The Salt Shaker – Salty Strings Music Ministry

The Salt Shaker ~ October 2025

October 31, 2025November 10, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Finished work on addition ceiling; John’s eye is healing; monthly and one-time gifts to our ministries; beautiful fall weather; tire/brake work scheduled for November

Prayers – Continued eye healing; endocrinologist referral (found pituitary growth in John’s MRI); discipline to continue healthy diets and weight loss; other truck repairs

“Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer.” Romans 12:12 VOICE

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

October was very enjoyable at the start, ending with a week of cold, dreary, misty, damp days. Leaves started turning color and you could sense ‘Fall’ in the breeze. By mid-month we were in the mid 50’s overnight, with the same for high temperatures at the end of the month. Only a few rainy days and after a long week of clouds it was great to see the sun again and feel the natural heat it brings to the RV.

Salty Strings had a very busy first week home. The monthly SALT meeting music went well and the following day we took our sound equipment for another senior gathering. It was a wonderful program and audience, our songs went well, God was present, and a great potluck lunch and fellowship followed. That evening was our dulcimer club practice – quite a full day! We were able to join the dulcimer group for all four of the care facility programs but the government shutdown closed the Natchez Trace Visitor Center, we really missed playing with the ‘big’ dulcimer group.

We continued to be a part of Journey Community Church activities throughout the month. The church made preparations for their booth at the Booneville Fall Festival, Connie made several dozen sausage balls and put labels on cups and bags for food items, and one evening study we stuck church labels on water bottles. Our study in Revelation continued, and there was evening fellowship with finger food for our Pastor appreciation celebration. We visited another church one Sunday morning and joined them for a pizza lunch before their youth went roller skating (the message title “When you fall, get up!”). They do not have ‘live’ music and we left information about our music ministry.

Date night fellowship resumed this month, along with us having a few meals out (one in celebration of finishing up the addition ceiling). We delivered meals to some church friends after her return home from the hospital. We were finally able to get our RV slide skid replaced (ordered back in July) and our back flush leak was a simple fix for the service tech. We learned in the process that our triple slide switch can be disabled room by room so we didn’t have to have all three packed up. With all the busyness and things to do in our lives, there are a few days that we just relax, watch a movie or two, or take a nap! We had an unusual visitor this month – returning to the RV for a break there was a stick bug climbing on our stairs, retreating underneath as we approached. Connie had never seen a live one before.

John had appointments with the eye doctor and physician in early October. His vision had improved and he did quite a bit of driving without the prism glasses. The physician made a referral for the MRI pituitary gland abnormality (not until May 2026), discussed the blood pressure, recommended weekly monitoring for blood sugar, and suggested a self-pay test for plaque that would provide comparable blood work to his ER visit in August. His back and knees still give him problems occasionally, especially when working on the scaffold, going up and down, and kneeling quite a bit. Connie is noticing more that night driving is hard, and also deals with a few aches, especially when it is cold and damp.

Connie spent a morning in our other room (multi-purpose room) cleaning the west windows, trying to bend back the aluminum track, and installing new blinds. After placing a marketplace ad for collector plates, they had to be organized (over 200) with the boxed plates having a home in 3 boxes and all the shelves and the loose ones labeled and in boxes. In between cutting and delivering pieces to John, she sorted more screws, and had lots of hours painting and sorting boards for various trim sizes. Connie designed and convinced John to use scrap (and a lot of new) ceiling boards to make patterned ceiling ‘blocks’ for the missing multipurpose room ceiling. Lots of cutting and gluing, John gained 4 new clamps, and Connie was very happy with 48 blocks to make. A couple of times during the month we were able to thin things out and clean up this room a bit, just a bit more progress we see.

John enjoyed some men’s fellowship with a few breakfast outings, toured a church friends’ workshop, and helped a few days finishing up the church steeple. He enjoyed cleaning up and getting a bunch of cardboard boxes and scrap wood burned. John did some mowing, a lot of weeds were gradually cleared, and the paths in the woods are now cobweb free.

We filled the hot tub on October 4 and enjoyed relaxing there in the evenings. The spa mat that arrived the end of July was unrolled, flipped over, weighted down, and after a few days was ready to position. We bought some flex-tape, very hard to work with, and added markers (in case we lose the mat again) on the 20^th, started filling it 24 hours later, temperature was 86 on the 23^rd, and we had our first swim on the 24^th! It still leaks, but we were able to get the service tech scheduled for early November.

John was quite disciplined once we began swimming again. Almost every other day we would swim and the next day he would go through his routine with weights, bike rides, walking, pushups, etc. Connie would often join on bike rides and walks. There are two side roads we tried, one turns to gravel, the other is hilly and a bit tough, but gives a good workout. Because of the hills and speed of the cars on our road we purchased 2 sets of bicycle lights and 6’ flags along with a bell for John’s bicycle.

We now have a front lawn of sorts! The landscaper came and added some top soil, molding the area for drainage, and laying sod. That left a lot of watering for us to do over the next week. It still looks very patchy but when we return in the spring we can mow and watch it grow rather than looking at mud puddles.

A lot of progress was made on our addition this month, even though we didn’t get really serious until mid-month. It was a joint effort. John did all the scaffold work and Connie tried to stay one step ahead painting/priming boards, making the saw cuts, and passing material to him as needed. As we get closer to being “done” (if that is ever possible), each day brings smiles as we see how great things are looking! Finished ceiling boards and painting, lighting, fan location and mounted bracket. John ripped a lot of boards for custom trim along the ceiling beam, side walls and corners – all were primed and painted before going up. John made contractor repairs along the way and mumbled a lot as we discovered many inconsistencies.

