# 551 - Rain, Rain Go Away, I Want to Build Our House Today

We closed on our construction loan as of May 5th, then we immediately had a crew jump in to start clearing the home-site of the densely wooded forest. Everyone was READY TO BUILD! Then, the rains in Texas began pouring.

And it poured.

And much of our part of Texas began to experience devastating floods.

Then, the rain stopped for a moment, oh, but wait, it soon started to rain again, for weeks.

The fires that we had started so that massive timber debris could be turned to ash didn't have a chance. A sizzle wasn't even possible. Hauling this level of unsellable timber away costs THOUSANDS of dollars. Out here in RURAL LAND...you burn the timber removed from your homesites, but that wasn't happening. Everything sat in the pouring rains and became soaked to the core.

The land became so saturated that the large equipment needed for clearing couldn't stand a chance at running through the muck. If they try to operate, the bulldozer would simply become bogged down and create more damage than good.

Since we cannot remove the remaining large trees we selected to be removed from the home-site, we could not proceed. And we can't start building unless the trees are removed because there is no sense in having one of these massive trees fall on any structure being built, so we can't begin building.

Additionally, we need to haul in several loads of top soil after the composted soil is removed so that we can build the house and detached garage upon a proper crowned, elevated site to prevent drainage from pooling under the house.

Each step is critical. But, for weeks we didn't make one step forward because the rain put a halt to all construction steps.

During these weeks I watched news reports highlighting widespread and devastating floods, especially throughout the Greater Houston area where most of my loved ones live. The images were terrifying.

Across Texas, there were stories of tragedy and unexpected flash floods that took unsuspecting lives. Experiencing a true flash flood is something that one cannot imagine...I experienced one at 17 years of age in San Antonio and I NEVER want to go through another one. There but the Grace of God...

Remaining outside of my own small-world irritations with construction delays due to rains wasn't a choice, due to widespread suffering. Of course, I had been feeling sad that our long-awaited construction process was so severely delayed. I was feeling the severe pinch of living in an RV for a much longer time-frame than intended, but as we realized the rains were not stopping and there was 90% rain in the forecast every day for the next week, and the next, then I began to also breathe a sigh of relief that we hadn't started construction the week prior to the heavy rains because we surely would've suffered major issues with material damage. As for construction, I would rather be patient and wait out the major rains.

The picture below is from about a week ago. This is 288, which is a route we take to reach downtown Houston and the Medical Center. For years I drove this strip of 288 as I traveled either to Rice University or to Houston's Medical Center and we still drive it whenever possible, very frequently. The bayou running parallel to 288 became so inundated with flood water that it completely covered this entire section of 288. I had never seen such massive flooding. Indeed, people died in this area. Terrible tragedies.

 

So, I could cry about the tragic losses due to massive flooding, but I am getting back on track in my small world. Truly, we do need a minimum of two solid hot days to begin drying out the land, even though we have fantastic drainage on our acreage, the terrain is still problematic after it rains day after day, for weeks. It would be problematic, anywhere.

Even so, if all had gone as expected, I thought most of the shell of the house would be constructed by now. So, constructing our custom country home has not gone as expected, but WHAT part of life ever goes as we expect? I am thankful Texas is getting some sunny weather because we could not have endured much more flooding.

Flooding inside Minute Maid Park...

Keeping things in perspective, I know our family is extremely blessed and being content with rain is normally a good thing. But, this level of rain has been challenging. Fortunately, nobody in my own family flooded during this round of storms, but many of our friends have flooded homes and vehicles. Eventually, the rains will slow down, and we will be working like dogs beneath the Texas sun. Until the hot, rainless days come, I am happily making sure that all of our construction decisions are livable ones that truly feel right. And, it seems that everything is really great...even though not much is going on.

Sgt. Dave is digging around our home-site zone for old bottles about
50 years old. This area was once an old Timber-Town. Every now and
then, we find truly valuable treasures. We have so much fun!

Along with the rain, I've had ample time to reconsider spare closet placement in the house along with other nook and crannies to be added. The down time has been well spent. I also spent one full week taking care of our first and only grandchild, Coraline, and the next taking care of my niece, Shaye, as my sister and her husband took a week long cruise to Mexico for her 40th birthday. After those two weeks, I was BEYOND WORN OUT and sick with a terrible cold virus unlike anything I've experienced in YEARS. Life...

