescoes.
Establishing ownership of Calakmul's discovery - to thwart the murderous thievery.
{{La Danta: One of the Largest Pyramids on Earth is Hidden Beneath the Forest
I've only posted interesting tidbits of this original article; focusing on the facts touched on in Clive's novel.
~Ivan Petricevic
Built thousands of years ago in present-day Guatemala are the remnants of a lost city called El Mirador. This ancient metropolis thrived from approximately the sixth through the third centuries BC, wholly abandoned around the ninth century. During its heyday, the ancient Maya civilization built within Mirador a pyramid that would stand the test of time. But not just any pyramid. They built a massive superstructure (or better said, complex structures), rising a towering 72 meters into the air. Today, one could pass by it and barely notice a behemoth structure even larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in terms of volume. But, in fact, some of the largest, most impressive pyramids were not built in Africa but in North, Central, and South America.
Found in 1926
The ancient city was revealed in 1926 by Percy Madeira. A brief survey of La Danta was done by a Carnegie expedition in 1934, but it only lasted a few hours due to a lack of water in the area. In 1962, archaeologist Ian Graham produced the first map of the site where the area identified as La Danta (1967) is known. Later from 1978 until 1983, the Mirador Archaeological Project, led by Ray Matheny and Bruce Dahlin, conducted the first intensive investigations. During exploration, archeologists found, surprisingly, that a large number of constructions were not contemporary with the large Maya classic cities in the area but rather from centuries earlier, during the pre-classic period.
The Ambition, Power, and Downfall of the great Calakmul
I've only posted interesting tidbits of this original article; focusing on the facts touched on in Clive's novel.
~By Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
Calakmul is an ancient Mayan city found deep in the jungle of the southeastern Mexican state of Campeche, near the border with Guatemala. The site is also in the heart of the biosphere of the same name which covers an area of 700,000 hectares. The archeological site itself is well over 70 square kilometers and is home to approximately 6,000 structures that range enormously in size.
Calakmul was first documented by the biologist Cyrus Longworth Lundell in 1931. But it is widely believed that the existence of the ancient city had become an open secret of sorts between the few people living in this remote territory and workers who would delve into the jungle to harvest chicle trees.
In Mayan, Calakmul means “the city of the adjacent pyramids,” but in antiquity the city was known as Oxte’Tun, meaning three stones. The date of Calakmul’s foundation has been lost to time, but most scholars agree that the city first rose sometime between 700 and 350 BCE. During excavations, archaeologists discover a network of Mayan roads or Sacbés connecting Calakmul with the powerful pre-classical age cities of Mirador, Nakbé, and Uaxactún. This fact, even taken on its own, hints at an extremely early foundation date, power, and prestige.
During the classic age, starting in the second half of third-century BCE, Calakmul had risen to considerable importance. But it would not be until several centuries after that the city would reach its greatest splendor. During the fifth century CE, Calakmul had become bold and strong enough to begin challenging the city which would become its greatest rival, Tikal. Hostility turned to war in 562 CE under the leadership of the king of Calakmul, Sky Witness, who launched an all-out invasion of Tikal. The battle was hard-fought, but in the end, Calakmul managed to capture Tikal’s ruling class, including its king who they put to death, and turned the once hegemonic power into a vassal kingdom.
This morning was my final dental visit 👏 … for now; I am wanted back in the dentist chair November 10th: same time, same place. The next visit won't be as spendy, but it will still carry a hefty price.
While my teeth were being worked on, I was hoping that since the hour was so early - I'd be able to kinda doze a bit (I did). I was also praying constantly that Elohim would be merciful 🙏 and keep my throat clear of asthma mucus which would catapult me into a coughing fit: He was 😁 … and my body behaved during the entire 2-hr. procedure.
When we got back home, Holland got busy outside; & I checked my FB Page, where several Memories popped up reminding me that today is "Gorgeous Grandma Day". I didn't feel - nor did I look glamorous today, but, I am thankful I have the privilege of being a grandmother; & I am thankful for Elohim's blessings on me, in that regard; even if the situation is hard, given the situation, currently.
Fingernail polish - but, no makeup; I was sitting in the dentist chair for 2 hours … making time with a curling iron & makeup, would have been pointless.
