*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/30/20 MONDAY 5:59A******************
GOOD MONDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Sunday starts early and ends late but is always refreshing to be immersed in the Holy Spirit - we went to a funeral yesterday because Robbie was recruited at the very last minute to sing and he did a wonderful job and made us proud. The funeral was for the husband of Robbie's mentor and music teacher and has been a family friend since Robbie was in elementary school - "Miss Anderson" was her name before she married and became Mrs. Dominano -- she is now teaching Sadie Grace violin ... God sure works in mysterious ways but the Good News is that God is STILL ACTIVE!!!
No work yesterday but seemed to get a lot done spiritually - the Honor Guard at the funeral was very impressive and the folding of the American Flag that draped the casket reminded me that our lives are about honor and if we have no honor in life there is none in death! There is a message there from God that I know will apply -- I pray for the discernment to "HONOR" and understand and to LIVE what God stirred in my soul yesterday ---
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/29/20 SUNDAY 5:01A******************
GOOD SUNDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Saturday turned out to be one of those git'r'dun days -- removed the old white cast iron sink and installed a new black deep sink for Deb (to wash pots in) and a new gooseneck faucet so she is in business and the kitchen is only lacking the new floor and we'll be finished in there -- once I completed the sink project I moved out to the shop and completed the fire board in my stove corner in the back of the shop.
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/28/20 SATURDAY 5:01A******************
GOOD SATURDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Black Friday and Deb and I went to pick up some groceries, we avoid any "sales" and such but we were surprised when we didn't see hardly anyone in Aldis or Krogers -- it was a beautiful drive and on our way home Deb texted Jim and Betsy as we drove by their house on 61 and Betsy gave Deb a call -- so glad to hear our good friends are doing OK - When we got back I hung the fire boards and finished off the smoke pipe side and the corner angle to cover the creosote timbers in the barn that were getting warm enough to produce a little creosote smell, I will do the cosmetic side today and walla, I'll be in the wood burning business --Cleaned the shop a little so here are some pics
See Ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/27/20 FRIDAY 5:17A******************
GOOD FRIDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
THANKSGIVING DAY for us is always just a quiet day for us -- the rest of the family goes off to spend the day with their other families on Thanksgiving day and we use the day to start decorating for Christmas -- I say "we" but of course I mean Debbie -- this will be our first Christmas at Johnson Gap so Debbie, Paula, and Peg were going through our Christmas boxes and they decided to do a little in the house but mostly set up everything in the common area. I cleaned off all the tables and put stuff back on the shelves, today I will put up my last two fire boards and start the "Big Sort" and get tools and supplies grouped into logical arrangements (well at least my intentions are good) --
Built the food pavilion for the Ducks & Chickens so that their food will stay dry when it rains -- we are still working out all the details on landscaping and now I am getting the back part of the property mowed so we are already talking about our big garden plot below the house by the creek -- (well at least our intentions are good) --
waste not - want not
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/26/20 THURSDAY 4:57A******************
GOOD THURSDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Wednesday was our traditional WEDNESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING day off at the Church (Services are moved to Tuesday on Thanksgiving week) -- It was raining off and on so I managed to modify a pull cart to haul bags (12) of rock (River Pebbles) and placed them around the Koi pond out to the hummingbird feeder on Peggy's window, so we are not walking in the winter mud ... we are going to plant some kind of winter grass and then "weed and feed" in the spring to try and establish a good grass yard where the puppies do their duty... Skipper is demonstrating being "dutiful" ....
I worked on the shop remodel and got another bench cleared, hung a piece of faux brick wall board on one wall, and started moving tools and supplies around. I managed a good fire in the stove and it was just a little bit smokey with all the doors closed but I'll work that out. I will put up the two last pieces of fire board behind the stove pipe and put in a little fan to distribute the heat a little and start engineering and gathering materials for my door in a door -- I will also build the feeder pavilion for the ducks and chickens so Deb can have a dry place for their outdoor feeding station.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/25/20 WEDNESDAY 5:28A******************
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Tuesday was our traditional Family Thanksgiving and this year the blessing have just been pouring in. We also celebrated Tasha's birthday which is one of God's miracles He performed this year as she literally had a heart transplant and is doing great! We have moved to Johnson Gap and have Peg and Paul settled into their new home with us in the "Big House in the barn so daily care is being provided with love on a 24/7/365 basis and Home Health Care as well, they are 91 and 90 and anyone that is an elderly caregiver knows the blessing of having them so close, caring for them is better and easier, its always hard but it is easier, and being this close is better than them being isolated in a nursing home without any family -- the blessing we receive at Johnson Gap is being matched by the blessings we are receiving from our Church Family as well IN SPITE OF COVID RESTRICTIONS -- I have been reminded of David's prayer in the 23rd Psalm that ends with "You have prepared a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, my cup runneth over..." You should have tasted the Turkey and Ham, not to mention Dumplins to Die for --- and I found my "cup" yesterday the I have been missing for a week now, it was set on a bench post while I unlocked a gate and I was hauling rock yesterday and had to go through that gate and there was my cup, O the mysteries of God ---
Yesterday I had a good morning at the church as I set up and wrote directions for Andrew and Bruce to do the livestream since Brad was going to be out and I wanted to be home for our Tuesday Thanksgiving. I then met with Ashlyn and set up lighting and music for her wedding next month, rehearsal on the 11th, and the ceremony on the 12th - these duties are real pleasures and I enjoy being part of Holy Matrimony as Steve always honors God and God I know in turn blesses the newly married couple, its the simple things that makes life a miracle of God! After taking care of the evening service and helping with Ashlyn's wedding plans I got to meet with Steve and discussed and prayed about the new Render Unto Caesar project that began with the Spirit's leading on Nov 4th BEFORE I knew any results of Nov 3rd -- Steve and Faye have been monumental in my spiritual growth and I seek their advice and prayer, especially when "Evangelism" could be involved.
I returned home and we set up the house and the common area for the Family Thanksgiving and when Danny came out we made a quick run out with the Mule & the Made-in-America Mower up to the Little Pond and finished the little bit I didn't finish yesterday when I ran out of gas in the mower. The Mule and all the equipment that Danny has provided to help me with all the farm work I have to do has been absolutely on of the biggest personal blessings of my life, having a really good brother is a big blessing but having a generous one is gravy on a good biscuit - if you know what I mean Vern!! Love you Brother!
I'll be doing some landscaping around the raised Koi pond and build a Feeder Pavilion for the Ducks and Chickens (If it don't rain) and if it is dry I will cruise around and "mow" -- there's a lot of mowing left to do!!!
Setting up the sanctuary for livestream - love being on staff at Calvary!!!
See Ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/24/20 TUESDAY 7:14A******************
GOOD TUESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Monday was not a normal Monday, I called Danny and his back was better but no need to stress it we will let it heal -- so we will have Brother's day later this week when his back is better. Tuesday (today 11/24) this week is going to be our Family Thanksgiving so that each family can go to their "in-laws" and get another turkey feast on Thursday. Deb spent the whole day cooking the turkey and cakes, and other goodies so that today it will not be a total chaos of cooking and preparing for the big family gathering tonight.
Since Danny could not make it out I decided to hook up my new Made in America Mower to the Mule and I spent the afternoon cutting brush, I did a good portion of the delta along the creek and 90% of the Little Pond area. Everything had new oil, filters, and fluids and everything worked great. What a joy riding around and seeing God's beauty and the next thing you know the mower was out of gas so I brought it back to the pole barn. I cleaned everything and refueled and my brother will know what a good brother he has when he sees the pics below:
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/23/20 MONDAY 5:08A******************
GOOD MONDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Sunday was another special blessing as is every time the church doors are opened -- Deb made freezer soup with the bone broth made from the bones we got with the side of beef we put up a couple of weeks ago -- this will be the first winter that we spent the summer and fall "stocking up" and we're ready to spend the winter getting ready for the spring!
Danny called yesterday with back problems so Brother's Day is uncertain -- I'll call later and we'll do something --
Max is insisting I pet him so I better or there will be claws to contend with
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/22/20 SUNDAY 5:20A******************
GOOD SUNDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Saturday turned out VERY productive as Danny and I managed to change the oil and filters in the Mule diesel, the Riding Mower, and the 4x4. This was the first time that I busted my knuckles (and one good elbow pop, ouch!) changing oil in these units so it was quite the experience locating, getting to the necessary points of interest, and removing and replacing filters, drain plugs, and fluids --- we finished and then JR (Danny's Jack Russell) insisted on a ride on the 4x4 before Danny took him home.
