fixing walls

We are working in wildflower cottage. The furnace quit working a year before the previous owner died. The house was sealed up tight and heated with space heaters.

That creates a moisture ploblem which damages old walls that have layers of wall paper. The paper releases and starts to fall.

That creates a real problem. Do you pull off all the paper you can and start repairing or remove the old plaster and start over.

We always try to salvage a plaster and lathe wall as long as the keys are still holding it to the lathe. If the keys are breaking the loose pieces have to come out. This house was well built and the keys are still in good shape, so patch and paint.

One bedroom and hallway is finished and only 4 rooms to go. I am impressed at how well the walls are cleaning up and looking after painting. The kitchen which is the 5th room still to be fixed was never papered but a sand texture was applied and it has failed. That room is more problematic.

I spent most of the week fixing walls in a house and trying to tear down walls in the rest of my life. I saw a car with a flat tire near a building we own. The couple in the car looked pretty sketchy. I walked over and asked them how they were doing. He said we have a flat tire, it was the spare small tire on the car that was flat. He needed a ride to a tire shop. I told him I could do that and he got a shredded tire out of the back seat.

On the drive to the tire shop he told me they were homeless, yea, I had kinda figured that. I asked what their plan was. He has some plan from a charity in Des Moines. I have dealt with enough homeless people this year to know that is not going to happen. I had heard it all before. 

I started giving him ideas of where he could get help, and he said those won't work, I'm a felon. 

I happen to know the programs I was telling him about do help felons. I know that from others we work with. He wasn't listening anymore. I am sure I will meet them again, seems to work that way. Next time we meet they will know I care and want to help and might be willing to listen instead of shut down. It's a process to help others. I may fix walls in houses but I try to tear them down when dealing with others.

I have met several homeless people this year, Don't know that I was able to get a single one to change their lifestyle.

Sometimes it's even disgusting. I had to clean used adult diapers out of trees one day. Coulda lived with out that experience. 

Sometimes the change that you start isn't seen till a couple years later.

I would encourage tearing down walls between you and others that don't fit your idea of living right. The ones I have met have all been friendly even though sometimes I am the bearer of really bad news for them. 

If we listen to each other intead of creating walls, we might find we all really want much the same results, we just have different ideas of how to get there. Talk to someone you disagree with, find common cause, create a new relationship. 

God commands us to love.