However, I pray for everyone directly impacted by these horrendous rains because Mother Nature can indeed be unrelenting and indiscriminate. But, the selfish side of me screams, "Rain, Rain, Go Away...I want to build our house today!"

I spent about a week with my niece Shaye. It was great
to see her stand in the area where the house will be
built. Sharing the house-building process with her has
been fantastic! However, it is not very exciting to an
eight year old, in fact, it's kind of boring. But, that's ok.

Oh well, as of a couple of weeks ago, we've now officially worked for TWO YEARS to build this house. I cannot believe it has taken us this long to get to this point. Building on raw acreage in a rural area is NOT an easy process.

The great news is that today has been another bright and sunny day and our area has several days of hot, great weather ahead of us. This time in Texas can give LONG hot days, which can be beneficial for those in construction, especially after weeks and weeks of traumatic flooding. Even better, I can hear sounds in the distance of the crews working and it is MUSIC TO MY EARS!

As I sign off, I can also smell timber debris burning. It's good we are getting all of it burned before the hot weather kicks in the dreaded BURN BANS because those will present a completely new kind of hurdle, if we're not prepared!

House...I want you...I NEED you...I want your closet space, your bathtub, your full-sized kitchen...I want all of our lifelong belongings out of storage to be placed inside your innards! House, oh house...the house of my dreams that I have never seen in real life...I am ready for you!

# 484 - God's Canvas - Storm Clouds

Living in the country and getting to experience a life with increased solitude and privacy is definitely good for the person who is not afraid of being in touch with nature, with themselves or with God. For me, I need a good balance of socializing combined with moments of being alone.

I guess the "alone" time is beneficial to me since I feel close to God when I am alone, and I feel His presence when I am in the midst of raw nature.

This week, storms rolled in, but the beauty that comes with a storm cannot be discarded from the experience of a storm. And as I looked to the Heavens and admired the clouds rolling in, I felt awestruck at the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Man cannot compete with God's beautiful, ever-changing works of art, always on display...free to behold. God holds a universal canvas in his possession, yet He shares its captivating elements with us, every day. He is a generous artist.

It's up to us to decide whether or not we will take notice of the beauty in front of us.

I notice, and I celebrate the beauty He unselfishly provides.

# 476 - Old and New Country Sights

Moving out of the Greater Houston area to the country has been quite a culture change. Even though Houston is approximately one and half hours away, we are far enough away to make life much more peaceful and very different.

Downtown Livingston has a great mix of old and new buildings, both retaining historic architecture. I must say that the historic architectural committee in town is doing their job.

One building I love is the Polk County Courthouse.

Here is another building that has external metal beam supports that have been painted to blend in with the surroundings. It is nice that the construction of the beams and installation were thoughtful enough to make the beams interesting.

 

To be honest, it has always been a dream of mine to own one of these historically rich buildings in the heart of town, to run some sort of business at ground level and to live above in loft-style accommodations, or to at least have a sleep over pad ready at all times. It would be nice to have a place in the middle of it all, but not on the Downtown Houston congested level.

 

And let's be blunt, in a major metropolitan area, you have freaks on the street. In the downtown center of a country town...not so much.

 

 

Here are a row of buildings located just behind the Polk County Courthouse that are rather new construction, but built with respect to the area's historic architecture. I love it!

 

Of course, there are huge differences between living in a large city and a small country town. Mostly, we lack an almost unending variety of restaurants and shopping. Last weekend, Shaye and I had fun going to Walmart and listening to the high school band play music outside in their effort to raise money for a trip to D.C.

 

 

Yes, we contributed. It was a HOT day and those kiddos were playing music and selling BBQ. 

 

Even though we don't have big city conveniences, our small town does have a nice Walmart, an HEB, Brookshire Bros., Lowe's, Sonic, El Burrito, Taco Bell, MacDonald's, Jack in the Box, Whataburger, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars' Pizza, Bodacious BBQ, Joe's Italian, a CVS, Payless Shoes, Radio Shack, Dollar Tree, and a few other places we've not yet tried that makes life easier.