I also made a big successful, smoke free, fire in my wood burner in the shop with the deadfall I gathered Friday so I'm ready to wrap the Stove Install project up and start on insulating my big Double doors on the shop and I am considering installing a glass door into one of the big double doors so I can exit in and out through a single residential door with the big doors remaining closed this winter ---
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/21/20 SATURDAY 5:20A******************
GOOD SATURDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Friday turned out fairly productive as I knocked out my "honeydew" list in the morning - set up power for Debs heated duck bucket and duck pond heater, mowed the back yard (read vacuum leaves), re-run electrical for the big overhead garage door to put it on a separate circuit so Rob and Molly can run heaters on their wall plugs (this is all temporary until I can get him a breaker box installed) and then I opened up my shop to let the sunshine in so I didn't need to run the stove. I went out in the Mule for a quick ride and started the alternate trail by the corral but there will have to be 20 - 30 yards of dozer work to navigate one section of a pretty steep hill coming down from the top of the road -- I can navigate it but would be more comfortable if a little of the sidehill slope was removed --
Danny and I are going to change oil and filters in the riding mower, the 4x4, and the Mule this afternoon and next week I will get back to trail mowing and I will do double duty and pick up deadfall at the same time. This morning I will finish my clean and organize in the shop and storage shelves in the common area alongside my shop wall on the common area side.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/20/20 FRIDAY 5:20A******************
GOOD FRIDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Thursday started out as more "remodel" but when I could not find the stove pipe extensions that I "thought I needed" --- I decided to go to Plan B. Deb and I ran into Knoxville to pick up some big cans of vegetables and back through Oak Ridge for Tractor Supply stuff and Casey's medicine (Peggy's dog). When we got back and unloaded our food supplies I got out a ladder and went to investigate why my shop was filled with smoke this morning when I fired up my wood burner in the shop? I was surprised to see that where I thought I was missing insulation and allowing a backdraft was in good shape and well sealed, at least on the outside so I moved the ladder into the shop and I was very, very surprised to see that my pipe installation on my feed-through had a huge crack (let me admit, it was a poor piece of workmanship and the pipe was not connected except by one little place and the top of the pipe connection to my feed through had separated and was venting smoke into my shop and never made it outside!?!) I took all the pieces apart and started over with the stove pipe. First I recut and mounted the feed through and got that key piece fixed properly and then I put back each piece separately and confirmed each joint was fully engaged and used metal screws to insure they stayed connected. After connecting all the pieces CORRECTLY together and installed onto the stove itself, I then used metal sealing tape!!! I fired up the stove and SUCCESS. Lesson Learned: There's no substitute for doing it right, if you don't do it right, YOU WILL DO IT AGAIN!
Today I will get the shop tables and benches cleared and get organized in my warm cozy shop -- then I will take the Mule out and gather firewood. We took our puppies out for a walk down the hill and found several more coyote signs on my trails, somehow I will have to communicate to my coyote trespassers that I did not cut the trails for them----
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/19/20 THURSDAY 6:31A******************
GOOD THURSDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Wednesday was more "remodel" and I got all the fire board cut and up on the walls -- had to cut the board with a 3" grinder and there was a lot of dust but the boards are up and today I will finish the install and resort and reorganize the shop while I build a big fire! it was in the 20s overnight and will be in the low 30s so the wood stove is in place just in time. No pictures yet but I'll post one when I get everything back in place today. The good news is that the load of dead wood I had gathered from the trails burned really good as I was testing the stove yesterday so I'll make a run with my saws and the Mule today and make me a burn stack in the shop today and that will be a good set of pics too!
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/18/20 WEDNESDAY 6:28A******************
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Tuesday was "remodel" day and good progress was made as I managed to completely tear out old shelves and constructed new 2 x 8 sturdy shelves on my air station table and then completely tear out the little shelves in the corner next to the double doors and replace the rag-tag scrap lumber shelves with a sturdy black iron shelf. I was able to rearrange the other temporary shelving in the common area and freed up the double doors going into the garage shop in anticipation of shutting off the shop from the common area so my wood burning stove will heat the shop for winter projects. The big garage double doors are faced Southeast so the morning sun actually will warm the shop but I want to be able to open those doors to the light but shut the double (residential) doors to keep the cold out of the common area. It's a plan so we'll just have to see how it goes as this will be our first Johnson Gap winter.
Deb's first lasagna was a great success and everyone enjoyed it, there is something about Family Night and we are in the 15th year of every Tuesday gathering as a Family and giving God praise and every Tuesday we have more to praise God for -- God truly inhabits the praise of His people and we have as a Family doing it every Tuesday can testify that His Grace and Mercy is Infinite!
See Ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/17/20 TUESDAY 5:46A******************
GOOD TUESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Danny and I had a late start and early finish for Brother's Day as we are getting all the vehicles ready for winter -- Danny bought oil and filter for the riding mower and we are looking to put a three point harness on the passenger side of the Mule for when it is used as a "side-by-side" and not as a Work Utility Vehicle. The local supplier is closed on Monday so I'll have to get one purchased today. I think I will call Tim at B&R and see if perhaps he can get seat belts for the T100 as well since it is just down the road from Tommy's Motor Sports at Norris - maybe Tim can get the three point harness as well ???
Cleaned and sorted more in the indoor shop as I am trying to complete the wood burning stove install and remodel and I had everything out of the cabinets and shelves out on my tables and in the floor so now I'm moving stuff back and re-organizing everything, tools in one area and supplies in another. When it warms up today I will get new oil, filters, and antifreeze in all the sports equipment, I got all the vehicles done last week. We have stocked the pantry and I got plastic up for the chickens and ducks so we are singing "Let it snow, let it snow" as we could spend a couple of months easy up here without having to go down the hill at all (I am working on fuel reserves but right now it is a series of 5 gal cans for diesel, kerosene, 100% gas, and regular but I would like to install larger fuel tanks out behind the corral next spring.
Things are drying up so I'll get to get back to mapping, trail cutting, and mowing on the back 60. Sure love this little bit of heaven on earth, there certainly is no time to be bored!
While the discussion on the 2020 elections has America wondering if we can trust the American democratic process I submit the following photo proving that there is no hypocrisy in vote counting nor in their upcoming mask mandates. This photo clearly demonstrates that the House of Representatives leadership knows what they are doing and the "chairman" is showing the Dems ability to multitask as Chairman Jerry Nadler is authorizing the committee to purchase Dominion voting machines for all future US non-election elections -- Jerry The-masked-unicorn Nadler assures us that the Dominion voting machines work as good as his mask (which is cleverly hiding his little Daniel 8 uni-horn), you just have to figure out if the elastic goes over the nose or the ear (what do the little people know) ?? -- Jerry reminds fellow Dems to just remember "Orange man bad" when hacking the machines! (Imagine if Trump wore his mask like this???) - Remember, these guys worship Joe To-the-highest-bidder Biden and Kamy Lay-me-down Harris --- No wonder the Dems are chanting "Trust Votes cast by Dominion but not the Supreme Court"
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/16/20 MONDAY 5:36A******************
GOOD MONDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Sunday was a restful slow day spent in the presence of the Holy Spirit which always "renews" my spirit and we are all in need of of a boost now as the war for our American Spirit is raging and America has not faced this kind of assault from those that would take America's God-given freedom from We-The-People and replace it with communist totalitarianism. God parted the Red Sea and provided salvation from the Egyptians but the Israelites had to cross through the walls of oppression on their own power and faith. Such is America now as God has provided a path for America to cross over to the promised land but we cannot succumb to the threats from Pharaoh's army of chariots and rigged voting machines and demonic software. We will either stand on the edge of the parted waters and cry "Woe is America" or we will trust God to lead us on dry ground to self governance as we move through the waters towards freedom and the Promised Land! End of speech --
Molly's sons Matthew and Nolan are on Thanksgiving leave from the Air Force and will be staying in Rob and Molly's loft --they had chili and rice with us for Sunday dinner and will get the grand tour later -- more rain so the back 60 is wet again, but at least the ponds are full.
It's Monday but Danny and I have not made any definite plans so we'll see -- As I left for church yesterday I snapped a couple of more photos -- enjoy --
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/15/20 SUNDAY 4:51A******************
GOOD SUNDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Saturday was a slow day for both me and Deb as we have missed our naps for the past couple of days and both of us were having issues -- I took some aluminum duct work material and made a hood for my stove pipe that was taking in water when it rained hard, the barn does not have a gutter and a hard rain was running like a waterfall onto the vent and making its way down the pipe into the stove and and then onto my floor, I'll post some pictures later but I had to shovel out wet ash from inside and then I found an old fire grate off a grill and it fit the stove perfectly so I set it on a couple of bricks and the fire burned great--
After fixing the stove I dressed for the wedding and headed to the church, after the wedding it was back home to a beautiful day so while Deb was working on her "Biscuit" pizza I took a lazy ride on the 4x4 but came back early and just laid on the couch until supper. I felt better after I ate so I guess I'll try and get to bed early tonight.