Gorgeous Grandma Day 2026
Elohim is a faithful God … I may not get to see or spend time with my grandchildren, but that is not His fault. I am truly blessed ❤️, and I never forget my blessings 😘
Krisa, 1990
Alyna, 1995
Briana, 1996
Azariah, 2014
Then, I did a short, inside dumbbell workout, while waiting for the numbness of my mouth to dissipate:
Do EA set reps, as instructed x3.Upperbody Works Plus Workout [ How-To ]: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2-BKQf_tB4)
Dumbbell weights 3-, 5-, & 8-lb~changed out with each set; starting small - ending large.
Alternative =Seated Dumbbell Bicep Curls~Aim for 8 reps x3
Alternative = Dumbbell Lateral Raises~Aim for 8 reps, x3
Alternative = Dumbbell Upright Chest Rows~Aim for 8 reps x3
Alternative = Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press~Aim for 8 reps x3
Bodyweight Glute Stepup~In & out of Betsy x6 today.
Then, I read a couple chapters of the Clive Cussler novel while I did a couple loads of laundry.
And just as I was finishing chapter 55 … the water dried up & Holland informed me that the Park Manager was informing everyone that there was a water leak and emergency repairs would take 3 hours to complete.
3 hours!
I had a "hand wash only" blouse soaking in the back bathroom sink - it was time to rinse it out. It couldn't stay in the sink for 3 hours. I rinsed it out with 4 bottles of bottled water 🤨, hoping all the soap was being flushed from the fibers.
I hung it up, and decided to go for a drive to stem my frustration. This is the 2nd time there has been a big water leak in the Resort. Of course, the pipes are 30 years old - Bob, me, & Alyna were staying at the Paradise Cove RV Park (directly across the overpass, from here), when it this RV Park was designed & layed out, in 1998.
I drove over Delameter Road from Castle Rock - and as I was coming off Woodside Drive, which ties into the Ragland Road & Coal Creek Road junction, in Longview … a mama doe with 3 fawns was standing in the middle of the junction: then an oncoming car spooked them and they bolted, jumping both sides of the road. At one point, as they ran over the hill flanking Betsy's driver side, I honestly thought they might jump into Betsy's truck bed - they were so frightened. They didn't, thank the Lord; but it was a real concern.
WHAT??? No water … broken Park waterline.
Mama doe & 3 fawns.
I had just pulled into the Willow Grove County Park, when my watch alerted me of an incoming call: Holland.
The water was back on.
So, I turned around and went back home.
It was a nice country drive & a refreshing half hour drive; the drive was not wasted time.
Tomorrow, we drive north on I-5, where Holland will get an injection in his knee that is promoted to be "beneficial" - we'll see. The injection is a Band-Aid, it is not a cure; but right now, in this moment, any relief is a major improvement. We are hopeful. We are thinking he will more than likely have to get a series of shots, every 2 months, for the "benefits" to really kick in: each injection carries a hefty price.
I woke up this morning with the thought of bone soup running through my mind … so, I got up, pulled a frozen packet of 🦃 bone broth from the freezer - heated it up & drank it, with my morning coffee 🥣☕️
{{Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones and connective tissues for an extended period, extracting nutrients such as collagen (the collagen in bone broth is known to improve skin elasticity, hydration, support joint function, & help alleviate joint pain and inflammation: this is especially important for women as they age and experience changes in skin and skeletal health; bone broth can help maintain hydration and electrolytes levels, which is essential for metabolic processes and energy levels, especially for active women), gelatin (which helps restore the gut lining and improve intestinal integrity; this can be particularly beneficial for women experiencing digestive issues), and amino acids}}
Holland could benefit from bone broth, too - but he'd probably prefer beef flavor, so I'll be on the scout for beef bones to cook down 🥩😘 I'm pretty sure I can find them at Matt's Meat Market when we get up north: I'll buy a couple bags, cook them down, and freeze the broth in 1 cup portions.
After my mug of bone broth, and my cup of morning coffee, I went into the bunk room to do some body toning: I started off with a toe-touch stretch:
Star Stretch Toe Touch Exercise~10–12 reps x2; 2 to 3 days a week.
