SQUARE ONE

August 12, 2014:

Written over 3 years ago, a month before we moved to NW Montna, I had originally intended to make this my very first post on this blog.  It's a little late being published, but... Well, maybe someone will find it encouraging.

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June 20, 2011:

"You're going Where??  You're doing WHATT?!?!?"

This is the response I'm expecting to receive when I tell my friends and co-laborers in ministry that our little family is actually relocating to the Northwestern Montana region to build a homestead in the woods.

A home-what?  You mean like Little House on the Prairie?  Why in the world would anyone want to do that?

Well, most of you know us fairly well, and have already gathered that we are of a slightly different mindset than just "anyone".  For many years — even since the beginning of our marriage, 18 years ago — Jenna and I have longed for wide-open spaces.  Yet, since we were both raised in Southern California, it was hard to imagine actually pulling up stakes and doing life much differently.  So we stayed in the Golden State and proceeded to make some very counter-cultural decisions about how we were going to spend our time and energy:

• We've been a 1-car family since 1994
• We've been a 1-income family since 1996
• We passed the national birth rate 3 children ago
• We have been Home-Educating our children since 2002
• We don't have cable TV (but yes, we do own every season of LHotP  :-)

 However, after all of those "roads less-traveled", that calling toward even greater simplicity would not leave us alone.  Providentially, and as part of our home education — which has unbelievably strengthened and prioritized our family unity — we began consuming a bunch of material that began to fan into flame the possibility that we Calvi's might not be best suited for life in a large population.  In addition to taking the Scriptures to heart (Old and New Testaments), we started really digging into things like our government's history, leadership and economy, our rampant consumerism and globalism, how the public education system has "dumbed-down" the nation's children, etc.  The conclusion that we are coming to is this: we are being called to leave what we considered a "broad road" in favor of a "narrow one".

It has been recently brought to my attention that choosing this path will have a cathartic effect on our relationships with others, particularly other Christians.  By the time you read this, we will have begun the conversation with you, and we hope to be able to share more and more with you as the days turn into months turn into years.  As we have said before, we have more questions than answers, but we are ready to trust the leading of God's Spirit into the unknown, as Abram and Sarai did.  We have the promise from Jesus that our Heavenly Father will take good care of us.  He is, after all, already on the "other side" of this trial, and the outcome is firmly in His grasp.

Stay tuned for pictures, ponderings and prayers.  Also, please send your (encouraging) comments and support... it strengthens us for the journey.

The Price Tag

"We get what we want, but there's always a price."

Our move to the wide-open spaces of Montana, from the populous (and expensive) confines of Southern California has been one of the best life-decisions my dear wife and I have made (by God's grace) in our 21 years of marriage.  (I feel fairly confident to speak on her behalf in this matter :-)  Here are some of the other choices that have benefited us greatly, or allowed us to simplify our lifestyle in an effort to pursue contentment with godliness (1 Timothy 6:6-11):

• Owning one car, and using public transportation when necessary.
• Becoming a one-income-earner family, allowing us to consistently supervise our children's growth and development in accordance with our faith, without relying on (i.e. paying) someone else to do so.
• Home-educating our children, using readily available and straightforward materials, drawing out our children's God-given aptitudes and interests, in accordance with the Scriptures.
• Avoiding involvement in "organized team sports", in order to minimize unnecessary drains on our family's time, attention and finances.
• Preparing most of our food at home, in order to facilitate nightly dinners together, be more healthy and save a lot of money.

Like Abraham in the Scriptures, we left all that was familiar to us and, by faith, moved to a land that was "foreign" to us.  Now, we live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and while our means are still humble, God has blessed us with so many incredible relationships and opportunities, including the ongoing effort to purchase and build a house on our own acre-and-a-half of fertile, wooded land.  We are so very grateful to Him for His provision.

Still, this undertaking has come with a price or two.  We are now much further (2-days' drive) from some dear family members, whom we miss very much.  I had to leave the comfortable and familiar venue of "full-time paid church staff work" (notice how I avoided the term "ministry" -- that's a blog post for another day).  Instead, I had to practically change careers, spending at least 2 years before I began to feel confident and adept at this new line of work (2-way radio and internet installation, and radio tower groundwork).  And ultimately, having my earnings reduced by at least 50%.

All that notwithstanding, I wouldn't change a thing.  And now, we have a beautiful new "Made in Montana" addition to our family, firmly "anchoring" us to our residence here, as it were:

Meet "Elliana Mercy Calvi"

So, for those of you contemplating leaving the bustling metropolises of SoCal (or any other densely populated area) for the rural life in wide-open spaces, I would first caution you to be aware that there is a price to pay.  You'll have to trade one lifestyle for another.  It may cost you your "nest egg".  (As the joke goes, "How do you make a million dollars in Montana?  Bring 2 million." :-)  You may have to leave the comfort of your extended family... but who knows?  Some of them may follow you there.  In any case, any major life choice is inevitably followed by a lengthy period of adjustment, as you know.  But for those of us who live by faith in our Creator and Redeemer - King Jesus - our hope and trust in Him is never misplaced.  He provides everything we need!