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/14/20 SATURDAY 5:15A******************
GOOD SATURDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Yesterday I got to get out on the 4x4 and check out the two ponds -- after the two days of rain both ponds are at full pool and water is being diverted through the overflow pipes into the creeks. The rest of the property along the creeks is still very wet but should be passable today when I go out. Saw my turkeys again today and found Coyote scat at the Little Pond! The leaves are falling and the trees should be bare after the next big blow that comes through.
I got the riding mower out today and made a couple of cuts out past the horse pasture and decided to take it back to the barn and change oil and filter in it as well - I'll get all vehicles new oil and all fluids and anti-freeze checked for the winter (and the possible upcoming "lock down" of America) -- when I am out in the middle of God's beautiful creation everything is good so when I come back and hear what may happen in the next four years I can't help but think of the "Tribulation" and my thoughts migrate to the "Second Coming" -- even so, Come Lord Jesus!
I also need to complete my stove installation in the shop and get it ready for winter, it sure has been a great help moving in this last year as Paula, Rob, and myself have done a lot of work on our homes so I'm sure that it will be a big help from here on out so keeping it in good working order and warm in the winter will be good for everyone.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/13/20 FRIDAY 5:43A******************
GOOD FRIDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Thursday turned out to be a huge resolution day for all my mechanical issues 1) the Mule got antifreeze and all fluids topped off and then Danny and I drove it around the property and down to the mail box to see if the overheating was resolved -- victory #1! 2) we then modified the Swisher mower to be able to "offset" mow and hooked the mower to the Mule and went and made some "offset" cuts and wallah - - victory #2! -- 3) when I got the mower back to the compound I successfully BACKED THE MOWER into a stall and unhooked from the Mule which will get a new oil filter and 3.3 liters of new oil (.96 liters/quart) so victory #3! -- 4) I had purchased some 40V Ryobi equipment a couple of months ago and two of the 3 (very expensive) batteries are BAD?! SO I went online and Ryobi said to take them back to Home Depot and they gave me brand new ones ($179 for the 6aH and $129 for the 4aH for FREE!) -- victory #4! 5) Danny and I got us some hot dogs with chili, cheese, and onions -- victory #5! --- 6) Tim @ B&R called and said my T100 was ready and Danny dropped me off on his way back to Big Ridge, victory #6! Yes, for this "amateur" country boy I had a really good day yesterday!
Victory #7 came after supper as Debbie tried to "herd" the ducks by herself, she's no amateur --
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/12/20 THURSDAY 5:33A******************
GOOD THURSDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Wednesdays are always in limbo depending on what is going on at the church -- there is a wedding at church on Saturday this week so I will be working the sound -- Canon in D will be echoing down the halls --- Yesterday though I went out to my "hobbled" Mule and overnight I had developed a plan on how to get the belt back on the water pump pulley and determine if the pump will indeed pump water?! After a couple of tries I successfully was able to get the belt on and aligned and retightened and when I fired up the Mule the water pump was turning, the fan was fanning and everything appeared to be in working order. I shut the Mule down and went to the dealer and purchased everything needed to change the oil and filter and bought a couple of quarts of antifreeze designed for the 2510 Diesel radiator. Today I will service all fluids and then run the Mule to see if the overheating issue has been resolved. It sure was a proud moment for this city boy to get that belt on -- O life's little pleasures !!!
We also had a potential buyer for the 5 acres attached to our property which we couldn't afford so the owner put it on the market after giving us first shot, it sure would have been good but it was also too expensive right now after we moved onto this 64 acres -- However we have been trusting that the Lord will provide a good neighbor and after talking to the prospective buyer I was encouraged by the fact that he is a welder and has a family that wants to live out in the country and appreciates the prospect of having and being "GOOD NEIGHBORS" -- this could end up being a WIN-WIN-WIN so prayers are being lifted up now for the new family with hopes they can secure the property, I know that I can and will be a GOOD NEIGHBOR which is what LIFE is all about --
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/11/20 WEDNESDAY 5:18A******************
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Tuesday's are Family Night but yesterday was a special day also because I got the (Made in America) Swisher 44" Bush Hog "assembled" and set up, gassed up, and fired up! It performed great and I ran a tank of gas out and Danny and I had covered a lot of ground (brush) before running out of gas, we had not thrown in my gas can and we were having so much fun we had not brought tools nor any gas so we headed back up the hill to the barn -- on the last steep part I had to throw the mule into 4 wheel drive to get us up the last hump and that was when I noticed the "TEMPERATURE" warning light was on and we were smoking a little (from the radiator overflow) as we pulled into the compound. The Mule was definitely hot so we decided to let it cool down before checking fuel levels -- Danny decided to go home and finish his chores before Family Night and I went in to take a short nap with Deb.
After a short rest I went back to the Mule and checked the water level in the radiator and it was still full (which I think was an anomaly) and the oil was not down to the "add" yet so I started the Mule and there were no warning lights so I put gas in the Swisher and headed back down the hill to finish mowing but as soon as I got down the hill the TEMP light came on again so I came back up the hill and started looking for the problem -- I raised the bed (which serves as the hood" and cleaned several sticks and weed clumps out of the engine compartment and then I saw the "bad news" --- the belt that drives the water pump had jumped the pulley so now I am in the process of teaching myself how the 2510 Diesel water pump can be serviced and I am afraid the "city" boy in me didn't learn enough about "mechanics & engines" -- I can see the problem but my failing strength and bifocals make it hard to crawl around under the Mule, the rock driveway is especially hard on my back and the angles and restricted space on the diesel and 4x4 connections have the engine compartment packed, it would be difficult IF you knew what you were doing but it is near impossible for even the most motivated amateur (me, the would be farm boy) --- my plan is to first see if I can get the belt back on and get water moving and then decide if I must haul it to a dealer or not!?!?!?! It's supposed to start raining today so if nothing else I will get myself a good workspace and some big blankets to crawl around on -- it really is an exciting time as God has blessed me with the opportunities to be a "good steward" so I look forward to what I will learn and accomplish through this unique opportunity to crawl under a Mule!
I go the Swisher assembled and hitched up to the Mule and Danny and I took it out for a test run. Danny knows what he's doing so I listen very carefully. It was just a matter of a couple of good pulls and the Swisher started right up !!!
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/10/20 TUESDAY 6:17A******************
GOOD TUESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Monday's are Brother's Day and yesterday my brother really showed off -- he bought me a Waffle House breakfast (we also did a face time with our sister Ann back in Pampa so she got to see our handsome faces!!) and then we drove into Knoxville to pick up the "still -in-the-crate" Swisher 44 " Country Cut Bush Hog Pull Behind MADE IN THE USA! We took the 5x8 trailer (which was barely enough room) and it had not am inch to spare after getting the crate and mower on the trailer and strapped down so we carefully made our way back to Johnson Gap. It took an hour with a big forklift TO LOAD THE MOWER IN ITS CRATE onto the trailer so we were considering how we were going to get it off when we got the crate/mower to Johnson Gap. We pulled into the compound, backed up to one of the poles of the pole barn, wrapped a strap around one of the large poles and hooked to the crate/mower and literally pulled the trailer out from under the Swisher. I had a pry bar which I had to use to get the crate up over the hinges on the trailer but it was just a couple of minutes and the crate and mower was unloaded --- Easy Peasy --- BROTHERS RULE!!!!
See Ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/09/20 MONDAY 5:51A******************
GOOD MONDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Sunday is always a day of rest and worship, I am blessed exceedingly by being part of the staff at a wonderful Bible believing Church led by the Holy Spirit. It is not "work" but it is "worship" and I am always energized and encouraged by being in the House of God! We had pintos and Mac&cheese for lunch and then a nap -- after the nap Deb and I decided to take the Mule out for a cruise around the property and Deb took photos and a couple of short videos which she posts on her Johnson Gap blog but I am going to post the one of us coming up the hill into the barn. I want you to turn up the volume and listen to how happy Deb and I are -- we make each other happy and the giggles are the greatest testimony we can make to our marriage, 43 years of honeymoon and we are still giggling!!!
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/08/20 SUNDAY 5:06A******************
GOOD SUNDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
As I start this blog on Sunday November 8, 2020 I feel led to share encouragement for all my family that had placed their hopes in Trump because he was allowing Christians to worship freely again and was allowing God back into our nation, today it looks like the media has convinced the world that they have gained control of the White House again. I will remind fellow Christians that the God we worship is bigger than the media, or you will have to re-evaluate God in light of a rigged election -- the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob allows the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, He establishes kings and He destroys the wicked, God has not changed from when He looked upon the darkness and confusion at the beginning of creation and declared, "Let there be light." I will encourage you to revisit the 1st 5 verses in Genesis and ask yourself, is the media and evil more powerful than the Creator? Keep the faith and trust God who has NEVER CHANGED -- the world is in His Hands, God is in control! Here is the opportunity for you to exercise your faith, now is the time to exercise your belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we shall overcome the world because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has promised to never leave of forsake us and I am confident that though the power of the press has control of the world, the press cannot dictate its desires in Heaven so as Christians we must listen to the voice of God -- He says "Peace", He says "Do not worry", He Promises to prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and the God of Abraham has NEVER BROKEN A PROMISE!!!