 

However, out of all the stores available in Livingston, I am very grateful to have a Palais Royal here in town! They city girl in me clings to that Palais Royal in the hopes that a few more nice restaurants and stores will eventually make their way around this area. Oh yes, we do have an Outlet Mall that I've not yet visited. 

 

The one Southern restaurant with a drive-through that we really miss is Dairy Queen. Obviously, there was a Dairy Queen near the center of town, once upon a time, but it appears to have been set too far back to benefit from townies needing a bite to eat.

 

 

I sure could go for a Blizzard.

 

Well, I am about to sign off. But, I want everyone to know that we've gone from such hot days, mostly in the high 90's to even about 100 degrees, to much more tolerant weather. Saturday, it felt so great that I used the hand-hoe to dig a few rows in my brand new vegetable garden, and I planted lettuce and broccoli. Sunday, I'll dig a few more rows and get some more seeds in the ground for a Fall harvest. Tonight, it's already 62 degrees and tomorrow should be in the 80's again. Heaven for Southerners.

 

The past few days have been spent listening to the rain constantly pour down upon us to give our acreage a good soaking. Since we're still "living in between" with our temporary residence being an RV as we prep the land for home-building, I found it very nice to lay back and hear the rain tap, tap, tap on the roof of the RV. Sometimes, the best things in life come from simplicity.

 

 

We really needed this kind of rain, but I didn't like being in a Tornado Watch yesterday. I've already lived in a house hit by a tornado; it's a scary event. Thank God, no tornadoes came our way.

 



 

Life holds such beauty, and I gladly take time to notice it and savor it. Thank you Lord for loaning this piece of dirt to me! I hope 2014 will find a new home waiting for us to bounce new memories off the walls.

 

 

# 454 - Future Country Workshop Needs Work

Years ago, Sgt. Dave began a foundation for a structure and it has sat on this land for so long, waiting to be finished.

We live here in the country now, so this structure is getting attention.

All of the growth through the boards, the debris that had been left in the middle of the mess...it had become a site of wreckage.

However, this area became my mother-in-law's mission to tackle.

Day by day she worked on this area and pulled away the junk for the trash pile, then she cleaned out the de-composing parts of nature and also tried to clear out as many of the stubborn roots as she could pull out. And she even confronted one snake in the process.

Now, it's looking pretty darn good and getting ready for more wood to be added so that a framed wall with a roof might be put into place. Then, Sgt. Dave can bring his workshop tools to the land and these tools will provide him with the ability to get things accomplished. I can hear the table saw right now!

And, we specifically put these two structures close together so we could benefit from their proximity, keeping us from having to walk across the land to do this or that. Also, if Sgt. Dave wanted to put in a small bathroom area with toilet and shower, the septic is close by, so this would be possible.

For you to gauge the size of the structures, the metal shed is 10x14. I'm not sure the size of the unfinished workshop, but it will be roomy enough to get us started. Sgt. Dave has never had his own workshop, just for his woodworking, so this will be nice.

And now I understand the reason so many people with acreage have multiple buildings.

These two structures have become part of our backyard. Over the next couple of months, I guess we will see what else pops up. I think a faux outhouse will be another structure high on the list to complete because it will hold the daily garden tools and free the utility shed from having such things tracked and inside. All the shovels, the hoe, the rakes and the tiller can be put inside the outhouse, saving valuable space in the utility shed for other items.

And here is an faux outhouse we have recently seen here in Livingston. It's a great piece of inspiration.

Day by day, things are changing around here. It's a monumental task we've taken on, especially on our tight budget, but we are making headway. Each week, I am amazed at how much more progress we're making.

Since this past week has been the hottest June on record here in our part of Texas, we have definitely been slowed down because of the oppressive heat. I saw that Death Valley reached temperatures of 124 degrees this past week. I think that is an area of our country I'd prefer to live under-ground.

Let's just say that our RV knows the meaning of "Siesta-time." Let's hope we can get through July and August! The past few days have hovered around 100 degrees with a "feels like" 104 temperature. However, we have a weather forecast or next week that will be in low 90's and our night's will be right at 70's. That will be NICE. Perhaps we will be able to move about without the pours of our skin becoming a faucet.