"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

1 Timothy 6:17-19

So go ahead and grab hold of the rural dream.  With Christ, all things are possible.  Desire Him above all else, and He will work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28).

As always, I welcome your comments.  Have a fruitful day.

--Ric

Sure Footing at Uncle Dave's

Uncle Dave is, of course, far ahead of us in the building process.  His crawlspace has been excavated and levelled:

 His footing form boards are up:

Now some of you may be thinking:  His footing forms look a little scant, don't they?  Let me sum up.

Both my Uncle and I have been convinced of the benefits of using Fast-Foot form fabric to lay our footings.  Now, after installing all his form boards by himself, it seemed his back was running out of steam.  So, we jumped at the chance to help him lay the concrete fabric, since at some point in time, we'll be doing the same process on our own home.  This presented a great opportunity for our family to learn how to participate in laying the foundation of a home.

Emily and Sophia are tacking down the plastic

Everyone pitched in, and we made some significant progress.

He's got a nice view, doesn't he?  :-)

This weekend, we hope to do some more excavating on our own house plot, to see if we can manage a walkout basement.

Individuality is Over-rated

Disclaimer:  I know (from my parents -- twice) how painful divorce can be.  I'm not here to condescend or unfairly judge anyone who's been through it.  What I am here to do is to figuratively smack idiotic men upside the head with a 2x4.

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Over the last 21 years, I have been in contact with many friends (guys) who say how glad they are that their wives are not the "needy" type (so-called), and oh, how they brag that they can go and do their own thing, without having to include their wives in most of their activities.  They say these things as if to say "Look, MY marriage is healthy, because neither of us has lost our individuality by being married."

You know what?  Most of those guys (if not ALL of them) are no longer married.  They got what they wanted: their individuality.  And yet, here I am, ecstatically married to the very happy wife of my youth; I'm blessed to be the happy father of 6 beautiful, happy, secure children. (That's a lot of "Happy", isn't it?)  Make no mistake, I certainly do not get the credit for my present status -- all credit goes to my Heavenly Father, Whose Word gives clear instructions about how to "do" marriage.

If you want a thing to work, and last, you follow the Designer's instructions... not your own, nor the culture's.

So, if you are one of the aforementioned "individualistic" husbands, BEWARE...

You might just get what you want.

 

"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."  (Ephesians 5:28)

"You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."  (1 Peter 3:7)

"Sweet Dreams are made of this..."

The gear arrives on site, brought by "The Bee Man"

More than three years ago, before we moved to Montana, the dream was planted in our oldest daughter's heart to pursue beekeeping as a hobby.  If I remember correctly, she mentioned it casually in a conversation one day.  That week, I grabbed a book from the library for her — "Beekeeping for Dummies", I think (though she's certainly no dummy).  From that point on, she began a voracious appetite for knowledge about bees... an "independent study program", if you will.  So naturally, upon arriving in these wide open spaces, she wanted to take the plunge and acquire a colony of her own, ASAP.  Being big fans of local honey, the Dear Bride and I agreed we would help her pursue the matter, in God's timing.

As it turned out, we have become acquainted with a wonderful family with much experience in the the Bee-o-sphere (among many other skills like canning/preserving, gardening, etc).  The Dad is someone I also happen to work with at my job with the Martin City Water District, near Glacier National Park.  Anyway, to make a long story short, this "Bee Man" (not his real name, of course :-) has hooked us up with his supplier, and our adventurous daughter now has her own colony!

The two boxes with the removable frames inside, will make up Emily's hives.  The other box — the screened one with the can of sugar syrup in the middle — will be discarded once the colony is transferred to the hives.

The queen was lucky enough to get her own little "travel suite" for the journey, which the workers are quick to cluster around

Look closely... the queen inside the box has a green dot on her back, indicating that she's young, and ready to do her job.

Getting ready to shake them in

The stragglers need a little more persuasion

Mama and the girls look on...

Emily is fearless!  :-O

Looks like the girls want to join F.B.K.A....

"Future Bee Keepers of America"  :-)

"If you build it, they will come."

 The next day, we went to check on "the ladies" to see if their queen had situated herself... She had!  The weather was cold and breezy, which helped calm the hive, it seemed.

Congratulations, dear daughter.

Clearing the Land

A few weekends ago, we found ourselves trudging through the light mud and melting snow to fell a few trees that were either too close to our "house-pad" or causing too much shade over our future garden location.  Most of the larger trees (12"-16" diameter), we merely felled, de-limbed and cut into 14' sections, which will be laid together and "seasoned" until we decide how to use the timber.  More than likely, we will "mill" them (if we can find an economical way to do so -- maybe this), and then "sticker" them for drying and later use.

