Tag: camping

The Salt Shaker ~ June 2025

Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Our ‘family’ in Mississippi; thankful for so many things we take for granted; He is our Jehovah Jireh (our Provider)

Prayers – God’s will and timing; ministry opportunities; safe travels; contractor safety, weather, and completed projects; weight loss and overall health, being fit to serve wherever He sends us

“May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”  Numbers 6:24-26 Christian Standard Bible

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

It always amazes us when we look back and pull our newsletter thoughts together.  A month seems so long ago but summarizing it is a great way to feel good about what has been accomplished as well as see where we could have been more effective.  We were home on June 1, leveled, water and electric connected, a few things put away, some TV, and early to bed.  That first shower after traveling always feels so good, more putting things away, water temperatures reset and treatments done, a trip to the post office for our mail (including breakfast out), groceries, planting of the North Carolina tree (looking very shriveled and sickly), and the final step of connecting the sewer lines to drain the tanks on the 5th; back to normal.

Salty Strings went in many directions this month.  We continued with the Booneville Dulcimer Club, enjoying our times of programs in care facilities, the Visitor’s Center, and the fellowship during lunches.  There were many extra practice times and getting the instruments back in tune following humid weather and traveling.  John attended his first Songwriter’s Workshop, greatly enjoying it, and has almost completed his “homework” of writing a song about an unexpected act of kindness to take back to the group in July.  In addition to the jam sessions in Iuka, there is one at a church right down the road that we prepared some double dulcimer tunes for; we were there on their ‘fish and chicken fry’ community outreach night! 

John has spent many sweaty hours in the attic this month, very productive hours getting the wiring moved, reconfigured, adding a 3-way switch, getting junction boxes in for outlets and switches, and has about two more trips in the heat to get it finished up.  He also spent a morning in the church attic running thermostat wires – cooked to well done more than once this month.  He got new glasses for mowing and they are working well to keep things from getting in his eyes.  He worked at our rental mobile home to get an old furnace vent sealed up and keep it a bit cooler there, and he has cooked a few great breakfasts of hash browns and eggs with veggies, a real treat for Connie. 

Connie began the month with research and ordering a new printer that arrived and ended up being broken; it was returned a few days later.  In the meantime, we purchased a different brand with mixed reviews for printing CDs; got that unpacked to find it did not print CDs so it was returned and another printer ordered.  Finally, on the 16th our new printer arrived and was set up; ready to print in beautiful color the newsletters that we mail every month and a great test CD.  Another successful project was working on our toilet flap/ring and getting it to seal again.  Some scraping, scrubbing, soaking with vinegar and toilet cleaner, along with prayers and patience brought a much better flushing experience!  Connie mixed some cosmos seeds from Illinois with top soil and scattered them on the berm for a bit of color now, and she cleaned all the filters and chemically treated our swim spa and hot tub.  She woke early one morning starting our toaster oven for some baking, made a few dozen deviled eggs and a pot of spaghetti for various potlucks, and got our procedure down for fresh hash browns.  The month ended with some research and attempts to get our recorded songs with samples available for donation through our web site – no success yet but frustrated enough to hire someone!

There were several shopping trips and returns this month including window blinds and a printer.  We enjoy having Sunday lunch at Captain D’s (good senior specials) and decided to try again, arriving later to avoid the rush.  We did some shopping first, arrived around 1:30, waited 15 minutes in the order line, left and walked next door to Arby’s.  No line, ordered, and were done eating by 2:15, with the same people still in line next door.  We had a fun shopping blessing using our over-the-counter health product money that expires every three months; $150 free supplements and covered groceries.  It took some time and lots of bar scans but we survived.  Of course, there were mornings we slept in and some ‘lack of energy’ days with a lot of TV shows and a few movies.