We had a good day at Johnson Gap as Family on Molly's side showed up in force and hung drywall in Rob and Molly's loft and installed windows -- they will return today and should have the loft ready for Molly's kids that will be coming in a couple of weeks to stay with their mom for awhile. Deb and I did some "pantry stocking" and after lunch I went and worked on cleaning up the Big Pond and I made a new trail along the creek and continued my mapping. I really feel "Peace" when I am out working on the back part of the property - the world and all its troubles are "over the hill" for me when I am in this 64 acre sanctuary, and it is so easy to see God and appreciate His Creation -- I started picking up deadfall and tried to burn it in Paula's new wood burner but I didn't get a big fire going with what I picked up off the trails, not sure if it is the stove or the wood? So much to learn -- Dandy and Takota had an appointment with the farrier and now they are trimmed up and have new shoes -- the day ended up with pinto beans and fried taters, did I not say we had a good day at Johnson Gap??!!
The water is up at the ponds and my minnow trap in the little pond is only getting visited by salamanders -- like I said, so much to learn. I marked a few more locations for my mapping project and found a couple of more new trails that were old logging roads which with some work with a chainsaw and cutters I will have new trails the Mule will easily navigate. I have not seen turkeys since I "harvested" a hen last week, maybe they have put out the word on me -- I am seeing new bedding areas for the deer as I am opening up new trails down by the creeks in the tall grass -- not sure if or when I will ever "harvest" any? I would make a video but it will have to be a short one to post on this blog but I will post a "montage" of all my trails next week.
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/07/20 SATURDAY 5:08A******************
GOOD SATURDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Yesterday I replaced the small 1" pipe that I had NOT glued with 2" pipe that I DID GLUE, very carefully --- Once I had the new 2" pipe assembled and GLUED successfully, I cut the old 1" line and installed the new GLUED 2" pipe in less than 2 minutes and was done so I fully tested the pipe to ensure everything was GLUED --- IT IS FINISHED! Looks like I will be doing some ceiling touch up and I have decided to replace the section of floor in my office that was affected which is in the little hall going into the bathroom, Deb is going to get a small rug in the meantime.
I then went out and replaced the weed eater heads with some new ones I had purchased earlier in the week and they are great -- I will take the Mule out to the Big Pond and finish cleaning up around it which should keep me busy for several days. Fish are still not biting but they still will come to dinner when I throw feed in.
I started my "mapping" project which will include mapping my property line onto a satellite image and make a master trail map as well, I am having so much fun with this property which we are going to try and keep as natural as possible and share God's Beauty with those who have never had the blessed opportunity to see "God's Country"
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/06/20 FRIDAY 5:26A******************
GOOD FRIDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Yesterday we were gathering medical supplies for Paul and plumbing supplies for me -- Didn't get much done so after a short nap Danny came out and we went out in the Mule and ended up at the Big Pond but had zero luck getting any catfish on the line --- the water level is up and Danny said the rain probably washed a lot of food into the pond and along with me feeding them ...
I will work on my shop stove, the plumbing repair, and then run out in the Mule and pick up a load of "deadfall" to burn... No photos since we didn't catch anything ---
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/05/20 THURSDAY 5:10A******************
GOOD THURSDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Yesterday turned out to be a "Spiritual Marker" Day for me as the LORD led me to completely surrender to HIM and to submit to whomever God makes president. What a relief to know that my life is not about who someone else votes for or if the president is Caesar, Herod, or King David -- either God is in control or not --- Chose you this day whom you will serve -- so I will be blogging "Render Unto Caesar" as I go through Exodus, regardless of who is president, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still declares Himself "I AM WHO I AM" and is not "I was" nor "I might be" ... God is God and is still Sovereign over His Creation. I do not serve a political party, I serve Him that IS, and WILL BE ETERNALLY GOD!!! Just wanted to make it clear that the election results is not about which candidate is named president, the election is about how we react, keeping in mind that Jesus Himself said "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's" -- our "reasonable service" to God is to first REPENT and secondly TRUST HIS WILL and OBEY His Commands.
After writing my first installment and introduction to "Render Unto" I opened up my shop to a beautiful day on Johnson Gap and continued with my remodel and wood burning stove installation. Deb had to go take Paul to have a cancer removed from his nose and it was a tough day for both -- the procedure was a total success but it took all day. I decided to be the cook so I did Food City chicken and potato wedges. The day was very warm so I worked on winterizing the Chicken Coop and to enjoy it more I chose to walk back and forth from the shop to the coop and cut all the 1x4s and then walk them back to the coop in the sunshine. Everything went great and I decided to take the 4x4 out to see if the 7 inches of rain filled the ponds. The ponds are now up to the levels they were last January when we moved in so it appears there will be a summer level (low) and a winter level (full). There are a couple of trees down so I'll take the chainsaw and the Mule and go get wood for my stove. God is just that way, I put in a wood burning stove and God fills my ponds and provides firewood! My "reasonable service" is to be a good steward of what God places in my path. Of course I had to take my little red pond pole with me on the 4x4 and sure enough ---
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/04/20 WEDNESDAY 5:08A******************
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Yesterday I wrote that the week was about DUCKS but on 64 acres you have to keep moving -- photos of the ducks showed the summer grass is dying out and I need to sow some kind of winter grass to cover our yard which has some sort of black mold in it. I also got my first fire built in my woodburner so now I have to finish the walls with the materials for the fireplace and I rearranged some cabinets so I'll need to move some shelves as well -- the next issue is getting firewood, this year I will purchase a couple of ricks and over the winter and next summer I will set up wood supplies in the big barn for winter's use. AND -- the chicken coop needs winterized so I will put up wind blocks since we are on top of the hill and when the leaves are gone we get some pretty good winds so it looks like the fall will be used to get ready for the winter so we can get ready for the spring, etc, etc... the ducks are adapting very well and we were able to "herd" them into their Duck Box easily so the ducks are in good shape ---
This is a crazy time in America with the political situation and globalization issues that no other generation has had to deal with so I am being led spiritually to turn completely to God and not to any man and certainly not to any political party. Jesus said "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's" so I have not looked at who won yet because God has stirred my spirit to look to him REGARDLESS OF WHO WINS AN ELECTION --- The virus and the election changes nothing about God, nor our relationship with Him!!! Who wins an election is not the issue, how we as Christians react to whatever party is in power is the true test of the Church and our faith and it is a good time to read Exodus cover to cover. I previously did "The Jesus Questions" by reading Matthew cover to cover and now I feel led to focus on God's Plan of Redemption -- The election has led me to this verse: Exodus 1:8 "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." --- Do you see where I'm going with this ... stay tuned!!!
So this blog is going to Chronicle our journey through Johnson Gap and I will start another blog along the same vein as Laymans Pulpit : The Jesus Questions in which right now the new plan is to document America 2020 and our quest to return it to a point that we will once again be "One Nation Under God". Regardless of the current administration, we as individuals should each live our lives guided by Christian principles so my sermon today to all Americans is this one question: "What characteristic of God changes when a nation changes political leaders?" -- Make a list of everything about God that stays the same when presidents change and you will see that we serve an AWESOME GOD WHO NEVER CHANGES -- HE IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!
"My HOPE is built on nothing less than JESUS' BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUS"
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
I quote from my Scofield Bible introduction to the book of Exodus, "This redemption from Egypt was accomplished by divine, miraculous intervention and required on the part of the Israelites , only faith in the efficacy of shed blood (Exodus 1:1-13) Please note there were no "election results" mentioned in the nation of Israel being released from their captivity, so why would it be any different from American Christians trying to free ourselves from the existing slavery to abortion mandates, political correctness, cancel culture, and open borders -- and it could get worse before it gets better!!! We should build our house on the Rock and not on the shifting sands driven by political waves!!!
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/03/20 TUESDAY 5:49A******************
>>>Election Day 2020<<<
GOOD TUESDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
So Monday fishing was cancelled and it turned out sunny but still in the 50s so I got to finish installing my wood burner in the back corner of my shop in the Big Barn -- putting together stove pipe was a trick but I managed and then started my first fire -- I still need to put up my fireproof walls but the pieces I have up already worked fine and the little fan set up made the corner cozy. Today I will relocate my bench and shelves to move them away from the stove a little more. I returned the excess stove pipe I had purchased and picked up materials to winterize the Chicken Coop --- (just in case Joe wins and the Dems give us the "Dark Winter" they promised) either way, we are prepared "physically" & "spiritually" for whatever happens at the election polls -- God is bigger than the Dems but even if He chooses to put the Dems back in power I will TRUST GOD !!! I will not bow my knee to Baal, nor worship a false god that demands child sacrifice --- Regardless of who wins the election we must continue to fight for the rights of all Americans, especially the "unborn" who cannot fight for themselves.