Here are some pics...

Starting the Log Pile

"Working Smart"

The much-needed arrival of a necessity.

The Pile gets bigger...

This is where the house will sit.

I installed a tree swing for the kids.

We'll be doing lots of this, I'll bet.

Where the pavement ends, our bliss begins -- 1.7 miles down the dirt road.

Everyone's working together (except my dear and very pregnant Bride.  She's supervising.  :-)

Pulling up roots...

...So we can "put down roots."

 Have a great weekend!

What do YOU call it?

Dear friends:

I greatly desire us to be educated and committed in a certain manner of thinking, speaking and doing. Here it is...

This Sunday must be called RESURRECTION DAY, not "easter". The latter word has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with WHY the day is commemorated. The day is set apart from every other day of the year, ONLY because it is a celebration of the physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Word Made Flesh.

Not because of bunnies. Not because of eggs. Not because of buffet brunches... although I like those things as much as the next guy. :-)

Rom 12:2 (ESV) "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Those of you who are Christ-followers, stand up and be counted. REFUSE to call this Sunday "easter", and refer to it boldly as "Resurrection Day" instead.  Well-meaning people -- even church-attenders and pastors (!) -- will inevitably dismiss you, give you trouble or ridicule you for taking this stand. Let them. Remember that *words have meaning*, and continue to call it Resurrection Day, knowng that the very phrase points everyone DIRECTLY to the Gospel of the Only Savior, Jesus Christ -- WITHOUT taking a confusing and conformist detour through paganism.

Mat 12:36-37 (ESV) "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Thank you for your consideration. Have a blessed week.

--Ric

Little Hobby

I have a little hobby, a little game I play in my head... which surely my musician friends will understand.  Heck, they might even try it, too.

It's called: "What Chord, O Conductor?"

It is best played in a generally quiet, rural area, either early in the morning or late at night.  The Conductor mentioned isn't that of an orchestra, but that of a locomotive.  Yes, the game is thus:

Can I identify the exact chord played by a train whistle? (Extra credit is earned if no piano or other point of reference is used :-)

This morning, I heard the lonely wail of an A-minor-seventh (Am7) chord, in second inversion (E-G-A-C)*.  Each train's whistle evokes a different mood -- sometimes whimsical, sometimes weird.  But usually, they consist of 3 or 4 tones in a tight cluster.  I often wonder whose job it is to tune those whistles to play those chords, and does each "train-whistle-tuner-person" have their own personal favorite tone grouping?

If you know anything about that the train-whistle-tuning process, please post a comment.  In the meantime, there's music all around us... Happy listening!

* (Yes, I suppose this could be a C6 chord in first inversion, but I digress.)

No, not the one in Scotland.

Heading out to Eastern Montana, in a 4-seater Mooney, like this one.

Today's post finds me at the end of a two-day out-of-town tower-work gig in Glasgow, MT.  (Excuse my gratuitous use of hyphens.)  The daytime temp is in the 50's, the sky is clear and blue, and the wind is tolerable.  However, being on the eastern part of the treasure state, the topography is not quite as eventful as it is in lovely Flathead County.  Here's a picture I took... now imagine a 360° view of this:

...Yes, that's Valley County in a nutshell.  The upside of this terrain is that there's nothing — and I mean nothing — to obstruct the view of Montana's "big sky".  Taking in landscape like this makes one feel... well, in a word:  small.

Sunset

Here's another something that made me feel small today:

...Watching my boss climb halfway up a 200' tower.  Not for the faint of heart.  The highest I've been on an edifice was about 160'... but that one had stair steps.  And handrails.  Today, the boss-man had neither of those.  It was an impressive sight to behold.


Tomorrow, we head back home.  No one wants to stay in a faraway hotel any longer than one absolutely has to.  We'll have to come back here again soon, for there's more work to be done.  But since the Dear Bride is due to give birth in late April, these trips will have to wait, when that time comes.

Thank God it's been a safe trip.

We Did It.

Well, we did it.

One of the things we came to Montana to do, is done.

We have officially purchased our first piece of land -- "1.456 acres more or less" -- just outside of Whitefish.  Not only is this the first plot of land we've bought, it will contain (Lord willing) the first house we will have ever built...  which will also be the first home we will have ever bought.  Yes, this piece of wooded bliss will come to represent the end of 20+ years of paying rent.

Hallelujah.

Here's a picture, courtesy of Gogle Maps (boundaries are approximate):

"The Calvi Homestead"

As of today, our names are on the title.  Now it's our turn to "fill the Earth and subdue it."  :-)

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."
-- Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)