During our May travels Connie spotted some red clover and rabbit’s foot clover so she ordered some seeds but has not cleared the area along the bottom of the berm yet.  She needs to decide which clover will be in front, get some cooler weather, and get it planted for a border of sorts at the bottom of the wild flower berm.  Lots of ideas but no ambition!!  John put together his Father’s Day porch “rocking” chair with no arms, but hasn’t enjoyed it yet with all the heat and humidity.  We finally made more detailed plans for our August/September travels, have some specific dates, and will be making some church contacts for ministry opportunities.  Connie received word that her sister (Karen) was coming home in hospice care after a 9-day hospital stay.  We will be making a short trip to northern Illinois for a visit, July 9-17, then will be close by when we’re in Wisconsin in August.

John found a great mobile RV service that came one morning and cleaned both roof a/c units along with trouble shooting some of our other concerns.  Good news, some pointers for awning operation; bad news, some roof sealing is needed so they will be coming back again.  We finally decided to get a cover lift for our hot tub, a trial to see how easy they work and what we would need for the big covers.  It arrived the end of the month and it took us 2 days to figure out how to assemble it to work!

You know a really bad day, the kind where nothing goes right no matter what you try – Connie had one.  The printer came broken, the window blinds were too wide, and she attempted to do laundry but only had soap for one load!  Character building to say the least.  She did help in the multi-purpose room with the wiring and blinds once we had the right sizes, and was able to modify a clearance $10 blind to work for the door.  John did most of the work and framing for the lights and ceiling fan to work on the porch, and he added a pull-chain light in the attic.  He also put the plywood back on the swim spa and had a few days of painting the ceiling (scaffold is needed now).  We finally found a roof contractor on the 30th and have contracted with a landscaper but all the rain has put them behind, we are hoping to have a sidewalk and other drainage issues fixed by the end of July. 

Connie continued to play the keyboard for worship at Journey Church along with the pianist, and we learned a new song for Homecoming Sunday services.  Salty Strings shared two songs that afternoon after a wonderful potluck meal, giving the featured group a break.  John went to the men’s fellowship morning, and our Wednesday evening study in Revelation continued with lots of interesting conversation.  June had five Sundays, meaning Cross Point Church in Iuka has a potluck after their service that focuses on testimony and music – great fellowship as well as us sharing a few songs. 

Our big event for the month was being live on the radio.  Stress, fear, preparation, anticipation, etc. coming in waves throughout the month!  We practiced 5 songs over and over, coming to the conclusion the day before that we were over practiced, as we fumbled and sounded awful.  It was an early and long morning, but we made it through the interview and songs with several good comments.  We were glad radio waves don’t carry images. 

We enjoyed (mostly) lots of swimming this month.  John will still use the hot tub but Connie gets too over heated for that.  Our swim spa needs some repairs; it now has a running faucet type leak when one pump is on high; warranty service has been contacted but no date has been set.  John got a pair of walking poles (hand strap and adjustable height) that he uses when he walks around the woods rather than warped pieces of wood; they are lighter in weight and come in handy for clearing cob webs!  Several times he has returned with spider/bug bites or a tick.  Connie will occasionally walk around the driveways or to the mail box in the evenings, but usually the heat keeps her inside.  We noted a few apples and lots of pears this year, but we haven’t decided if these are real fruit trees or ornamental.  We will have to learn about spraying if we want any edible fruit.  John has started to do some exercises between swim days, we have been watching our diet better, eating more vegetables and taking some supplements, but our weights are about the same.  (Two potlucks, four date nights, a hot dog roast here, and a few spur-of-the-moment invites surely contributed to the outcome.) 