Connie fit some new carpet in our RV office/music room, cleaned our a/c filters, and sprayed the weeds in the driveway and around the RV. There were a few shopping trip days combined with doctor visits, straightening out bills, learning Starbucks doesn’t serve dark roast coffee after 11, and finding a shortage of frozen mixed vegetables! She also gave her first hammer dulcimer lesson (more encouragement actually) with a dulcimer club member who already plays quite well. It was at her home where there were a lot of adopted dogs, one was a Huskie; we had forgotten how well they ‘talk’. Finally, after the RV repairs were finished, she unpacked her harp and started practicing again.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** Faith wants to be active. Faith wants to serve God. We serve and love others out of thanks to our God, because we have been saved. To God alone be the glory!
** To unlock the door of prayer – Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, and in everything Give Thanks (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
** Delight in God by THANKING HIM for who He is, what He has done, what He has promised, and the blessings He provides each day.

“Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, watches over the foreigner, sustains the fatherless and the widow . . .” Psalm 146:5-9 NIV paraphrased

November is the month for being thankful ~ may you be blessed as you gather for your Thanksgiving meal, wherever that may be.

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Purchase our songs: SaltyStrings.com/shop

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912
Email – SaltyStrings@hotmail.com
Facebook – Salty Strings Music Ministry
Web site – SaltyStrings.com

ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

November 29-January 9 – Travel and SOWER Project, French Camp, MS
January 9-March 6 – Travel; SOWER Project DeFuniak Springs FL; travel home

The Salt Shaker ~ September 2025

September 30, 2025October 11, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Hey, it’s good to be back home again! (John Denver); renewing friendships; family visits; web page for songs online; John’s eye is healing; monthly and one-time gifts to our ministries; mower tire finally fixed, yard looked great when we got back.

Prayers – Continued eye healing; endocrinologist referral (found pituitary growth in John’s MRI); discipline to continue healthy diets and weight loss; truck repairs; new tires, decision on quotes and scheduling; web site visits, people finding our music.

“Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.” Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 CSB

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

Illinois was beautiful in September. It was 52 degrees on the 1^st with a high of 79, about perfect for Connie! Some rain, perhaps three days, which was much needed even though harvesting had begun by the end of the month. Typically it is very windy, but only a few days this visit. Connie had to drive home in some heavy rain after dark and will definitely avoid that if possible; her eyes are not as good as they used to be.

John’s eye slowly improved this month. The prayers of many have certainly been appreciated and answered. He made his first city drive on the 5^th (about 45 minutes with a couple of stops) before some motion sickness started. He was able to drive two longer stretches on the 13^th when we visited his sister in Macomb, IL with no motion sickness and again on the 19^th when we went to Peru, IL. One of our evening walks mid-month he didn’t use his glasses and could see a reasonable distance clearly. Both of us have been more mindful of when and what we eat, and we treated ourselves to a congratulatory Steak N Shake happy hour half-price milkshake on the 12^th. Our combined weight loss at that time was 15 lbs.!

We have some on-going water problems that started on the 7^th – Connie heard a consistent drip sound that John found coming from the shower area, running through the pipe hole, and ending on the water heater shelf and floor of our storage area. The water was turned off and we were thankful that we caught it early. Most of the month was spent back and forth with the pressurized ‘city’ water connection or the pump using our fresh water tank. Settings seemed to work for a while, but our final diagnosis was the back flush valve was bad. Once that was disconnected, we were able to hookup to ‘city’ water again. In the meantime, our pump was getting very hot so we only used it for short periods, and that will have to be checked into after we get home. Camp showers are not fun and hauling drinking water gets old very fast – not complaining, we’re just not used to real camping!

Although frustrating, it was a good month for Connie. The decision was made in August to hire a professional to complete our music E-Commerce web page. A Christian gentleman replied to our inquiry and she started working with him on 9/2. After 16 days the task was done! WordPress had been our platform for several years but their host price for our needs was very expensive so we changed hosting services. Then came her part, selecting samples from the songs; getting uniform information for author, year, type, etc. (metadata); selecting photos; and adding these ‘products’ to the web site. Trial orders, downloads, decisions, decisions, decisions! September 22 this page became LIVE finally after two years of thinking about it. Sixteen songs from our CD’s along with Conductivity are available online for a donation. (www.SaltyStrings.com).

John did most of the volunteering this month – 16 days, starting 9/2 and finishing 9/25 working on outside painting. Two cement block dorms and their doors (Goodness and Kindness cabins), two boat dock piers, and one zip line landing pad. The dorms included pulling the wood chip mulch away from the bottom blocks, prepping the walls, trim and roller all four sides, and replacing the wood chips. The dock and landing surfaces received two coats, and all the edges were painted as well. Needless to say, he was very tired and stiff several evenings. He didn’t have any problems going up and down the ladder, no dizziness, but did have some heat stroke symptoms once or twice. He was a bit lonely so Connie did help one morning, finishing a short end of the Goodness dorm.

The first three Sundays in September found us at Lane Christian Church (our former home church) where guest speakers have been providing the messages for almost a year. We were blessed to hear two excellent speakers, one a previously retired pastor from this church (before our time). The other speaker gave two messages from Joshua 1:1-9 (be strong and courageous); from the incoming pastor’s perspective and from the congregation’s perspective – both excellent messages applicable to any church receiving a new pastor. The last Sunday we were with Memorial Christian Church (Carlinville, IL) our 2^nd ‘home church’ where we shared some worship and special music as well as hearing an excellent message from their new pastor. We were blessed to attend Sunday School, evening studies, and renew friendships.

Salty Strings had two wonderful opportunities to share this month. We provided special music for our original church in Lane, IL one Sunday morning (and it fit well with the guest pastor’s message). We also prepared a special song and led the worship one Sunday in Carlinville, IL (our second ‘home’ church) and their new pastor tied his message into the songs. It is wonderful how God works all this out!!