And I am definitely living in the country...this is what it is all about.

# 452 - Country Life - The Peaceful Pace

FIRST OF ALL...I do NOT have links embedded. Do not click on any links. This seems to be a BlogSpot issue, so don't click on any links in this post.

*****

Starting life on rural acreage in the country is a constant challenge, but it can be rather interesting. For example, the other day, this "what-the-heck" was driving down the road next to us.

I sure do love Texas.

 

As for moving to the country, the most immediate and important hurdles have been with our utilities. Throughout this year, we will be building a house, but for now, we must go through all the boring motions necessary to get us started with the basics.

For electricity, we started out on generator, but we had a pole installed with a meter and breaker box, then a connection was finally made by the local electrical co-op to our private pole.

For water, we have multiple water hoses connected across acres of land, from one corner of our acreage we have water from the local co-op and it is stranded by water-hoses to the RV. We've had a couple of "blow-outs" of a few water hoses, mostly the ones brought from the house we just moved from. We've definitely learned how important it is to respect high quality water hoses for such projects.

Sgt. Dave also put on a quadruple splitter to allow us to attach multiple water hoses at a junction point. The main LONG hose connection leads to back of RV, then the splitter is used so that we have another hose ready to fill the chicken's or dog's water bowls, to water plants and such, then we have another hose that is attached to the washing machine that is now located in the newly constructed shed.

Water hoses connected and running through forest to RV.

Running pipe to the RV from the main water line is not exactly an option at this point because of the terrain. We are considering the option of finishing the well that was already started on the residential side of our property. Since we are going to be looking into a well, we need all the advice we can get, it is WELCOMED. Give us our good and bad experiences, the do's and the do-not's.

As for septic, we began with a hole in the ground, but now Sgt. Dave has run PVC piping to our septic. I can tell you that going from city plumbing to a hole in the ground was an adventure in itself. To cut down on the aroma, we utilized jugs of bleach. After a septic dump, Sgt. Dave would pour some bleach into the hole and it definitely helped. However, the first time of pouring bleach into the poo-hole resulted in this major chemical bubbling/gas cloud reaction that brought about a lot of laughs as we were shocked. This moment gave us a lesson that bleach and poo porridge can be scientific.

And today we were to have an installation appointment for a phone (land-line) to be installed and to give us DSL Internet! For now, I have often hijacked Lowe's service, which is free to guests and since Lowe's is our second home, I often use it when buying supplies.

At the RV, I have been using my IPhone's "Personal Hotspot" wireless connection, which is quite expensive and limited in data usage. As soon as I exceed my data usage limits, I am charged $10 for every gig of overage. The Personal Hotspot only comes with 5 GB of usage and that goes very fast.

So, I THOUGHT I'd have a home phone and DSL today, but the crew arrived this morning, for the SECOND time, and they realized the line they need to run is more complicated than anticipated. They began burying a lot of line today.

And we're going to have to make a map of some sort to indicate all of the new utility lines we're dealing with lately.

Soon, I'll be able to get back to blogging more regularly.

Oh yes, we burn our trash. Which, I've been told will be a HUGE pain in the rear when the heat sets in and there are burn bans enforced.

We have been through a lot already since we've been out here, but it does feel great to be able to stretch our physical bodies and our minds on this acreage. There is definitely something that comes from nature that is healing to our spirits.

Living in an RV isn't easy, but it isn't so bad, either. It's cozy. I keep reminding myself that not having to clean the near 3,000 square feet of house is really nice! However, I am already yearning for cooler weather.

And a friend and I were communicating today; she lives out here as well. Her family left the same area we just moved from --- in Greater Houston --- and she said they would never go back. She said they love the "slower" pace of the country.

I have decided that instead of calling the country a place that goes at a "slower" pace that I will give my description, which is that it goes by a "peaceful pace."

Of all the utility connections that we've arranged, there has not been one line to stand in to do business. In the Houston area, it is chaos. People don't hardly look up from their keyboard; you walk in and take a number. Here, in the country, you walk in and there are five workers sitting at their desk and you are the only one needing help.

