5 Years And Still Thankful

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in from my Ohio Beach Cottage. I am happy to be home for a quick visit. We have a busy weekend and week on the books. Check back in the coming days to see our fun with family and friends. 

June 1st was the 5th anniversary since I officially moved into my Beach Cottage. Here is a picture from that first night.

It does not feel like it has not been that long. I am so grateful for the beautiful place to call my home! In the last 5 years, so much has happened in the world and in my life. It has been a major blessing to have my own safe place!

The entire home is a series of miracles! I do not want to forget God’s provision! The love and support from my family and friends turned a dream into a reality. My heart still overflows with gratitude!

Many of you reading this post played a role in helping us build my home. Thank you one more time from the bottom of my heart. I thank God for you! I still pray for God to bless you abundantly!

This week marked another 5th house anniversary for me. August 17th, 2018. We were joined by many of the incredible people that help us build my home for house tours and dedication. It was a privilege to show off my finished miracle. We had a sweet dedication on my front porch!

That evening was fantastic. We had friends from near and far come to celebrate with us. Lots of prayers, money, blood, sweat, tears and work brought us to that moment. It was an extraordinary day of memories that still warms my heart! 

I encourage you to read this archived blog post here. Dad summed up the wonderful dedication day in an excellent way. Below is just a sampling of photos from that night that are special to me.

I will never forget the love I experienced that day! I am blessed beyond measure! I just wanted to pause for a moment to thank God for His unspeakable gift of my beautiful home!

Thank you for joining me as I stroll down memory lane. Here is a small tour of the front portion of my home. This was recorded during our 2020 online covid revival.

See you next week. 

Odie

Odie's Excellent Christmas Meal!

Our Christmas traditions have been firmly in place for many years. We have celebrated Christmas with Kelly Jo's family on Christmas Eve and with the Boggs family on Christmas Day. Early Christmas morning has always been reserved for me, KJo and Odie!

Our personal time on Christmas morning does not include a meal most times, just us together reminiscing, opening presents and being together. These traditions have worked great for us and filled Christmas with lots of joy.

Odie's first Christmas in her house added another Christmas tradition. She wanted a time to cook a meal for us and invite us into her space for a Christmas meal. Well, if it involves food, count us in.

We have added that tradition the day after Christmas at lunch time. Some years we need to roll on December 26 and we adjust accordingly, but when possible, that is our day at Odie's.

This year, she prepared an excellent meal.

Carnitas! A pork roast with green sauce and white cheese served with beans. Wow!

The carnitas were so very good and I was able to eat on them for two or three days. Wow Again! Odie may make a good cook after all. She sure is making a good effort and she can practice on me any time.

I can hardly wait until next Christmas to see what is on the table. Forget under the tree, the table is where it is for me!

Thank you for stopping by today.

Davy

Shut The Door

Hey Friends,

This is Odie coming to you from Ohio today. Thanks for stopping by to spend a few moments of your Saturday with me.

I will get to my main topic in a few paragraphs. First I want to take a minute to honor two very special ladies.

My Mamaw, Martha Boggs, had a birthday yesterday. 

Happy Birthday, Mamaw! I love you! Thank you for being such a great Mamaw!.

Sis. Jane Sutherland, our Pastor's wife is having a birthday today. Happy Birthday, Sis. Jane! Thank you for loving us and praying for us! I hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Both of these women are some of the best ladies on this planet! God blessed the world with a very special gift when they were born. Words do not exist to properly honor my Mamaw or Sis. Jane! I am so thankful for their influence on me.

Shut The Door

"Shut The Door Keep Out The Devil". I am not supposed to be singing right now. I am Sorry, the words shut the door cause a song to pop into my head. Here is the song "Shut The Door Keep Out The Devil".  You can sing this song all day too.😀

Now we can talk about the topic at hand, shutting doors. I struggle to close doors behind me. Closing the main door, of my house, has been a series of movements. I knew there had to be an easier and quicker way to pull the door toward me.