A busy month, but filled with some much-enjoyed relaxation. Connie was able to get her sister’s memorial flowers laid out to dry and de-headed. John picked up a beautiful flamed maple electric guitar, amp, and another acoustic amp from his cousin which he enjoyed playing around with in the RV (with loud volume) when Connie was gone for the day. (Later in the month he got another guitar that needs some repairs!). We enjoyed the Wednesday volunteer day lunches at the camp (including cornbread and dipped cookies), and a few TV movie nights. Connie spent a morning struggling with our new printer and some extra time trying to get the formatting for our web blog photos to look good again. She also researched our back flush RV leak and pieced together photos to trace the plumbing lines (what a tangled web). John purchased new guitar strings for his Taylor guitar and had his patience tested when a new string broke because of his limited eyesight. Connie’s sense of adventure caused us to take a short-cut home from a visit on a dark, moonless night across a ‘dry creek crossing’ – at the top of the very eroded gully our headlights showed it was neither dry or crossable. She was able to back up a quite a way to a farm field access, get turned around on the narrow road, and proceeded home on the safe highways. So much for adventure.

We enjoyed (mostly) our consistent exercise this month. Lots of bike riding (with and without purpose) around the camp. Connie’s knee was a bit stressed with all the trips during Family Camp but she really enjoyed riding up and down the hills. There were mini-rides to get water from the RV leak or take the trash and longer rides just for the exercise. Almost every evening we would take a walk, sometimes down the RV driveway and other times more purposeful trips (around the pool or to see the logs from the 20×28 cabin kit). It is hard to get up after supper and move, but it feels so good after walking around a bit, enjoying the fresh air, and seeing the always changing moon.

Connie enjoyed a day alone galivanting through the countryside. She picked up lunch and visited a church friend (and Max, their new dog). Then back to our home town of Weldon for another visit with a wonderful lady that helped her serve ‘Peace Meal’ for the seniors when we lived there. She proceeded to drive around this little village past our old home, said ‘Hi’ to the neighbor on that corner, and chatted with another town friend before leaving. We’ve been gone for 10 years and it is such a blessing to reconnect.

September fellowship was great, a bit rushed, but great to connect with family and friends. The month started with our last day of Family Camp followed by the local Men’s Fellowship gathering that raises funds for the camp. Mid-month we traveled to visit John’s sister and niece in Macomb, IL where we enjoyed the Farmer’s Market, helped his niece pack up her booth, had lunch with his sister, and conversation at her apartment before heading back to camp. We enjoyed an evening pizza meal with a couple we see each year, had another evening meal at Texas Road House with a church couple, and enjoyed an after-church meal with another church couple – that’s a lot of catching up with great friends we look forward to being with on our annual trip to this area. We had another visit with John’s sister and niece when they drove to meet us at a nearby town for lunch, and were excited to get to see some of John’s cousins this trip, meeting at Olive Garden in Peru, IL with lively conversation. Once we arrived in Litchfield towards the end of the month we had supper with our friends at Steak N Shake, without water, coffee, and soft drinks (boil order). Carlinville church friends, retired translators in Columbia, invited us over for a grilled chicken lunch and we met their new pastor; a great meal, garden produce to take home, and wonderful conversation. We were treated to a Mexican lunch after church the next day. That’s a lot of relationships, encouragement (for us and them), and wonderful stories to treasure!

Our renter took over the mowing and weeds for August and September. We had fixed a flat tire before we left, however it continued to be a problem. It had three strikes (and considerable frustration) before the final fix and the property looked great when we arrived home! Our thanks to those who took care of the repairs while we were away.

Our last week in September was fairly relaxed even though we were on the ‘pack up–hook up–travel–set up’ cycle. Friday 9/26 we had a short uneventful trip from Clinton to Litchfield, IL where we stayed three nights visiting with friends, eating out, and sharing our music. Just after leaving we received a notice that the RV park was under a boil order – no drinking water at camp or in town with our supper meal! We boiled water that evening for drinking and the boil order was lifted early Saturday.

We started home Monday 9/29 with an overnight stop at the RV park next to Lambert’s in Sikeston, MO. Although we had an early stop (forgot to tighten the instrument shelf straps) and another ‘shoulder of the road’ stop before crossing the Mississippi (personal necessities), John drove part way and we were set up with most of the afternoon free. We unhooked and were able to tour the Flea Market, get our end-of-the-quarter free medical supplies, and refuel before returning to the RV for supper in bed (so we didn’t have to unpack our living room). Tuesday morning was leisurely and hooking up to the RV went smoothly after John got the truck backed up at the right angle (Connie couldn’t get it this time). This was our first time seeing green and white cotton fields and realizing the old manual labor picking would have been very hard work. We arrived back to our peaceful surroundings early afternoon, got mostly set up, and took a walk up the road thanking God for safe travels, a beautiful place to live, and a wonderful evening for a walk.

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
God’s promises are not always immediately visible, but they are always trustworthy. God calls us to trust him, not our outward circumstances or feelings: those things change, but God is constant.
We do well to remember that God takes care of all our needs. Be content with the blessings God provides and give thanks for the physical and spiritual gifts he gives to us.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:7-8 NIV

Please keep us in your prayers . . . and THANKS for catching up with our adventures!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

Now through Thanksgiving – Home in Mississippi
November 29ish-January 9ish – SOWER Volunteer Project, French Camp, MS
January 9ish-March? – SOWER Volunteer Project, DeFuniak Springs, FL

The Salt Shaker ~ August 2025

August 31, 2025September 11, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Wake up call to take better care of our bodies; ability to still do detailed work, thanks to special eyeglass treatment; spiritual growth

Prayers – God continues to heal John’s eye; for us as we keep putting off truck repairs and tires; eCommerce web site up and running

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it and moves out across the skies . . .” Psalm 19:1-5 The Living Bible

(When your life has unplanned complications, you may feel unrest in your mind and body; keeping your eyes on the eternal rather than the temporary keeps you grounded – God is still in control.)

