music – Salty Strings Music Ministry

The Salt Shaker – April 2026

April 30, 2026May 10, 2026 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Enjoying God’s creation all around us; Faithful people and answered prayers; Abilities we have to serve others physically and musically to God’s glory

Prayers – Hiring of the right contractor; Two guitars to be sold; Continued diligence with eating and exercise; Healthy backs and knees; Music and message May 24 church service

O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Psalm 39:4 ESV

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

For about a week we had our nursing home music ministry friend here and Connie was inspired to try several new things for meals. There were sour milk pancakes with cinnamon and nutmeg that turned out very fluffy, ham and mixed beans with cornbread, customized crispy tortilla omelets, and fresh grated hash browns with eggs as well as sending him off with extra pancakes and hard-boiled eggs. It is wonderful to have “company” and discussions of our remodeling ideas and spiritual journeys. John recruited help from a men’s breakfast outing to unload two sheets of drywall and we had good fellowship on our date nights as well. We were quite busy one week and skipped date night but did go to town mid-week for our 42^nd anniversary lunch!

God has led us into a new ‘widows and orphans’ ministry using the SOWER skills we have developed. Just as we have had trouble finding reliable, honest contractors, we have heard of several widows who have paid for work and had it not finished or been unable to find anyone to do smaller jobs. We are almost finished with our first assignment, bracing/replacing a bathroom floor. Lots of crawling around and under the area, adding joist support, replacing plywood, filling seams, and installing vinyl. We were able to save money using leftovers and it is good and sturdy now. During this time God put us in touch with a mother and son who were checking into a pool for therapy. Our swim spa would work but is not accessible without a lift to get in. As we visited their home to check possibilities God showed us our second assignment, finish painting and trim work in a remodeled handicap bathroom. We are realizing our bodies are getting older (at least Connie is, vinyl install at 71 is not as easy as it used to be) and we can work at our own pace, taking days off as needed for recovery. Ice packs and a hot tub are wonderful blessings.

Tax relief came a day early with our taxes in the mail. Several orders for parts were made and tracked down as our USPS delivery usually ended on renter’s porches; the post office rural route carrier finally knows where we are. Connie continued tracking down a ‘delivered’ package, finally calling our credit card company and receiving a refund from them, a simple process that she dreaded for days. April was the month to make more powdered laundry soap, not near as tasty as her homemade chicken and noodles, pancakes by request for supper, chocolate pudding/Oreo cookie desert, and flatbread pizza cooked outside on a hot day.

Outside activities for John in April were yard focused. More tree trimming, branches dragged to the ditches, mowing, and getting the already tall weeds cut down to size with the hedge cutter and weed wacker. As with all things you own, there are always problems: the pole saw kept slipping the chain, and getting a small tree growing through a hole in a brick made a trip to the hardware store necessary to get the chain sharpened! Our front yard looks much better after trimming, and all the bricks have been moved to Connie’s border pile.

April church services included Easter Sunday at Journey Community Church with Connie playing the keyboard, and Maundy Thursday evening service at First Methodist in Booneville with communion and an organ. The literal translation of maundy is mandate. This remembrance is the mandate of the greatest commandment: to love God and love others as yourself and includes the servant attitude of Jesus as he washed the feet of his disciples. We went to Crosspoint Church in Iuka on the 19^th and heard testimony of God’s direction, healing, and provision from a missionary from India then led the worship with dulcimer hymns at Journey on the 26^th. Our Wednesday night studies continued in Romans, and Sunday nights were times for fellowship and study on prayer.

Two problems were remedied this month, both with their share of frustration. Our hot tub has always been a bit hard to start the jets and finally the jet control quit on the 4^th. There were several hot water soaks (still relaxing with circulating water when the heater was on) as we researched, ordered a new control, had shipping delays, and watched DIY videos. The time came and we dug in (literally) not finding the “tube” the wire went through, making our own with a piece of PEX Connie managed to shove through, and getting the control replaced on the 27^th. We replaced the old filter and have a sparkling clean therapeutic hot tub again.

Our second accomplishment was finally ordering cover lifts for the swim spa – two roughly 8’ wide by 7.5’ bifold thick panels. The lifts arrived on the 11^th, John added wood bracing to the frame where they attached, got one side installed, and had to stop until we devised a way to compress the hydraulic piston to get it attached. That hurdle passed and we found as we installed the second side that we had to dismantle everything to get the bifold rod in the correct position; very depressing! All was fixed and tested on the 15^th, used for our swim the next day, and Connie can do it alone now!! All filters were replaced on the swim spa as well, and our water is a clean, clear, 90 degrees.

We are very blessed to live where we do. April brought many beautiful days with sunshine and breezes. It was very dry until the end of the month with some rain and a few severe storms that went right around us. Typical spring weather, air conditioning some days and nights and heaters some mornings and nights!

John finished caulking the new ceiling and the final paint is done, the trim looks great, and we are ready for the drywall patching to begin. We are waiting for quotes from two contractors for remodeling the bathroom. When we added the spa cover lifters John’s well-designed decks were too wide so they were ‘trimmed’ down, the scaffold was reconfigured for second tier storage, a few things were moved to the attic, an electric plug was moved, and the room looks huge now! Every so often we see glimpses of the finished project and are encouraged! While we were at French Camp in December, we inherited a small miter saw and planer, both in need of some work. The saw parts came and John got that running for a friend but the planer was declared beyond help and hope after trying to free up rusted moving parts.

Later in the month Connie started laying out and ‘planting’ bricks for our berm border. With help from John the extra top soil from the sod was moved and the border was drawn in place. The north part of the berm is full of poison ivy this year and with strict orders from John, all poison ivy was to be avoided by her. However, about a week later the blisters started appearing (oil transfer from clothing) and she spent 4-5 days with an itchy eye that remained slightly swollen with dark bags from brushing hair away from her face. Hot and cold packs were used, and lots of Benadryl on legs and arms.

Just a few other comments from Mississippi RV living – our roadside ditches filled with January ice storm limbs and branches by our property were cleared out mid-month, creating a more tranquil hopeful atmosphere not having that reminder on our drives. We have lots of squirrels and various birds, swallows tried nesting in our RV hitch dive bombing us as we walked near, but they gave up. There were also some unusual rustling noises outside our office/recording window; Connie found a beautiful pair of cardinals dancing around in the branches outside the window and diving into the window to chase away their reflection. Of a slightly humorous note: we were almost late for a dulcimer program after both inadvertently sleeping in. John was up in the night, having a hard time getting comfortable from his back, and came back to bed around 5. Meanwhile Connie was awake around 5:30, put a pillow over her head as the birds were starting their morning chirping, and neither of us woke until 8:45 – we had to leave at 9:15!! Guess we should use our alarms.

We left early one Saturday morning and enjoyed a community breakfast at First Methodist in Booneville, walked around the craft fair with lots of bubbles in the air, 3-4 woodworking booths, and made three of multiple furniture store stops that day. Our hide-a-bed sofa is shedding and looks horrible, so we’re trying to replace it with something more comfortable for us short people and we’ll lose a lot of weight as well. In our over-stuffed luxurious world, we haven’t found anything that will fit into our limited space with removable back cushions for sleeping when needed and fit through narrow doors. We also checked into wood chippers to help our clean up, on our need to buy wish list for now.

We continue to practice and play with the Booneville Dulcimer Club, very enjoyable and relaxing for us. There were two practices this month, four care facility programs, the Natchez Trace visitor center program, and one home practice for a special song. Other music ministry was the senior SALT meeting and sharing some songs at a community Gospel Sing. The harp came out of its corner and had some practice, amazingly in tune with itself. Connie has been working on Christian words for a traditional Scottish love song, prompting the setup of our “recording studio” and getting keyboard/rhythm tracks recorded for us to add folk instruments and vocals – “For All Eternity” is the official name (at this time at least). John has been working on another dulcimer music holder, his original clothespins to a stick design needs an upgrade.

Please continue to keep ‘Salty Strings’ in prayer as we haven’t stepped out in faith to find ministry opportunities. John loves his new guitar and needs to sell two others on marketplace. His great sounding little amp went into the shop about an hour away and again worked fine for the three weeks it was there and thankfully is still working. (Back in August we had the same experience in Wisconsin!) We used this trip as a mini-break, visiting the TVA dam in Florence, AL and did some walking to find the elusive waterfall, which was never heard or seen.

Why do we know what to do and not do it? Exercise should be the ‘norm’ for both of us as we get older, but it is hard to make it a priority! Our walks have been shorter and less frequent. One of our routes has a guard turkey this month: there are several chickens inside wire fencing and a big tom turkey has taken to defending his flock, full fan tail as we approach, and follows us as we pass; Connie takes to the center of the road and John laughs! We tried to make swimming a habit on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday but keep getting off as our evening comments to each other are “I’m too tired to swim, what about you?” John has taken a few walks in the woods, a bit depressing with all the limbs that still need to be cleaned up. He is still doing some strength exercises as well, just not as frequently. Losing more weight is still a focus, Connie has lost 20# in 8 months, John almost the same and we will reach our goals eventually.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** When faith feels fragile, God doesn’t demand that we get stronger. He points us to his promises.
** God is the God of peace and order. If you find yourself in a frazzled place, turn to Him. Allow the Lord to work in the step-by-step process to accomplish the good plans He has put on your heart.
** Warren Wiersbe: We can decide to endure life and make it a burden, escape life as though we were running from a battle, or enjoy life because we know God is in control.

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them – for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil – this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NIV

Tune in again next month for our progress, ministry updates, and travel plans!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our Songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

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

August 26 – Jolly Seniors, Lincoln Christian Church, Lincoln, IL
August 24*-September 9* – Clinton, IL – Little Galilee, Family Camp, family visits
September 10*-16* – South Beloit, IL – Wisconsin friends and family visits
September 16*-22* – Carlinville, IL – Memorial Christian Church friends
Contact us if you’re interested in some music programs

The Salt Shaker – March 2026

March 31, 2026April 10, 2026 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises –Safe travels home 3/6-7; constant reminders, God is SO GOOD to us; abilities we have to serve others

Prayers – Contractor contacts, pricing, hiring of the right one(s); one guitar left to sell on consignment; diligence with eating and exercise; music ministry contacts

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

March brought an end to our Florida snow-bird adventures. We started packing up and making final travel plans on the 5^th,trying to avoid bad weather on each end. Day 1 was 275 miles with great weather for driving, a few construction slowdowns, Connie driving through Montgomery and Birmingham, and John finding a newly opened camp ground to stay overnight, 4-5 miles off I65. John’s eyes did fairly well, a bit tired after 2 hours, and they were strained with the prism glasses the last 45 minutes (he hadn’t used those glasses lately). Day 2 was only 120 miles, mostly off the interstate (but on 4-lane, 65 mph roads), arriving home around 11. Friends had cleared the driveway of limbs and branches but John had to trim some low hanging pine tree branches before we could back into our parking spot. He charged up his little pole saw battery and succeeded, from the top of a ladder. We knew storms were predicted and even with the delay in parking, our set up was done about an hour before the rain and storms started.