June weather was difficult across the US, extreme storms, rain, winds, etc.  No different here in northeast Mississippi.  Connie kept saying (hoping) this was unusually hot and humid for June but kept hearing “no, this is normal.”  Hot, very hot, hot and humid, a week of excessive heat warnings, and muggy were frequently used in her journaling for the month.  Of the 20 days she noted weather, 12 of them included rain, heavy rain, and thunder storms.  One downpour was so heavy we pulled off the highway and several times we couldn’t hear the TV as it beat on our RV roof.  Another storm brought a few thumps to the roof, likely 2-3” chunks of smaller tree branches.  Three-weeks in a row on our drive home after ‘Friday date night’ there were rainbows, 2 double and 1 single; so beautiful to see and to reflect on God’s promise shown with a rainbow!  (Genesis 9:8-17 “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Vs 13)

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** The reality of a “new normal” is what you progressively experience while the Lord is shaping you into His new creation.  As the Lord leads you into experiences that are different and may be uncomfortable, He knows how to refine you and prepare you as a vessel to carry His gospel message.
** We fret over all the problems of life – We forget the One who is Eternal Life. Jesus has always been in existence; there is no starting point for the eternal Son of God. Jesus will always be in existence; there will be no ending point for Jesus.    

[Jesus speaking] “So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you.”  Mark 11:24 New Century Version

Until next month – thanks for being part of our family!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail:  John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS  38833
Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912
Email – SaltyStrings@hotmail.com
Facebook – Salty Strings Music Ministry
Web site – SaltyStrings.com

ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

  • July 9-16 – Travels to Garden Prairie, IL (Rockford area) to be with sister
  • July 29, 31 – Travels to Litchfield, IL overnight then to Union Grove, WI
  • August 1-24 – SOWER Project, Union Grove, WI; friends and family
  • August 25-September 24 – Travel Clinton, Illinois area, family, volunteer work, music
  • September – Hopeful visits Litchfield, Carlinville, Macomb, IL and Kirksville, MO

The Salt Shaker ~ January 2025

Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Illinois friends doing much better, safety and protection during travels and getting stuck, John’s hearing aids arrived and working much better

Prayers – Renters still needed, continued health and strength for February volunteer work, contractor cancelled due to health problems (prayers for him and us to finish the work), Mississippi friends continued healing and physical therapy,

“Lord, there is no one like you.  You are great, and your name is great and powerful.  Jeremiah 10:6 New Century Version NCV

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

Before leaving for our volunteer work in Florida there were some chilly mornings!  On January 6 we lost power for about an hour in the morning with a temperature of 24 (feels like 18).  There was snow on the truck and ice on our steps, and it remained cloudy and didn’t get above freezing all day.  We turned up the heater in the addition for an evening swim, came back for a shower finding the gray tank was full and it was still too cold to try to open the valve.  We decided Tuesday evening (7th) that we would leave on Thursday before the snow and ice came, a really good decision because Friday morning brought 6” of snow to our Mississippi home.

We were able to get a few fixes done, photos and instructions for the contractor laid out, and water shut off instructions to our renter/manager (just in case) before leaving.  There were the goodbyes to our church families, prayers for our travels and our volunteer work, and a ‘men only’ farewell breakfast.  We had a couple of shopping trips to pick up John’s new glasses, fill propane tanks, pay property taxes, put our mail on hold, and pay-off our short-term construction loan (good to be debt-free again).  Of course, we had to say goodbye to our swimming (temperature turned down) and hot tub (drained).

On Thursday we were up, packed up, and ready to go at 9am . . . then the electric tonneau cover over the truck wouldn’t open!  Eventually a friend came over and helped John get it partially disassembled and fastened for travel.  Then surprise!  The hitch lock bar wouldn’t go in, finally on the road at 11:30!!  We stopped overnight north of Dothan, AL after dark, missed our spot, circled around and squeezed past a power pole into a pull-through site.  We hooked up the electric, got somewhat leveled, and stayed warm with only our electric heaters.  Travel day 2 brought a few sprinkles before we got the jacks to go in (too much slope error) with no rain the rest of the trip.  We arrived around 3:15 (EST) and got stuck in the sand driveway between two trees!  Not fun, but the camp had a backhoe and operator along with several spotters to get us pulled back, straightened up, then pulled forward until we reached solid ground.  We treated ourselves to a great Italian supper, and Connie was able to wear sandals! 