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

John had many music store stops this month. On the 1^st we went to Kenosha to get his amp ‘repaired’ only to find it was working fine; the store gave us a free used cord (in case his was bad) and charged nothing for diagnosis. Guess bouncing an amp around traveling 650+ miles will realign anything. This store had a 3-shelf corner display of accordions and some interesting guitars. We continued to the second music store with nothing of interest but encouraged another shopper to purchase a dulcimer followed by Chinese buffet lunch, grocery shopping, and home for the day. We were invited to a maintenance department Birthday lunch our second volunteer day, enjoyed a Pizza Ranch lunch with a Beloit friend, ate out in Beloit twice, a grilled dinner with two couples we worked with in Florida, and were treated to dinner by our ‘boss’ at the end of our volunteer time. Another music store stop we saw a guitar body fitted with a stained-glass top, something similar was added to Connie’s list of things to do someday! We did plan a stop at Fleet Farm (bucket list check off) where John found some oriental snack mix. Gears shifted after arriving in Illinois, we went to two antique malls to look for lathe tools and actually found an old new set with a lot of rust. On checking prices, it was cheaper to order a new set.

The end of July we started reading through a book together as a daily devotion time, the title “Fit to Serve: Spiritually Suitable-Physically Able.” We had decided to lose 5 lbs. each by the end of August but did not know the physical and spiritual attacks that were coming. At the end of our first volunteer week John felt a bit dizzy and thought it was eye strain and being tired. That Friday Connie drove several hours for errands and visits while John dealt with seeing double, motion sickness, and he couldn’t ride bicycle over the weekend. We were able to get in early Monday morning at a nearby eye doctor who wisely sent us to the ER for some tests and an MRI. The news was not good, high blood pressure, slightly high blood sugar and cholesterol, and ocular nerve damage. The next afternoon we were back at the eye clinic where they added a prism lens (like a window cling stick-on) to his glasses bringing much better central focus. He is still having double vision and depth perception problems, especially peripherally, but was able to trim walls again. Some medications were started, a blood pressure monitor was purchased, and big changes in our eating as well. Lots of prayers, questions, and realization our lives and lifestyles are not guaranteed.

When we arrive in a new area John always checks the local churches to see “who, what, when, and where.” Then, we pray and choose which one to attend. Again, God in His faithfulness, led us to a small Methodist Church with wonderful people. We spent 4 Sunday mornings with this congregation (never did make it to their Wednesday evening study) and were blessed being there and able to help them as well. It was a tough month for them: the Pastor was gone for two weeks with some personal matters and the music leader was out all month with throat and vocal issues. We were able to provide our sound system, hymns, and a short concert for their ‘Sunday in the Park’ service and Connie played piano and we did a special for our last Sunday there.

What beautiful weather this month – after Mississippi it was so refreshing to have nights in the 60’s and breezy non-humid days! There were a few thunder storms and heavy rains, but we were not affected by any nearby flooding. A few over-nights and mornings we started our electric fireplace to warm it up a bit and there were many days that we didn’t need to use the a/c. Our friend meeting us in Elkhorn was delayed waiting for the hail and rain to let up for our lunch meeting. We had a few day trips bringing us home after dark – one evening we had a cat, deer, and geese crossing the road with a huge golden-red sunset and a pale reddish moon rising, dipping behind clouds, then returning slightly out-of-shape to become full again. Another evening coming around a bend behind a hill there was a big orange moon, actually the orange silo of Fleet Farm (which was on John’s bucket list to stop at).

While we were in Wisconsin Connie spent some extra time preparing for her sister’s Celebration of Life and was the emcee and speaker (with help from her niece). All our kids were able to be there, a wonderful blessing, and several of Connie’s aunts, uncles, and cousins as well. Extended family gatherings are a thing of the past it seems but there tends to be a least one in each generation that keeps everyone in contact. We left with some personal contact information, quail eggs from our daughter, and three wildflower bouquets (we could already smell them upstairs that night). The plan is to let the flowers dry, collect the seeds, and plant them in the spring with our other wildflowers.

Our August ‘project’ in Wisconsin included 104 volunteer hours under maintenance direction. We started painting two large walls in the office building and continued with two classrooms. There were a few things to move out of the way in the office (a large oak cubby cabinet and some window shades), and the last classroom we took several pictures so we could put things back the way they were when we finished. Cover plates, TVs off their wall stands, white boards, etc. along with some spackling and a hole to patch before starting and everything put back in place when we finished a room. It was great inside work and we were finishing up as the first-year students arrived and teachers organized their rooms.

We moved outside our last volunteer week, much warmer and a few rainy days, but we scraped, primed, and completed the final coat of a 3-sided fence around the main electrical panel. In our down time John started organizing the shop garden tool storage area, putting up beveled 1×12” boards then adding pegs and hanging rakes and shovels. We enjoyed our tour on our first day and know those that work here have a heart for the ministry they provide.

August was a good month for us to start working on our diets and exercise habits. There were great roads to ride our bicycles with a few very slight hills, and we did most of our own cooking this month. Once we arrived in Illinois the hills were tougher, Family Camp weekend there were 5-6 trips each day, and we are still riding several times a week. We are also trying to walk in the evening if we haven’t been very active that day.

Connie tried a few new kitchen recipes that did not go well – baking brownies in microwave pods (burned most of them leaving a brownie fragrance every time the microwave door was opened for several weeks) and chicken and dumplings that were a bit mushy (leaving them sit for over an hour before eating didn’t help). We were doing good with bicycle riding almost every day until Connie’s tire went flat (the 7^th) and John’s vision/balance was off (the 9^th). John was able to get the bike tire off and back on and we were good to go again on the 17^th! Our humming bird feeder was put out and the little guys showed up the next day. With all the commotion our monthly newsletter update was a bit behind, but the mail copies were finally sent from Kansasville, WI which we found amusing. John also replaced his bicycle gear guard (broken for over a year) when Connie found the part while setting up the office area. We did get the oil changed and new wiper blades finally for the truck, but the low gas warning light is still reminding us that we have some issues and need to have service soon (which we’ve known for several months).