Since we are living here full-time, we finally have the opportunity to make it our mission to try as many of the local restaurants as possible. Each time we get a chance to dine out, we purposefully search for a place we've not yet tried. We will give each restaurant two chances.

We've already ruled out the "nicest" restaurant in town because the main course items are not that tasty, but the prices rival those of Houston's nicer dining establishments with most platters starting at around $17.00 per plate. So, we were disappointed, twice. It's sad when the food is so "off" that you don't even want to take home ample left-overs.

So, we were pleased to find a little Italian hole in the wall.

This week, we tried Joe's Italian Grill, and I was not sure would be good, but it was pretty decent for a small-town in Texas. I was surprised.

By the way, Italian food is my favorite food to cook, so this one is a toughie for restaurants to compete with because home-made Italian can't be beat. Joe's Italian Grill came close...the prices make it worth enjoying.

To start, the salad was tasty and the bread was great.

We then shared a platter that had fettuccine alfredo, lasagna and chicken parmisiana, which was my favorite and will be ordered again.

They are open seven days per week, until 9pm each night and on Saturday until 10pm. A bonus is their daily lunch special is $6.95. Not bad...not bad at all.

Next week, we'll try another new restaurant. There aren't many to try, so we're taking our time.

As for making headway on the acreage, it feels great to see our storage shed in place. Since it will partially serve as the laundry room, I had to make an effort to reduce the amount of dirt being tracked inside. Our acreage has great soil, but the top-coating is mostly sand and this can be maddening. You know about sand.

Years ago, we laid out several pallets of St. Augustine grass, which is starting to spread out further and further now that we are living here and keeping the lawn mowed to reduce blackberry vines. It can't spread fast enough for me.



We know that a little deck in front of the RV would be helpful; it would give us stomping ground to better shake off the dirt and to reduce the amount of sand/dirt that is tracked in the RV by us and the dogs. Using what I have available, I laid some old bricks at the RV and storage building entrance.

These are very old bricks from my mom's house
that were dug up and left in a pile for years.
My grandfather was a plumber; I think these are
sewer bricks.

Every effort is part of the LONG, tedious process of moving to the country.

My father-in-law taking a well-deserved break.

No matter where you live, we all know that this world can give us combined yukiness along with beauty, but I do love living in the country...it re-charges my soul.

# 435 - Moving & Floods

Making the transition to get moved to the country is a major undertaking. Everything is changing in our lives. However, today brought weather that could have threatened the houses that are involved in the transactions scheduled for this coming Wednesday...our house and the buyer's house.

As the moving date gets closer, I face the AWESOME reality of us moving to the country. Yet, I'm at the point of being too scared to get too excited...as if I won't believe it until I am standing there on the land and this city house no longer belongs to me.

Do you think you'll be able to hear me yelling, "YIPEE" from the land?

You know how it goes...you ask for something, then you get it and the reality can scare the wits out of you! That's the phase I'm experiencing.

However, I still hope that our closing on May 15th moves forward without any hitches.

That being said, today, in my part of Texas, we had major thunderstorms with heavy rain and part of our neighborhood flooded. I was at a doctor's appointment when the stormy weather moved overhead, and I barely made it through the flooded streets to get back home. The below photo is my neighborhood as of lunchtime today.

I did not go driving around more than was necessary to get safely parked high into the driveway because one block from our street, the waters were very high. I have been wondering if the buyers for our house were flood-free.

The buyers live a block away from us.

Hopefully, the buyers are like us and hopefully their house is just a tad far enough away from the heavy flooding to keep the house safe from rising water. We've never had rising water in our house.

However, trying to get back home was a problem because the main drag through the neighborhood had a several places that flooded in the deluge, very quickly.

Also, our neighborhood has a reservoir at the back of our property that serves as an outlet for neighborhood draining. During a regular pretty day, there is no flooding to worry about and it serves as a nice large park with a walking path, it has a pond with fish, and the area provides kids with expansive green-space to run and play.

After today's rains, the zones designed to hold excess water, was under water. The walking path was transformed into a path that could only be accessed by swimming.

