The Lord works in mysterious ways

I enjoyed reading a book entitled Hattie Big Sky for several reasons.  One, it is based in Montana and since ten of my growing up years were there, I can relate to the big skies.  Another reason is, it is about a 16 year old girl who inherits a 320 acre claim from her uncle (actually written by a women who was doing family history), which reminds me of my little farmhouse.  And her aunt Ivy often says to her, "The Lord works in mysterious ways" which I can relate to my life right now.  One of my favorite parts is when Hattie gets into the small shack she is to call home and feels as though she might lose the courage she has, she being so young and taking on the overwhelming task of living on and earning the claim left for her.  It is in the dead of winter when she reaches her shack and her uncle was not such a good housekeeper.  Dirty piles everywhere and even mice in the house.  Then she cries out in prayer, "Dear God, what should I do?" Then she hears a voice in her mind, "Pick yourself up, Hattie, and get a fire lit before you freeze what's left of your brains."  She is stunned into action and starts simple, by building that fire.  Hattie's determination would be similar, I imagine to how Millie in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers acted when she came to a wreck of a house and six more men to cook for besides the one she had just married.  She probably feels ready to sink into despair. Yet, I love the determined look on her face as she makes up her mind to get to work.
We've been at work in the search for a home.  It is quite a different journey than I thought it would be.
We first started off looking at realtor.com and zillow.  I think since we had flipped a house, we thought if we bought something older, we could just fix it up.  We quickly learned that houses around here are scare.  A House that is that is built from the ground up.  Lots of people live in a modular or mobile.  This probably has to do with the fact that we are at least two hours from professional building companies.  And the builders we have are in constant demand or are already working.  Land is also expensive, so by the time you buy, you can't afford to build.  Or if you get a cheap piece of land, that probably means that there is not electricity close.  And at $15 to $40 a foot, it can add up fast.
Another rarity around here is trees.  We looked at one home, that I kind of got stuck on for a bit.  It was 5 acres with cows grazing around (why do cows increase property value) and a quiet out of the way area.  It was a white stucco home built in the 70s.  Glen and I inspected it with a close eye and found a couple of red flags right off.  The stucco had water damage, a poor patch job, and was buckling on one side which might be a foundation issue.  The sunroom which had been framed in had mold near the bottom where water was coming in.  There was also mold in the garage.  I thought we could maybe get the price down and do some repairs on the place, so I called a stucco guy and met him at the house.  The back yard was now fenced off with wire so you couldn't get to look at the extent of damage in the stucco, the mold on the lower potion of the sunroom was covered with some slap-on adhesive trim that you see in public restrooms, and the mold in the garage was covered with a blanket.  The listing realtor met us out there that day.  And as we talked about other land or properties he had for sale, he said he had some lots that he was just waiting to get power to.  He had purchased a large lot of land and was selling it in smaller pieces at a premium price.  After this experience with Preston Porter and Porter reality and other stories we had heard, we decided we were out.  Some realtors are crooked.  Next we looked a buying land and then building a home. We have two realtors in our ward Gary and his son Ryan Morgan.  Gary and his other son, Jared, also in our ward, had some farm land for sale.  Fifty-five acres with a share of water.  We had been working with Ryan a bit and we asked him about this land.  It was listed a little high we thought so we weren't sure we were going to do any further investigation on it.  We asked Ryan if he thought they would take a lower offer and was it even worth our time to investigate.   He said since Gary and Jared now know who we are, and we aren't just strangers, that they would probably consider our offer.  So we did some research.  We figured our the cost of power and easements from the land owners on getting the power from their land to ours. We learned that since this land was off a state road that you could no longer add a driveway from that road, you had to use an existing one.  So we asked permission of the owners around for an easement on their driveway, etc.  After much research and trips to the county assessors, land use office, and department of transportation, we decided we could put in an offer.  We did so and we were countered with a lower price without the water share.  Well, without the water, the land value goes down even further than what they were asking.  In the meantime, we had heard other reports of how Gary often tries to get high prices for the things he sales.  He has a reputation of wheeling and dealing.  And we heard this from 4-5 sources.  We decided we couldn't win going the realtor route.  We decided to take on the task on our own.
So we knocked doors. We looked on the county assessors website to see who owned large plots of land.  We found their addresses and went to their homes. And here's who we met-
Dan Russell- Surveyor, geologist, small lots for sale, ten to twenty acres at a super high price.  Trying to trade with a buyer for land  to build him a house by the Rio Grande river.  Won't sell any more land close to him until he moves. Plants all sorts of things, artichokes, celery, chokecherries, a peach tree, raspberries, açaí berries, and several others.  Would go mushroom hunting, dry the mushrooms and sell them.  Built himself an underground cellar for food storage.  Had a huge pit on his land that he sold for getting soil out of.  Supposedly some of the local schools are built on that soil.
Ruben and Emilia Herrera-Spanish-speaking family. Very kind.  Their grandkids live with them while their daughter is doing nursing school.  Have 120 acres for sale.  It is difficult to get electricity there. Keeping 40 acres that is easier to get electricity to in a trust for their kids.  
Melanie Woodward-owns 35 acres with great trees, horse round pen, heated shop and a water share.  Only problem is she has a modular instead of a house.  He husband died in August of 2018 of pancreatic cancer.  He was a member.  She's Catholic.  She's moving in town to have less upkeep and a fresh start.
Stanley and Annabelle Woodman- She's 92 and he's 90.  In our ward.  He's a builder and she's a teacher.  Good people.  Honest as the day is long.  They remind me of Grandma and Grandpa Erickson a little.  Stanley adores his wife.  "Smart as a whip," he says about her.  And "I know better than to fight with her, because I'd lose. I'm not stupid." Have 80 acres for sale.  In an estate though.  Won't pay them to avoid taxes but will pay the estate after they die.  Not sure how that will all work out. Need to talk to the estate lawyer.
All the people we have met and talked to have been kind of us and willing to talk to us.  They are even kind enough to let us in since it is so cold out.
Glen came here in June and I didn't get here until September since I stayed behind to work on the house.  His experience has been lots of outdoor activities, hunting, fishing, and getting to the mountains in less than an hour.  Most people at the hospital have been pleasant to work with.  I came when the weather was starting to change. I am doing homeschool so my socializing was limited.  The people also felt really cold to me.  No one really introduced themselves at church and my experiences with trying to belong in my calling have felt difficult.  (Another story)  But what better way to get a to get to know the community, the lay out of the land, how people came to be here and feel a love for them than to knock doors.
The Lord working in his mysterious ways.