Salty Strings was busy with an annual program in Illinois and the church in Wisconsin. We were to provide music for worship in the park that was expanded to include a message time concert. Although John’s eyes were not working and we forgot two microphones (thankfully our RV was almost next door to the park), everyone enjoyed our songs and God was present! We were almost finished eating when a thunderstorm rolled in, had to leave in a hurry, and we were given large catering pans of Italian beef and mostaccioli to take to our fellow maintenance workers. Our last Sunday at the church we shared a special song for those who didn’t make it to the park, and Connie played the piano for the service. We began practicing and organizing songs before traveling to Illinois for our annual Jolly Seniors program. The weather this year was great (usually it rains), and even though we were not at our best, everyone enjoyed our songs.

We had one short trip (5 hours) to make in August. Everything got packed up and we headed out at 9:30 Monday morning (8/25). This was a different trip with Connie driving all the way (with a few prayers and several stops). It was great travel weather, partly cloudy, and we noticed some interesting fence post decorations we had never seen before – ladies blue jeans likely stuffed with something ‘hanging’ from the top wire, and another field with Tonka trucks on the posts! How cute and innovative. We arrived in Illinois around 2:30, John backed the trailer into our site (with great difficulty), got mostly set up, and headed into town for a Mexican dinner.

We made reservations for Family Camp at Little Galilee this year for the speakers and a place to park before and after Labor Day weekend. The sessions were about Joseph (of the many-colored coat) and family dynamics, the morning devotions were from John 1:1-18, and the mission presentation was from their summer camp missionary and her family’s ministry in Pakistan. Part of the weekend was a celebration for the 70 years this camp has been operating, including a hot air balloon filling and “race car” carrying the camp logo. The weather was fantastic and the tables were dry (no dew) two of the three mornings for devotions!

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
Your attitude is always a choice. When you have God’s perspective you understand that everything you see is transient; it is temporary. In this life, you walk by faith – obedient to the words of Scripture, the words of the Creator God. When you experience the troubles of this life take comfort in the Lord’s promises.
What is happening when the Lord appears to be quiet? When your soul aches from the stress of life and you are breathless, hoping to hear from Heaven, don’t misunderstand God’s silence. Far from ignoring you, He is likely saying, “Hold on, loved one… and wait.” Many times God uses ‘wait’ to train His heavy lifters.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. . .” James 4:8a ESV

Thanks for traveling with us and being part of our family too!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
<> August 25-September 24 – Clinton, Illinois area; volunteer work, music
<> September – Visits with friends in the area and family in Macomb, IL
<> September 28 – Memorial Christian Church, Carlinville, IL, Special Music
<> September 29 – Travel back home, Burnsville, MS

The Salt Shaker ~ July 2025

July 31, 2025September 6, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Safe travels; truck issues, God watching over us to reach our August mission.

Prayers – Ministry opportunities; our health as we face some challenges starting our August project (John vision problems and high blood pressure); being fit to serve wherever He sends us

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. Psalm 40:5 ESV

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4 NIV

Hello to our family, friends, and followers:

Repairs continued in our multi-purpose area including finishing the attic electric, reconnecting the kitchenette light, installing six wafer/pancake lights, and putting up a few recycled towel bars in the bathroom (Connie usually showers here after our swims). Connie worked on repurposing a blank cover plate for the porch ceiling fan and John replaced the switch with one with a light (pilot switch) so we could tell from the RV if we forgot to turn it off. We decided to drain and clean both the hot tub and spa before we left this time. The spa drained well overnight with a suction hose leaving a few inches in the bottom to mop up. There was quite a bit of water left in the hot tub though! We did figure out the cover lift and can put that in place before refilling the hot tub. When we return there will hopefully be a spa service person to fix a leaky pump and install the soft tread (that finally arrived) so we can have our guide lines for swimming again.

Finally, we had contractors come and get some things finished up! We hired a roofer that was delayed two weeks due to weather and material – now the ceiling work can be done when we get back in October. We also hired a landscaper who put in a gravel sidewalk (a blessing for Connie) and fixed our foundation drainage/storm shelter entrance area. Weeds are gone, shelter has been cleaned up inside, steps added for safe entry, and the drainage worked well when we emptied the tubs! They will be back in October for the front drain repair and getting some sod down. John was able to repurpose some leftover ridge cap to cover our retaining wall, kinda cute don’t you think.

Mississippi was full of extreme heat warning days causing overheating for us both. Although Connie spent lots of time inside, she did get some things finished up by the end of the month. We had a sudden thunder storm with wind on the 1^st leaving a double rainbow in the clouds above our RV for about 15 minutes. On the 8^th John was driving in a thunder storm that brought some flash flooding to our area. We had two storms pass through while visiting Connie’s sister in northern Illinois; lots of lightening, wind, rain, and traffic lights were out for a few hours. Another storm front quickly passed through the Litchfield, IL area and we got our awnings pulled in just in time!

John spent quite a bit of time helping out with the Journey Church steeple that came off the roof during a spring storm. They loaded it onto a trailer to get closer to the building for a power supply. Old wood bracing was removed, new support/bracing was added, and a few others joined in with the sanding. Ready for some new paint now.

Some of Connie’s accomplishments for the month included: the June newsletter was finished early for a change, some light reading, lots of time researching and trying to get our music ‘store’ web page set up (failed, ready to hire someone), reprogrammed porch door lock (forgot code from a year ago), porch ceiling fan functioning, Goodwill sorting clothing and kitchen items, a few new recipes tried, and treating her ant bites successfully (ice and John’s back rub). She did miss two great opportunities to share her faith with fellow travelers: one at a rest stop with an older couple noticing our truck lettering, and another at a refuel stop with a polite young man traveling with two dogs.