This spring I went to my trusty sidekick Google. I was looking for options. Google did not disappoint. There I was introduced to the EZ Pull Door Closure. This device was invented by another wheelchair user.

I decided to try out this product myself. I ordered an E-Z Pull Door Closure from Amazon. I took a couple weeks to come in from the Amazon seller.

I installed it first on a door in my garage. The E-Z Pull Door Closure made closing the door a lot easier! I was quickly a fan of this product!

Last week I decided to buy two more for the other doors that I need help closing. This time I ordered them from the Sportaid website. I wanted to try both sellers. Sportaid was priced slightly higher but their shipping time was a lot quicker than Amazon.

Four days after my order to Sportaid I had my other two E-Z Pull Door Closures in my hand. Within a few moments of them arriving at my front door, I was installing them. I was excited to have the help to close my doors!

As you can see I have the lever doorknobs. The hook can slide off the levers, but I read to secure the hook to the doorknob with a zip tie. I am careful when I pull the door closed and the hook stays in place. It has not been an inconvenience for me.

Installation is very easy. If I can do, it without help, then it is easy! 

I am glad that I found E-Z Pull Door Closure online. This product makes going outside my home easier. I highly recommend this product! I give it a 5-star rating! Click here to visit the E-Z Pull Door Closure website. Also here is the product on Amazon and the Sportaid link is here.

Well, I must close for now. Thanks for reading. I will see you next week. 

Odie

A Little Splash of Color At The Beach Cottage

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity and we feel like a lot was accomplished. I have already told you about most of it and the rest of it will slip through the tips of my fingers onto the electrical interweb in the coming days.

I do have something I want to tell you about today.

We have been intending to purchase some furniture for Odie's porch. Last spring we were home, but nothing was open due to COVID. This year everything is open, but we could not go anywhere because we had COVID. 

There are three huge weekend flea markets in our area and one of them has the furniture we wanted so KJo and I went there one Saturday morning. The parking lot was slammed like Christmas week so we did not even go through the gate. I was not excited to be in that big of a crowd.

We went to a local place that sells it and we experienced sticker shock. We could not believe the prices. KJo and Odie went to a place with Kelly's parents three counties away (Near her parent's home) and the prices were better.

The selection was not very good, color-wise, and they were about five months behind on special orders. Wow! We took Dad's truck down last week to another place in the same county and their selection was great and their prices were even better.

They had many different styles and we are able to zero in on which ones were comfortable and which ones were not. We did not know there was so much variety.

Sticking to Odie's beach cottage theme, she wanted some brightness and color in her porch furniture. She chose a white glider and a yellow chair and a red chair. We purchased all three for about the same price as a glider in this area. Excellent!

The white glider was the absolute best sitting piece that they had. And it was also the cheapest glider. How often does that happen? The chairs fold up for easier storage when we are gone for long periods of time. 

Odie loves to sit on the west porch. In the heat of the day, it is shaded. In the cool of the evening, she gets some of the sun's rays as it is setting. 

Of course, that porch is covered by cameras all the time, just in case she goes to courting out there.😁

Odie captured some pictures while we were shopping and unloading.

I predict that Odie will spend some wonderful hours sitting there on that porch. That was the whole plan behind building porches on the house. I wanted her to be able to enjoy the outside without the problems of taking her wheelchair in the grass.

Eventually, we plan to build a deck across the back of the house to give her even more room to roam. With a deck and a sidewalk on the garage side, she will be able to go all the way around. Then she may start racing in circles!

Thank you for reading Mile Markers today. We sure appreciate it.

Davy

Keeping Busy With Small Projects

IF I am ever well enough for us to leave, there is a list of things that must be done in order to be able to hit the road. While I am waiting to get better, I need to be working like I am already better. Does that make sense? Whether it makes sense or not, those are the facts.

