Tidying Kalnozoli 1

Since we purchased Kalnozoli 1 in August of this year Ian has spent most of his time redeeming the land. Above he is tending one of several brush fires at the edge of our wood. Just beyond these fires is a deep drainage ditch and all the rubbish from digging and clearing out the ditch in years past has been left to molder. Ian has made great headway in clearing this rubbish that includes piles of matted grass and some rotted logs. He says it brings job satisfaction to see one more area of the farm cleared. If only we had marshmellows, graham crackers and hershey bars, LOL! Smores, anyone?

At the other end of the property we had this project thrust upon us. Yes we ordered the gravel but it was a project we hadn’t planned on just yet, but the rains came and Ian got stuck twice or was it thrice?Can you see those water-filled ruts? With the help of Lauris and Kaspars we managed about half of it spread on Friday. Even I hefted a shovel for a couple of hours. Where is the road grader when you need it? That pile may not look like much but it is 10 tons and by the time we put on 20 more tons we may have a fairly decent drive. For those who know about such things yes, we should have graded it first laid down sand and then the gravel but NEEDS MUST!!! Finances are always an issue as well. And everyone said “AMEN!!!”

We have had warmer weather though and such a blessing, but not the rain. Above zero C every night and even into the 10’s and 15’s that is 50 F for you dear foreigners. Running our electric heaters has been a bit spending keeping  Jack Frost from our mobile home door so this break is really encouraging.

Well it is a short one this week no more time left to type or stay on internet.

Tuesday October 27th. Here is an update: about the middle of November we should have internet down on the farm yippppeeeee!!!! Our wonderful, English speaking computer guy, just met us at the flat and we made the arrangements. Next step, get the washing machine moved down and the freezer. Still no movement on the hot water heater, so prayers are appreciated.

Snow and Running Water

October— golden, red and falling leaves right? Sometimes it also means snow. Yes, we had our first snow of the Autumn at Kalnozoli 1 this past week. It was blizzard conditions and then it passed and the following days have been lovely again. This woman was on her knees when the flakes started. Ian was trying to help our neighbours finish our pump house before the really bad weather arrived and the snow was a real fright for us. But God . . . heard our pleas and the snow was gone. Our little pump house is finished and the pump is installed and we have running water in our mobile home. I am learning daily thankfulness for what used to be just the ordinary things of life.

Following the completion of the pump house came more digging of ditches. Pipes must be insulated and buried deep, over a meter to be kept from freezing. At times I think Ian wondered if he would ever get the trench dug deep enough from the well to the pump house. Now he is on the home stretch of the trench from the pump house to the mobile home. Next Spring in the warm will be the trench from the pump house to the timber farm house. Currnently the insulated pipe is above ground but should be in the trench by tomorrow as we pray for good weather to remain. We invested in some insulated waterproof overalls for Ian this past week and he has been ever so thankful to have them with the cold and wet weather. He is so amazing to be so active and glad to be able to do all that he is doing. Don’t worry friends he takes it slow and steady and even allows me to call for coffee breaks but not for long, “I must get on” is his mantra. LOL! We have been enjoying lots of hot stew from the crock pot on these cold days and I have even ventured a bit of baking to make the guys coffee breaks a bit nicer. Trouble is I rarely have all the ingredients called for so they take “pot luck.”Here is Lauris our neighbour, friend and builder removing ’shingles’ from a timber outbuilding. The plan is to use it for tool storage and workshop. He is young and agile and better able to scamper over the roof pulling off the shingles and removing the thousands of nails used to put them on orignally. Ian started the job but when his ladder slipped suddenly we both felt it was a job for the younger ones.

Here is the building currently sheeted for the winter. Now the interior work can be done and the roof finished in better weather in the Spring.

We are both doing well and enjoying life so much on our farm. We go to bed early and rise early and enjoy all that each day brings, for the most part. It is so much of an adventure, walking this path with our Lord. It is hard to express the richness of each day and each task that is joyfully seen to completion. Remember, its never too late for dreams to come true.

Lincoln Logs Anyone?

When I was a little girl and even when my children were small, we had a toy building set called ‘Lincoln Logs.’  Each log was notched on either end and with different sized pieces you put together buildings of varying descriptions.

The logs you see in the picture above are NOT toys but notched logs from a tumbled down building on our farm. They are layed out in the order they were to be used to build our pump house. Our neighbour Lauris is skilled in timber structures (side note: Timber Structures was the name of the company my Dad worked for for over 25 years in Portland) and he is building the pump house for us. It is so interesting to watch him work, especially as I can sit in the warm house, drink tea and see it all happening out my dining room window. On the right you can see Lauris placing moss between the logs, Latvian insulation. Ian has taken the young men, Lauris and Kaspars to the woods on two occasions to gather moss for this purpose. The first time they also picked bear, chicken and one other type of mushroom. That night we enjoyed omlettes with fresh eggs, homemade cheese and bear mushrooms, oh, and freshly picked onions, whipped up with fresh cream, chased down with a lovely red wine. Ah, the ‘good life.’

