Cold blew in

12/2/11 Friday
I finally got the concrete slab poured. Took three loads with this concrete mixer I bought a few years back, knowing I would have many uses for it on this farm. I’ve used it to mix seeds, soils, fertilizers, but this is the first time I used it for concrete. I have a poor eye for volumes so was surprised at how small an amount of concrete it made after it was poured out onto the ground. I took the pump and set in on the wet concrete to make marks where the bolts that hold it down go. Then I pushed the bolts into the wet concrete. I hope that the bolts are in the right place when the concrete dries.

Cold weather blew in hard last night. Got the woodburner going and because the high for today will only be 40 degrees will keep it burning all day long. There is moisture outside. Not rain so much as a drizzle. I hope to finish the booster pump today. Had a bad slow down last night. Don’t remember having many of those lately but Cherie reminded me that I have had a few. She reminded me I need to take a bath too. I take great consolation in learning that Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs of Apple fame also had to be reminded to bath. I simply don’t think about it and don’t remember when I last took a bath. If I took one yesterday I won’t remember. I don’t remember to eat and if I do don’t remember that either. When it comes to taking my medication that can be an issue. If I don’t remember taking my pain pill so take another one it can be dangerous. To combat that I make notes of when I take a pill or tell Cherie when she is home.

It will be a cold work day, but that’s what coats are for.
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Hard to believe it is already noon. Certainly cold out. Just came in to warm my hands and put a few more logs on the fire. Step by slow step I am progressing on the booster pump. The bolts I placed in the wet concrete were close but not quite close enough so I spent an hour using a chain saw file to alter the holes in the pump base so it would fit. As usual I lacked the proper tools so had to do the best I could with what I have. So the pump is in place. Next I will piece together all the PVC pipe fittings needed to insure I have everything cut to the proper size and ready to glue together. That requires putting the one way valve first, then running pipe to the pump intake. The one way valve will prevent water from flowing backwards. Then I must connect the pumps outtake to the pipe that leads to the house and also out to the farm irrigation system. That will require some manipulation. Also I need to hook up the 55 gallon pressure tank to that same pipe. Plus I need to hook up the electrical wiring to the breaker box. Part of that task requires me to nail the wiring I ran onto the rafters and wall of the garage for it’s all just hanging loose right now.
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I went to the jail to visit the young man who made the decision to become a follower of Jesus. He was glad to see me for sure. I talked to him of the seriousness of the decision he made and read the parable of the sower so that he could hear what Jesus said regarding those who hear the words about God’s love. When I said something about how people talk about others he started crying for there is no question that there is lots of talk about him. I explained what the Love of God is and isn’t, going through first Corinthians 13 to make clear the importance of the motives behind what you do. It says that even if you give all your possessions to the poor but do not have Love it means nothing. There are many we know who mouth the words but who’s actions reveal the truth of what they believe. It’s a simple basic fact that if you reject someone, refuse to talk with them, and instead talk about them to turn others against them, you don’t love them. And when you do that but then say you are a Christian and love everyone you are a liar and total hypocrite.

The young man asked me if I had a church. I told him that he was my church, that the true church isn’t buildings but consists of the people who love God and are practicing the truths He gave us through the bible. I said “My church is in prisons and jails, it is where ever I go. Anyone I touch and share the things of God with is my church”. And so it is and has always been. The Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke of is not a place, nor can it ever be. It is a spiritual condition, an attitude of the soul, a unity of hearts bound together by the Love of God that spans generations and is not constrained by time or physical borders. The Kingdom of God has always been, but we have gained entrance to it through our faith in Jesus and because He has revealed the keys to us. I told the young man that I may start a bible study here in Stanton soon and the church would be there as well.

We prayed, he thanked me for coming. I am tired now. Didn’t get the booster pump all the way installed yer but am close. Hopefully that will get completed tomorrow before we go visit the widow and help her winterize her home.