We were back to our home exercise swims three days after our arrival, it takes a couple of days to get the water warmed up again, and it was great! We’ve tried to alternate swim days with walk days, continuing the Florida habit we developed. Connie has a phone app to map routes, distance, and save routes – we have options now depending on how tired we are and what direction we head. We can do laps around the double driveways (0.25 mile), head north or north west (1.5 mile), or south east (1.3 mile)! John has biked around the driveway a few times but not yet tackled the highway ride. Our health has been good this month, other than some stuffiness and joint pain (perhaps from pollen allergies). Connie lost a pound this month, but John remains the same – we need to remain quite diligent in our indulgences! One very ambitious day Connie dug up, loaded, moved (uphill of course), and stacked 3-wheel barrow loads (24 bricks each) from the front yard to the berm area, moving ~25 tulip-type plants that were replanted along the edge of our storm shelter. She felt really good getting this done, got tired, sweaty, sun baked, and a bit of a stiff back. Hopefully they will bloom for identification and she’ll get the bricks ‘planted’ into a border soon.

March weather included Florida for the first few days with the first azalea blooms sighted in DeFuniak Springs. On our way north to home-base in Mississippi we sighted low shrub-type bushes with yellow flowers (also climbing up some trees) and south of Montgomery Alabama redbuds and white cherry blossoms were beginning to open. Then there was home – thunderstorms right after we were set up, overcast days, more thunderstorms with winds and a tornado watch, and snow flurries on the 16^th! Snow of course means cold and we had to turn off our water two nights, had a high of 38 one day, and needed the a/c on the 20^th! Seems a lot like our old Wisconsin springs. The month ended with a few small rain showers, more cold nights, and lots of wind.

Our volunteer work was wrapped up, 6.5 hours, finishing a few tasks, tools were picked up and stored, and we packed our bags for a couple of real vacation days (Connie says it was our 40^th anniversary celebration from 2 years ago!). We checked into a beautiful hotel room with a balcony and ocean view of Fort Walton Beach on Monday afternoon, leaving Wednesday morning. We enjoyed their hot tub both nights with a full moon, 2 bright planets in line, and Orion’s belt followed by sitting on our 5^th floor balcony listening to the very loud surf.

We took several walks up and down the beach, much harder with the sand; great free breakfast buffets (very sweet pineapple and granola and waffles) and enjoyed pizza and salad with leftovers Tuesday night. We didn’t know or understand until our arrival that we had a meal allowance on sight that covered most of our food expenses, what a blessing, and we didn’t have to go anywhere. Connie enjoyed the balcony several times and we had our morning devotion time there as well. On our Tuesday morning beach walk there were several jelly-like blobs of different shapes and colors. Of course they had to be researched, salps (tunicates) are translucent blobs washed ashore after windy high tides, not related to jellyfish or poisonous, 1-3” perhaps in size. Most surprising was the loudness of the surf and she decided no more beach/balcony hotels. Our son has provided Google-TV for our use and there is one unpaid commercial spot with beach surf, brings back reminders and then muted! Connie also did a double take a few days ago, hearing ‘surf’ that was created by wind in the pine trees – what an amazing God we have! Before leaving we paid to walk out on the pier to hopefully spot some dolphins, none in sight our whole stay.

Before leaving Florida, we were surprised with a farewell cake after our last Wednesday study. The rest of the month was great worshiping and fellowshipping with our home church families again. Our first Sunday back we were with Cross Point Church in Iuka without our instruments, we just needed to sit back and enjoy the message. We were at Journey Church for their Sunday evening and Wednesday night studies as they finished up Revelation. Journey provides candy filled plastic eggs for the local Easter Egg Hunt and one evening the group ‘stuffed’ 3500 eggs! They had a Pastor’s Wife appreciation evening with Bunco and food (even John played). John was able to join the Men’s Fellowship this month and we were here for their Sunday evening foot washing. Connie played the keyboard and John added guitar and vocals on Palm Sunday. One Sunday we visited the Booneville Methodist Church, enjoying the organ, choir, liturgy, and message – very friendly people with traditional conservative Methodist views. We want to go back again for their earlier contemporary service.

‘Conductivity’ was shared as special music our final Sunday in Florida and brought lots of smiles and laughs. We so enjoy being able to be a blessing through our music. Once back home we joined the dulcimer club for 4 programs and 2 practices, so great to meet lots of new people to the group and get back into fun dulcimer playing. We do need to make the time to make local contacts to be able to share our ministry a few times a month.

Back to our old routines – shopping trips with multiple stops! On the way back from our vacation we picked up Captain D’s Wednesday special meals, stopped for carbide tipped multi-tool blades at 2 Harbor Freight locations (finally getting some at Lowes), and Aldi’s for our travel groceries. The property tax for our rental trailer took us to Corinth, followed by Lowes for a pole saw extension (no more standing at the top of the ladder), Goodwill, and groceries. We connected with a financial planner (starting to get our affairs in order finally) making two more shopping trips, and stopped at Jack’s for supper once on the way home; we needed a financial planning brain break!

Now that we’re home, we’re focused on finishing up our MP (Multi-Purpose) area. John started right in with the ceiling and getting Connie’s ‘tiles’ up. The existing drywall came down and was broken up and bagged for the trash. (John was afraid the bags would tear open but Connie saw the garbage truck pull up across the road and bags were thrown, landing on the pavement near the truck – not one of them exploded thankfully!) Joists were rebuilt, beams leveled and scabbed, insulation and plywood added with a bit of frustration and finger banging, and the counter light was wired up. Half the tiles were put up in one day, the rest followed including fabrication of an attic door. Each edge tile (24) was custom cut to fit the slight taper in the beams. Since our scaffold was put away, Connie added a few hooks to the post in the addition and we now have places to hang towels after our swims. John decided to hire out adding 38’ of gutter over our entrances (Connie is tired of getting dripped on) and for a major bathroom overhaul that is much needed. Connie then approached a contractor in the checkout line and another in the parking lot at Lowes – we’re still awaiting quotes for the work.

Throughout the month Connie worked diligently on our taxes; now only a final ‘final figures’ check is needed. It always helps to double and triple check – she found two forms were missed the first time through and saved $400! She helped unload plywood, cleaned out the dryer outside vent, and cleaned the swim spa and hot tub covers one day, ending up with a very stiff/sore back again. A few hours here and there and John made a big dent clearing and cutting up a lot of the branches in the yard. There is still plenty to do in the woods to clear the paths. Connie helped a little bit dragging some larger branches to the piles in the Highway ditches. John called the music store to check on the 3 consignment items we left there – two had sold and he renewed the contract on the remaining guitar. We were told to be sure and keep the contract and we’ve been searching for the ‘safe place’ we put it for over a month. It gave us a chance to sort through some things, take the unwanted items to Goodwill, and (while looking for something else) the contract was finally found. It is now in a ‘safer’ place until it is needed in May!

While in Florida we met a camp volunteer who has taken a vow of poverty. He has no car or home and is quite content with life as it happens. We took him for lunch and talked about his life, living on the streets, conversion and service in a homeless shelter, and future plans. Back in Mississippi we joined back with the Friday date night group (a bit different since the loss of one of the members), went to the 2^nd Sunday Gospel sing/supper at a local church just to relax, John went for breakfast with the guys, and we went to a free lunch seminar gathering information about uncovered ambulance costs and who makes the decisions.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** A.W. Tozer wrote in one of his journals, “There is Master Planning, and there is the Master’s Planning. May we not confuse the two. To know His plan requires waiting before Him, then we can be strong and take heart.”
** An old Portuguese proverb states, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” The Lord will direct your way, not by the easiest path, but by the one that fulfills His plan.
** What desires has the Lord put in your heart? What are you passionate about? What are your talents? What have you received from God? How can you use those things to love the Lord and others? God calls you to be about those things, putting aside distractions and bad habits.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” . . .“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” . . . This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Mark 10:27, 9:23, I John 5:14 NIV

Thanks for traveling with us and being part of our family!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
>> End of August – Lincoln, IL – Jolly Seniors Program
>> Family visits south-central Wisconsin, central Illinois
Contact us if you’re interested in some music programs, we may come your way!

The Salt Shaker – February 2026

February 28, 2026March 11, 2026 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Newfound church family in Florida; a place to park and work for next winter; safe travels home (3/6-7)

Prayers – Bedroom a/c; tree and brush cleanup after storms; music ministry; John’s eyesight still improving but problematic on longer drives/bike rides

When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” Matthew 17:6-7 AMP

Hello to our family, friends, and followers:

Connie made sure our visiting guest left on the 3^rd with his small refrigerator full – waffles, hard-boiled eggs, fresh eggs, and cooked hamburgers (he has no stove). We stayed in for Valentine’s Day but did have a special meal of pork chops, sweet potato, veggies, and a very relaxing day. John’s Birthday we enjoyed lunch out followed by shopping for camp materials. The church carry-in Italian themed lunch was the 22^nd and Connie made some homemade garlic knot rolls. A couple from church treated us to a Chinese Buffet meal, followed by a nap that afternoon. Then there was a lunch buffet at Pizza Hut (hard to find anymore) that was excellent pizza with several church members followed by game night (Bingo with a Twist) and another meal! As usual at the end of a volunteer project, there were goodbyes, celebrated with a surprise cake after our Wednesday night study.

We continued to go to the “church on the corner” (First Christian Church) and did walk there a few times this month. We arrived early to practice with the praise team, went to Sunday School with lessons on “Enduring Beliefs of the Church” and the sermon series “Healing for Mental Health.” Our Wednesday night “Daniel/Revelation for Beginners” started online videos, discussions, and a quiz. (Excellent materials found at bibletalk.tv). The worship leader was unexpectedly gone one Sunday and Connie stepped up becoming the backup singer, and actually enjoyed herself. Every week we were challenged to grow spiritually with these wonderful church people!

Our walking continued, averaging 5 days a week, and Connie found a phone app to get our distance. Once around the loop was 0.9 miles so we made a figure 8 route that was 1.3 miles. Our biggest decision was which route, where to start, and once or twice! It was refreshing and enjoyable most of the time!! We are both maintaining our weight loss, but finding it harder to lose more (of course eating out and bored snacking doesn’t help). John did a couple of bike rides, walking to the pavement then working hard for some fast rides.