The big story this week is DUCKS ---
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/02/20. MONDAY 5:09A******************
GOOD MONDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Sunday is all day Church Day for me as I get to church to open up and set up everything sound-wise for the morning service and live stream and then I shut everything down after the services -- I leave at 7:00a and get back for lunch around 1:00P so after lunch it's the Sunday nap and I head back around 4:00P and do the evening service and it is around 8 when I get back -- Deb stays home Sunday evenings and feeds her mom and dad then watches old TV Star Trek episodes until I get back -- Sunday is all day Church Day for me...
Today's "Brother's Day" got cancelled yesterday when Danny called and said "it's going to be too cold to get out on the water" (I've got a sissy brother but love him anyway) -- Deb heard the phone call and I'm sure she will schedule something for me -- we will start trying to "winterize" the Chicken Coop and the Duck Box ...???
From left to right: Elvis, Kenny, Lily Tomlin, Minnie Pearl and Dolly (with the big hair :-))
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 11/01/20 SUNDAY 4:47A******************
GOOD SUNDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Deb got the "go ahead" to pick up her 5 New Ducks Saturday so I had to get the materials purchased on Friday converted to a Duck Home for her Five new Quacker Friends -- 3 girls and 2 boys ! I drew up "plans" then cleared out a place to work in the sun and the fun began. Right after lunch the owner called and said we could come get our new babies so we threw a couple of cages in the van and off we went.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/31/20 SATURDAY 5:32A******************
GOOD SATURDAY MORNIN' FROM JOHNSON GAP :)
Spent most of Friday preparing a corner of the barn shop for my wood burner and once the corner was cleared I installed asbestos. I then ran to Home Depot to get materials to finish the project and to get materials for a"Duck House" for five ducks we are going to "rescue" today --- we had to make another "stocking up" trip to Oak Ridge to pick up "wide mouth Mason jars" -- we did...
Today will be spent putting in stove pipe and hopefully getting the wood stove fired up and then sometime today we'll rescue ducks and I'll be building a "Duck Home" --- the critter family is growing and we'll start getting duck eggs...
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/30/20 FRIDAY 6:00A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Another lazy day with rain most of the day -- Deb and I have kinda set up Thursdays as our date/shopping day so we either go out and get a breakfast or lunch and then pick up supplies but this past week we have completely stocked up for a winter here at Johnson Gap -- it feels very comforting to know our heating fuel tanks are all FULL, all our pantries are all FULL with a good supply of can goods, flour, and spices, all our freezers are FULL of beef, pork, and chicken, and as a backup our ponds are full of fish and the back part of the property has deer and turkey!!! If we didn't leave the property for 6 months we would survive, the next project I will do is to get a couple of more generators set up and fuel for them in case the electricity goes out -- sure has been fun and we kinda hope we get a big snow this winter!
I made good progress in my shop and will finish setting up the wood burning stove (guess I'll have to get a couple of ricks of wood) -- I have a new stove but will have to get it properly installed, there is a spot where the previous owner had his set up so most of the layout has been done already.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/29/20 THURSDAY 5:04A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Rain, rain, rain -- we had some major downpours yesterday and we are getting more today. I went out to the Big Pond before the rain started yesterday and fed the Whiskers (which we didn't catch even a single one on Tuesday) because it will be a couple of days before I venture back out again to the back of the property, that much rain will make a couple of places tricky to navigate, even in "4 wheel drive"...
Once it started raining I stayed in the shop in the Big Barn and played my guitar and started writing a new song, it was just a lazy day and I started studying how to use maps and a compass to navigate and also how to find positions with the moon and sun. This is a school boys dream and I do feel like a school boy living the dream!
I had to run in and do a sonogram on my carotid artery which I will do a visual comparison from the scans done before and after my surgery a few years ago to "clean out my carotid" and I should be able to see if the "cholesterol" has built up or not. I did not nor do I have any "symptoms" or "problems" so I am not going to start cholesterol medicine to "prevent" any issues that "might arise at my age" -- I will do all the tests to get a baseline and make an informed decision after "consultation" with a paid professional giving me advise on what he sees on the chart and not what "quota" he has to meet to make a payday from the pharmaceutical companies that own the medical profession and insurance companies. It is so disappointing to see drug dealers where there used to be MDs -- just ranting, forgive me.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/28/20 WEDNESDAY 6:51A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Yesterday was family day and since Danny and I didn't go out on brother's day (Monday} we decided to go back to the big ponds. It was still a little wet so we took the back way into the pond. We didn't catch any Whiskers and only a couple of bass, the fish were really turned off, perhaps the front from the hurricane that's heading to Tennessee is to blame - I did some more weed eating and then we headed back for family night and Debs "freezer soup" with a lot of chicken added and once again it was great and fed the whole family -- there was only a small amount of soup left, the family really likes Deb's soups and the pot starts out full and the family always empties it.
We celebrated Paul's 91st birthday and we gave hime a Martin House built like the Big Red barn so we'll put it together with Paul doing his excellent supervision job and I will do the "some -assembly-required" portion and get the 15 ft. pole in the ground --
I do the first of 4 tests on my heart today and establish a baseline - so far I just have to avoid "strenuous" exercise and I sure hate not getting to break a good sweat but I'm still getting a lot done, especially knocking down the 7 foot weeds from the summer growth. Danny and I are going to purchase a bush hog that you can pull behind the ATV so more fun for me in the future.
Yesterday I harvested my first game hen and was proud of my Henry 22. Field dressing for the first time was an experience but we'll prepare it for our supper tonight --- stay tuned for this one
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/27/20 TUESDAY 5:40A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Yesterday we answered that age old question from that famous classic Wendy's commercial "Where's the beef?" --- Deb and I drove down to a butcher in Madisonville and picked up our "side of beef" we purchased for the family. God has been so wonderfully gracious to us through the fellow Christians that God has placed in our path such as a good friend that has a farm and raises beef and contacted us a couple of weeks ago and asked if we might be interested in buying half of two cows she had delivered to the butcher and we discussed price and cuts of beef and we were convinced that this was from God so we agreed to purchase a "side of beef". Jenifer said that she would contact the butcher with the desired "cuts" and that when the order was packaged and ready that the butcher would contact us. The cow is delivered live to the butcher, then slaughtered and the meat hangs for a couple of weeks until the butcher determines the meat is ready and then he cuts and packages each side and the "owners" are notified the beef is ready to for pick up and that is what we did yesterday, if you have never purchased a side of beef you can't imagine how much meat is in a "side" -- again, this is something that happens only because we decided to live together as a family and honor God and He continues to pour out blessings on us, not because we deserve blessings but because we seek His will in our lives -- we are all undeserving of God's Mercy and Grace -- but God -- God is Good and we have a full freezer, Did I mention that when we walked into the butcher's office that the first thing we saw was a big copy of The Ten Commandments on the wall behind his desk ---
***** Deb pulled out some cube steaks for supper and it was great!
We had rain the past couple of days so access to the Big POND was difficult so Deb and I decided to hike in food from the top of the hill so we packed up and drove the Mule out the old logging road and took fish food down to our Big Pond.
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/26/20 MONDAY 5:50A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Sunday's are always blessed days, perhaps it has something to do with worshipping such a good and gracious God Who truly does inhabit the praise of His people. Our Sunday School started up but Covid still has so many people afraid. Yes people are getting Covid but the 99% recovery rate does not justify destroying our society!?!?!?!? Our only Hope is Jesus, the only Hope that ever has been is Jesus and as soon as God is glorified this "Covid" will be defeated, in the meantime God will comfort His people with a peace that passes all understanding. God's Word is HOPE!!!
The day was beautiful so after a short Sunday nap Deb and I jumped into the Mule and made it partly around the perimeter -- it was still wet and I was still in my Sunday clothes so we didn't try any steep places but just cruised up to the Little Pond and then Debbie did a little practice shooting with her 22 Magnum and it is VERY loud. We drove back home and it was back to church for evening service. Deb posted pictures from our Sunday drive on the Johnson Gap section of this blog so I'll not repost them here.
Today we will go pick up our half of the beef we bought and had packaged, the butchers are backed up into late 2021 so we were fortunate to get ours processed and in the freezer so quickly. If we get back early enough then I will run up to Big Ridge and Danny and I will go fish his pond -- where I had the best fishing day ever with a 7 lb cat and over 20 bass!!! I have already posted those pics as well so I'll post my new favorite pic ---
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/25/20 SUNDAY 5:55A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Saturday started out raining so I used the time to build extra shelves in Deb's indoor pantry. I removed the door into the dining room that was an old bedroom so we could no longer we had better access to the pantry which was originally a closet for the old bedroom and this really opened up the room as well. Deb took some photos which she posts daily on her Johnson Gap log she does at the end of each day. The good news was that I was able to do the entire project with "scrap" pieces from other projects and remaining screws, etc. The project was a total success @ $0.00 cost and that is how God's Economy is if you surrender to letting God Provide and we dedicate ourselves to be "good stewards" of what God entrusts to us!
