Hello, I am new here

[Debp]

There are allot of nice homes for sale in Pennsylvania, but the reason everyone wants to sell their homes is because jobs are few and far between. And the heating oil and gas prices have gone through the roof. My mothers gas (heating) bill was $300, a month during the winter in 2005. This past winter she was paying $900 a month. It is a hard choice to make in moving up there. We would have to readjust to the cold weather and driving on icy roads.
The homes here in Florida, are to the point that people can't afford to move or can't sell their houses. Prices for used trailers are really high as well. I don't see things getting better, although, I don't have a clue on how to fix the problem. We can vote people out of office, but how are we to really know the next one will do any better.
 

Wow, that is alot for the heating bill, Islandboy.  Is your mother's home a big one?  I have a childhood friend in Pittsburgh still....I will ask her how much her heating bill is.  She has a small 2 bedroom home, I think.

In Show Low, AZ where some of my family live you can buy some used mobile homes for not too much money.

Blackeyedpeas, actually we rarely get earthquakes that we can feel.  They say earthquakes happen alot each day but they are so deep in the earth that you do not feel them at all.  Once every several years you might feel a tiny jolt for just a second or two.  The last quake we had that really scared us happened in 1994.  And it only lasted about 35 seconds.  So between hurricanes/tornadoes, I guess I am settling for earthquakes.....although every time a scary one does occur, everyone always says they are leaving CA and never do.    Previous to the scary 1994 quake (in our area), the other scary one for us was in 1971.

[Soldier4Christ]

Tornadoes may not give people a lot of warning but earthquakes give even less. I left Calif after an earthquake pushed my neighbors swimming pool up out of the ground and caused the walls in my house to crack from ceiling to floor in three different places and destroyed the cement pad the house was sitting on. I've been through direct hits of typhoons, hurricanes and tornadoes. None of them concerned me as much as the earthquakes.

[nChrist]

Debp Said,

In Show Low, AZ where some of my family live you can buy some used mobile homes for not too much money.

Hello Debp,

If memory serves me correctly, Dreamweaver (Brother Bob) lives fairly close to Show Low, AZ. I was just thinking again that "it's a small world."

Brothers and Sisters, we are really talking about the awesome powers of nature, GOD'S Creation. Man has been able to measure power from bombs, but there are many things in nature that man will never devise a way to measure. I think that the best we can do is guess, and it's mind-boggling. Just the thought should give all of us pause to consider the AWESOME MIGHT AND MAJESTY OF ALMIGHTY GOD!

AND, HE actually does "hold the WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS!"

Love In Christ,
Tom

John 10:11 NASB  "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

[Debp]

Tornadoes may not give people a lot of warning but earthquakes give even less. I left Calif after an earthquake pushed my neighbors swimming pool up out of the ground and caused the walls in my house to crack from ceiling to floor in three different places and destroyed the cement pad the house was sitting on. I've been through direct hits of typhoons, hurricanes and tornadoes. None of them concerned me as much as the earthquakes.

You must have been really close to or on the epicenter.  I know that was horrible for you to experience.....it's bad enough when we aren't on the epicenter.  I always hope and pray we won't have any big ones....since 1994, so far so good.

[Soldier4Christ]

The epicenter was north of I-40 and I was south of I-8. With that much damage done and the epicenter that far away I figured it was time to go. (I was in the Navy then and had a transfer coming anyway.)

[islandboy]

My mother's house is medium large, and filled with stuff like most older people's homes are. For years she wanted a downstairs bathroom and shower put in, but was never willing to move out enough stuff to get the job done. If the upstairs was closed off in the winter like our Grandparent's did in their day her fuel bill might be less. Of course thats as they say water over the bridge now. My brother put in a pellet burning stove to off set his high gas bill. And he lives in a smaller more insulated home than Mother.
Lost of jobs in their town has forced allot of families to move out and put their homes up for sale. My brother works in a town that is an hour away from his house. The factories that used to be in the area moved there plants to Mexico, for cheap labor and  avoiding taxes. My brother was sent down there to teach the men how to run the machinery and although, he was careful about what he ate, he came home very ill and it took awhile for his doctor to figure out what it was. When the management wanted him to go again, he refused to go and found a new job. He had been with that factory for 15 years or more.
Our great country is going down the fast and I don't see a way to stop all this nonsense and get back on track, it's like it is almost to late to turn back time. If this immigration bill with extra attachments goes through, it will set America back almost two hundred years. I heard the Senate voted against the fence between US & Mexico. Why am I not surprised.

[Soldier4Christ]

An old saying is quite fitting, "and these things must come to pass". Times will get more difficult especially for Christians. The rewards in the end will be worth it all.

[islandboy]

Pastor Roger, I was speaking about that topic with my Mother yesterday. She ask me if I was worried about putting the information links about the NAFTA  Super Highway on my website. I told her no, because one day soon all Christians will need to stand up and confess and hold true to what they believe in, no matter where that path takes them.   Often we hold back from truth, hoping or letting someone else  tell the story.  If I believe that all American's should pay attention to something that our wonderful news media seems to think that only involves the western half of our country, then I am willing to risk putting it out there.
In other topic's,
So now we have covered wind storms and hurricanes and earthquakes, what are some of the things you enjoy best about your State? I do like Florida's  warm weather and you gotta love that southern accent, and it's endless waterways and wildlife.