Volunteer work continued with a total of 101 hours this month, mostly in the hotel rooms. We decided in January that we would donate the materials we purchased to the camp so we made our shopping lists, did the work, and started a new list. Our tasks included: One mini-blind repaired and another replaced; cleaned and replaced hotel porch jelly jar globes; made and put up some custom trim base boards; caulked carpet strips over bare floor joints, and kept trying various scenarios to fix the ceiling fan light before declaring it “dead” and replacing it. We broke a key off in a lock and made some trips to the local Ace Hardware to have it removed, rekeyed (twice, didn’t have the master key the first trip), leading us to lube all the locks and suggest it be a scheduled maintenance item due to corrosion tendencies. There was lots of patching and touching up walls and ceilings including some major work from leaks in a bathroom and bedroom. As we went through the rooms the exhaust fans and ceiling fans were cleaned, and baseboard trim was touched up as needed. We were creative using up old paint, mixing, straining, and making new colors for one large bedroom makeover. John cleaned all the a/c unit filters and Connie made some labels for confusing light switches and the hotel laundry area.

Perhaps from allergies, John had the “crud” settle in starting on the 8^th with chills, sinus, and sore throat. By the 22^nd he was moving to the couch in the middle of the night to be more upright and to not keep Connie awake with his sniffles and coughing. Even at the worst he was able to keep working, although not much for strength and stamina. He missed church one morning, not wanting to pass it along to anyone else, but was able to muster the voice and energy for special music our last two Sundays.

Our grocery shopping (Aldi’s) took us to Niceville usually, Walmart was close by in DeFuniak Springs, and most trips included lunch out. Only one propane tank fill early in the month, but several trips for materials for camp repairs. We finally made it to Blue Mountain Beach on the 3^rd. It was wonderful, chilly and breezy, and easy parking with a short walk to the clear multi-color blue water and white sand followed by a bistro-type lunch and movie after returning home. We walked the 1-mile sidewalk around Lake DeFuniak spotting turtles, lots of ducks, and lots of sunshine. This lake is one of only two almost perfectly circular spring-fed lakes in the world (the other one, Kingsley Lake near Starke, FL)! Another trip to town included leisurely strolls through some antique shops. Connie had a few “down” days and was surprised when John took her out for pizza (that she had been craving for a while) in Crestview – it was excellent pizza and there were two oriental food shops that John stopped in for some Nori Maki seaweed rice cracker snacks.

From the January storms in Mississippi, we learned there were no physical structure damages but lots of limbs down, including one that fell on a power line and broke the pole to our trailer rental. We received some pictures once the property was accessible, and it is not pretty. Both of our tenants moved out until power was restored, our property manager lined up the electrician and pole repair, a church friend made several trips to clear limbs from the driveway so we could return and park, and there appears to be no damage to the water lines. Meanwhile, in Florida we had one night that we didn’t get our water line thawed until noon the next day before turning it off again that night. Connie made a note that it was warmer in Burnsville, MS than in Florida one day! It was quite depressing to hear there would be 6 more weeks of winter, but by the 5^th we were up to 52 and on the 9^th we were at 72 – Connie finally was in capris, sandals, and a t-shirt! There were several windy and rainy days with some thunder storms towards the end of the month, not bad back in the trees, just a bit depressing with no sunshine.

For us, as for you, everyday life just happens! We woke early one morning to the chirping of something; not our smoke detector, not a noisy bird outside, finally found it was our hard-wired propane/CO2 sensor way down by the floor in a corner of the living room! We opened our vent fans (stove fan recirculates air back into the room) and it would quit for a while. Although we couldn’t smell propane around the stove it continued to beep from time to time for a couple of days. Mid-month we needed air conditioning and found our bedroom unit is not working. Connie figured out a knit scrunchie pattern and has finished one and started a second one. John spent some time on the phone trying to get answers to our health card purchase problems with no resolution. We finally decided on a mini-vacation (in the works since our 40^th wedding anniversary almost 2 years ago) and booked the hotel, more about that next month. Of course, our God is always good and we received an early Easter ham from the pastor, which we thawed, cut up, and refroze some for many more meals. This was smoked by the high school as a fundraiser, and was huge! Didn’t know you can air fry the skin for smokey flavored pork rinds, not bad for our first attempt.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** Billy Graham once said, “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” Poet Maya Angelou stated, “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” Remember to give and do not be too proud to receive. God designed people to support each other.
** The Lord apportions spiritual gifts to His children to build up His church. They flow from the Holy Spirit, not from the individual. Use your gifts as an act of worship to the Lord and an act of service to His church.
** Are you prepared for Jesus’ return? Will your reaction be panic or joy? The truth that He is coming again is a reassurance to the one who believes.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 138:23-24 NIV

Please keep us in your prayers . . . and THANKS for traveling with us!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
>> March 7–June ? – Home, property repairs, music ministry
>> Future plans – Dates pending; Fredericksburg, VA, IL/WI summer trip

The Salt Shaker – January 2026

January 31, 2026February 11, 2026 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Guitar finally arrived, prayers answered; hearing aid repairs done at very little cost; friends and family safe from storms

Prayers – Computer upgrade; those still without power and shelter, cleanup and property repairs across the US; continue healthy eating and exercise; focus on music ministry

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 ESV

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

January 2026 – the new year has come! We continued wrapping up a few volunteer projects before leaving for our next stop in Florida. John did some final painting at the staff house and Connie added a butterfly stencil preparing for hand quilting and started pulling out seams in a huge donated quilt top that was in need of redesign. She also pulled out a lot of waffle stitch crocheting, redoing it to correct some mistakes for the hot pads/wash clothes/doilies she donated to the gift shop.

January brought challenges to our exercise and routines. There is a nice 1-mile loop we can walk, half sand and half really rough blacktop, which we do almost every day if it warmed up a bit. We tried riding our bicycles, Connie faired a bit better in the sand but it is an abrupt stop when the front wheel gets too deep – once was enough. John was a bit braver, had a second longer bike ride (after walking to the road) and a few cold brisk walks. Even with the exercises both of us had extra aches and pains, perhaps from the weather and cold. Connie had a blader infection early in the month and really needs to do her stretching exercises every morning to get the body ready for the day. John finally made the connections for his hearing aid; although it was a long drive the gentleman replaced the receiver (under warranty thankfully) and only charged a small service charge

John found and purchased our newest instrument ‘family’ member, causing a bit of stress before we left. It was expected to arrive the 2^nd, the weather turned cold, camp staff were on holiday vacation, it had to be signed for, UPS lost the package, expected delivery was to be after we left, but John was able to meet the driver and get it on the 6^th in great condition! We filled up with diesel, packed up, and travelled 429 miles on Thursday, January 8. As we headed south on Highway 35 there was a Veterinary Clinic sign “dogs can’t run a MRI but catscan,” we crossed a bridge and coined the phrase jerk-o-matic bridge, and there was a yellow diamond road sign “chicken trucks entering road.” We came through Mobile, AL from the north and arrived around 4:20pm just a bit weary eyed – John did a lot of driving but after an 8 hour trip he had a strong headache and we decided no more long day trips.

Well, we always think the trip is the worst part of traveling, but again were proved wrong. We checked the parking sites, John tried backing into two spots, and a guy from the camp offered to give it a try. He didn’t make it either, soft sand and not much space to maneuver, and after getting the truck unstuck, we spent the night hooked up to electricity but in the road. Then, we found neither of our a/c units would work, it was still 77 in the RV the next morning! Again this year, for all our Ford friends, our neighbor with a Ford 4WD hooked up to our RV and finally got it into our site after 3 attempts. We completed our set up, and praise the Lord, both a/c units worked!

Our first Sunday we attended First Christian Church (west of DeFuniak Springs, FL) and loved the preaching (a series, Healing for Mental Health), worship, and people. It is only a half-mile round trip but the weather has not been good for walking this month. They have Sunday School and Worship Service on Sunday and a great Bible study on Wednesday night. The Wednesday study just completed reading/studying ‘The Normal Christian Life’ by Watchman Nee (pretty intense reading) and are now starting a Daniel/Revelation you-tube study. We have been invited to share special music each Sunday and have joined the praise team.

Salty Strings had one of our best experiences ever as we shared with God’s House of Hope staff and residents on January 5. Their enthusiasm, participation, joy, and desire to be in God’s Word was a real blessing to us. After our program we toured the facility and enjoyed lunch with them. We have tried to get back to recording and editing some of our songs in progress, but didn’t make any headway this month. Our computer is running out of storage, leading us on a rabbit trail looking at online and local options and determining what the next step will be. Connie has practiced her harp several times and John has worked on mandolin and enjoying his new guitar that plays and sounds beautiful.

A frustration this month was trying to use our OTC health card. Although they increased our benefits, things we used to get (and they say are covered) are not paid for. There have been several trips to the customer service counter to return these expensive health supplements. We have taken multiple shopping trips, heading various directions to see some different cities. We have a Walmart about 5 miles away, but Aldi’s is at least 30 minutes, taking longer with traffic. John’s hearing aid repair was a long trip to Milton, FL and we made our grocery stops as well as stopping in at A Joyful Noise, where we purchased two dulcimers several years ago. On the way home we made an impulse stop (very hungry) at Captain D’s where we enjoyed great service and a short wait for our Wednesday Senior specials. Twice while out and about we encountered accidents. A semi-truck was stuck turning off a highway onto the I-10 on ramp; we had to go up the ramp and U-turn back down. The other was a recent two-car collision with several road pull-offs for emergency vehicles to pass by, there appeared to be no injuries as we passed.

Our volunteer work at this camp started on the 12^th with the primary focus to clean and organize the maintenance shed(s). The cold mornings did not help and Connie spent many hours sorting hardware at home. John organized 7 areas while Connie only did 1 with help from John! After it warmed up a bit, Connie tackled the refrigerator where pop had exploded making a huge mess. Our secondary focus was deep cleaning the camp kitchen, inside work! Stove ovens, burners, and grill; big refrigerator and 2 others; cabinets inside and out; rolling serving counter door inside and out; ceiling fan; convection oven; and camp pantry shelves and organize contents were completed. Along the way John patched an open area in the wall, changed electric covers, patched and repainted areas of the walls and ceilings, and installed a new light over the serving counter. He also worked with another volunteer with a few electric items and added a new plug for the saw in the maintenance area.

Connie’s nemesis this month were lady bugs (the bad kind). Seems we have been infested with the little critters and they, being drawn to the light, hover and attack her quiet time before going to bed. Of course, google AI and others have all kinds of “helpful” advice; vacuum them up, empty outside (and watch them fly right back to the RV). She had the bright idea one morning to get our lint roller and flush them down the toilet. Works fairly well, doesn’t kill them and they will come back to life and fly away unless timely flushed. She had several days of 30-50 executions but we’re down to 10-15 every few days now.

