Even in the Inconveniences

 Well....it wasn't as bad as 2010, at least. That year, for April Spring Break (I had a week off from teaching and the girls were 16 and 11and also had the week off from school) we were headed to Paris. We would fly from Boston  on Saturday evening to Munich, then down to Paris landing on Easter Sunday morning. Spring break was the first week of April that year. 

In the middle of March, the entire basement flooded due to a sump pump failure. We had no sump pump coverage on our homeowners insurance policy so we took a loss of the entire carpeting (3/4 of the basement was re-done and carpeted), along with losing our futon, my stationary bike,  some other odds and ends like books and games/puzzles and a cabinet. Back to a cement floor with area rugs. During that same week that we hired Courtney's then boyfriend to help us rip up the old carpeting and mop, mop, mop and clean clean clean, our stove died!   It was an Amana....I loved my gas range. But it wasn't a high end one.  It was just average. So.....

First, the oven croaked...and then the burners. Talk about inconvenience. But....the guy who hauled it away said we got good use of it. He told us then in 2010 that it must have been a good gas range as we bought it brand new in 1994 when we built this house and they don't last long.  So it lasted the average time that he said most appliances last (6-9 years).

 We upgraded to a nice GE and......

.....it lasted until yesterday. The oven finally died.  We had had it repaired once about 4 years ago and the repair guy was surprised it just needed a small little part. So we've had 16 years of use. But it's so inconvenient to have it die now!  Right when I had dinner all planned and brownies to bake (so the uncooked dough is now in my fridge......). 

Why am I sharing all of this? 

Because I get "appliance anxiety". I despise shopping for new appliances, especially stoves. It's weird here in NYS because any new buildings going up ( apartments and homes) must have electric appliances only. I don't agree with this but......hey...I also didn't vote for her so.......(yes, our governor passed this law). So I was very nervous going into this store, thinking they may no longer have good gas ranges. (our kitchen isn't set up for an electric stove...we'd have to run a whole new line and hire an electrician to get the switch). I had narrowed it down to 3 models.  A Samsung, A GE S1 and an LG.  The GE S1 had the best price for what we wanted. I like that it comes with a crisp mode which is comparable to an air fryer. I love that there's a 5th burner (a griddle) and that one of the burners is a simmer burner.  We currently have that feature on the one that just died and it's nice. Now of course I'm anxious that it's going to take weeks to get it.  We had to pay extra for the installation as well as a fee to have the installers cart away the old one. The anxiety about all of this is at an all time high. I even reached out to my friend from this blog to ask her to pray. I know she did.  

These modern day, first world problems are so very inconvenient aren't they? 

But. 

Then I read my morning Scriptures. I'm currently in the middle of doing a devotional study titled A Lifestyle of Prayer and what that looks like. 

And God convicted me this morning. It started with the Scripture in John 16:33

And then it reminded me of this Scripture: 

And I realized....Joy...and Peace...are in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. 

I don't need to be anxious about anything because God sees it all.

He wants me to come to him in prayer and place my anxiety at the foot of the Cross so He can bear it for me. 

Jesus is the one who brings the Peace during any of our struggles.  

Joy is the weapon!

Our Joy in the Lord gives us strength to combat those anxious thoughts which was negative and are from Satan. 

We can learn to steward our joy and base it on God.  

We do this by focusing on God's character and goodness. 

We can remember the things He has already done. 

We can be thankful.  Even for small things like "at least my burners are still working and at least I have a grill....it's summer...and I have a microwave." 

I can chew on God's Word daily for my daily bread.  I can turn to a Psalm to calm my anxious thoughts.......I can read about a miracle Jesus did......there's so much comfort, wisdom and encouragement in Scripture. 

And I can pray.  We can talk to God directly like Adam and Eve did in the Garden. We have direct access to God through Jesus!

As I focused on these and other Scriptures, my anxious thoughts went away for the day and I could do other things knowing God's got this. 

I kept reminding myself that there are people with far worse trials...this is just  a blip.  Yes, I had plans to go on a day trip this week as I had no hikes to lead and no appointments of any kind. But that trip can wait......

and I can wait for the stove to be delivered, all the while knowing that even though it is  an inconvenience, I always have something to be thankful for and God is there even in the little things.....like a new stove......that still needs to be delivered and installed........

(and yes, now my friend Jill is praying for the delivery to be soon before our vacation begins!!)

PLEASE NOTE:

 To the person who left the "Anonymous" comment on my book review about Northwoods by Amy Pease.

First: this blog clearly states when you open the comment box that I will not accept Anonymous comments.  You must have a blog title associated with your comment, be a blog owner, or leave your first name or initials . Leaving anonymous comments shows me that you are a coward. 

2nd: your information was inaccurate. There have been no scandals associated with the author after an exhaustive search nor was there one via reddit. 

3rd: Reddit is an unreliable news source.

• Fact-Checking & News: Anyone can post or share unverified articles. Information can be politically biased, misrepresented, or completely fabricated. 
• Health, Legal, or Financial Advice: Opinions should never replace professional consultation. While some communities verify credentials, most do not. 
• The "Upvote" Fallacy: Popular consensus does not equal factual accuracy. Confidently written, incorrect information is frequently highly upvoted

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4th: this blog is all about encouraging, uplifting news along with honest reviews that are my opinion after the story summary.  If you don't like the book or the author, simply move on or say something like "Hey, I read that one...didn't connect with me" or whatever.  Stop bashing authors! 