Salty Strings was busy this month.  There was music for SALT, the dulcimer group practice, and dulcimers at the Natchez Trace visitor center before our travels.  John was able to practice inside and outside once we arrived in Florida, and we found lots of other musicians at the camp as well.  We had a potluck jam one evening with great food and 9 musicians sharing their talents.  Country, folk, 60’s, hymn sing, a new mandolin player, a few original compositions, and most enjoyable, a flute and tuba playing along with many songs.  So much talent and encouragement to each other.

Our volunteer work was with 4 other SOWER couples, 4 RVIC couples, and a COM couple who had our materials ready and coordinated the daily work.  We met the camp director on our first tour and found there was lots of work to be done.  He is a visionary and shared camp history as well as future visions.  The camp hosts a community lunch the third Sunday of the month, to which we were invited, free of charge.  It was great seeing many church people head to camp for their Sunday lunch, and how they appreciate and support this ministry.  There were a few days we lacked direction, mostly weather related, and we were glad we didn’t have to coordinate all the volunteers.

Connie helped arrange siding and bead boards for painting, caulked nail holes, moved and stacked painted boards, walked around the camp picking up branches, prepped and painted the front of the office, painting in the men’s bathroom including cleaning the screens and trim, cleaning the staff dining area, and ended with a few hours in the kitchen.  The ladies were invited to join a weekly Bible study “12 Extraordinary Women” which was uplifting and wonderful to be a part of.  Connie also had our keyboard and played a song or two for most of our morning devotions. 

Most of the work requested by the camp was outside, and the weather did not cooperate!  Our first week was chilly, mostly overcast, a few damp drizzly mornings, but usually reached mid 60’s.  The second week brought the cold wave, nothing like the north had, but COLD for Florida with a few nights below freezing and a high of 34 one day, others in the low 40’s – not good for outside cleaning or painting and Connie had to wear shoes and knee socks!!  Our last week brought more sunshine, still in the 40’s overnight, but usually 60’s by afternoon.

It was a great group of guys that worked in various combinations to get a lot of camp projects completed.  John was involved in running water and sewer pipe for a RV site, tearing off and rebuilding the old chapel front porch, cutting siding for the south peak, clearing the bath house for the ladies, painting trim and bead board, putting up insulation and bead board in the old chapel, and turning into marshmallow man in his Tyvek suit for some tight crawl space plumbing!  His nail gun was used by many, and it was great to see the addition end of the old chapel being transformed before our eyes. 

January was a great month of fellowship; having morning devotions, working alongside others, and several meals together.  We got to go out to eat twice before leaving; once with a church couple, and once with fellow volunteers traveling through from Wisconsin.  A local restaurant has Music Bingo on Thursday nights.  We went the first time they introduced the ‘90’s Rock’ theme – definitely not fun; too loud and didn’t have a clue what they were playing but, the second theme was ‘All Together Now’ which we really enjoyed even though it was getting a bit chilly outside (imagineentertainment.biz).  Only 6 winners per night and of the eight in our group, three came back with winner coupons.  We had fresh baked cookies, delivered warm to our door one afternoon, what a treat.  One of our pot luck meals centered on a wonderfully cooked brisket with great sides, we brought pudding cake with whip cream for the dessert. 

There was lots of walking around the camp, up and down ladders, crawling around with plumbing fixes, and the ½ mile loop around the camp for exercise.  Connie posted January 1-11 on the Journey Church group chat some self-examination questions, that was great sharing with each other and it kept us connected part of the month.  We prepared three devotions and used our folk instruments most of those mornings.  John visited the local music store with a thrift store next door, finally finding a good jacket.  Connie started on our taxes and a new baby blanket (the 11th), stand by for the finish dates on these projects.  We went to Friendship Bible Church our first Sunday and have continued to go there and joined Bible Study the following weeks.  We have great internet here and several TV stations which allowed John to finally catch some football games.  After an afternoon of looking at various displays and models, we ordered a new cover for the truck bed with a two-week delivery.  We spent part of an afternoon getting the old electric cover off and the new cover came within a week of ordering.  January 31 found us cleaning the rail and installing the new cover, easier than expected and we think our gas mileage has improved.