The first warm Friday we drove to Niceville, FL and enjoyed the Turkey Creek Nature Hike, 1 mile of boardwalks along Turkey Creek before turning around and heading back. We started out slowly, enjoying the fresh air and views of the creek’s fast current, sandy bottom and deep areas. In the summer this is the spot to be for tubing, canoeing, and swimming. There wasn’t much to see this time of year, we only encountered two turtles and a deranged squirrel coming down a skinny tree, headed right for us. (It didn’t help when John started narrating the approach of the killer squirrel.) There were a few F18’s flying overhead with their loud rumbles. As usual, this trip was with lunch out (DQ) and grocery shopping.

Fellowship was a bit thin this month. Before leaving French Camp (MS) we attended another Masonic breakfast and enjoyed some ice cream goodies with our fellow SOWERs. As soon as we were parked, we headed out to find an Aldi’s and get restocked, followed by our traditional arrival meal, this time lunch at the “Plateful Chinese Buffet” in town. The fourth Sunday is the “carry in” church meal with a soup theme this month and lots of fellowship, and our nursing home music ministry friend Larry joined us for a few days at the end of the month. Our date nights remain lunches out, sometimes more than one a week!

Crazy weather, all throughout the US! We are first thankful that we didn’t have any issues here in the Florida panhandle, and second that our Mississippi property escaped severe damage. Our overnight high was lower 50’s with several nights below freezing (as low as 23) but it did warm up above freezing every day. Our surge protecter kicked off multiple times in the early morning hours several days; thankfully it automatically turns back on. We still have our water jugs out for those nights when we turn off the water (a few days it took until noon before the spigot unfroze). Of course, there is always that one the propane runs out and reminds us to plan ahead for really cold nights! We did have a bit of snow/ice on the ground one morning and a tornado watch. Both of our rental tenants had to find other housing due to power loss; our trailer lost the electric pole as well, putting downed lines across the house porch. Water service lines were also out with boil orders just lifted today.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
>> Both the good and the bad you see in the world have a specific place in God’s plan, and every book of the Bible affirms the purpose of God’s work: to reveal Himself to all living creatures as the Author of life, light, and love.
>> Genuine happiness and satisfaction in life are dependent upon attitude and character, not accomplishment and circumstances.
>> Rocky paths serve to steady your feet the more you hike them. If you watch a baby learning to walk, they stumble and fall frequently. They do not require instruction, because God-given instructions were born into them. While you may occasionally stumble or fall, your loving Father God is always there to pick you up and set you on the right path again.

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 ESV
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7 NIV

Until next month – THANKS for traveling with us!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

** January 8-March 6 – SOWER Project DeFuniak Springs, FL
** Return home – Travel days undecided

The Salt Shaker ~ December 2025

December 31, 2025January 11, 2026 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Wonderful music opportunities, new friends, free lunches, great surroundings for walking and biking

Prayers – Discipline to continue healthy habits; God to watch over our property and tenants while we’re away; consignment items to sell and their new owners to be blessed; continued music ministry invitations; right hearing aid not working

Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:27-28 Good News Translation

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

The Advent season has passed, Christmas is over, and a new year has started. The message remains the same: Fear not, God is with us, and Jesus will return again! There were lots of holiday activities available; we missed a few but did attend the Community Christmas program, the school choral concert, and the Christmas Dinner (fancy dresses and suits for the students, kind of like prom with dinner, photo booth, and entertainment, followed by activities in the gym). We walked to church for the Christmas Eve service, continued around “Old French Camp” for the lights, and back home, perhaps 1.5 miles total. Christmas Day, we had a great lunch of fried pork chops and rice (mild to Cajun according to preference) and opened a present this year!

Lots of fellowship this month as well. On the 3^rd we drove to have dinner followed by a game of Mexican Train at the home of a fellow SOWER in the area. The full moon helped with our drive home. There were two Sunday meals at the Carmack Fish House with our fellow SOWERs and new Pastor friend; the first week we cleaned up the buffet as they closed. We also had a pre-Christmas lunch with this Pastor and his wife, Christ-centered conversation and fantastic food! There was breakfast one Saturday at the French Camp Masonic Lodge, the guys got together one morning for coffee, we toured the finished counseling building where John worked 3 years ago, and we watched a video of the live performance of Jonah for an entertainment night. The 31^st we drove to Houston (MS) meeting our northern friends at a small Chinese Buffet for lots of hugs, conversation, and passing some free shop equipment along (a saw for a woodworking friend and an old planer for John to tinker with).

Opportunities for exercise were plentiful here, along with a bit of guilt since the track is across the parking lot. We walked everywhere when the weather permitted along with intentional walks up the big hill, past the stable, around the camp cabins, and a bit through the woods OR up the other hill, around the campus and downtown. Either way was about 1-1.5 miles. John added bicycle riding (Connie couldn’t handle the many hills) and a workout routine along with extra really fast walks. Connie did her 10-minute videos almost every morning. Some days were hard to get started; some walks were really cold and windy. On the 28^th we ambled up the big hill, stopping at the lodge where we sat on the porch and watched the sun set over the lake.

We attended Sunday School and church services most Sundays at French Camp Presbyterian Church. Our first Sunday was the first Sunday service for their new pastor. There was one unexpected meal after a service which we enjoyed. We were able to visit the Baptist Church the last Sunday in December. This is where we went when we were here 3 years ago.

The ladies were a part of 5 bread mailings (sticking lots of shipping labels on their respective envelopes and taping them to boxes of frozen bread for USPS pickup) interspersed with splitting donated hotel queen into small twin-size blankets for the dorms. The bread mailing was completed (didn’t get a final count, 4000+) in the first 2 weeks, the blankets were finished up before Christmas with some extra hours during our break period. We also had two days painting the bookshelf wall cabinets (lots of window panes included) where the men were working.

Connie’s ‘extra’ time included the newsletter, some tax preparation work, harp music transposition and practice, and lots of crocheting. The academy provided some interesting yarn she used to make 4 nylon scrubbies, and she started 2 waffle stitch doilies/wash cloths; all will be sold at the gift shop. Connie redid the elastic in John’s pajamas, a positive side effect of losing some weight. We purchased a second streaming device so we could watch something on the bedroom TV; a programming adventure for Connie. There is poor reception in this area, but it has improved a bit since we were here 3 years ago.

By December 5 we had emptied one propane tank and planned a ‘shopping day’ to Louisville. That didn’t turn out so well – Tractor Supply wasn’t filling tanks and Murphy diesel was roped off! We managed to get groceries and headed back, getting the propane tank filled in Ackerman right before they closed, and diesel was across the street. After putting groceries away, the TV went on and we relaxed with a movie. There were two other shopping trips, propane again on the 22^nd and two stops at Walmart.

Our volunteer work started on December 1 and we accomplished a lot in the allotted 3 weeks. The men worked on a staff house, repairing walls (lots of sanding); preparing the old oak floors in the living room, hallway, closets, and dining room (pulling up tack strips, removing tile glue); sanding and finishing these floors with stain and 4 coats of poly; 2 bathrooms were spackled, sanded, and caulked; multiple walls were trimmed and painted and just a few aches either from going up and down ladders or being on knees. John fixed a broken chair and finished up painting, caulking, and adding the final poly coats at the house during our 3-week break.

We have been very blessed sharing our music again this month, your prayers have been answered. It was a God-incidence when a Pastor stopped at the Welcome Center as the guys were enjoying morning break (ladies were shipping bread). As conversation continued, we were invited to visit his church and share our ministries with slides and music. We visited and enjoyed lunch with him on the 7^th and shared the following Sunday at Shiloh Independent Methodist Church. It was a great blessing to all and we continued, without slides, the last 15 minutes after the power went out. Our 2^nd blessing was being invited to share in a memorial service for a gentleman who played dulcimer and hosted jam gatherings at his log cabin home. The former pastor returned for the service singing and playing guitar, Connie played dulcimer, John played mandolin, the bread maker (with a wonderful voice) joined in with harmony, and they had an empty chair holding his dulcimer in tribute. Our 3^rd blessing was scheduling music at God’s House of Hope, a local rehabilitation center, more about that next month!

Our weather wasn’t very pleasant this month. Around Christmas we had 4 days in the low 70’s and there were 3 days in the 60’s. We turned off our water 4 nights where it was in the 20’s or below freezing for the whole night. We have to use our propane furnace when it is below 45, which was many nights. We woke on the 20^th to a heavy frost and stayed in until it melted off (we don’t have ice scrapers any more). Lots of drizzly days and some foggy mornings. Connie started crocheting some slipper socks (her ankles were getting cold) on the 1^st and had them finished the next day, nice and toasty tootsies now. Only one stormy night, the 29^th, with cold temperatures, 40+ mph wind gusts starting around 11 pm, and Connie eventually slept backwards to help some with the sound of the slide awnings flapping around. Even though we have cause to complain and do so at times, we cannot begin to count all the ways God provides and cares for us!

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
>> ‘Someone else needs to be fixed. Someone else needs to turn things around.’ It might be helpful if we first look in the mirror and see if there are things about ourselves that need to be changed. Repentance has two parts: 1) to acknowledge shortcomings, failures, and guilt, and 2) turn to Jesus and find forgiveness. Recognize your guilt, then turn to Jesus and find the peace of forgiveness!
>> Waiting requires patience. You can stand firm and eagerly wait for the blessings Jesus has in store for you when he comes back to take you home to heaven. Patience isn’t a natural virtue in any of us, especially when life isn’t going right, but that’s how God wants you to handle your frustrations and challenges in life. ‘I can’t wait!’ can be your motto for the return of Jesus.

. . . as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight . . . . two men stood by them in white robes,and said, “. . . why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” From Acts 1:9-11 English Standard Bible

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
** January 8, 2026 – Long travel day
** January 8-March 6 – SOWER Project DeFuniak Springs, FL
** Return home – One or two days of travel

The Salt Shaker ~ November 2025

November 30, 2025December 10, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Finished addition work; John’s eye doing better, still healing; no work needed on truck brakes and new tires; monthly and one-time gifts to our ministries

Prayers – Discipline to continue healthy diets and weight loss; other truck repairs still needed; consignment items to sell and their new owners to be blessed by their purchases; continued music ministry invitations

“Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 New Century Version

Did you know? “Faith” a 36-foot-tall female figure faces Plymouth Harbor with a Bible in her left hand and her right hand is pointed toward Heaven, reflecting the importance of divine inspiration to guide the Forefathers to Plymouth. The Mayflower Compact, their initial governing document, clearly stated that what they had undertaken was for “the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

Hello to our family, friends, and followers:

November proved to be a very itchy month for Connie. Although she hadn’t started any landscape work, what appeared to be poison ivy appeared on her right arm. After some research and fingernail polish not helping, she bought some Benadryl gel which helped the itch but kept her awake when used before bed. She started the dreaded landscaping attempt with removing grass from her lilac bush, pulled weeds on the berm, got an ant bite on her toe, and more itches developed about four days later. Each time one area started healing another outbreak occurred, on and on through the month. (Job was thought about quite frequently.) If it persists, she will see a doctor as it is not acting like previous poison ivy or ant bites. John fasted for a morning cardiac test showing moderate risk for plaque, better blood sugar, and still slightly high blood pressure. His eye improvement continues but after going without any prism for three weeks he decided to get a lower diopter prism put back on, mostly for driving. Since getting the glasses back he has been driving a lot more, even after dark.