The Star Stretch Toe Touch exercise is a dynamic, low-impact exercise, that engages multiple muscle groups, focusing on functional flexibility & promoting stability and core strength. It involves standing with feet hip-width apart, arms extended overhead, and hinging at the hips to lower the torso toward the toes. This stretch targets the hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower back, improving flexibility and enhancing posture.
The safety of the Star Stretch Toe Touch exercise for a 69-year-old woman depends on her overall health and fitness level. If you have vertigo issues, you should avoid this exercise.
I lifted 100 lbs. x3, yesterday(4x 24-ct. cases of bottled water, shifted x3: shopping cart, pickup, house 🏋️♀️) … so, I pressed light, this morning 😉
3-lb weights 1st Set reps & 5-lb weights used for 2nd set reps.
The Darebee Power Pump dumbbell exercises involve lifting the dumbbells to the sides & overhead, engaging the chest, back & arm muscles to promote better balance and symmetry in muscle development. This is a workout designed to build upper body strength and muscle tone - as well as core stability.
It is generally safe for a 69-year-old woman to perform dumbbell exercises, provided she maintains proper form and technique. However, listen to your body - if you feel acute pain, stop.
I watched a Steve Hilton interview 💻: I like Steve, and I hope 🙏 he wins the 2026 CA Governor Seat - and hopefully, CA will start repairing the decades-old-disastrous ⚡️ damages 🔥 stoner jerry brown 🤪, crazy nancy pelosi 😵💫, hyenna barking kamala harris 🐕, & totally delusional gavin newscum 💩 have done to effectively destroy what was once a beautiful and prosperous American State. Under unscrupulous demonrat reign 👹, CA has been turned into a 3rd world cesspool with protected terroristic criminal on the loose, tent cities widespread through major cities, and human fecal waste covering city streets and sidewalks. CA has become a hell hole [sanctuary] of lawlessness, and animalistic behavior - encouraged, protected, and preached by wicked leadership embracing a pagan-inspired nirvana where celebrities are worshipped, the tenderloin (child sex) section of cities is shopped & politically promoted(due to leadership perversions & sanctuary state protected ethnic 3rd world religious practices), human babies are murdered wholesale … while dogs and cats are "humanely" protected, pampered, and dressed in baby clothes pushed about in baby strollers by women wearing tee's promoting human baby abortion! It's delusional demonrat insanity on steroids.
I believe Steve, given the chance, can turn things around in CA and change Life for the better, here.
Steve Hilton for CA Governor = I'm cheering for him.
How They Ruined California - Steve Hilton:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2rEHpmpV9A)
And I was happy 👏 to read that he has initiated 📝 an investigation 🔍 into CA crooked demonrat politics 😈 …
{{Gov candidate Steve Hilton launches CAL DOGE to expose billions in waste, fraud: ‘This is about accountability’
By Josh Koehn~Published Jan. 26, 2026, 1:53 p.m. ET
Republican candidate for California governor Steve Hilton is set to announce Monday plans to launch CAL DOGE in a bold push to root out corruption and expose at least $250 billion in fraud, The Post has learned.
The initiative — modeled after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, launched last year under President Trump — will take a wrecking ball to the Democrat-led state government, opening up the Golden State’s books, torching bureaucracy and exposing waste and fraud, Hilton told The California Post.
“This is about accountability,” the former Fox News host said. “Californians pay the highest taxes in America and get the worst results. We have the highest poverty, the highest housing costs, the highest energy costs — and a government that cannot account for where the money goes. That is not an accident.”
A key focus of the project will be identifying ways to reduce or eliminate the size and scope of state agencies, roll back bureaucratic and regulatory structures that drive up costs and end redundancy. Hilton has also released policy proposals that, if elected, would include enacting a state hiring freeze, eliminating 50,000 employees and revisiting contracts for 21 public-sector unions.
Hilton — who used Musk’s AI tool Grok to create his CAL DOGE logo — has said he believes fraud in California dwarfs findings in Minnesota.
He blamed Democrats for allowing the state’s bloated budget — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans for $348.9 billion in overall spending this month — to grow out of control. California now spends almost $150 billion more than it did before Newsom took office in 2019.
“This is what you get after 16 years of one-party rule,” Hilton said. “Corruption. Fraud. Abuse. A political machine that takes money from working Californians and hands it to political insiders, consultants, and activist front groups. CAL DOGE exists to end that system and replace it with accountability and reform.”