We drove to Gainesville one Friday morning to the La Chua Trailhead where we had an easy walk on board walks and trails through the Alachua Sink (prairie marsh and wetlands).  Lots of herons, cormorants, other birds, and mostly big alligators sunning themselves on the opposite shore.  It was great to be in the sunshine enjoying the fresh air and huge mossy trees.  Another Friday we went thrift store shopping in Keystone Heights, then on to Waldo to a huge flea market where we found some clothes and stained-glass ideas followed by a great lunch at the Classic Café (a lonely date ‘night’).  At our camp site we’ve enjoyed the squirrels right outside our window, one enjoying TV with his evening meal, burying acorns (and digging them up a few days later), we hear sandhill cranes, spotted an eagle soaring overhead, and a huge reddish gold hawk (Red-shouldered hawk?) has landed a few times on a nearby water spigot post.  We had a visit from a big pileated woodpecker before leaving Mississippi. 

Thoughts for the Month: 
Irish theologian Frederick Whitfield said, “God’s way of answering His people’s prayers is not by removing the pressure, but by increasing their strength to bear it.”
Pastor and missions director Bruce Howell reminds us:  that you are not what you used to be, you are not what you ought to be, and you are not what you hope to be, but who you are is according to your reliance upon the grace of God in your life.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail:  John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS  38833


Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912
Email – SaltyStrings@hotmail.com
Facebook – Salty Strings Music Ministry
Web site – SaltyStrings.com

ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

  • January 12-March 6, 2025 – SOWER Project, Melrose, Florida
  • March 7-8 Traveling, Mississippi home base likely for a few months

The Salt Shaker – January 2024

Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Finishing the rental house; safe travel; volunteer work at a Christian camp with SOWERs again; property good through the cold and ice; John’s knee and back are better and holding up well.

Prayers – Good renters for the house; continued exercise and health; sharing music; recording and getting songs on web site.

Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Put My yoke upon your shoulders – it might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves.  Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.  When you are yoked to Me, your weary souls will find rest.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30  The Voice

Hello to our followers, friends, and family:

January started with a whirlwind of activity to finish up the rental house.  Lots of trips to the shed and our lower-level multi-purpose room to clear out the house, porches, and car port.  We had our mission student back for vacuuming, more Old English, and a few window cleanings.  Finishing touches included hanging the master bedroom door with a new lock, trimming the shower curtain, electric outlet repairs, cover plates, some shelf paper, a bit more paint touch up, and scrubbing the dining room floor paint specs from spraying the ceiling.  

January 4 we were getting back into travel mode – pack truck, check trailer/truck tires, disconnect water/sewer and signal booster, and winterize the outside RV water lines.  Connie had lots of laundry to do as well as getting things ready to travel inside.  We left at 9 am Friday, a bit later than planned, and had an uneventful trip.  We didn’t plan our travel stops very well and we do need to get a check list (we forgot to “lock” our refrigerator).  We arrived about 5pm to a dinging “refrigerator door open” sound and found a few small things on the floor, 2.5 smushed tomatoes, and the milk was still good!  Setup went smooth and we beat the rain as we headed into town for a perfectly cooked T-bone steak and pork chop celebration meal.  We missed our turn on the way back in the dark and rain, ending up on a packed sand road for about half a mile back to the highway to the camp, very thankful to be on a volunteer project again. 

