Shavuot…

My hubby and I celebrate the Feasts of the LORD, as did Jesus, as did the disciples and the early church. They are found listed in the book of Leviticus, chapter 23.

This year, we had a rainy, cold spring and early summer. The day of Shavuot, or Pentecost, as many may know it, occurred on the last Sunday of May. I awoke to a rainy day. We hadn’t planned on hosting the feast this year, as we had only just moved onto our property two weeks earlier. The shop wasn’t ready, and the house not big enough. But, friends kept asking, so we decided to do it. We hired a few out of work due to COVID friends to come clear out the unfinished shop and move all the excess building materials, gardening stuff, tools, and so much more from the large room in the shop to the small room. We blocked off the staircases with plywood so no one could possibly go upstairs and get injured due to a lack of permanent, stable, stair and balcony railings. I asked a few teenaged girls from our gatherings to come and help me decorate for the occasion. Special individual sized cakes were picked up from the bakery, a huge shopping trip was made. By the Friday before, everything was ready.

As I said, we awoke to rain. Not just a drizzle either. Full blown, hair wet in a minute rain. I found myself in tears. All that work, and now the weather isn’t cooperating. We weren’t sure how many people we could hold in the shop yet, there was no working heat, no outside for the kids to play in, only ports potties to pee in. I began to doubt anyone would come. After a simple prayer, I began to realize that this was a test. Would we be willing to celebrate, and meet with God on this, HIS appointed day to meet with his children, even if it was just the two of us who were there? I resolved to say a resounding YES.

I wiped my tears, put a pair of tennis shoes under my beautiful dress and began the process of toting food from the house to the shop. The first guests arrived as I brought the third batch over. And they continued to arrive for the next hour. One guest took over guiding the parking, the ladies pitched in organizing all the food on the tables. We improvised on our reenactment of the giving of the covenant at Mt Sinai by setting up a ladder in the shop for my honey (Moshe) to read the Ten Commandments from, several ladies held up gray pillows I had gathered to be clouds to shroud the mountain, and several men with shofars sounded the trumpet blast to announce the activity. The Ten Commandments we’re ready, the recount of the giving of the Holy Spirit many years later on the same day was shared also. One man waved our two loaves of bread and led us in prayer. One gentleman shared a short message, a sweet couple led some praise. A few ladies asked if they could sing for the group. They had voices like angels. At one point a couple young women started some Hebrew dance. Teens sat on the blue plastic Adirondack chairs under the covered porch outside, wearing jackets, and visited, kids played in the puddles outside.

It was a beautiful day of remembering the sacred covenant between God and his children. A day of joy, celebration, and sweet fellowship with the brethren. The room seemed plenty warm, you didn’t notice the unfinished walls, only the beauty of the decor and of people fellowshipping. The day began before noon, the last guests usually leave around 9:30 pm. We end the day physically exhausted, but spiritually renewed. Completely satisfied, but wanting more. But, more will have to wait until the Day of Trumpets in September.

Owweeee…

A staple in the finger due to numb fingers.

A wallop to the top of the head when I didn’t see the board above my head in the rafters.

A bruised shin when I missed the last step off the ladder.

A perfectly round bruise on the top of a finger. Still not sure how that got there.

Stiff hands from hours of pulling, holding and hammering.

Chronic shoulder pain from hours of having my arms over my head and moving ladders.

Bi-monthly massages help. The periodic epsom salt and essential oil bath do too, when I can find the time. And the hugs from my honey do too.

That said… I woke up today. I can walk, see, hear, and function. It is a great day and I am grateful to be alive. I won’t be working this hard forever.

Cat gifts…

Ah, the love of a cat. The neighborhood welcoming committee has visited our new home. He/she is a very large grey tiger cat, who is extremely affectionate. We have now made friends and it visits our work site when there aren’t any pieces of large machinery around. And, it has left me gifts to welcome us into the neighborhood!