John had many experiences this month with the mower – he started mowing and quickly found he had two flat tires, propped up that side, couldn’t get the lugs off, borrowed an impact driver, got the tire off, and had to take it to town for remounting; later on in the month he got it stuck and our renter rescued Connie from helping push it back to the driveway. There were a few property repairs and some clean up done, he trimmed back some branches around the driveway, siliconed the RV awning slides, put tools and things away or packed to go, and built a shelf for the cooler to sit on in the truck (worked great). He was a bit under the weather for a few days with some stuffiness and headaches. His big purchase of the month was finding a Shop Smith (will need some elbow grease for rust) that will serve as a good drill press and eventually a lathe when a rest and chisel tools are found. Connie came along to pick it up and the fire ants found both feet; it was a long drive back and we covered it for overnight, unloading it the next morning.

Salty Strings provided worship music the last two Sundays of July for Journey Church along with the monthly SALT gathering. We did a couple of songs at the Tishomingo Jam in Iuka and really enjoyed the diverse instruments and excellent players this month. John attended the Song Writers’ Workshop again, and Connie met with another hammer dulcimer player to share some wisdom, returning with fresh blueberries to enjoy! We were with the Booneville dulcimer group at the Natchez Trace Visitors Center early in the month, and joined them for two practice sessions. Connie was able to join the group for three programs and lunch in Booneville as well.

Our Wednesday night study continued in Revelation, making slow progress but we’re learning a lot and having some great discussions. We had a cookout after a morning service with wonderful fellowship and food, and there were a few lunches out after service as well. Our last Sunday the church gathered following service and prayed for our travels and ministry while we’re away and another couple that were flying to visit family for a week; these are always special blessings that abound when you are part of a Christian family. On our way home from our trip to see Connie’s sister we visited another “home” church in Carlinville, IL for their Sunday night study “Walking With God in the Desert.” It still amazes us at the loving words God provides when we most need them – of course DQ afterward was part of that blessing!

We were able to attend two date nights this month but also enjoyed a fantastic slug burger and BLT at White Trolley (our first time there in several months) and the 4^th of July Jacinto Fire Station breakfast. Another Friday night we were invited to join the Johnson Family Reunion again this year for some fellowship and great food. Of course, several more meals out with friends from all places and some great pizza in northern Illinois!

Connie’s sister was released to home hospice care after nine days in the hospital on extremely high oxygen due to lung damage from years of chemo and radiation. We made a trip to the Rockford, IL area staying in a hotel and were able to spend a few days with her. She needed 24/7 care so there was a bit of day relief we could provide as well as encouragement. Connie was six years older, missed her sisters’ teen/college years, and didn’t know she was so strong-willed and stubborn; lots of struggles keeping the oxygen on and calming panic attacks. We received word that her sister passed peacefully, what we had been praying for, on July 27.

We left for Connie’s sisters’ on the 9^th and stayed overnight with friends in Litchfield, IL. Our route took us by a field of tasseled corn in rows, lit by the morning sun. Somehow, we took a different route that avoided St. Louis and crossed the Mississippi River into Chester, IL. What a great adventure – it was beautiful with some huge barges and plaques about Lewis & Clark and Popeye. We had rush hour traffic as we headed north to the interstate but we did see the Brooks Catsup Bottle water tower in Collinsville, IL as a consolation prize. Our friends provided a great dinner, bed, and breakfast along with fellowship. The next day we arrived early afternoon after missing the last exit before the freeway causing a long detour to her house. We started back Sunday afternoon, saw a deer grazing at the top of a hill when switching drivers, met church friends for their evening study, enjoyed DQ treats, got some fresh produce to take back with us, then back to our “bed and breakfast” in Litchfield. After another great breakfast, we hit the road for another 7.5 hours, arriving home at 5:45 exhausted. We put a few things away in the refrigerator, got our pillows, and crashed after a 1500-mile whirlwind 6 days!

Our truck decided to give us a scare on our last travel day to Wisconsin. John was driving uphill passing a semi, Connie had just turned on the a/c, then there were dings and a warning on the dash “reduced power.” He went to the shoulder, not getting any acceleration, and we limped along for perhaps a mile. Connie frantically pulled out the owners’ manuals, read everything regarding this message, checked what it said to do and we eventually shut off the truck. After a quick prayer, we started up again and all was working normal except we didn’t use the a/c since most of the manual referred to engine overheating issues. (We have had diagnostics since and it appears to have been a freak situation.)

The end of the month finally arrived and we left for two months of volunteer work! We finished cleaning/draining our tubs, checked the air in the tires, packed up things in the RV, made sandwiches, hitched up (by 6:30pm), drained the tanks, showered, and were ready for an early start in the morning. July 29, 8am, we were headed out the driveway! We had sandwiches and snacks to eat in the truck, a few stops for gas and short breaks, the “add DEF” dash message informed us our speed would be reduced soon, and we arrived at our camp spot around 3:30 making great time. It was very hot the whole trip, the RV was 99 and 95 inside, we got set up and headed into Litchfield, IL to meet our friends for supper and stop at Walmart for DEF fluid (put in the next day, John forgot to bring the stool). We planned two overnights so we had a great restful day with some reading, crochet, a movie, and showers before going to a great home-made lasagna meal with two other couples. Back at the RV we made sandwiches and packed up, leaving only a little to do in the morning.

We left about 8:15am July 31, just as a slight drizzle started, had a bit of rain early in our drive, some engine trouble, and arrived in Union Grove, WI around 2:30. We quickly got things settled and had a general walking tour of the project for anything we might need over the weekend (the official tour would come on Monday). It was a very windy day for traveling (14-25mph) but temperatures cooled to an enjoyable 70. After finishing our set up we walked across the street and, after a long day, treated ourselves to a Dairy Queen supper – a fitting end to the month of July!!!