We have lots of ladybugs or Asian beetles driving us crazy trying to keep them vacuumed up, flushed, or flicked outside.  There were at least 4 pair of cardinals hopping around the truck and some glimpses of yellow and blue our first Sunday.  John has been able to sit outside with different instruments (and coffee, of course) as well as spending several hours ‘learning’ how his new amp works and making his fingers sore.  Connie was told of two great movies over the summer and we finally watched them – Nefarious and The Sound of Freedom.  John replaced our CO2/Propane alarm in the RV, making several trips to the dining hall where his tools were.  We’re still running out of energy quickly, but that is getting better as we relax and rest a bit this month. 

Before starting our volunteer work, we toured this 100-year-old camp and its many buildings; there are plenty of things to do!  Painting was at the top of the list, finishing the dining room walls, the whole kitchen, three wood serving line carts (two coats), trim, and crown molding.  All these painted items needed to be cleared, cleaned, scraped, and sanded in some areas before painting.  The kitchen was challenging with the cabinets and drawers and getting around the vent hood and various pipes but we made it in our 4-day time window.  The guys built a new frame and replaced a window as we started, and finished priming our next paint area before the end of our January work.  We love being back on a volunteer project, each morning starts with a devotion giving us a chance to share what God is doing in our lives and ministry, and we are encouraged by others as they share their life stories. 

Before leaving Mississippi we had a meal with our realtor and her husband; our first Sunday in Florida we ate at Pizza Hut getting to know the couple we would be working with this month.  The camp has invited us for meals when guests were here – 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, and several supper meals – some with a high school volunteer group and a few with members of the board on work days.  A favorite spot is a Mexican grill where we had our celebration meal and our end of project meal with our fellow volunteer couple and the camp director and his wife.  We also really enjoyed our neighbor’s propane campfire a couple of evenings, staying until it got too cold to be outside. 

It seems our bad weather streak is back; we were again heading to the shelter (dining hall) for tornado warnings a few days after our arrival.  The first front went through, then we were at the shelter at 5:30 am for several hours as multiple storms passed through the area with no damage here, praise the Lord!  There were several power outages and radar checks throughout that night and we learned that rising temperatures especially during the night with rain usually means severe weather is coming.  Winds here can come from any direction and change throughout the day, a bit different from the Midwest.  Being January in the Florida panhandle the weather was on the cool side.  There were a few nights below freezing when we turned our water off and we did run out of propane around 2 am one morning.  There were a few damp days with highs in the low 40’s, many nights in the mid 30’s, we used our gas furnace lots of nights, and then those perfect upper 40’s nights and sunny high mid 60’s days.  One morning we needed a window scraper for the frost on the truck, and one day we needed the air conditioner in the trailer – welcome to January in the Florida panhandle!

When not painting, John helped with setting up the dining area for weekend guests, putting lots of chairs and tables into a storage area, cleaning the stainless-steel counter edging in the kitchen, creating a paint brush extension pole to get around the pipes and vent hood, taking down some very high shelves (and putting them back up again), caulking around new window replacements, rebuilding a window sill, and spent an afternoon walking around the camp opening faucets to drip for a couple of freezing nights. 

We have been able to get some internet reception in our RV, a bit from the camp signal and from our generous neighbors, but decided to check into a permanent solution since we spend much of our time in rural areas.  After days and hours researching options, we decided to switch one phone carrier, never as easy as they make it sound!  We made the switch on January 27, John keeping his old phone; the signal didn’t improve and we found he can’t call out with WiFi calling (not compatible with the old phone).  About the same time Connie upgraded to a new phone and is still in the process of making sure nothing has been lost in the transfer.  Her phone does get a bit better reception so we’re waiting to upgrade John’s phone until her transition is complete.  Through it all (like 3 years ago) we have been reminded to not believe all of what the sales people tell you, it certainly isn’t a seamless switch and their ‘hidden’ fees get you as well.

Salty Strings had the pleasure of sharing some music for a great Anniversary steak and shrimp supper (with baked potatoes, mushrooms and onions, salad, stir fry veggies, and pudding cake).  It was our fellow SOWER’s anniversary, and the camp tries to get everyone together once a month; perfect timing and we gained another guitarist.