Jenny Rae Le Roux will serve as director of CAL DOGE and will be joined by Michael Koslow, a retired senior military leader and former federal law enforcement agent; Paul Miner, a former Schwarzenegger administration official and regulatory reform attorney; and Amy Reichart, a San Diego activist and GOP official recognized for her work on government accountability and parental rights.
“Fraud is the obvious problem,” said Le Roux, who is also a business owner. “But the root cause of all fraud is a bloated government structure that lacks accountability and creates waste by design. CAL DOGE will expose both and put forward concrete reforms to make government smaller, simpler, and accountable.”
An advisory board will support CAL DOGE, consisting of Rep. Kevin Kiley, former appellate justice Dan Kolkey, state Sen. Tony Strickland, biotech entrepreneur Houman Hemmati, and journalists Katy Grimes and Jennifer Van Laar. The advisory board will offer guidance on proposed reforms and oversee the initiative’s progress.
CAL DOGE will receive tips sent to Califraud.com, a secure whistleblower platform designed to encourage current and former state employees to report fraud, waste and mismanagement without fear of retaliation.
Once we pull stakes, and leave here (March appears to be the month) 🚘⛽️🏔️🗺️, I don't know if we'll be back or not 🤷♀️ Holland said the other day, "When we come back this way in a few months, I think we'll skip CA; the economy is in the tank, everything already high-priced - like gas, groceries, and electricity - will off-the-charts-unaffordable. And with Brenda buried & George going into a nursing home - if he even survives the next 6 months without Brenda to make time to take care of him in his dementia state, this side of the Family Tree has come to the end of an era (100 years in Laton-CA). There's no reason to come back here. We'll go back up to the PNW, take care of business there … and probably hunker down in Quartzsite for the winter months; our bodies just can't do the PNW winter months, anymore. IF we get favored and are able to secure that camper we've been discussing, we may push further into Florida. But whatever happens, we're gonna be bypassing CA altogether."
Bucket List Wish: Slide-in Truck Camper with built in generator.
So.
Recent discussions follow along these lines …
Spring months🐦🌸🌳 in the PNW.
Summer 🌞🌼 & Fall 🍁🍎 months, are a toss up.
Quartzsite-AZ 🌵🌞🌴 & Florida 🌞🌴🌊 are winter month aims.
We both have Bucket List goals 📝 we'd like to accomplish 👌 if the weather starts behaving 🤞; and the wrinkles of Life's unfolding, smoothes out.
We'll see 🤔:Elohim knows best what Life holds for us, and His Plans ☝️ will override our Plans: and we have not yet been clued in 🙄
Holland also found the source of the biting fly infestation - they are gnats … and they are swarming the grounds outside … finding their way inside. The weather here has been perpetually damp with lingering low-lying fog, allowing maybe an hour or two of sunlight to filter through the damp cloud shroud - and the trees have been shedding their bark, which falls to the ground; collecting moisture, trapping moisture, and creating the perfect breeding environment for the pesky hellish flying insects. Also, the orchards (backing the RV Park) have been trimmed, with their refuse left on the damp ground - also prime breeding environment for gnats.
We're gaining ground on them inside, but the hard reality is that we will be to battling them on a daily basis, until we leave here.
It's going to be a long 5 weeks 😒
Gnat - these sucker bite! Holland doesn't seem to be affected, but I yelp and welt when bit.
Using vinegar & dish soap to combat this disgusting fly infestation; these hellish creatures have a lifespan of 20 days - but they breed 100's at a time! It's a very slow process, but safer on our lungs than pesticides would be.
On an up-note: I am halfway through the length of MOD over-sized afghan 👍 … so, I am going to get back to work on that while I give Tony a listen - remind myself that Elohim still has a solid Plan in play: and try mightily not to mutter WTH 🤦🏻♀️ throughout the program as the demonrat sanctuary city madness (that closely resembles the violent, lawless, madness, of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah) continues.
I feel like I am caught in a Twilight Zone time warp 😱
🚨BUSTED: Fake Photos of Minneapolis Shooting Draw Thousands to Riots, National Guard Called In: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kguaUNn07HU&list=PLjMHBev3NsoV3kHckydY58R7TaYsizl45)
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