We ate out twice for our date nights and had spaghetti and fried pies one week at the home of one of our couples. We started a fire and cooked hot dogs and brats for us one evening, and ate out a couple of times after church with friends. Thanksgiving was spent at the Journey Church community gathering with lots and lots of great food and plenty of left overs to accompany our travels the next day.

Salty Strings started the month with the senior SALT meeting and Booneville Dulcimer Club programs. We had a few dark drives home from dulcimer practice, once with lots of fog and another with a huge orange harvest moon. Connie gave another hammer dulcimer lesson with their husky joining us this time. She finally shared her words for a song with John but hasn’t gotten back to making revisions yet. Our big event for the month was sharing slides and music for a Sunday church service. Lots of practice and planning, our presentation was well received, and we know God was glorified.

On Monday the 10^th John spent a very chilly morning waiting for the truck to get the brakes inspected (no repairs needed), seeing if the running boards could be lowered, and new tires. His plans included walking about a mile to have a leisurely breakfast and it was a cold and windy morning! He returned and waited, then walked across the highway to get a slice of pizza for lunch. He was back home around 1pm and it was still cold and windy. The running boards are not an easy fix and we are pondering what to do since we are both having a bit more trouble making the big step. There were several ‘shopping’ trips including a breakfast out, lunch out at Captain D’s on a not-busy Wednesday senior meal day, and a just for fun stop looking at storage sheds/possible workshop buildings where Connie left her purse in the golf cart when we started walking around the lot. Good news, she knew where she left it!

Connie continued to glue up ceiling squares for the multi-purpose room ceiling, completing all 48 on the 10^th. Two sides are ‘square’ with the remaining sides needing trimming as we put them up in the spring. John continued making, painting, and putting up trim boards in the addition, installed the ceiling fan, then started cleaning and painting the remaining walls. November 19^th we were done with the scaffold, dismantled it for storing, and had the spacious room we planned. Remaining days were spent cleaning up, vacuuming, and arranging now that stacks of wood are gone.

It is nice to be able to swim again! Almost every other day our exercise included 15-30 minutes of swimming followed by relaxing in the hot tub, we are so blessed. John had several woods walks while Connie stuck to going around the driveway loops several times. John also incorporated longer bike rides (a bit too chilly/windy for Connie) and stationary exercises. Connie went on one longer bike ride with lots of hills, and there were a few longer walks together on the highway. Neither of us were successful in losing weight this month, but still had a non-celebratory milk shake. It didn’t help when we traded our old scale for an LED ‘accurate’ model – we both gained 5# that day! Where we are parked now there is a track across the parking lot which we walked around after we arrived. John headed up a steep hill and into the woods here on the 30^th, still plenty of options to keep up our walks.

John did some RV repairs; vacuumed all the vents and screens, nailed up a sagging panel above the couch, and worked on the water heater platform that is starting to rot from prior leaks. He was diligent in insulating our water hose and faucet so we had running water even when overnight temperatures were below freezing for 6 hours. He watered our sod for the last time on the 10^th before putting the winter cover over that spigot.

We worked together at our trailer rental to replace a few rotting deck boards and joists found while cleaning out the gutter, covered two a/c units for winter, and looked for the source of their dead electric outlets/switch. Connie woke the next morning with inspiration from God to check two things, the answer being found in an outlet connection we hadn’t checked. John visited a Tupelo music store during Connie’s hammer dulcimer lesson and gathered two guitars and an amp to sell on consignment while we’re away. We also made an offer and counter offer for an online guitar; it was pulled from the listing meaning someone else likely made a full price offer.

John and two others started on the Journey Church float a bit earlier this year. There were three ‘work days’ (two of which started with breakfast out, they “had” to get materials). This year’s theme is ‘gingerbread house’ so they designed a gingerbread church, roof, steeple, and picket fence all decorated with various candies and lollipops. The basics were done when we left with several coats of paint and final decorations needed. We’ll add a photo next month of the completed project. John also helped change out the US and church flags that line the church driveway.

We remembered to change our clocks for the first Sunday in November! Most Sundays we were with our Journey Church Family for Sunday School, Worship, and evening Study; Connie played the keyboard as well. We attended the Wednesday night studies and Thanksgiving candlelight service, sharing things we are thankful for that we didn’t receive a direct benefit from. It was a tough subject but brought wonderful sharing amongst all ages of the church. November 16 we were blessed to share our SOWER and Music Ministry with our Cross Point Church Family in Iuka. We shared a few slides from 2015, 2020, and 2025 interspersed with lots of songs. That was followed with a wonderful home lunch for 11 by one of the members.

It got cold early this year! We had to use our propane furnace on the 3^rd waking to 33 degrees with winds 10-25mph; 27 and 25 degrees in the morning on the 10^th and 11^th(still had a trickle of water at 4:30am and back to normal by 7:30). Lots of overcast days with a few low 70’s sunny days where the falling leaves and fresh air were wonderful. There was lightening, rain, fog, windy and damp days, and several nights below freezing. We were glad we planned heading father south in December. Thanksgiving Day brought a high of 50, sunshine, but below freezing from midnight to 7am the next morning. Believe it or not, Connie had to wear shoes and socks several November days!

Connie worked on her plate lists, sorted more, labeled the shelves and boxes, and draped a Goodwill sheet over the shelves when done. She was able to do a search of the list and identify all plates related to Christmas, easily found the plates, and gave them to a church family to sell at a booth they have, any proceeds to go to missions. Harp practice continued when John was around to enjoy her attempts, along with making some rolls, plarn, chocolate chip pecan pies for Thanksgiving, and some crocheting.

We found ourselves a bit in limbo as the end of the month approached. Several month goals had been completed, not enough time or energy to start something new, and too much time to start packing up for travel! On the 17^th we made our calendar plans for “Things to do Before Travel.” John packed up his tools, checked the tires on the truck and RV, loaded the bikes into the truck, and flipped up our truck bed cover ready to hook up. Connie packed up the little stuff inside and the office area and did three loads of laundry. Thanksgiving Day we drained the hot tub. After cleaning the tub, filter, and cover we left it to dry overnight before putting the cover (with spacers) back. Connie set the swim spa for ‘vacation’ and lowered the temperature (took two tries) while we’re away.

It was a cold morning on the 28^th so we delayed our leaving time until noon when it was a bit warmer. Connie pushes the slide buttons and heard unusual sounds as the living room moved inside, finding the noise was ice from the slide awning crashing to the ground. There is a first for everything! Getting hitched up went fairly smooth once we were lined up, and we headed out for our short trip to French Camp, MS. First stop was for diesel fuel and coffee, followed by two ‘side of the road’ stops and a driver switch. John did well driving, no trouble with eyesight, but did have some trouble backing up the trailer onto our site. We were mostly set up by 4pm giving us a relaxed evening and Connie had the computer set up to print out staff lined paper for harp songs to practice. Our project meeting was Saturday morning and we looked forward to Monday when we start our volunteer work.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
Our heavenly home will be a place of unbroken peace. There, God promises that anxieties and hardships will no longer trouble us. God wipes away all tears and has destroyed death forever. Heaven is also where God’s presence is with his people.
Zacchaeus didn’t stand out in a crowd, unpopular with all, yet Jesus picked him. Jesus wants to be with you. He calls out to you through his Word and tells you to follow him. He wants you to trust him in all things. He wants you to know that he loves you and wants nothing more than to spend eternity with you.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, . . .” Ephesians 1:17-18 NIV

Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas and New Year!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop
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
** November 29-January 8, 2026 – SOWER Project, French Camp, MS
** January 8 – Long travel day
** January 8-March 6 – SOWER Project DeFuniak Springs, FL

The Salt Shaker ~ October 2025

October 31, 2025November 10, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Finished work on addition ceiling; John’s eye is healing; monthly and one-time gifts to our ministries; beautiful fall weather; tire/brake work scheduled for November

Prayers – Continued eye healing; endocrinologist referral (found pituitary growth in John’s MRI); discipline to continue healthy diets and weight loss; other truck repairs

“Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer.” Romans 12:12 VOICE

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

October was very enjoyable at the start, ending with a week of cold, dreary, misty, damp days. Leaves started turning color and you could sense ‘Fall’ in the breeze. By mid-month we were in the mid 50’s overnight, with the same for high temperatures at the end of the month. Only a few rainy days and after a long week of clouds it was great to see the sun again and feel the natural heat it brings to the RV.

Salty Strings had a very busy first week home. The monthly SALT meeting music went well and the following day we took our sound equipment for another senior gathering. It was a wonderful program and audience, our songs went well, God was present, and a great potluck lunch and fellowship followed. That evening was our dulcimer club practice – quite a full day! We were able to join the dulcimer group for all four of the care facility programs but the government shutdown closed the Natchez Trace Visitor Center, we really missed playing with the ‘big’ dulcimer group.

We continued to be a part of Journey Community Church activities throughout the month. The church made preparations for their booth at the Booneville Fall Festival, Connie made several dozen sausage balls and put labels on cups and bags for food items, and one evening study we stuck church labels on water bottles. Our study in Revelation continued, and there was evening fellowship with finger food for our Pastor appreciation celebration. We visited another church one Sunday morning and joined them for a pizza lunch before their youth went roller skating (the message title “When you fall, get up!”). They do not have ‘live’ music and we left information about our music ministry.

Date night fellowship resumed this month, along with us having a few meals out (one in celebration of finishing up the addition ceiling). We delivered meals to some church friends after her return home from the hospital. We were finally able to get our RV slide skid replaced (ordered back in July) and our back flush leak was a simple fix for the service tech. We learned in the process that our triple slide switch can be disabled room by room so we didn’t have to have all three packed up. With all the busyness and things to do in our lives, there are a few days that we just relax, watch a movie or two, or take a nap! We had an unusual visitor this month – returning to the RV for a break there was a stick bug climbing on our stairs, retreating underneath as we approached. Connie had never seen a live one before.

John had appointments with the eye doctor and physician in early October. His vision had improved and he did quite a bit of driving without the prism glasses. The physician made a referral for the MRI pituitary gland abnormality (not until May 2026), discussed the blood pressure, recommended weekly monitoring for blood sugar, and suggested a self-pay test for plaque that would provide comparable blood work to his ER visit in August. His back and knees still give him problems occasionally, especially when working on the scaffold, going up and down, and kneeling quite a bit. Connie is noticing more that night driving is hard, and also deals with a few aches, especially when it is cold and damp.