I finished the pantry project and once I had the saws and tools back in place and my work area cleaned the rain stopped and the sun came out so I decided to work on re-organizing my indoor shop and since Deb had more space in her pantry we had to make a trip to town to get more "stock" and to get fresh produce for our Sunday meal. We returned home around lunch time and I decided to eat an orange and go feed the fish. This would be a good test of the Mule since we just had almost two inches of rain overnight and into the morning -- I had to go the outside perimeter trail on the old logging road after I slid down the hill so I knew I would not be able to go down into the Big Pond with the Mule nor would I be able to come back up the hill to our barn but I have a less radical trail cut by the corral just in case of rain. I got to the upper rim of the valley where the Big Pond was put to catch all the water run off and I then hiked down with my fish food and watching those really big catfish feeding on the surface is almost scary. Think "Jaws" and "feeding frenzy" and you'll get the picture! I will have to make a movie short called "Whiskers In The Water!!!" --- You'll love it!
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/24/20 SATURDAY 5:55A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Yesterday was a double blessing day as we saw how God not only PROVIDES BUT HE GOES THAT SECOND MILE. The 1st mile was God providing HOME HEALTH for Paul but then the nurses that HE SENDS are REAL ANGELS and yesterday the 2nd mile was that we were blessed with two new FRIENDS (also NURSE ANGELS) and they are taking such good care of Paul's issues -- God is JUST THAT WAY!!!
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/23/20 FRIDAY 5:39A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Everyday this week has been perfect fall days on the mountain as the leaves are turning and our view is sometimes absolutely breathtaking as God's glory unfolds in His Seasons. Jesus said if you try to silence the crowd that "even the stones would cry out" -- and I can tell you that the trees right now are performing a visual symphony and all I hear is Johnson Gap crying out "Holy, Holy, Holy" -- as I must cry out "who are we that You would shower your Mercy and Grace on us so abundantly?!?!?"
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/22/20 THURSDAY 5:45A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Another fine morning on the mountain --- Yesterday we had home health out for Paul and his foot is better but it will remain a day-by-day concern --- prayers are needed for our family on a daily basis but a few for Paul's feet would be an extra blessing right now. I worked on the outdoor garage shop bay until we made a run to town and when we got back I repaired my weed eater that had thrown off my favorite blade head that replaces blades with a release button but in hind sight I should have purchased a heavy duty brush cutter because the plastic blades work great on grass and leaves but when I hit the occasional hard stick that one of the three plastic blades will break and the imbalance shakes you to the bone and over months of this "wobble" it has worn out the plastic housing -- I repaired it but some imbalance remains and it shakes enough to make it difficult to use so today I will purchase another head, with a little more "beef" to it --
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/21/20 WEDNESDAY 6:09A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/20/20 TUESDAY 5:22A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Monday was spent at the Cardiologist reviewing last months "stress test" which in the Drs terms was "passed with flying colors" --- except that little event at 8 min 45 seconds into the test where I mentioned that I could "feel" my heart and the lab technician noted on my EKG chart -- which led to the Cardiologist appointment a month later. After the initial spiel on needing "cholesterol medicine" for the rest of my life and my insistence on "quality of life" without medications that becomes a lifetime commitment which subtracts from that quality of life and the skimpy retirement funds that is my financial existence, I agreed to establishing a physical baseline on my heart with an Echocardiogram, Carotid sonogram, and a Cat scan and then evaluate "next steps" --- I thank God for 73 wonderful years and trust Him to heal me, either by presenting a physical solution through surgery/medications or by taking me home -- either way it is a win-win and I can identify with Paul, "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain" -- I'll do an update once the tests are complete ---
Deb and I went down the hill to do a little shopping and Deb made (my favorite) Spaghetti --- so all is well and I am a happy man!!! Since there was no time to work outside I worked on my new Covid inspired Sunday School project which will be a series of animated short lessons from our 3rd grade class. These wonderful spirit filled kids are truly inspirational and if we listen we can hear God teaching us through them so I try very hard to listen as well as talk during class -- since we have entered into this Covid virtual teaching environment in 2020, the Holy Spirit has led me to teach a series of lessons through short animated videos -- The series name is "THE THIRD GRADER'S GUIDE TO ..." and my first lesson will be an intro to THE BIBLE -- the video I posted yesterday was my first attempt and it was apropos that it was Sadie's first fish and her first time driving the "mule" -- the video I post today is a "trailer" made for "THE THIRD GRADER'S GUIDE" intro/teaser.
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/19/20 MONDAY 5:20A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/18/20 SUNDAY 6:00A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/17/20 SATURDAY 5:29A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/16/20 FRIDAY 5:45A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Yesterday was a "mowing day" and I had some new "farm" experiences from loading and unloading my equipment and trailers. There's a LOT to understand about unloading the 4x4 from the bed of the T100 which has heavy duty shocks that raise it some and then it has 17" tires which raises it yet again, which when you are trying to back down the 4x4 on ramps that there are some uncertain moments, especially when you had not strapped down the 4x4 when you brought it in from the back part of the property and the big hill caused the 4x4 to shift in the bed, which made the preset position for the ramps not exactly align with the tires therefore it was a tightrope walking exercise from an elevated truck bed and only the 2nd time in my life to execute the maneuver --- it was very successful after I spent about 20 minutes trying to execute a 3 point turn in the back of the T100!
Once I successfully unloaded the 4x4 from the T100 it was on to hitching the tilt trailer onto the 4x4 so that I could haul the mower down the hill and mow the entry with the riding mower. My first task was to go to the back yard where I had the trailer waiting to haul rocks to the Koi Pond just off the back porch so it was off to the back with the 4x4 after gassing it up and opening the big iron gate going to the back. I easily backed the 4x4 into the yard (there is not enough room for me to turn around in the back yard and my "backing" skills are not very good yet) and the trailer was easily turned and moved by hand so I hitched it and pulled the trailer back to the pole barn where I keep the mower and 4x4, being careful to close the big gate and keep the chickens in their portion of the back yard which we have divided into a chicken yard on the west side, the pool in the middle portion near the back fence that is on the property line, and then a large back yard that is the "dog yard" also. The dogs have their own door and they come in and out at will and get to run the fence which I have rabbit wire on so they will not chase varmints down the hill --- so began the second "new experience" of loading the mower onto the tilt trailer!
If you have never experience the thrill of driving a mower onto a tilt trailer that just happens to have the center point slightly behind the tipping point and the mower weight being distributed such that the mower will not cause the trailer to right itself level until you get off the mower towards the front --- and you can't get off the mower because you are having to keep your foot on the brake to keep the tractor from rolling back down the tilt trailer!!! After several attempts at trying to use poles etc to "push" myself level it became evident that I would have to engineer some way to keep the brake on while I dismounted the mower which would then let the trailer level itself. I backed the mower down, measured the distance between the brake pedal and the gear shift casing, went and found the "just right" board, went to the indoor shop and cut the board to length, the back to the mower where I tested that I could put on the brake and install the "emergency brake" by wedging the board against the brake pedal and the gear shift casing which worked perfectly so I drove the mower up the tile trailer, installed the "emergency brake" and when I stood up off the seat the mower and trailer leveled itself and I stepped off the mower, easy peasy! It was then a matter of loading the weed-eaters and straps and the next great adventure started.
So now I am on the 4x4 with the mower strapped down to the tilt trailer hitched to the 4x4 and it was now time to navigate for the first time all this down the hill to the bottom of the driveway and mow the entry way!? The brakes on the 4x4 are excellent and the ride down our steep and winding driveway was easily navigated and the next issue was where to park the trailer so that I was not on the road blocking traffic no access to the driveway (home health was on the way for Paul's Thursdays visit) so after a couple of attempts I found a compromise place next to the mailbox where I could unload onto flat ground and unloading was a breeze because when I sat down on the mower my weight was sufficient to cause the trailer to tilt and then I removed the "emergency brake" and rolled the mower off the trailer. After mowing I drove the mower back onto the trailer, installed the brake, dismounted the mower, strapped it down, and without any issues it was back up the hill to unload both mower and trailer! The first time was a huge success so now I have confidence to tram the mower onto the back part of the property and start mowing areas around the ponds, although I am convinced that I will need to tram the mower down to the pond with the T100! I also have to get a trailer hitch and winch installed on the Mule which will make my equipment set complete. The 4x4 is a recreational tool but it is also a tool as well which I proved yesterday. Glad I got so much done yesterday because we are getting a little more rain today. The last rain was near 3 inches over two days and the levels of the ponds were up a little so all is well.