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
>> Notice what needs to be done and do what you can without complaining. God has blessed you with gifts to serve. Use them. <<
** You were planned for God’s pleasure, you were formed for God’s family, you were created to become like Christ, you were shaped to serve God, and you were made for a mission. It’s not about you. **

We so appreciate your prayers and notes of encouragement!!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
August 1-24 – SOWER Project, Union Grove, WI; friends and family
August 25-September 24 – Travel Clinton, Illinois area, family, volunteer work, music
September – Hopeful visits, Macomb, IL and Kirksville, MO
September 28 – Memorial Christian Church, Carlinville, IL, Special Music
September 29 – Travel back home Burnsville, MS

The Salt Shaker ~ June 2025

June 30, 2025September 17, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Our ‘family’ in Mississippi; thankful for so many things we take for granted; He is our Jehovah Jireh (our Provider)

Prayers – God’s will and timing; ministry opportunities; safe travels; contractor safety, weather, and completed projects; weight loss and overall health, being fit to serve wherever He sends us

“May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 Christian Standard Bible

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

It always amazes us when we look back and pull our newsletter thoughts together. A month seems so long ago but summarizing it is a great way to feel good about what has been accomplished as well as see where we could have been more effective. We were home on June 1, leveled, water and electric connected, a few things put away, some TV, and early to bed. That first shower after traveling always feels so good, more putting things away, water temperatures reset and treatments done, a trip to the post office for our mail (including breakfast out), groceries, planting of the North Carolina tree (looking very shriveled and sickly), and the final step of connecting the sewer lines to drain the tanks on the 5^th; back to normal.

Salty Strings went in many directions this month. We continued with the Booneville Dulcimer Club, enjoying our times of programs in care facilities, the Visitor’s Center, and the fellowship during lunches. There were many extra practice times and getting the instruments back in tune following humid weather and traveling. John attended his first Songwriter’s Workshop, greatly enjoying it, and has almost completed his “homework” of writing a song about an unexpected act of kindness to take back to the group in July. In addition to the jam sessions in Iuka, there is one at a church right down the road that we prepared some double dulcimer tunes for; we were there on their ‘fish and chicken fry’ community outreach night!

John has spent many sweaty hours in the attic this month, very productive hours getting the wiring moved, reconfigured, adding a 3-way switch, getting junction boxes in for outlets and switches, and has about two more trips in the heat to get it finished up. He also spent a morning in the church attic running thermostat wires – cooked to well done more than once this month. He got new glasses for mowing and they are working well to keep things from getting in his eyes. He worked at our rental mobile home to get an old furnace vent sealed up and keep it a bit cooler there, and he has cooked a few great breakfasts of hash browns and eggs with veggies, a real treat for Connie.

Connie began the month with research and ordering a new printer that arrived and ended up being broken; it was returned a few days later. In the meantime, we purchased a different brand with mixed reviews for printing CDs; got that unpacked to find it did not print CDs so it was returned and another printer ordered. Finally, on the 16^th our new printer arrived and was set up; ready to print in beautiful color the newsletters that we mail every month and a great test CD. Another successful project was working on our toilet flap/ring and getting it to seal again. Some scraping, scrubbing, soaking with vinegar and toilet cleaner, along with prayers and patience brought a much better flushing experience! Connie mixed some cosmos seeds from Illinois with top soil and scattered them on the berm for a bit of color now, and she cleaned all the filters and chemically treated our swim spa and hot tub. She woke early one morning starting our toaster oven for some baking, made a few dozen deviled eggs and a pot of spaghetti for various potlucks, and got our procedure down for fresh hash browns. The month ended with some research and attempts to get our recorded songs with samples available for donation through our web site – no success yet but frustrated enough to hire someone!

There were several shopping trips and returns this month including window blinds and a printer. We enjoy having Sunday lunch at Captain D’s (good senior specials) and decided to try again, arriving later to avoid the rush. We did some shopping first, arrived around 1:30, waited 15 minutes in the order line, left and walked next door to Arby’s. No line, ordered, and were done eating by 2:15, with the same people still in line next door. We had a fun shopping blessing using our over-the-counter health product money that expires every three months; $150 free supplements and covered groceries. It took some time and lots of bar scans but we survived. Of course, there were mornings we slept in and some ‘lack of energy’ days with a lot of TV shows and a few movies.

During our May travels Connie spotted some red clover and rabbit’s foot clover so she ordered some seeds but has not cleared the area along the bottom of the berm yet. She needs to decide which clover will be in front, get some cooler weather, and get it planted for a border of sorts at the bottom of the wild flower berm. Lots of ideas but no ambition!! John put together his Father’s Day porch “rocking” chair with no arms, but hasn’t enjoyed it yet with all the heat and humidity. We finally made more detailed plans for our August/September travels, have some specific dates, and will be making some church contacts for ministry opportunities. Connie received word that her sister (Karen) was coming home in hospice care after a 9-day hospital stay. We will be making a short trip to northern Illinois for a visit, July 9-17, then will be close by when we’re in Wisconsin in August.

John found a great mobile RV service that came one morning and cleaned both roof a/c units along with trouble shooting some of our other concerns. Good news, some pointers for awning operation; bad news, some roof sealing is needed so they will be coming back again. We finally decided to get a cover lift for our hot tub, a trial to see how easy they work and what we would need for the big covers. It arrived the end of the month and it took us 2 days to figure out how to assemble it to work!

You know a really bad day, the kind where nothing goes right no matter what you try – Connie had one. The printer came broken, the window blinds were too wide, and she attempted to do laundry but only had soap for one load! Character building to say the least. She did help in the multi-purpose room with the wiring and blinds once we had the right sizes, and was able to modify a clearance $10 blind to work for the door. John did most of the work and framing for the lights and ceiling fan to work on the porch, and he added a pull-chain light in the attic. He also put the plywood back on the swim spa and had a few days of painting the ceiling (scaffold is needed now). We finally found a roof contractor on the 30^th and have contracted with a landscaper but all the rain has put them behind, we are hoping to have a sidewalk and other drainage issues fixed by the end of July.