I am NOT pushing too hard. I am trying to complete one or two little projects each day. The work needs to be done and hopefully, I can build up a little strength each day. Sometimes Dad helps me, sometimes KJo helps me, sometimes they both help me and sometimes I watch.😁

We have worked on barn projects, house projects and bus projects the last week or so. Some of these tasks are so small that I should be doing several a day, but by the time we are finished with one, I am spent.

A couple of the bus projects have been months in the making. Early this year, the lock on our main entry door began to be contrary. By the time we arrived home in early February, it might lock and it might not.

It worked fine from the inside. The problem was only manifested when using the key on the outside. Armed with knowledge and advice from members of the Prevost Community Forum, I took it apart when I was feeling well several weeks ago.

I called a major locksmith in southern Ohio. I sent them all kinds of pictures and part numbers, but the news was not good. The technician told me those particular cylinders could NOT be re-keyed and that he could replace it all for $600.

Number one, I knew from the experience of other Prevost owners, that the cylinder could be removed and could be re-keyed. IF it needs a new cylinder, they can be purchased for well under $100 and then keyed.

I knew right away that the locksmith did not have a clue and I do not allow people to practice on the BoggsMobile. I do not like to pay for on-the-job training.

The whole lock job was delayed for a few weeks due to my health setback. 

This week I removed the cylinder and KJo drove me to Centerville Lock and Safe and 40-45 minutes later, the cylinder was cleaned, re-keyed and five new keys made. The keys were extra, but the lock service was $12! Yes, I gave her extra.

I could have had it keyed exactly the same, but we have two doors on the bus. They have always had two different keys. Now they use the same key. The locksmith told me the cylinder has a few years left, but not another 26 years.😍

The cylinder sticks through the outside of the door and screws into the box circled in red below. One PC member suggested I count the number of turns required to remove the cylinder (Five). I am glad he did. That made it easier to put back together.

Once you loosen several parts, you push on the square box above and unscrew the cylinder. Easy peazy.

Behind these two holes are Philip head set screws. I turned each of them 10 1/4 turns and the cylinder was free to remove.

1995 1996 Prevost XL Vantare
I put the lock back together one day earlier this week and yesterday I finished putting the door back together.

Kelly Jo mowed one day this week.

I know that I have said this before, but it worth saying again. It is amazing that the guy that hates taking care of grass the most, has grown the best looking yard on the street. Life is certainly not fair. Sometimes I feel like apologizing to my neighbors when I see them slaving in the yard.

Thank you for checking into Mile Markers today.

Davy

A Little Sunshine

Hey,

This is Odie checking in with my friends. I hope you are having a fabulous day.

Reminder
Tonight is the night that the clock springs forward. Make sure your clocks are set to change. Looking on the bright side, we get more daylight in the evening. 🌞 

I am definitely not a fan of losing an hour of sleep. Sleep has become even more precious to me since I had Covid. Some nights I sleep great and other nights I struggle to sleep more than a few hours. I know this is normal for my Dad, but I am not a fan! I do love my sleep!

A Little Sunshine

We all could use something to help our day be brighter. I decided to share some Sunshine today. Do you have one thing that brings a smile to your face? I have told you many times that I consider the beach my happy place. The sunshine and beauty bring me incredible joy.

That is why I chose to make my house a bright and beautiful beach cottage. I wanted to share a couple pictures that help make me happy. We have posted both of these in the past, but they deserve a repost. You can see them in another blog by clicking here.

Bro. Ron Conner from Kentucky took this picture. It is from one of his trips to Florida. If my memory serves me correctly, I think he said it was Fort Meyers.

This picture hangs above my bed. I am sitting under it right now as I type. I smile any time that I look at the details of this photo. I can almost feel the warmth of the sunshine and smell the ocean air.

When looking for decor for my home, I needed a large piece for the wall opposite my bed. I found it courtesy of my friend, Shavona Deane Golden. She is a great photographer. Shavona is now doing photos of people. Shavona's current work can be found at a new web address.  