Today we are finalizing details for Robbie and Molly's wedding here Saturday, just a family affair but Brother Steve and Sister Faye will be here to do the ceremony and then it is barbecue and a quiet reception on the deck and a tour of the property for Steve and Faye. James and Natasha celebrated their anniversary last Tuesday and Isaac and Sky were married in a private ceremony Monday so that will be three weddings in October and a 4th is scheduled for next year. Everyone is now talking about the start of the Lewis reunion every October and call it Lewis Fest -- God certainly has blessed the Johnson Gap property and His Words promised to honor those that HONOR HIM, He also promises to bless those that follow His Will and our first great granddaughter is just the beginning. Guess I better post this journal entry and get to work ---
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/15/20 THURSDAY 5:31 A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Wednesday turned out even better than Tuesday -- Got a good report on my eye exam and our way home a great "Satisfaction" came over me and as we were turning off the big road I said to Deb, "In 2003 when your liver had shut down and we were advised by the Dr to go home and "put our house in order" because he had no idea how to restart her liver and the "Specialist" had given you six months to live, we drove home without saying a word and when we pulled into the driveway I said that I wanted her to know that she had made me happy as a man and a husband and I want to thank God for the 25 years we had been given and if He chooses to give us more time that would just be icing on the cake. Today in 2020, 17 years later I want you to know that I feel completely successful in life because I was given the best woman a man could have, the best wife a husband could marry, and it is a special blessing to have you as my best friend. I have been quiet on our way home because I am so happy and satisfied with life and its all because of you." We drove on up the hill to the house and sometimes words just can't express such inner peace and even as I write them today they pale in comparison to the deep satisfaction I felt in my soul yesterday while driving home with the LOVE OF MY LIFE sitting beside me, thank you God for our great life and 42 years of Holy Matrimony!
The day got even better ... I changed into my working clothes and got the riding mower started and mowed the "front" by the corral and the fruit trees then I loaded the ramps and to the 4x4 battery off the charger and grabbed some weed-eaters and headed in my T100 to the Little Pond where I had left the 4x4 yesterday when it wouldn't start. My plan was to use the winch on the front of the 4x4 to winch it into the back of the T100 and bring it back to work on it but once I got the battery installed I found a switch (which I did not know I had slid to a new position) that when I switched it to the other position that the 4x4 started right up! Guess its best to know what all the buttons do before you get out on the 4x4 --- nah ---"why read the instructions?" (men!)
Even better yet I ran around in the 4x4 over to the the first open area from the property which I can see from the pole barn and there is a perfect area over the creek and up the hill where I will "cut the grass" and make me a great landing area for a "full wedge" if hit from my tee box at the end of my corner of the pole barn. I used the 4x4 to knock down the chest high grass and head high weeds and I circled in progressively larger circles then figure eights and next I was looking at a 60 yard diameter circle landing area for my practice balls plus I had a blast riding the 4x4 blasting new trails in the summer growth of grass and weeds. I headed back to the Little Pond where I had left the T100 and the ramps and weed-eaters to work on cutting down the weeds on the dam side. I cleared the entire top of the dam and down to the water for about a 20 yard swatch --- I exchanged the weed-eater for my fishing pole and grabbed a box of red worms to see if there were any fish in the Little Pond and indeed this pond had been stocked with a hybrid bluegill and the worm never had a chance! I was giddy from how many fish I was able to catch on just one worm in such short length of time so I decided to try and load up the 4x4 on the T100 and go back to the house and get the Mule loaded with the poles I had purchased for the kids. Just as I got the 4x4 in the back of the truck, the phone rang and it was Debbie just back from picking Sadie up from school since Wed is a short day for her and she wanted to come out and spend the afternoon on the farm. I asked Deb to ask Sadie if she wanted to go fishing and she said YES! -- I came back to the house, loaded the Mule and dug some more worms and called for Sadie to "load up" and we off-loaded" to the Little Pond and on her first cast Sadie caught her first fish and I was the proudest Papaw there ever was!!!
Sadie caught fish one after the other until time for supper and then on the way back I let her drive the Mule (Sadie is 9 but very mature) and she had a ball on the straightaway I have cut back to the house and needless to say, I got photos and videos that will be posted tomorrow, here are a couple now:
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/14/20 WEDNESDAY 5:53 A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Yesterday was a really good day, especially after having the "Sick and tired" day I had Monday. I woke up feeling really good and got a lot of the outdoor shop area organized, especially the bay designated for Robbies work stuff. My brother Danny called at noon to see how I was doing and he also is feeling great!?!? So we both went from sick-as-a-dog to feeling-great overnight!?!?! He came out early for family night and we took the Mule loaded with weed eaters and trimmers (Danny drove) and the 4 Wheeler out on the property to widen the trails and take care of overhanging trees and briars that try to jump in the vehicles. We also flattened a spot where we are going to put out a feeder for deer and turkey. We decided to go work on the Little Pond area and while I was working on the earthen dam side Danny drove the Mule over to the hillside above the pond and while making a new trail in the tall weeds almost turned over the Mule. When I looked up I saw that Danny had almost been dumped out but pulled himself back in, put the Mule in 4x4 and worked himself back onto a flat area, we will wait until later to clear that area -- Danny's "man-comment" to me was "that Mule kicked me but I rode him out!" I never stopped what I was doing because I knew he would work it out without "little brother's" help - we're having so much fun being the Lewis Boys again!
The 4x4 had some issue so I had to leave it out by the pond and ride back with Danny in the mule and will go out and get it running or bring it back with my T100 workhorse! Life on the farm is keeping things working and we have a really good life on Johnson Gap!
Our grandson Isaac got married in a private ceremony yesterday so I have a new granddaughter in law and a new great-granddaughter so once again I see God at work as we continually to lift up prayers for the FAMILY and just like that God blesses our Family by these types of events -- yes they started living together and yes they got pregnant but yes yesterday they got married ON FAMILY NIGHT and then came and joined THE Family as a Family so now we are ONE as God intended -- we have found that prayers lifted to God are the only thing to heal Family wounds and when God heals He does so in just such a mighty way as we experienced yesterday as the prodigal grandson returned with a wife and a great granddaughter for us to share Family Love with and I always say, "Love is what you give away to others and not what you expect them to give to you. My desire to LOVE is the greatest blessing God has given me and yesterday was a GOOD DAY!
Promise to take pictures today --
See ya
*****************LANNY'S LOG 10/13/20 TUESDAY 5:31 A******************
GOOD MORNIN'
Since my brother Danny decided to keep his great piece of property that borders Big Ridge State Park with immediate access to Norris Lake and not move out to our Johnson Gap property until he can no longer maintain the Big Ridge property, I have set aside Mondays as a "Brothers Day"--- yesterday we changed a wheel on his bench grinder and put new line on a couple of poles with an innovative device Danny made for changing line. Danny had bought a new 7' bait casting rod and he mounted his favorite salt water reel and loaded it with Spider Wire. We will jump in the 4 wheeler next week and run up to the pond where I caught so many bass a couple of weeks ago and test it out. I had to repair the newly purchased ultra light rig I had thrown in the back of the truck (men!) and something heavy moved and broke the little rod so I have installed a splint on it and will try it out next week. Danny and I both were "having health issues" yesterday and Danny expressed it best -- and I quote, "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF FEELING SICK AND TIRED!" This December I will be 74 and Danny 78 but we still want to be "BOYS ON THE FARM" because every summer I would spend it with Danny and our Grandmother Amy on the family farm in Kamay Texas -- think Huckleberry Finn!!! Anyway we decided to call it a day and look forward to next week when we both have Drs appointments --- growing old is not for the faint of heart. (My appointment is with the heart Dr so we'll see what's up with my ticker next Monday)
Did nothing but lay around and take Deb shopping yesterday afternoon but I did get a space cleared in my outdoor garage and sports shop which I should get completed in a couple of weeks if the Dr doesn't restrict my activities, the stress test Dr said to not "get overly fatigued" but I don't know how to go slow or easy so we'll see how that pans out?!?!? I'll know more after my Monday 10/19 visit ---
See ya'
********************* LANNY'S LOG 10/12/20 ************************
10/12/20 MONDAY 6:10A
Yesterday was a slow day and there was a little more rain so expectations are up for the pond level rising. We are back to the LIVE STREAM only for our services though we did have a few in the congregation. Our staff had the virus but are back in good shape and Steve was again anointed with a powerful message even though I think the GREATEST AND MOST POWERFUL MESSAGE WAS THE FACT THAT STEVE WAS BACK IN THE PULPIT.