We attended First Baptist Bonifay our first Sunday, really enjoying their great choir and instruments, and an excellent sermon (if you say ‘yes’ to God you are saying ‘no’ to the world).  Our second Sunday we stayed at the camp enjoying worship and a message with a high school group.  The last two Sundays we plugged into an adult interactive Sunday School class before the second service at First Baptist. 

There were back-to-back shopping trips at the end of the month.  The first trip was slightly over an hour to Panama City where we hoped to go to the beach but the weather didn’t cooperate.  John found his guitar amp at a pawn shop, then we proceeded with a very relaxed day of thrift stores (clothes and shoes), McDonald’s lunch, a shared branch credit union for some cash, and groceries at the Aldi’s closest to us.  The next morning we headed to Defuniak Springs, about 45 minutes away, and hoped to walk a bit downtown around the lake.  About halfway through our stops it started pouring rain.  We did get new phone service after a visit to our current carrier, stopped in a Tractor Supply for the restroom and saw the rescue dogs mingling about (with their sponsors of course), a stop at a music store for a guitar cord, and Walmart before heading back.  We made a couple trips to Chipley, our nearest Walmart, and found a little Christian coffee house in Bonifay, going back for a great chili lunch special the next week.

Connie had only 2 days of cleaning:  a large 2-story dorm (showers, sweep rooms and halls, and vacuum rugs in the common areas), the Welcome Center (move furniture, sweep floors, and clean rest rooms), and two motel-like room (tub/showers) – not bad for not liking to clean!  She did learn there are many ways to arrange a bunk bed and a full-size bed in a small dorm room.  The kitchen painting included removing hardware, trimming and painting two coats on cabinet doors and drawers, and getting the hardware back on. 

Aside from the usual bills and laundry, Connie finally backed up our laptop (over 2 hours), put up some of our knick-knacks we haven’t seen in a while, and got some paperwork organized and filed.  She has added to her food specialties:  an excellent homemade alfredo sauce (using up leftovers), improving her chocolate pudding cake recipe, and the usual homemade mayonnaise, Wassel, yogurt, and cornmeal sausage balls (although she forgot the cheese this time).  There have been many hours downloading tax forms and instructions with the rental property and expenses; some of it is coming back from 2007 when we had a previous house rented.  She actually took some time to sit outside in the sun and start reading a book for enjoyment!

We didn’t realize how tired and worn out we were from our Mississippi remodeling, but after a week or two we’ve started taking a few walks around the camp and to the trash.  John got our bikes ready and we made our first bike ride in several months – 10 whole minutes and we were both winded and chilly riding into the wind.  It is hard getting back into the exercise routines but we feel better when we do.

Thoughts from the month:
**Jesus – a different kind of king with a different kind of kingdom.  Instead of taking from people, He gave great blessings to people.  Instead of gathering a following to control, He gathered a following to set them free.  He didn’t rule to take the lives of others, He came to give up His life to rescue people.  (Devotion)
**“Humility is not thinking less about yourself but thinking about yourself less.”  C. S. Lewis

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. . . “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  The Lord of hosts is with us . .  Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11a  English Standard Version

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Our Mississippi greenery when we left.

John and Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry
Contact Information:      Mail:  John & Connie Nicholas
~ Salty Strings Music Ministry ~
3916 N. Potsdam Ave. #3962
Sioux Falls, SD  57104
Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912
Email – SaltyStrings@hotmail.com
Facebook – Salty Strings Music Ministry 
Web site – SaltyStrings.com

ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

  • February-March 27 – SOWER Project, Bonifay, FL
  • March 28-July 31 – Travel to property, Jacinto, Mississippi; travels IL, WI, SD
  • August 1-26 – SOWER Project, East Troy, WI and family
  • August 27-September ?? – Clinton, IL – Little Galilee