I knew this picture was perfect for this large wall. Shavona allowed me to get the picture printed on a large canvas and I love it! My Uncle Steve had the canvas made at his work.

The picture is aptly named Pathway To Happiness. When I look at this picture in front of me right now, I imagine that I am looking at this peaceful scene at Pensacola Beach and walking along with my toe's in the sand.

I will also mention the Beach Rules sign. It is a new addition to my wall. I really like it hanging next to the big picture! They go together very well. The sign was a gift from some friends.

 

I hope this brings you a little sunshine and a big smile today.

Thanks for stopping by to visit with me. I will see you all next time.

Odie

Flip The Switch

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in with you. I hope that you are doing well today! Thank you for spending a few moments of your day with me! I am thrilled to be visiting with you virtually.

I have been home, enjoying my home, for most of December. When I am here it is easy to look around and admire all the little touches that make this house my home.

For this post, I wanted to focus on a small feature in my house. This has become one of my favorite things that we did to make this house fit my needs.  

Dad and Papaw Eugene handled the bulk of the electrical while we were building. Our cousin Gary Coffman and his crew helped us do a few things too. I appreciate Gary being on speed dial to answer our questions. He knew all the stuff that our county required for electrical and that was a huge help!

When we were discussing and planning to build the house I had an idea and I asked Dad if he could make it possible. He is awesome! Dad made my idea a reality for me. I absolutely love it! In fact, he was already planning to do it, I just did not know it.

What makes me so happy? It is a bank of light switches above my bed. I can control the majority of the lights inside AND outside my house from my bed! It is even better than I wanted it to be. I just asked for controls for the bedroom and bathroom lights, but I received so much more.



Have you ever climbed into bed and snuggled in only to discover you left a light on? Yeah? Me too! It is so hard to make yourself get out from under the covers and out of bed in order to turn the light off. For me, that can be a multi-minute process. 

By the time I drag myself out of bed, get in my wheelchair, go to the light switch and then reverse the process, I have spent way too much time. There has to be a better way and having all the switches above my bed is perfect!

My switches are within arm's reach. I definitely use my switch bank daily! I actually can control the bedroom light at three points in the room. I think it is amazing! I can also control the bathroom light, the living room light and all of the outside lights.

There is another switch in the bank of switches that usually gets flipped multiple times a night. That switch controls my ceiling fan. If it feels stuffy or I need air moving during the night I will turn on the fan. Then after a while, I start feeling chilly. It can be a never-ending cycle, but there is a handy switch to control things.

Who knew how important switch placement can be for somebody with limited mobility? I am so thankful for every small detail that helps me. My special light switches are wonderful. I am so grateful that Dad made this feature possible for me!

The large and small details of my home make it perfect for me! I thank God every day for the marvelous blessing of a home. He is so good to me! God does not owe me this. There are so many millions of people that have nowhere warm and safe to live. I am very thankful for my blessings.

Thanks for reading. I will close for now. I hope you have a great weekend and a great beginning to 2021.

Odie

Odie's Office

Hey Friends,

Happy Saturday, This is Odie writing today.  Thank you for taking a moment to visit with me. How are you doing these days? I am doing good. Life is moving right along. We should arrive at Burnett Mission Holiness Church later this morning and we plan to be there all week.

Odie's Office

I get asked a certain question very frequently. Do you have your house all set up yet? Here is my answer to that question. It is still a work in progress. I am not really in a hurry. All the necessary things are in place.

I still have a list of things that I want to purchase for my home. We will get it all done at some point, but there is no need to rush. I am enjoying working on it a little at a time.

Last year I started working on furnishing my spare room/office.  We added the murphy bed and a desk. The bed came from Amazon and the desk is from Ikea.  I am still super pleased with both of these purchases! You can find them by clicking here for the bed and here to see my desk. That was all that I completed in that room in 2019.