I must comment about my observations about COVID. I cannot understand why the infection rate of this virus is being promoted in a manner that has caused so much fear and has shut down America YET THE CURE RATE IS NOT DISCUSSED AT ALL??? This past week America saw the President test POSITIVE, get sick, and was hospitalized AND RECOVERED!!! I saw our Church staff get tested POSITIVE, get sick and RECOVERED. Our Church has only shut down because of the fear of "testing positive" so I think that we should be encouraged by the fact that the RECOVERY RATE is so high and we should go back to LIFE BEFORE COVID. My Layman's pulpit post yesterday quoted some similarities between what is happening in October of 2020 that happened in October 2016 and it would lead one to suspect that ELECTION YEARS ARE SUSPECT!?!?! Why are we putting America at risk for a virus that is being used to gain political power through fear of personal safety, can anyone say 911 and the Patriot Act that suspended our Miranda rights???
Johnson Gap is a blessing in more ways than one and yesterday as I drove up the hill I thanked God that our Family has been blessed and amid this "Pandemic" we have been safe but the greatest safety is in knowing that even if we get infected that God is in total control so the prayer ended "Not my will but Thine be done"! As I parked the car I decided to "rest" on the devotional couch after lunch and then work on my new project "Third Grader's Guide To ---" where I am doing animated Sunday School lessons. Since the kids can't make it to church, I am trying to get these lessons on You Tube so they can still get the Word even if they have to be home. Pray for this ministry, #savethechildren...
After working on the lessons after a great lunch and our nap, I went and put up another shelf in my outdoor area in the big pole barn and will take some photos after all the tools and supplies get back on the new shelves and work benches. There is so much potential that the handy man in me is giddy with potential projects.
Monday's has been reserved for me to spend with my brother on his property that borders Big Ridge State Park and 1/8 mile from a public boat launch. HIs property besides bordering a state park also has 200 acres used for private hunting connected to the back part of his property which we have access to so every Monday we get to do "Brother Things" -- two weeks ago we went up to a back pond on the 200 acres and I had the best bass day of my life as I caught over twenty good size bass, I never saw fish so turned on and I wore myself out catching bass!!! Not sure what we will do today but that's what is so exciting about Mondays now, I still remember dreading to go back to work and now I wake up Monday AM and look forward to whatever surprise the day holds, yes, retirement is in full swing and I'm loving it!
See ya'
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10/11/20 SUNDAY 5:55A --- Deb does her post for Johnson Gap in the evening when we sit down for a movie and I like to do mine in the morning after posting my devotional for the day. I am late this morning because I overslept because I was up during the night trying to locate an alarm that kept going off on one of our devices, it woke me up around 12:00 midnight and kept going off until I finally got up and found it was the new weather station Deb had put by the fireplace. I wasn't into learning how to program it so I "pulled the plug" at 1:06a and went back to bed and got back my hour of sleep back this am, hence I am posting late.
Yesterday we did get rain and of course my first thought was that it would fill the pond back up so after we did a grocery run to stock our freezer with ground beef, T bones, and shrimp from IGA which was selling everything at very reduced prices ($2.99 lb. for 1" thick T-bones and $6.00 for a bag of the large cooked shrimp) -- so you know why we decided to "stock the freezer! I know that God is providing for His people in mysterious ways and these prices are from Heaven! Truly "my cup runneth over" as it always does!
OK, back from the store and I worked on my outdoor garage and sportsman area which I will add some photos tomorrow after some clean up and organization. I made good progress and Deb called me in the big house for our "goat meat" supper and as usual, Deb has come up with a new recipe and as usual, it was delicious -- what else do you expect from an "ANGEL"?!?! After supper I decided to fire up the mule and head out in the rain to go check the pond level --- I have great confidence in my "mule" but physics always win out and even my diesel mule in 4 wheel drive has a hard time navigating several of the steep climbs on our property and it becomes more evident when gravity expresses itself -- I was in effect "hydroplaning" down the hills and it was like riding a "slide" all the way to the bottom, don't try this at home and I will not go to the pond during the rain again! The pond was up slightly so my "seepage" is not detrimental to the pond but is the result of a low water table due to lack of rain -- again it is a matter of "waiting on the LORD" and even though the rain falls on the just and the unjust, rain falls according to God's plan so I will trust Him to fill the pond or give me some understanding about how to fill it myself, considering the remote location and lack of resources I think that God can handle this a lot easier than my limited abilities, and when you think about it, that is a lot of water to get into such a remote location!!! Another case of accepting my limitations and trusting in His Infinite Power!
Once I got back to the house (after finding an alternate route to get back up to our "top of the hill compound") I shut everything down in the barn and enjoyed the nice rain we were being blessed with. Then it was "do a few bills" (still setting up everything on autopay) and then prep for our streaming services live tomorrow since our church is back to doing live stream only and will try to get back to in-service in November -- so ready for this Covid issue to be addressed properly, this panic and fear are not from God which makes it really uncomfortable and disappointing that America is under this demonic attack from those that want America out of the way so they can control every aspect of people' lives! Nuff said --- I'll end on a good note and say that the rain brought up the pond a little and my mule got me back home safely, I just had to slide "up hill" a little but ALL IS WELL AT JOHNSON GAP! {Sure miss teaching my 3rd grade Sunday School class at Calvary}
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10/10/20 SATURDAY 5:12A --- Looks like this may be a new habit for our morning devotionals as Deb and I enjoy our morning with God to begin what Debbie and I feel is "Another day in Paradise"! It is raining a little bit which we need. Our "spring fed" pond is way down and I have found some seepage in our earthen dam and though it is not critical in any way, it has my fish spooked. Usually we catch several very quickly but it has been slow since the water is down. There are a couple of options but as always the best option is to "wait on the Lord" so I will monitor the "seepage" and do what I can, I let the weeds grow up this summer and am weed eating a little each day. Plans are to make a picnic area down in the holler where the pond is, it is an "off-road" access only but I have cleared access to the back part of the property and now I am able to get my T100 (with 350,000 miles on it) 4 wheel drive back there and there is an old logging road around and through most of the property from when they logged this place many years ago so it is almost like going on a Safari! It is incredible because on the next hill is an actual Zoo called the Little Ponderosa and we can hear the wild animals so when I say its like going on Safari, I mean it!
There is a ton of work but certainly it is a "labor of love" but we also have some trips we take to go down to market so yesterday we located a source of "goat meat" and Deb is now looking at recipes. The plan for goats is to have a milk goat or two, some working goats for the Kudzu which is all over our hill after a summer of growing crazy, and a small group which Debbie will "not name" and I will learn how to butcher. We are going to try and literally "live off the land" because this 64 acres is incredible in its resources and our prayer is to "be good stewards".
Our main task is "FAMILY" and we have her mom and dad (90 and 91) settled into their rooms which are part of the big house, they have their own mini-splits to control their private rooms and a big handicap bathroom. Their rooms are connected via a big "parlor" to the big dining room and living room where our old devotional couch is so we are "one big happy family" like the "Waltons" except it is the "Waldens"! Things are going well now but we know the issues of "caregiving" so all prayers are welcome! God has provided this place and we trust He will give us the Spirit to prevail with this task of "Family" that He has entrusted to us - -
I'll have to plan a new schedule for today since the blessing of rain is upon Johnson Gap but I will post some miscellaneous pics from our little paradise!
Some various photos:
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10/9/20 Friday 5:31a --- Just posted Layman's Pulpit and read Deb's posting for Johnson Gap for 10/8/20. Deb is great at documenting this "MIRACLE" that God has blessed us with and I will start more posts myself in the following days. I have been blessed with the "health" to work this 64 acres and to do occasional part-time remodeling on "select" jobs. I consider that at this age being able to do work is a huge blessing and I praise God for His Mercy and Grace. Literally everything I do is to "glorify God" and as long as I have breath, I will PRAISE HIM!
Yesterday we did our "Couples" wellness exam and that too was spent praising God with the PA God has sent to where Deb and I go for our exams. The exams went very well and we are no longer amazed that God is Faithful and puts His People together for encouragement, just like He Promised He would!
After lunch we took a quick nap and then I went and finished trimming out the porch and added a custom threshold to the handicap ramp connected to the porch I put a new floor on and added a 6x6 post to hold up the porch roof. It is an 80 year old house that has passed down to the 7th generation and I am helping this old house to stay in the family. Fun stuff and it just feels good to still be working and being able to help keep family traditions going.
I returned home in time for another great meal with Deb and her mom and dad, then a bath and a movie. It never gets old having this much fun! I did get to jump on my 4 wheeler after supper and run the hills and "patrol" the property --- I will take a picture of my outdoor garage and all the equipment God has literally given from various sources to us to use on Johnson Gap. We have no money by "our cup runneth over" and we can say with all confidence, "surely goodness and mercy" is following us and we look forward to dwelling "in the house of the LORD forever"!
10/8/20 Thursday 8:01a Started LANNY'S LOG on the JOHNSON GAP CHRONICLES post...
10/8/20 Thursday --- Starting the LOG----
10/7/20 Coming Soon LANNY'S LOG
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