Back to the building project — our pump house. Here is the South wall done, showing the space for the door facing east. You can also see the first picking of moss placed between each layer of log. Ian got his hand into it and is enjoying learning Latvian timber building, another skill for his overloaded CV, LOL. When we left home this morning for Ergli the North wall was finished including space for a window and the East wall was also up but both need the moss that the guys got in the wood yesterday. Tomorrow the roof will begin. So more pictures to follow of the finished project. All this to be followed by more trenches and pipes laid to bring running water to the mobile home. Pipes must be thoroughly insulated and put about a meter and half down in the ground to prevent freezing, one hopes. We need to further winter proof the mobile home but are held up with the pipework needing to be done underneath, ah the ‘good life?’ With all the work Ian has been doing his waist has gone from 44 to 36 inches since we moved here in March. He feels much better and loves working each day and feeling work satisfaction at the end of the day. I am really happy in our mobile home, easy to keep tidy and clean and hopefully Internet soon to be added. My next project is curtains for the back door, our main entrance, and one over the toilet window and bathroom window. We bought some nice weight green material yesterday in Madona so this week is ‘curtains.’ This will be a hand job and very simple, something I can do sitting on my green couch in front of the fire. The curtains should add to the warmth and winterizing the ‘tin can’ we currently live in. This past week I picked up a lovely bright rag rug for the hallway and we already feel the difference in the temp there with the rug down. Now here is what I love about Latvia, I bought it at the local building merchants, on sale for 4.20 Ls. I love the shops because you never know what might be tucked up in some corner just waiting for you to discover it.

So with all the building and winterizing what is God teaching us these days. People are more important than projects. We need to get this pump house done but it is more important to build relationships than get jobs done and usually both happen but there is less frustration when the focus is on people. We had this pointed up to us recently when we went to a big chain store in a nearby town. I won’t go into detail but after spending a fair amount on equipment and things a simple act of changing a till roll left us without one of our items on the copy we were handed and after going to customer service for the gaurantee on one item it was discovered the item wasn’t on our receipt. This led to about a half hour hassel through translation which ended in Ian, Lauris and Kaspars being allowed to leave with the cart and all items but not before Ian suggested he return all the items and get his money back. It was Ian that told them to go and check the till copy which they did and gave him a copy of that till receipt. Only when we got home did he realize the item in question showed up on the till copy and that is why they let them go ahead. No ’sorry’s’ were said and no fault admitted. It is doubtful we will return to that store, a shame as it is the closest one for us. Their concern was for their proceedures not customer relationships. We have been enjoying our times together in God’s word each morning along with prayer time to build that relationship as a priority. Once or twice the day has got on top of us and the quiet time pushed aside and often the result has been painful as our relationship with God wasn’t where it needed to be, though He remained faithful we weren’t aware of Him as at other times of coming fresh from meeting with Him. As we move into this new phase of our lives here in Latvia, time with Him becomes more crucial everyday so that we hear the voice of our Shepherd and walk in the path he has chosen for us.

A few days ago I said to Ian, “If we don’t get the bulbs planted in the bed you prepared it will be too late.” I felt the Shepherd prompting me. Ian agreed and so, near the chapel where Ian had rotivated a flower bed in the form of a cross, we planted about 150 Spring bulbs. We planted them in compost covered by thorougly rotted dung and covered over that with the dirt taken out of the bed itself. I believe what Alan Titmarch always says, “Plant ‘em deep!!” The hay mixed in with the dung will keep them toasty until Spring. We hope to show you glorious pictures of flowers  as Spring takes hold. The cross shape is outlined with crocus bulbs so that should appear first then other Spring beauties to follow. As Ian was digging out the dirt, actually wet mud, from the bed he asked the Lord to keep it dry and send wind to help dry the dirt. Such a wind from the South began to blow and not a drop of rain fell until it was all filled in and the tools put away. This is not always the case but I felt my Father’s compassion as I am not a very good all weather gardener. Even though Ian did most of the labour I stayed out there with him and we finished the project holding hands and blessing the planting for a ‘fruitful harvest’ come Spring. Ian also staked each end of the cross so any mowing will not harm the plants coming up. My role was mostly design and overseeing the placing of the bulbs, and so we wait to see succesive years of Spring beauty near our chapel, in the form of a cross, the sign of hope in the season of hope.