Connie spent a morning in our other room (multi-purpose room) cleaning the west windows, trying to bend back the aluminum track, and installing new blinds. After placing a marketplace ad for collector plates, they had to be organized (over 200) with the boxed plates having a home in 3 boxes and all the shelves and the loose ones labeled and in boxes. In between cutting and delivering pieces to John, she sorted more screws, and had lots of hours painting and sorting boards for various trim sizes. Connie designed and convinced John to use scrap (and a lot of new) ceiling boards to make patterned ceiling ‘blocks’ for the missing multipurpose room ceiling. Lots of cutting and gluing, John gained 4 new clamps, and Connie was very happy with 48 blocks to make. A couple of times during the month we were able to thin things out and clean up this room a bit, just a bit more progress we see.

John enjoyed some men’s fellowship with a few breakfast outings, toured a church friends’ workshop, and helped a few days finishing up the church steeple. He enjoyed cleaning up and getting a bunch of cardboard boxes and scrap wood burned. John did some mowing, a lot of weeds were gradually cleared, and the paths in the woods are now cobweb free.

We filled the hot tub on October 4 and enjoyed relaxing there in the evenings. The spa mat that arrived the end of July was unrolled, flipped over, weighted down, and after a few days was ready to position. We bought some flex-tape, very hard to work with, and added markers (in case we lose the mat again) on the 20^th, started filling it 24 hours later, temperature was 86 on the 23^rd, and we had our first swim on the 24^th! It still leaks, but we were able to get the service tech scheduled for early November.

John was quite disciplined once we began swimming again. Almost every other day we would swim and the next day he would go through his routine with weights, bike rides, walking, pushups, etc. Connie would often join on bike rides and walks. There are two side roads we tried, one turns to gravel, the other is hilly and a bit tough, but gives a good workout. Because of the hills and speed of the cars on our road we purchased 2 sets of bicycle lights and 6’ flags along with a bell for John’s bicycle.

We now have a front lawn of sorts! The landscaper came and added some top soil, molding the area for drainage, and laying sod. That left a lot of watering for us to do over the next week. It still looks very patchy but when we return in the spring we can mow and watch it grow rather than looking at mud puddles.

A lot of progress was made on our addition this month, even though we didn’t get really serious until mid-month. It was a joint effort. John did all the scaffold work and Connie tried to stay one step ahead painting/priming boards, making the saw cuts, and passing material to him as needed. As we get closer to being “done” (if that is ever possible), each day brings smiles as we see how great things are looking! Finished ceiling boards and painting, lighting, fan location and mounted bracket. John ripped a lot of boards for custom trim along the ceiling beam, side walls and corners – all were primed and painted before going up. John made contractor repairs along the way and mumbled a lot as we discovered many inconsistencies.

Connie fit some new carpet in our RV office/music room, cleaned our a/c filters, and sprayed the weeds in the driveway and around the RV. There were a few shopping trip days combined with doctor visits, straightening out bills, learning Starbucks doesn’t serve dark roast coffee after 11, and finding a shortage of frozen mixed vegetables! She also gave her first hammer dulcimer lesson (more encouragement actually) with a dulcimer club member who already plays quite well. It was at her home where there were a lot of adopted dogs, one was a Huskie; we had forgotten how well they ‘talk’. Finally, after the RV repairs were finished, she unpacked her harp and started practicing again.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** Faith wants to be active. Faith wants to serve God. We serve and love others out of thanks to our God, because we have been saved. To God alone be the glory!
** To unlock the door of prayer – Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, and in everything Give Thanks (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
** Delight in God by THANKING HIM for who He is, what He has done, what He has promised, and the blessings He provides each day.

“Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, watches over the foreigner, sustains the fatherless and the widow . . .” Psalm 146:5-9 NIV paraphrased

November is the month for being thankful ~ may you be blessed as you gather for your Thanksgiving meal, wherever that may be.

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

November 29-January 9 – Travel and SOWER Project, French Camp, MS
January 9-March 6 – Travel; SOWER Project DeFuniak Springs FL; travel home

The Salt Shaker ~ September 2025

September 30, 2025October 11, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Hey, it’s good to be back home again! (John Denver); renewing friendships; family visits; web page for songs online; John’s eye is healing; monthly and one-time gifts to our ministries; mower tire finally fixed, yard looked great when we got back.

Prayers – Continued eye healing; endocrinologist referral (found pituitary growth in John’s MRI); discipline to continue healthy diets and weight loss; truck repairs; new tires, decision on quotes and scheduling; web site visits, people finding our music.

“Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.” Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 CSB

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

Illinois was beautiful in September. It was 52 degrees on the 1^st with a high of 79, about perfect for Connie! Some rain, perhaps three days, which was much needed even though harvesting had begun by the end of the month. Typically it is very windy, but only a few days this visit. Connie had to drive home in some heavy rain after dark and will definitely avoid that if possible; her eyes are not as good as they used to be.

John’s eye slowly improved this month. The prayers of many have certainly been appreciated and answered. He made his first city drive on the 5^th (about 45 minutes with a couple of stops) before some motion sickness started. He was able to drive two longer stretches on the 13^th when we visited his sister in Macomb, IL with no motion sickness and again on the 19^th when we went to Peru, IL. One of our evening walks mid-month he didn’t use his glasses and could see a reasonable distance clearly. Both of us have been more mindful of when and what we eat, and we treated ourselves to a congratulatory Steak N Shake happy hour half-price milkshake on the 12^th. Our combined weight loss at that time was 15 lbs.!

We have some on-going water problems that started on the 7^th – Connie heard a consistent drip sound that John found coming from the shower area, running through the pipe hole, and ending on the water heater shelf and floor of our storage area. The water was turned off and we were thankful that we caught it early. Most of the month was spent back and forth with the pressurized ‘city’ water connection or the pump using our fresh water tank. Settings seemed to work for a while, but our final diagnosis was the back flush valve was bad. Once that was disconnected, we were able to hookup to ‘city’ water again. In the meantime, our pump was getting very hot so we only used it for short periods, and that will have to be checked into after we get home. Camp showers are not fun and hauling drinking water gets old very fast – not complaining, we’re just not used to real camping!

Although frustrating, it was a good month for Connie. The decision was made in August to hire a professional to complete our music E-Commerce web page. A Christian gentleman replied to our inquiry and she started working with him on 9/2. After 16 days the task was done! WordPress had been our platform for several years but their host price for our needs was very expensive so we changed hosting services. Then came her part, selecting samples from the songs; getting uniform information for author, year, type, etc. (metadata); selecting photos; and adding these ‘products’ to the web site. Trial orders, downloads, decisions, decisions, decisions! September 22 this page became LIVE finally after two years of thinking about it. Sixteen songs from our CD’s along with Conductivity are available online for a donation. (www.SaltyStrings.com).

John did most of the volunteering this month – 16 days, starting 9/2 and finishing 9/25 working on outside painting. Two cement block dorms and their doors (Goodness and Kindness cabins), two boat dock piers, and one zip line landing pad. The dorms included pulling the wood chip mulch away from the bottom blocks, prepping the walls, trim and roller all four sides, and replacing the wood chips. The dock and landing surfaces received two coats, and all the edges were painted as well. Needless to say, he was very tired and stiff several evenings. He didn’t have any problems going up and down the ladder, no dizziness, but did have some heat stroke symptoms once or twice. He was a bit lonely so Connie did help one morning, finishing a short end of the Goodness dorm.

The first three Sundays in September found us at Lane Christian Church (our former home church) where guest speakers have been providing the messages for almost a year. We were blessed to hear two excellent speakers, one a previously retired pastor from this church (before our time). The other speaker gave two messages from Joshua 1:1-9 (be strong and courageous); from the incoming pastor’s perspective and from the congregation’s perspective – both excellent messages applicable to any church receiving a new pastor. The last Sunday we were with Memorial Christian Church (Carlinville, IL) our 2^nd ‘home church’ where we shared some worship and special music as well as hearing an excellent message from their new pastor. We were blessed to attend Sunday School, evening studies, and renew friendships.

Salty Strings had two wonderful opportunities to share this month. We provided special music for our original church in Lane, IL one Sunday morning (and it fit well with the guest pastor’s message). We also prepared a special song and led the worship one Sunday in Carlinville, IL (our second ‘home’ church) and their new pastor tied his message into the songs. It is wonderful how God works all this out!!

A busy month, but filled with some much-enjoyed relaxation. Connie was able to get her sister’s memorial flowers laid out to dry and de-headed. John picked up a beautiful flamed maple electric guitar, amp, and another acoustic amp from his cousin which he enjoyed playing around with in the RV (with loud volume) when Connie was gone for the day. (Later in the month he got another guitar that needs some repairs!). We enjoyed the Wednesday volunteer day lunches at the camp (including cornbread and dipped cookies), and a few TV movie nights. Connie spent a morning struggling with our new printer and some extra time trying to get the formatting for our web blog photos to look good again. She also researched our back flush RV leak and pieced together photos to trace the plumbing lines (what a tangled web). John purchased new guitar strings for his Taylor guitar and had his patience tested when a new string broke because of his limited eyesight. Connie’s sense of adventure caused us to take a short-cut home from a visit on a dark, moonless night across a ‘dry creek crossing’ – at the top of the very eroded gully our headlights showed it was neither dry or crossable. She was able to back up a quite a way to a farm field access, get turned around on the narrow road, and proceeded home on the safe highways. So much for adventure.

We enjoyed (mostly) our consistent exercise this month. Lots of bike riding (with and without purpose) around the camp. Connie’s knee was a bit stressed with all the trips during Family Camp but she really enjoyed riding up and down the hills. There were mini-rides to get water from the RV leak or take the trash and longer rides just for the exercise. Almost every evening we would take a walk, sometimes down the RV driveway and other times more purposeful trips (around the pool or to see the logs from the 20×28 cabin kit). It is hard to get up after supper and move, but it feels so good after walking around a bit, enjoying the fresh air, and seeing the always changing moon.

Connie enjoyed a day alone galivanting through the countryside. She picked up lunch and visited a church friend (and Max, their new dog). Then back to our home town of Weldon for another visit with a wonderful lady that helped her serve ‘Peace Meal’ for the seniors when we lived there. She proceeded to drive around this little village past our old home, said ‘Hi’ to the neighbor on that corner, and chatted with another town friend before leaving. We’ve been gone for 10 years and it is such a blessing to reconnect.