This year I wanted to work on the office portion of the room. My goal was to get a computer and a printer for my home office. I was able to make those purchases in February and March. Both items have been wonderful additions to my office. 

I did not buy the nicest models, but it gets the job done very nicely for me. I am really pleased with my equipment. Best of all, they were both very affordable! They were also easy for me to set up.  I like the fact that they are easy for me to handle. I can move them with no problems. Working from a seated position all the time, easy is better!

I ordered both my computer and printer online from Best Buy. It was great to get them delivered straight to my door.  Click here to see the HP All-in-One computer and here to see the HP DeskJet printer that I chose for my office. I am glad that I can easily complete my task at home.

Below I posted a few pictures of my setup.

This is my HP-All-In-One. I really like the compact features of the All-In-One choice. The graphics could be better. I have tried to find a setting to fix the graphics.

This is my HP DeskJet 3755. The printer weighs less than five pounds. It copies and scans using the HP application on my phone.  I love that I can print wirelessly from any of my devices.

Here is a complete view of my desk right now. The clock was a birthday gift from my cousin. Thanks, Kayla Jo, for a great office accessory!

I was able to get these items purchased before the COVID crisis hit this spring. I am glad that I had these in my office during the quarantine. They also were a wonderful asset during our online revival.

There you have all the current details of my office. I really like everything so far. I am excited to share my progress with you.

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Odie

Garage Door Peace of Mind

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in today? I am excited to be visiting with you again. How are you doing? I hope you are well. We are on our way to Fouke, Arkansas this morning.

Do you have a mental checklist that you go through before leaving your home? I try to remember to turn off lights, fix the thermostat, set the alarm, lock up and a few more things. 

Did I do everything right? That is a question that I ask myself later. Thankfully I have cameras and apps that help me double check myself. 

There is also another question that haunts me. Did I close the garage door? Most of the time the answer is yes, but a little peace of mind is comforting to me.

Last year sweet neighbor called to ask if I knew my garage door was open. I did not know. She was kind enough to walk over and close it for me. Dad checked the cameras and found the garage door was opened Sunday afternoon and had been open all night. Thankfully, nothing was stolen and no one entered.

That was a little wild and scary.

Fortunately, my Uncle Steve found a cool gadget after that to prevent that from happening again! I am glad that he sent the link to me. It is called the MyQ Smart Garage hub. My parents were sweet and bought me one for Christmas last year.

I am thrilled with the MyQ. I can open and close my garage with my phone from anywhere! It also alerts me anytime the door is opened and closed orif the door remains open for an extended period. I think it is really cool!

Mine was purchased from Amazon here. I saw on Google that it is available at other places like Walmart and Best Buy.

At Christmas, my Uncle Steve helped me get it setup. We had to pair it to my Garage door and connect it to my wifi. I already had the app downloaded and set up on my phone. After we were connected, I had to complete a few steps on my phone. Then it was ready to go. It was an easy process.

This is what the app looks like on my phone right now.

This is another gadget that makes life a little easier for me. I like to share things that I like with my friends. I definitely give the MyQ Smart Garage Hub a five-star review. Have you used this gadget or one like it? 

Let me know if you give it a try! It definitely makes a great gift idea. (I have no relationship with MyQ except as a happy customer.)

I want to say thanks, Uncle Steve, for finding the MyQ. I appreciate you helping me get it setup. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for one of my favorite gifts! I use it a lot and love it.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a fabulous weekend. I look forward to seeing you next time.

Odie

Amazed By God's Provision

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in with you. How are you doing? I am doing great. I am grateful that I am alive to praise God for another day.

Amazed By God's Provision

We broke ground to build the home where I now live on April 17, 2017. I remember a memorable text that I received on that groundbreaking day. Bro Gary Lee said, “You are watching a miracle happen right before your eyes.” His statement to me was one hundred percent true! This miracle began taking shape years before that time, but that day we could physically see progress. Over three years later I am still amazed by God's provision. 