Since our community is a bay community, our reservoir is impacted by tidal waters. If the tide is in, then a heavy rain might spell disaster, such as today, because the tide prevents flood waters from being drained away properly. We are in a watershed, which means we live on land where all the water that drains goes to the same place, which is...the Bay.

From what I understand, to some degree, we're ALL located in some kind of watershed, but our neighborhood drainage is directly tied to the tide. No pun intended...Tied to the tide!

Anyway, in spite of the heavy storms, I made it home and found our side of the street to be high and dry, but other side of our street (separated by a main drag) was flooding.

STOP WATER STOP!

Someone had a little U-Haul truck parked in the street, and I hope nothing was stored inside of it because the front end was dipped well beneath the water.

Our area is officially known as "Bay Area Houston" which means we have wonderful perks of living close to the water, but when neighborhood drainage is impacted by tidal influences, this can be a problem. Well, that along with hurricanes and tropical storms and days of deluge.

I'm hoping nothing blows, floods, burns, or whirls our houses into damage before closings can take place in FIVE DAYS. Well, I'm hoping none of that happens at ALL, but I do not want to be stuck here dealing with an insurance company for the next two years as we have already been forced to do after Hurricane Ike destroyed our home to the point of making it uninhabitable for almost a year. The legal battle that ensued against the insurance company was long, drawn out and unpleasant. We fought and we won against the insurance company.

Hopefully, if all stays on track, next week we will be leaving this part of Bay Area Houston and this heavily industrialized neighborhood to live in a FOREST --- we'll be living on acreage that has a creek, which we've never seen rise beyond anything manageable, but after all we've been through in the Bay Area, I'm careful to not under-estimate any natural source of water flow.

As long as I don't wake up on the acreage after a heavy rain and find myself floating away, I think it will be okay.

# 422 - Hissy Fit - Problems with Buyers

I want to throw a hissy-fit, a temper-tantrum because it appears our buyers are not able to close on April 19th, as scheduled. Of course, they have hit a snag and are wanting us to be patient because, as they said, they are DYING to buy our house.

However, in the meantime, these buyers and their inability to move forward with the current closing date means that my house is still tied up and being passed by, so any potential legit buyers who are READY to rock and roll might be buying elsewhere.

I feel like I've been kicked in the gut.

Of course, it has slowed down the packing process, so things are relaxing a bit while at the same time, things are tensing a lot.

It seems like this week there has been bad news all the way around. The person I'm selling the Master Bedroom furniture had a terrible experience on a Texas Interstate last week as his front axle COMPLETELY broke in half. We told him to not worry about rushing over to get the furniture because #1 he has a vehicle to repair, #2 he doesn't have a hauling-type vehicle at his disposal and #3 it works out on our end since the buyers are delaying the closing on this house, I'll get to enjoy my bed downstairs a bit longer.

As for the delay of the sale, I don't mind a short delay, not beyond May, but not a lengthy delay. Mostly, we were REALLY trying to avoid moving in the dead-heat of Texas that can sometimes feel as if it will melt the skin off your bones when you are doing hard labor outside. Every day this move is delayed is a day of increasing Texas heat to contend with during our eventual move.

Between moving and getting the cabin shell built pronto, there will be a lot of physical activity. Granted, most of it will be Deputy Dave's burden, but I do my part.

I can hear him laughing right now.

Anyway, I wanted to give you an update into the never-ending drama of "Living in Between." Being in the city has its advantages, but we sure are ready to get moved to the woods, even with our recent experience with the rattlesnake.

Also, the closing delay won't be so bad because my dad starts his chemo treatment on April 22nd and that would have been smack in the middle of the week we would have been moving --- super high stress.

I guess God works everything out for a grand reason that my puny little brain and limited eyesight is simply unable to view at this point. More than ever, I've got to trust that things will work out as they should. After all, they always do. This sure isn't our first move, I think it's about our tenth.

I'll keep you guys posted! We should know something, perhaps by tomorrow. If those people can't move forward with the purchase of this house, that means our house goes back on the market and I dread dealing with dogs and chickens again for all those showings.

Howdy and me having fun.

Can I just win the lottery please?