September fellowship was great, a bit rushed, but great to connect with family and friends. The month started with our last day of Family Camp followed by the local Men’s Fellowship gathering that raises funds for the camp. Mid-month we traveled to visit John’s sister and niece in Macomb, IL where we enjoyed the Farmer’s Market, helped his niece pack up her booth, had lunch with his sister, and conversation at her apartment before heading back to camp. We enjoyed an evening pizza meal with a couple we see each year, had another evening meal at Texas Road House with a church couple, and enjoyed an after-church meal with another church couple – that’s a lot of catching up with great friends we look forward to being with on our annual trip to this area. We had another visit with John’s sister and niece when they drove to meet us at a nearby town for lunch, and were excited to get to see some of John’s cousins this trip, meeting at Olive Garden in Peru, IL with lively conversation. Once we arrived in Litchfield towards the end of the month we had supper with our friends at Steak N Shake, without water, coffee, and soft drinks (boil order). Carlinville church friends, retired translators in Columbia, invited us over for a grilled chicken lunch and we met their new pastor; a great meal, garden produce to take home, and wonderful conversation. We were treated to a Mexican lunch after church the next day. That’s a lot of relationships, encouragement (for us and them), and wonderful stories to treasure!

Our renter took over the mowing and weeds for August and September. We had fixed a flat tire before we left, however it continued to be a problem. It had three strikes (and considerable frustration) before the final fix and the property looked great when we arrived home! Our thanks to those who took care of the repairs while we were away.

Our last week in September was fairly relaxed even though we were on the ‘pack up–hook up–travel–set up’ cycle. Friday 9/26 we had a short uneventful trip from Clinton to Litchfield, IL where we stayed three nights visiting with friends, eating out, and sharing our music. Just after leaving we received a notice that the RV park was under a boil order – no drinking water at camp or in town with our supper meal! We boiled water that evening for drinking and the boil order was lifted early Saturday.

We started home Monday 9/29 with an overnight stop at the RV park next to Lambert’s in Sikeston, MO. Although we had an early stop (forgot to tighten the instrument shelf straps) and another ‘shoulder of the road’ stop before crossing the Mississippi (personal necessities), John drove part way and we were set up with most of the afternoon free. We unhooked and were able to tour the Flea Market, get our end-of-the-quarter free medical supplies, and refuel before returning to the RV for supper in bed (so we didn’t have to unpack our living room). Tuesday morning was leisurely and hooking up to the RV went smoothly after John got the truck backed up at the right angle (Connie couldn’t get it this time). This was our first time seeing green and white cotton fields and realizing the old manual labor picking would have been very hard work. We arrived back to our peaceful surroundings early afternoon, got mostly set up, and took a walk up the road thanking God for safe travels, a beautiful place to live, and a wonderful evening for a walk.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
God’s promises are not always immediately visible, but they are always trustworthy. God calls us to trust him, not our outward circumstances or feelings: those things change, but God is constant.
We do well to remember that God takes care of all our needs. Be content with the blessings God provides and give thanks for the physical and spiritual gifts he gives to us.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:7-8 NIV

Please keep us in your prayers . . . and THANKS for catching up with our adventures!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

Now through Thanksgiving – Home in Mississippi
November 29ish-January 9ish – SOWER Volunteer Project, French Camp, MS
January 9ish-March? – SOWER Volunteer Project, DeFuniak Springs, FL

The Salt Shaker ~ August 2025

August 31, 2025September 11, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Wake up call to take better care of our bodies; ability to still do detailed work, thanks to special eyeglass treatment; spiritual growth

Prayers – God continues to heal John’s eye; for us as we keep putting off truck repairs and tires; eCommerce web site up and running

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it and moves out across the skies . . .” Psalm 19:1-5 The Living Bible

(When your life has unplanned complications, you may feel unrest in your mind and body; keeping your eyes on the eternal rather than the temporary keeps you grounded – God is still in control.)

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

John had many music store stops this month. On the 1^st we went to Kenosha to get his amp ‘repaired’ only to find it was working fine; the store gave us a free used cord (in case his was bad) and charged nothing for diagnosis. Guess bouncing an amp around traveling 650+ miles will realign anything. This store had a 3-shelf corner display of accordions and some interesting guitars. We continued to the second music store with nothing of interest but encouraged another shopper to purchase a dulcimer followed by Chinese buffet lunch, grocery shopping, and home for the day. We were invited to a maintenance department Birthday lunch our second volunteer day, enjoyed a Pizza Ranch lunch with a Beloit friend, ate out in Beloit twice, a grilled dinner with two couples we worked with in Florida, and were treated to dinner by our ‘boss’ at the end of our volunteer time. Another music store stop we saw a guitar body fitted with a stained-glass top, something similar was added to Connie’s list of things to do someday! We did plan a stop at Fleet Farm (bucket list check off) where John found some oriental snack mix. Gears shifted after arriving in Illinois, we went to two antique malls to look for lathe tools and actually found an old new set with a lot of rust. On checking prices, it was cheaper to order a new set.

The end of July we started reading through a book together as a daily devotion time, the title “Fit to Serve: Spiritually Suitable-Physically Able.” We had decided to lose 5 lbs. each by the end of August but did not know the physical and spiritual attacks that were coming. At the end of our first volunteer week John felt a bit dizzy and thought it was eye strain and being tired. That Friday Connie drove several hours for errands and visits while John dealt with seeing double, motion sickness, and he couldn’t ride bicycle over the weekend. We were able to get in early Monday morning at a nearby eye doctor who wisely sent us to the ER for some tests and an MRI. The news was not good, high blood pressure, slightly high blood sugar and cholesterol, and ocular nerve damage. The next afternoon we were back at the eye clinic where they added a prism lens (like a window cling stick-on) to his glasses bringing much better central focus. He is still having double vision and depth perception problems, especially peripherally, but was able to trim walls again. Some medications were started, a blood pressure monitor was purchased, and big changes in our eating as well. Lots of prayers, questions, and realization our lives and lifestyles are not guaranteed.

When we arrive in a new area John always checks the local churches to see “who, what, when, and where.” Then, we pray and choose which one to attend. Again, God in His faithfulness, led us to a small Methodist Church with wonderful people. We spent 4 Sunday mornings with this congregation (never did make it to their Wednesday evening study) and were blessed being there and able to help them as well. It was a tough month for them: the Pastor was gone for two weeks with some personal matters and the music leader was out all month with throat and vocal issues. We were able to provide our sound system, hymns, and a short concert for their ‘Sunday in the Park’ service and Connie played piano and we did a special for our last Sunday there.

What beautiful weather this month – after Mississippi it was so refreshing to have nights in the 60’s and breezy non-humid days! There were a few thunder storms and heavy rains, but we were not affected by any nearby flooding. A few over-nights and mornings we started our electric fireplace to warm it up a bit and there were many days that we didn’t need to use the a/c. Our friend meeting us in Elkhorn was delayed waiting for the hail and rain to let up for our lunch meeting. We had a few day trips bringing us home after dark – one evening we had a cat, deer, and geese crossing the road with a huge golden-red sunset and a pale reddish moon rising, dipping behind clouds, then returning slightly out-of-shape to become full again. Another evening coming around a bend behind a hill there was a big orange moon, actually the orange silo of Fleet Farm (which was on John’s bucket list to stop at).

While we were in Wisconsin Connie spent some extra time preparing for her sister’s Celebration of Life and was the emcee and speaker (with help from her niece). All our kids were able to be there, a wonderful blessing, and several of Connie’s aunts, uncles, and cousins as well. Extended family gatherings are a thing of the past it seems but there tends to be a least one in each generation that keeps everyone in contact. We left with some personal contact information, quail eggs from our daughter, and three wildflower bouquets (we could already smell them upstairs that night). The plan is to let the flowers dry, collect the seeds, and plant them in the spring with our other wildflowers.

Our August ‘project’ in Wisconsin included 104 volunteer hours under maintenance direction. We started painting two large walls in the office building and continued with two classrooms. There were a few things to move out of the way in the office (a large oak cubby cabinet and some window shades), and the last classroom we took several pictures so we could put things back the way they were when we finished. Cover plates, TVs off their wall stands, white boards, etc. along with some spackling and a hole to patch before starting and everything put back in place when we finished a room. It was great inside work and we were finishing up as the first-year students arrived and teachers organized their rooms.

We moved outside our last volunteer week, much warmer and a few rainy days, but we scraped, primed, and completed the final coat of a 3-sided fence around the main electrical panel. In our down time John started organizing the shop garden tool storage area, putting up beveled 1×12” boards then adding pegs and hanging rakes and shovels. We enjoyed our tour on our first day and know those that work here have a heart for the ministry they provide.

August was a good month for us to start working on our diets and exercise habits. There were great roads to ride our bicycles with a few very slight hills, and we did most of our own cooking this month. Once we arrived in Illinois the hills were tougher, Family Camp weekend there were 5-6 trips each day, and we are still riding several times a week. We are also trying to walk in the evening if we haven’t been very active that day.

Connie tried a few new kitchen recipes that did not go well – baking brownies in microwave pods (burned most of them leaving a brownie fragrance every time the microwave door was opened for several weeks) and chicken and dumplings that were a bit mushy (leaving them sit for over an hour before eating didn’t help). We were doing good with bicycle riding almost every day until Connie’s tire went flat (the 7^th) and John’s vision/balance was off (the 9^th). John was able to get the bike tire off and back on and we were good to go again on the 17^th! Our humming bird feeder was put out and the little guys showed up the next day. With all the commotion our monthly newsletter update was a bit behind, but the mail copies were finally sent from Kansasville, WI which we found amusing. John also replaced his bicycle gear guard (broken for over a year) when Connie found the part while setting up the office area. We did get the oil changed and new wiper blades finally for the truck, but the low gas warning light is still reminding us that we have some issues and need to have service soon (which we’ve known for several months).

Salty Strings was busy with an annual program in Illinois and the church in Wisconsin. We were to provide music for worship in the park that was expanded to include a message time concert. Although John’s eyes were not working and we forgot two microphones (thankfully our RV was almost next door to the park), everyone enjoyed our songs and God was present! We were almost finished eating when a thunderstorm rolled in, had to leave in a hurry, and we were given large catering pans of Italian beef and mostaccioli to take to our fellow maintenance workers. Our last Sunday at the church we shared a special song for those who didn’t make it to the park, and Connie played the piano for the service. We began practicing and organizing songs before traveling to Illinois for our annual Jolly Seniors program. The weather this year was great (usually it rains), and even though we were not at our best, everyone enjoyed our songs.

We had one short trip (5 hours) to make in August. Everything got packed up and we headed out at 9:30 Monday morning (8/25). This was a different trip with Connie driving all the way (with a few prayers and several stops). It was great travel weather, partly cloudy, and we noticed some interesting fence post decorations we had never seen before – ladies blue jeans likely stuffed with something ‘hanging’ from the top wire, and another field with Tonka trucks on the posts! How cute and innovative. We arrived in Illinois around 2:30, John backed the trailer into our site (with great difficulty), got mostly set up, and headed into town for a Mexican dinner.