Any of you who are familiar with cats knows what I am talking about. Last Sunday I had been working on our wiring all day. I had my bulky coat on to stay warm, gloves were off so I could actually hold the staples I needed to hammer. I had been going in and out of the garage and house, moving my ladder from wall to wall. At one point, I smelled what seemed to be sewage. I thought maybe it was our porta potty. But the smell seemed to be following me around. I started searching, until I finally realized whatever it was was on my hands!!! After a few minutes I was able to piece together the puzzle. The neighbor cat had come in under the garage doors (there is a gap until our garage floor slab is poured) and left a small puddle of poop in the middle of the hallway, that I hadn’t seen. Yes, I stepped in it, then spread it onto every other rung of the ladder, which the front of my bulky coat then got streaked with, and eventually my hands every time I had to move the ladder.

YUCK!!!

I used my drinking water to clean everything of poop and even cleaned the puddle up. Everything got tossed into the wash, and I took a long, hot cleansing shower when I got home.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

On Thursday I had to meet with someone about our plumbing to septic connection, which is in the crawl space under the house. To get to the spot I needed to be at, I either had to go over or under a large pipe. I chose to roll under. After our conversation, we moved back towards the opening, but stopped to discuss more near the spot I had rolled under. That’s when I got the whiff of cat urine. Not really a surprise, as we had had an opening from the outside cut to get the pipes under the house. We would close that today. He looked around and we both saw a small, yellow puddle under the pipe. Fast forward about an hour later and I am still smelling cat urine. Yup. I had rolled in the puddle. Once again, everything I was wearing was thrown in the wash, and another hot, cleansing shower was take. To remove the smell from my hair.

Again, YUCK!

In spite of the unpleasantness, I still like the cat that brought the welcoming gifts. He/she is just being a cat. The crawl space is sealed up now, the cat pee will be wiped up when it thaws and some Stink Free will be applied. The garage doors will now have a board placed across the front to keep the critter out of the house until the cement is poured. And I will still offer my hand in affection the next time it comes to visit.

Hope you belly laughed nice and hard reading this. I have been.

Home run!!!

And she knocks it outta the park!!! When our son was young, everything was about baseball. But, apparently, baseball isn’t the only career that uses the term “home run”. That is also the term used for the run of wire from an electrical panel to the beginning of a circuit. I have now run a dozen home runs in our new home from outlet circuits to the panel. This usually means running it up to the top of a wall, through a drilled hole, across numerous rafters and then back down a wall. Most of the time it is easiest to just climb up into the rafters and carry the wire to where it belongs. But sometimes the path it has to follow is too small for my adult body, petite as I am. In those cases, I have to use a ladder or lean over from a higher spot.

This has been a huge physical challenge for me, and my hands, arms and shoulders have taken a beating. I am learning that just because I can do something doesn’t mean I should, and I am learning to ask for help. I am also getting a huge appreciation for plumbers and electricians. The supplies are expensive, even at contractor prices and the work is hard. I understand a bit more why my electrical inspector asked if I was going to be pulling wire, and then repeated the question when I said yes.

I am also extremely grateful to God for his daily protection, for my crew and myself. Just yesterday, I was drilling a hole for the wire, when the drill got lose from my control and it threw/twisted my entire arm up to the shoulder. The pain was unbearable for a few minutes while I cried and cradled it. Then I took inventory. I could still move fingers, the wrist and elbow. I was pretty sure I didn’t break anything, but had obviously wrenched some tendons and ligaments. I left early and have been taking it easy and nursing it. Essential oils, and homeopathy and rest. Hopefully I will be able to get back to work tomorrow. There are certain movements that bring pain, and I will avoid them until it is healed up. I thank my GOD that it wasn’t worse.

Take a moment to consider the protection we are daily given by GOD who created us and loves us. How many times have we driven our cars safely to and from someplace? How many sicknesses have we recovered from? I never want to take that for granted, and often utter a simple “thank you Yah for your protection” when I get into and out of my vehicle.