In 2021 the time came to renew my lease for the apartment that I had been living in for the last three years. I was totally in shock when they presented me with what they would be charging me! Since it was pretty outrageous, I decided I didn't want to put that much money into someone else's pocket so I made the decision to purchase a home of my own. I spent a great deal of time choosing one and every time I put in an offer, someone else undercut it. This was pretty frustrating but expected as the housing market has been so on fire. I finally decided I would look at a few that had been on the market for longer than a few days LOL! I kept going back to a sweet little home on the west end of town that I kept putting at the back of the list. It was 1200 square feet and all on one floor. The house had new siding, roof, furnace, air conditioning, water heater, windows and electrical. It sat on a double lot and the location was excellent. I put down an offer which was immediately accepted and I was off and running.
The home was passed over because it had cosmetic work to be done. I closed on the home in April 21 and promptly began the process of painting and laying carpet. I purchased all new appliances which included a washer and dryer, new fridge and new stove. The stove, water heater and furnace are all gas so it would be relatively inexpensive utility wise. However, the water turned out to be quite pricey. I needed to use the water as I wanted to ger the yard in shape. I did not have a garage, only a carport and for now, it is alright. I know at some time in the future I will need to look at closing in the carport in or building a one car garage. It has been brutally cold here in Montana this year and a couple of times the car struggled in spite of having a new battery.
One very exciting item that my home did have was a well. I discovered it after moving in. There was no well listed when I purchased it. My new neighbor has one identical to it and she stated that I had one as well. I contacted a landscaper to come over and get it up and running and 3,000 dollars later, I had water! I had the water tested and it came back relatively safe but has Coliform bacteria. This is easy to eradicate by shocking it with a bleach formula. So far, I am only using it for watering outside which is where most of the cost was coming from. After using it for a month, my water bill dropped from 111.00 to 54.00. This coming year, I will get a much better idea as to how much it will help. One good thing is that I can run the water through a Berkey water purification system and it will render the water safe to drink. This is huge as it gives me a 2nd water source in case of an emergency. I bartered labor with a friend and we got the rooms in the house painted. Someone who used to live there had painted them turquoise and red. Yikes...not what I imagined at all! We spent about two weeks on this and they turned out really nice. The home has a storage building out back and we sealed the bottom of the floor edge with caulking to prevent seepage and painted it as well. It turned out beautiful and after putting up shelves, I moved all my storage there. I purchased a freezer and made a cozy place for it in the storage building and it works wonderfully. I also purchased a medium size dorm refrigerator that can be run off of my solar generator. I also have a small refrigerator as well that is not hooked up yet. I wanted things that I could run off of my solar generators incase we lost power for some reason.
Earlier last month, I secured a sweet deal to install solar panels on my roof. I spent hours and hours researching everything I could on the system. The company is Purelight Power and they are based out of Medford Oregon. They decided to set up an office here in Billings as well. I am to have them installed this year after the weather gets better. However, they have run into a structural problem so I am not sure if I will be able to have it or not. If they can make the patio cover and beams stronger, they will continue, if not I will have to give this up. Either way, I am ok but I would really like to have the solar power.
A few weeks before Christmas I was measuring a window for lights when I missed the bottom step of the ladder and broke my leg where the Tibia fits up against the knee. I had to be non weight bearing for 10 weeks! Crutches are a real pain to use and I couldn't use my scooter that I used when I broke my foot a few years back. It was a difficult 5 weeks at first. Then, I had a healer pray for my leg when my son was at church. They and the church prayed it would be healed. The next week I noticed that the pain was mostly gone and that I could put my weight on my leg just fine. Two weeks ago, I ditched the crutches completely and have had no pain at all. I can walk just fine and my knee feels better than it has felt in many years. Prayer is wonderous and God is outstanding in my book. I had really been on a bad luck streak but it has started to turn around now.
Hopefully we can all put the last two "train wreck" years behind us now. This awful pandemic has ruined the relationships between people. The ones who have suffered the most have been our children. They need to be physically in school. It teaches them the skills of dealing with people and helps them to gain emotional stability. They need to be around their friends and they need in classroom teaching. People spend too much time being afraid. God didn't give us a spirit of fear. We need our churches and people need to work and feel accomplished. Making the vaccine mandatory is unconstitutional and takes away the peoples ability to choose what is best for them and their families. We should be able to control our own lives and destiny and no one should force their control upon us in any way. I have made the conscious choice to not take the vaccination in any way, shape or form. It is my body and my choice and I will not comply with any of the government mandates that the president forces upon us. I believe Psalm 91 and I know that the Lord will protect me. Have I had Covid, yes I have. I had it approximately three separate times and I am still here. Is it difficult? Yes, it is no fun to have but each time I do have it, my antibodies are strengthened to fight it off.
I am optimistic about our future. I see the signs of Christ's return more and more each day. I hope He comes very soon. This earth is becoming more and more like Sodom and Gomorra each day. Soon, it will become very difficult for honest and believing Christians to find a safe place to shield their loved ones from the evil smoke that is slowly drifting across every inch of the earth. I encourage all of you to make a survival plan for the upcoming trials and tribulations that are coming our way. Don't wait until it is here, do your preparation now.
Well that is my update for now. I will continue to blog when I can and share it with all of you. Please take care of yourselves during these uncertain times. Cheers, Freedancer
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