"The best way out is always through." - Robt. Frost

From friend Sue.

I don't know what to write about tonight - what's been happening or what's happened inside of me as a result. There's plenty of both and not enough time to do either justice.

After the setbacks with cell phone coverage (none) and with DishTV ("sorry, can't get line of site to the satellites") the hammer really came down.

In the process of taking up the vinyl in the hallway I discovered the shower has been leaking inside the wall for....decades? The subfloor, which is just 3/4" particle board in a mobile home, is so rotten that I could probably put my fist through it if I tried. There was standing water on the vinyl in the laundry "closet" and the 2x4" wall studs are black.

It was late afternoon when I discovered that and I crashed inside. Is MoHo even habitable? Have I led us into a financial disaster? No phones, no internet, no TV, and now serious structural problems. The physical fatigue from three days of hard labor made the accumulated pile of bad news, with this latest and biggest blow, come out my eyes.

Lots and lots of praying: wisdom, faith, peace.
Pathway music out of the iPad.
More praying.

Don't ever, ever think that because I guy stands up in front and tells people about God's goodness and care that he doesn't need to be reminded of it himself when things go south.

I'm still ... concerned? ... but tomorrow I will call a plumber to come fix the pipes inside the wall. (I've already opened it up.) That won't be cheap but it's the necessary first step. Then I'll crawl underneath MoHo to see what can be done about the subfloor. I've learned that the two large I-beam rails that run front-to-back have 2x6's running across them every 24" on center that provide the support for the subfloor. Assuming one or more of those supports is rotten I'll sister on new wood and then cut out and replace subfloor as necessary and possible.

I've talked to Pam about the situation and we're going to do a zero-sum assessment after the plumber is in and we know the extent of the damage. As in:

• Stay in Sun City for longer than planned. Pam works, I get a job, and we scrimp & save every penny until we can build our tiny house. This course if MoHo isn't habitable.
• See if we can't find a way to build the tiny house as soon as possible by getting financing of some sort. This course of MoHo is borderline habitable.
• Fix MoHo's problems and proceed with the original timetable - one to two years out - for building the tiny house. 

All options, including those we haven't thought of yet, are on the table. Re. cell and satellite, I've got a guy coming next Friday after we're back from our brief camping stop to take another look. This guy reps for a different outfit that uses a different set of satellites and the Dish guy thinks the gap between the trees may make his outfit a possibility. 

I've got all the mudding & painting done, the deer fencing ripped out, the floor ready for the laminate, the vines sprayed with RoundUp, and some tree limbs cut.

Friday is the satellite guy and the plumber (I'll make that appt. in the morning). Saturday Patti, the draftswoman, will come and talk with us about our tiny house plans and how she'll do the plans, etc. Monday through Wednesday morning we'll hustle the rest of the work on the to-do list before heading to CA to visit important friends on our way home.

More prayer. 

But the needed respite comes tomorrow afternoon when I'll pick Pam up at PDX and we'll drive, teardrop in tow, to Silver Falls St. Pk. 

I don't do well with a string of issues that I have to deal with by myself. I need the rest of me here.