[Soldier4Christ]

Dangerous or not Christians must continue to stand up for the Lord.

what are some of the things you enjoy best about your State?

Those things are growing fewer by the day with this state becoming such a liberal state.

This is home for me. It is where I was raised so I am more familiar with it than anywhere else I have been. I know all the back roads, short cuts and beautiful spots that are still here. This is where the majority of my family is. I have family in N. Carolina, Texas, Calif, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and more but the majority are still here in this state and it is where all the rest return for gatherings.

One of my favorite spots:

as I remember it years ago



and how it looks today



It is called the wolf bridge. It was burned down by a homeless person trying to stay warm but was rebuilt. Just after crossing it there is a spot on the left that is a big picnic area that overlooks the Spoon River. It is a place that has been used by my family for gatherings for many, many years. There used to be a beach there but it has been washed away and there is nothing but a steep drop off now. There are many memories there though. It is where my grandfather caught a catfish that was longer than he was tall. At 5' 4" that was a pretty big cat. There is nothing but corn fields for miles before and miles after this one lane bridge.

[Debp]

So now we have covered wind storms and hurricanes and earthquakes, what are some of the things you enjoy best about your State? I do like Florida's  warm weather and you gotta love that southern accent, and it's endless waterways and wildlife.

I like the warm weather year round (no snow to shovel, etc, although it's beautiful to see)....also love the many flowers, bushes and trees.  The Jacaranda trees are especially striking....they are lavendar and start to bloom in May.  Sometimes I get a whiff of a Jasmine tree, they smell so beautiful.  There are also Jasmine vines which I love to smell.  I like the convenience of getting around on our great subway and the interesting places here.

[Debp]

One of my favorite spots:

as I remember it years ago



and how it looks today



It is called the wolf bridge. It was burned down by a homeless person trying to stay warm but was rebuilt. Just after crossing it there is a spot on the left that is a big picnic area that overlooks the Spoon River. It is a place that has been used by my family for gatherings for many, many years. There used to be a beach there but it has been washed away and there is nothing but a steep drop off now. There are many memories there though. It is where my grandfather caught a catfish that was longer than he was tall. At 5' 4" that was a pretty big cat. There is nothing but corn fields for miles before and miles after this one lane bridge.

Wow, what a great covered bridge!!  I've never seen one in person, although I now hear PA (where I'm from) has alot of them.  Sounds like pretty country, Pastor Roger.

When I was a child my dad would take mom and me fishing (as you know, Pittsburgh has 3 large rivers).  We would throw the fish back in the river....sometimes he would give them to a lady that was catching them for dinner.  He had a few favorite fishing spots.....for one of them, we would have to cross a narrow train trestle!!  Thank God, no trains ever came by then....and we didn't go to that spot too often.    The worse fishing spot to reach was where we had to climb down a "hill" that had some trash dumped on it!  Mainly, we would go to the "spot" where you could walk in easily.  Glad for that one! 

[Soldier4Christ]

There were a number of places that we went fishing at also. My grandpa knew all the best spots. Being farm country they were all fairly easy to get to and we always combined the fishing trips with a family picnic. My favorite spot my grandpa took me to was a little creek where he would catch minnows for bait. I liked catching the minnows and eating the wild blackberries that were there.

[Debp]

There were a number of places that we went fishing at also. My grandpa knew all the best spots. Being farm country they were all fairly easy to get to and we always combined the fishing trips with a family picnic. My favorite spot my grandpa took me to was a little creek where he would catch minnows for bait. I liked catching the minnows and eating the wild blackberries that were there.

Oh, yes, the minnows....that just reminded me of another fishing spot my dad had.    There were all these little minnows along the shoreline.  We would use earthworms for bait.

[Soldier4Christ]

Grandpa always used different bait depending on what fish he was going for. He even used himself. That big catfish that was longer than he was tall was one of those. He did what used to be known as "grabbing". It is an illegal way of fishing now but at the time it was perfectly legal. He would lay down in a small dingy in the slow current along the edge of the river and then reach in to overcuts and grab a fish. That big ole cat drug him out the dingy and he had to wrestle with it. It took him a while but he finally through it up onto the back.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

I think there are countless areas of beauty in North America. There is a huge variety in nature that is enjoyed by all kinds of people with various likes and dislikes. On top of everything else, we have the seasons that add more variety, colors, vistas, and activities.

In short, we all have good reasons to say that we live in a beautiful place. AND, we also have the freedoms to travel or move. I know people who live in mobile homes who travel and move frequently. They enjoy many places and might plan their moves with the seasons of the year. An example of one large group is "The Good Sams". I don't know much about them except that many of them are retired and love to travel. I do know that they aren't known for causing trouble of any kind, so they are welcome everywhere.