We made reservations for Family Camp at Little Galilee this year for the speakers and a place to park before and after Labor Day weekend. The sessions were about Joseph (of the many-colored coat) and family dynamics, the morning devotions were from John 1:1-18, and the mission presentation was from their summer camp missionary and her family’s ministry in Pakistan. Part of the weekend was a celebration for the 70 years this camp has been operating, including a hot air balloon filling and “race car” carrying the camp logo. The weather was fantastic and the tables were dry (no dew) two of the three mornings for devotions!

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
Your attitude is always a choice. When you have God’s perspective you understand that everything you see is transient; it is temporary. In this life, you walk by faith – obedient to the words of Scripture, the words of the Creator God. When you experience the troubles of this life take comfort in the Lord’s promises.
What is happening when the Lord appears to be quiet? When your soul aches from the stress of life and you are breathless, hoping to hear from Heaven, don’t misunderstand God’s silence. Far from ignoring you, He is likely saying, “Hold on, loved one… and wait.” Many times God uses ‘wait’ to train His heavy lifters.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. . .” James 4:8a ESV

Thanks for traveling with us and being part of our family too!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
<> August 25-September 24 – Clinton, Illinois area; volunteer work, music
<> September – Visits with friends in the area and family in Macomb, IL
<> September 28 – Memorial Christian Church, Carlinville, IL, Special Music
<> September 29 – Travel back home, Burnsville, MS

The Salt Shaker ~ July 2025

July 31, 2025September 6, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Safe travels; truck issues, God watching over us to reach our August mission.

Prayers – Ministry opportunities; our health as we face some challenges starting our August project (John vision problems and high blood pressure); being fit to serve wherever He sends us

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. Psalm 40:5 ESV

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4 NIV

Hello to our family, friends, and followers:

Repairs continued in our multi-purpose area including finishing the attic electric, reconnecting the kitchenette light, installing six wafer/pancake lights, and putting up a few recycled towel bars in the bathroom (Connie usually showers here after our swims). Connie worked on repurposing a blank cover plate for the porch ceiling fan and John replaced the switch with one with a light (pilot switch) so we could tell from the RV if we forgot to turn it off. We decided to drain and clean both the hot tub and spa before we left this time. The spa drained well overnight with a suction hose leaving a few inches in the bottom to mop up. There was quite a bit of water left in the hot tub though! We did figure out the cover lift and can put that in place before refilling the hot tub. When we return there will hopefully be a spa service person to fix a leaky pump and install the soft tread (that finally arrived) so we can have our guide lines for swimming again.

Finally, we had contractors come and get some things finished up! We hired a roofer that was delayed two weeks due to weather and material – now the ceiling work can be done when we get back in October. We also hired a landscaper who put in a gravel sidewalk (a blessing for Connie) and fixed our foundation drainage/storm shelter entrance area. Weeds are gone, shelter has been cleaned up inside, steps added for safe entry, and the drainage worked well when we emptied the tubs! They will be back in October for the front drain repair and getting some sod down. John was able to repurpose some leftover ridge cap to cover our retaining wall, kinda cute don’t you think.

Mississippi was full of extreme heat warning days causing overheating for us both. Although Connie spent lots of time inside, she did get some things finished up by the end of the month. We had a sudden thunder storm with wind on the 1^st leaving a double rainbow in the clouds above our RV for about 15 minutes. On the 8^th John was driving in a thunder storm that brought some flash flooding to our area. We had two storms pass through while visiting Connie’s sister in northern Illinois; lots of lightening, wind, rain, and traffic lights were out for a few hours. Another storm front quickly passed through the Litchfield, IL area and we got our awnings pulled in just in time!

John spent quite a bit of time helping out with the Journey Church steeple that came off the roof during a spring storm. They loaded it onto a trailer to get closer to the building for a power supply. Old wood bracing was removed, new support/bracing was added, and a few others joined in with the sanding. Ready for some new paint now.

Some of Connie’s accomplishments for the month included: the June newsletter was finished early for a change, some light reading, lots of time researching and trying to get our music ‘store’ web page set up (failed, ready to hire someone), reprogrammed porch door lock (forgot code from a year ago), porch ceiling fan functioning, Goodwill sorting clothing and kitchen items, a few new recipes tried, and treating her ant bites successfully (ice and John’s back rub). She did miss two great opportunities to share her faith with fellow travelers: one at a rest stop with an older couple noticing our truck lettering, and another at a refuel stop with a polite young man traveling with two dogs.

John had many experiences this month with the mower – he started mowing and quickly found he had two flat tires, propped up that side, couldn’t get the lugs off, borrowed an impact driver, got the tire off, and had to take it to town for remounting; later on in the month he got it stuck and our renter rescued Connie from helping push it back to the driveway. There were a few property repairs and some clean up done, he trimmed back some branches around the driveway, siliconed the RV awning slides, put tools and things away or packed to go, and built a shelf for the cooler to sit on in the truck (worked great). He was a bit under the weather for a few days with some stuffiness and headaches. His big purchase of the month was finding a Shop Smith (will need some elbow grease for rust) that will serve as a good drill press and eventually a lathe when a rest and chisel tools are found. Connie came along to pick it up and the fire ants found both feet; it was a long drive back and we covered it for overnight, unloading it the next morning.

Salty Strings provided worship music the last two Sundays of July for Journey Church along with the monthly SALT gathering. We did a couple of songs at the Tishomingo Jam in Iuka and really enjoyed the diverse instruments and excellent players this month. John attended the Song Writers’ Workshop again, and Connie met with another hammer dulcimer player to share some wisdom, returning with fresh blueberries to enjoy! We were with the Booneville dulcimer group at the Natchez Trace Visitors Center early in the month, and joined them for two practice sessions. Connie was able to join the group for three programs and lunch in Booneville as well.

Our Wednesday night study continued in Revelation, making slow progress but we’re learning a lot and having some great discussions. We had a cookout after a morning service with wonderful fellowship and food, and there were a few lunches out after service as well. Our last Sunday the church gathered following service and prayed for our travels and ministry while we’re away and another couple that were flying to visit family for a week; these are always special blessings that abound when you are part of a Christian family. On our way home from our trip to see Connie’s sister we visited another “home” church in Carlinville, IL for their Sunday night study “Walking With God in the Desert.” It still amazes us at the loving words God provides when we most need them – of course DQ afterward was part of that blessing!

We were able to attend two date nights this month but also enjoyed a fantastic slug burger and BLT at White Trolley (our first time there in several months) and the 4^th of July Jacinto Fire Station breakfast. Another Friday night we were invited to join the Johnson Family Reunion again this year for some fellowship and great food. Of course, several more meals out with friends from all places and some great pizza in northern Illinois!

Connie’s sister was released to home hospice care after nine days in the hospital on extremely high oxygen due to lung damage from years of chemo and radiation. We made a trip to the Rockford, IL area staying in a hotel and were able to spend a few days with her. She needed 24/7 care so there was a bit of day relief we could provide as well as encouragement. Connie was six years older, missed her sisters’ teen/college years, and didn’t know she was so strong-willed and stubborn; lots of struggles keeping the oxygen on and calming panic attacks. We received word that her sister passed peacefully, what we had been praying for, on July 27.

We left for Connie’s sisters’ on the 9^th and stayed overnight with friends in Litchfield, IL. Our route took us by a field of tasseled corn in rows, lit by the morning sun. Somehow, we took a different route that avoided St. Louis and crossed the Mississippi River into Chester, IL. What a great adventure – it was beautiful with some huge barges and plaques about Lewis & Clark and Popeye. We had rush hour traffic as we headed north to the interstate but we did see the Brooks Catsup Bottle water tower in Collinsville, IL as a consolation prize. Our friends provided a great dinner, bed, and breakfast along with fellowship. The next day we arrived early afternoon after missing the last exit before the freeway causing a long detour to her house. We started back Sunday afternoon, saw a deer grazing at the top of a hill when switching drivers, met church friends for their evening study, enjoyed DQ treats, got some fresh produce to take back with us, then back to our “bed and breakfast” in Litchfield. After another great breakfast, we hit the road for another 7.5 hours, arriving home at 5:45 exhausted. We put a few things away in the refrigerator, got our pillows, and crashed after a 1500-mile whirlwind 6 days!

Our truck decided to give us a scare on our last travel day to Wisconsin. John was driving uphill passing a semi, Connie had just turned on the a/c, then there were dings and a warning on the dash “reduced power.” He went to the shoulder, not getting any acceleration, and we limped along for perhaps a mile. Connie frantically pulled out the owners’ manuals, read everything regarding this message, checked what it said to do and we eventually shut off the truck. After a quick prayer, we started up again and all was working normal except we didn’t use the a/c since most of the manual referred to engine overheating issues. (We have had diagnostics since and it appears to have been a freak situation.)

The end of the month finally arrived and we left for two months of volunteer work! We finished cleaning/draining our tubs, checked the air in the tires, packed up things in the RV, made sandwiches, hitched up (by 6:30pm), drained the tanks, showered, and were ready for an early start in the morning. July 29, 8am, we were headed out the driveway! We had sandwiches and snacks to eat in the truck, a few stops for gas and short breaks, the “add DEF” dash message informed us our speed would be reduced soon, and we arrived at our camp spot around 3:30 making great time. It was very hot the whole trip, the RV was 99 and 95 inside, we got set up and headed into Litchfield, IL to meet our friends for supper and stop at Walmart for DEF fluid (put in the next day, John forgot to bring the stool). We planned two overnights so we had a great restful day with some reading, crochet, a movie, and showers before going to a great home-made lasagna meal with two other couples. Back at the RV we made sandwiches and packed up, leaving only a little to do in the morning.

We left about 8:15am July 31, just as a slight drizzle started, had a bit of rain early in our drive, some engine trouble, and arrived in Union Grove, WI around 2:30. We quickly got things settled and had a general walking tour of the project for anything we might need over the weekend (the official tour would come on Monday). It was a very windy day for traveling (14-25mph) but temperatures cooled to an enjoyable 70. After finishing our set up we walked across the street and, after a long day, treated ourselves to a Dairy Queen supper – a fitting end to the month of July!!!

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
>> Notice what needs to be done and do what you can without complaining. God has blessed you with gifts to serve. Use them. <<
** You were planned for God’s pleasure, you were formed for God’s family, you were created to become like Christ, you were shaped to serve God, and you were made for a mission. It’s not about you. **

We so appreciate your prayers and notes of 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

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
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, Macomb, IL and Kirksville, MO
September 28 – Memorial Christian Church, Carlinville, IL, Special Music
September 29 – Travel back home Burnsville, MS