5th STOP writing comments under anonymous. They will continue to be deleted. If you really wanted me to see that information, the best thing would have been to include a link to the supposed article you read. And your first  name or initials if you don't have your own blog. 

6th: methinks you have too much time on your hands. Do something  constructive vs snarky. 

To my faithful readers and commentators:

YOU ARE AWESOME!  Thank you for following my blog guidelines. 

2026 Book Review #21:Northwoods

 

I had been seeing excellent reviews for this new-to-me author, and since this is her first novel and set in Wisconsin, I thought I'd try it.  Now, apparently, she has a 2nd book out that is a sequel to this one so I'll have to request that at the library. This was a fast, good mystery drama. 

STORY SUMMARY

 Eli North is a police officer and his mom, Marge, is the boss. She's the Sheriff of the Wisconsin county in Shaky Lake, a small northwoods community. They have a really small budget and Marge is overwhelmed with the current opioid epidemic going on in the county. 

Eli is a vet who carries some major emotional trauma and wounds from his time in Afghanistan. His marriage is over.  He rarely sees his son, Andy, who is only 12. Part of Eli's problem is that he is becoming an alcoholic. His drinking is getting worse every day. But...

The body of a teenage boy(Ben Sharpe)  is found on a boat in the lake...by Eli....and this begins to set in motion a lengthy investigation that Eli is a part of and that leads to the very wealthy country club community in town, along with a pharmeceutical salesman, and a missing teen girl named Caitlin Wallace who happens to be the only child of the salesman, Calvin Wallace. 

The autopsy shows that Ben died of a drug overdose...yet he never took drugs in his young life!! 

The FBI sends in a young agent named Alyssa and it's up to Marge, Eli, and Alyssa to go on the hunt...not just for Ben's killer, but for the person (or people) behind this opioid crisis. 

Will Eli solve the case of the missing girl, find Ben's killer and resolve his own emotional conflicts? Or will the  that haunts him and Shaky Lake continue to bring destruction to the Northwoods?  

MY THOUGHTS

This is a great read!  I loved the character development and the setting. 

There are some themes that intermingle in each character's life:  addictions (drugs alcohol, and work), divorce, post traumatic stress disorder/emotional trauma from war, "Big pharma" issues, forgiveness of self, redemption, parent-child bond. 

The setting was perfect for this story....I loved the author's descriptions of the town, the country club, and the lake. 

The mysteries wrapped up quickly and were definitely not predictable. There's a slight twist in the end that I didn't see coming and I liked how the author ended the book. 

I found no editing errors in this book! And it's a clean read with no f bombs. Excellent writing!

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10. 

Sunday Stealin'

This week we aren't stealing, we're contributing! These are questions suggested by our "usual suspects." They were entertaining, which isn't a surprise because our participants are bright and fun. Thanks to everyone who took part.

I'm linking up at this blog to participate in the Sunday Stealin' meme and answer my own question! 

1. Would you rather have every traffic light turn green or always get the best parking spot? (Kwizgiver)

The best parking  spot by far. I check texts at red lights so......

2. What's the most difficult thing you have ever done? (Gold in the Clouds)

Say "good-bye, you have been the best dad and grandpa a daughter could want, but go be with Jesus now Dad.  It's ok."  as my dad lay dying in his nursing home room. Truly the hardest thing I've ever  witnessed. He died of dementia brought on by deep grief.  it was 2017. Mom died suddenly of a heart attack in 2012.  He just could not go on without her and quickly failed mentally and emotionally. It was the absolute most horrifying thing to witness. 

 3.What information do you know that you are proud of/happy about, but others say, "Who cares?" (Roger) 

The names of all the mountains in the Adirondacks and Catskills with fire towers for the hiking challenge. Most of my friends, and definitely my extended family, don't care. 

4. What mystery do you wish you knew the answer to? (Myra/Mevely)

Why did God create black flies?  More seriously: Where IS the Ark of the Covenant???? (i'm not Jewish but I really wanna know!!) 

5. What small, ordinary thing brings you disproportionate joy? (Country Dew)

my first morning mug of steaming coffee.  you have NO idea the level of joy I feel. 

6. What time do you go to sleep/wake up?  (Annie)

Now that I'm no longer teaching full time, I tend to go to bed about 10:30-10:45 and read til 11 or 11:30.  Like clock work I wake up almost every day between 6:15-6:45.  I usually am out of bed by 6:45.  Except on hiking days in the ADK in the summer and autumn when my alarm goes off at 5. 

7. What is your favorite sleeping position? (Lisa)

on my left side. 

8. Describe your personal Utopia. (Pandora) 

Living in a place similar to the Netherlands/Finland: life is happy there. Currently they are the happiest people on the planet. There is a way better balance between work vs pleasure. They are content with what they have. They are peaceful. They have good, and free,  health care for all. They have a better social structure. They have trusted government officials. They know to let children play and don't give   a lot of ridiculous homework to the younger children. They have personal freedoms without all the systemic barriers we do and definitely without the corruption. 

9. Imagine that you have a machine that can create any new invention for you based on your description. What you ask the machine to create, and why? (Plastic Mancunian)

can there please be some kind of machine that gets rid of narcissistic political "leaders" and dishonest businesspeople? 

Seriously: I'm not super creative when it comes to things that would need to be invented. Maybe a type of backpack that helps push me up a steep mountain ? 

This was fun! Play along! Thanks to Joyce for creating this. (do i have the correct name??)