The vision behind the whole project was to provide a home for my future. A house that was accessible for my physical needs was a dream of mine. It was difficult to imagine that my dream would actually be a reality. 

The house project was a long process of vision, bravery, faith, prayer, planning, time, labor and money. I watched a huge series of miracles and God was always faithful. He provided just what was needed. The finished product is a beautiful place built just for me and I can access everything. 

My house was approved for occupancy on June 1, 2018. Immediately I started to make the house my home. I will always remember the joy of spending my first night here. Surprisingly it immediately felt like home. Two years I am still excited to be in my house.

It is impossible to publicly thank every individual that performed any part in my miracle. Countless people sacrificed abundantly for me. I appreciate every person that showed their love for me. Their incredible gifts turned my dream into a reality and their generosity continues to bless me! I am still overwhelmed by their kindness. 

I know several of you, my dear friends, will read this post. The words "thank you" have never fully expressed my sincere gratitude accurately. I do not want them to just be hollow words, but I mean them with heartfelt passion. I have been praying extra for the people who made my home a complete miracle.

I planned for a while to be home for a month this spring. I was thrilled to enjoy being home. Well, due to circumstances beyond anybody’s control, I had an extended stay at home. Nobody had any idea that a world crisis would happen, but God provided me a wonderful place to hide from the virus! I have had plenty of time to reflect on my blessings.

During the pandemic, I have been so grateful for my beach cottage. I remember what Wendy Bagwell once said about his home.”We ain’t got no ocean in Smyrna, Georgia." Well, we ain’t got no ocean in Waynesville, Ohio, but I am surrounded by a home that reminds me of the ocean. The sight of a beautiful ocean is my happy place. Living in a bright beach cottage has helped me stay cheerful!  I am so thankful for God's provision for me.

I will close for now. I am always grateful that you spend part of your day with us. Thanks for reading as I reflected on God's amazing provision for me. His blessings are awesome! If you are new to the blog you can click here to read more about the house. You can see all the posts about the house by clicking here.

Odie 

Reminiscing And Rejoicing

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in from Ohio. We had a wonderful, wonderful week of revival in Middletown, Ohio. It was awesome to see God moving under the Gospel tent. It was good to work with Pastor Kevin Allen and the Calvary Pentecostal Lighthouse. We are expecting God to do great things for this church as a continuation of revival.

I am sure that Dad will have more to say on this later, but the tent came down nicely after the final service Friday night. Mom and Dad should be arriving back at the Ranch shortly.

It has been nice to be close to home. Thanks to my parents for allowing me to actually stay in my home during revival instead of in the bus at the tent. That leaves them with some extra work as we usually operate as a team watching the tent, so it is a sacrifice for them to allow me to be home.

Thanks to Mamaw and Papaw and my cousin Lisa for helping me get to church each night! I very much appreciate your help. I could not do it without you.

My house is a miracle from God and I am reminded of it every time I roll through the door. I think it is beautiful and I am so grateful for my amazing blessing. 

The other day I made a small lunch for myself and it made me reminisce and rejoice. I sat at my table and thanked God for the blessing of food, my home and the contents in my house. I was reminded of the countless times that I had made myself lunch on my Little Tikes Kitchen when I was younger. In those days I would dream of being older and having a home of my own. Now that dream is a reality. 

Years ago I had no idea what my life would consist of today. I had plans and dreams, but God’s plan for me was way better than I could have imagined. As Dad wrote in a song, "I have dreams, but you (God) have a plan." Now I have my wonderful real kitchen, I have real food to prepare.

Plus, I am still alive after eating my cooking. That may be another miracle right there. 

I am amazed by the goodness of God as I reminisce. The Lord has been so good to me! Today I had to share my thankful heart once again. Thank you once again to each person who helped my dreams become a reality. I pray God’s blessings upon you daily!

Thanks for stopping by to visit with me. I hope you have a fabulous weekend. 

Odie