Connie continued to play the keyboard for worship at Journey Church along with the pianist, and we learned a new song for Homecoming Sunday services. Salty Strings shared two songs that afternoon after a wonderful potluck meal, giving the featured group a break. John went to the men’s fellowship morning, and our Wednesday evening study in Revelation continued with lots of interesting conversation. June had five Sundays, meaning Cross Point Church in Iuka has a potluck after their service that focuses on testimony and music – great fellowship as well as us sharing a few songs.

Our big event for the month was being live on the radio. Stress, fear, preparation, anticipation, etc. coming in waves throughout the month! We practiced 5 songs over and over, coming to the conclusion the day before that we were over practiced, as we fumbled and sounded awful. It was an early and long morning, but we made it through the interview and songs with several good comments. We were glad radio waves don’t carry images.

We enjoyed (mostly) lots of swimming this month. John will still use the hot tub but Connie gets too over heated for that. Our swim spa needs some repairs; it now has a running faucet type leak when one pump is on high; warranty service has been contacted but no date has been set. John got a pair of walking poles (hand strap and adjustable height) that he uses when he walks around the woods rather than warped pieces of wood; they are lighter in weight and come in handy for clearing cob webs! Several times he has returned with spider/bug bites or a tick. Connie will occasionally walk around the driveways or to the mail box in the evenings, but usually the heat keeps her inside. We noted a few apples and lots of pears this year, but we haven’t decided if these are real fruit trees or ornamental. We will have to learn about spraying if we want any edible fruit. John has started to do some exercises between swim days, we have been watching our diet better, eating more vegetables and taking some supplements, but our weights are about the same. (Two potlucks, four date nights, a hot dog roast here, and a few spur-of-the-moment invites surely contributed to the outcome.)

June weather was difficult across the US, extreme storms, rain, winds, etc. No different here in northeast Mississippi. Connie kept saying (hoping) this was unusually hot and humid for June but kept hearing “no, this is normal.” Hot, very hot, hot and humid, a week of excessive heat warnings, and muggy were frequently used in her journaling for the month. Of the 20 days she noted weather, 12 of them included rain, heavy rain, and thunder storms. One downpour was so heavy we pulled off the highway and several times we couldn’t hear the TV as it beat on our RV roof. Another storm brought a few thumps to the roof, likely 2-3” chunks of smaller tree branches. Three-weeks in a row on our drive home after ‘Friday date night’ there were rainbows, 2 double and 1 single; so beautiful to see and to reflect on God’s promise shown with a rainbow! (Genesis 9:8-17 “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Vs 13)

DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** The reality of a “new normal” is what you progressively experience while the Lord is shaping you into His new creation. As the Lord leads you into experiences that are different and may be uncomfortable, He knows how to refine you and prepare you as a vessel to carry His gospel message.
** We fret over all the problems of life – We forget the One who is Eternal Life. Jesus has always been in existence; there is no starting point for the eternal Son of God. Jesus will always be in existence; there will be no ending point for Jesus.

[Jesus speaking] “So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you.” Mark 11:24 New Century Version

Until next month – thanks for being part of our family!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833
Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912
Email – SaltyStrings@hotmail.com
Facebook – Salty Strings Music Ministry
Web site – SaltyStrings.com

ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

July 9-16 – Travels to Garden Prairie, IL (Rockford area) to be with sister
July 29, 31 – Travels to Litchfield, IL overnight then to Union Grove, WI
August 1-24 – SOWER Project, Union Grove, WI; friends and family
August 25-September 24 – Travel Clinton, Illinois area, family, volunteer work, music
September – Hopeful visits Litchfield, Carlinville, Macomb, IL and Kirksville, MO

The Salt Shaker ~ May 2025

May 31, 2025September 6, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Prescription discount for eyedrops; seeing God everywhere; remodel progress, slow but steady

Prayers – Weight loss, getting back in shape; roofer still needed; RV a/c, awning, leak(s), toilet seal

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

Devotion Thought: Living by faith is uncomfortable when the answer to many of your questions involves a “just trust me on this” component. God asks His followers to rest in His plan, relinquishing control over seemingly critical parts of their lives, including the big things like jobs and health.

May was a month of travel including some out-of-state music, sight-seeing, and visiting family! Before our adventures began John worked on repairing the center cross in front of Journey Church by fitting a new green-treated cross beam and torching it to match the other weathered crosses, and he also made some great potatoes for breakfast. Connie did a bit of yard work with some monster ant hills, grass thistles, adding a rose trellis, turning/loosening the clay berm dirt, and planting a bag of wildflower seeds/mulch. Connie started and John finished up reburying the front drain pipe, and we added a section so the back drain pipe ended in the culvert under the driveway. While mowing John got something in his eye, it cleared up a bit the following day, but a visit to the eye doctors the next day found something still there along with a swollen oil gland; all was taken care of plus a week of steroid eye drops ($84 at Walmart but pharmacist found a discount price of $35). Connie had another larger dizzy spell, possibly related to some heat stroke? In general, she has learned to take it easy, not turn her neck in certain positions, get up slowly from bed, and others usually do not notice when little spells happen (including John).

Musically, we were busy the first part of the month joining the Booneville Dulcimer Club for a practice, the Natchez Trace Visitor Center, and one nursing home. As we left home for the nursing home program, we had a small lizard peeking his head up from the driver’s headlight area – he stayed with us at least 20 minutes until we met a semi-truck coming the opposite way at 55 mph! We were involved with Sunday morning music at Journey Church and Cross Point Church before leaving the state, the monthly SALT seniors meeting at Journey Church, and one of the jam sessions in Iuka. Connie rewrote a song, sorted and organized some of our old song files, and started working on making sound samples from our recordings for our web site. Salty Strings received an invite from some Campers On Missions friends to entertain at their South Carolina gathering – that is what started our May adventures.

We ordered slam latches from the RV parts department but when we stopped to get them, they wouldn’t work so we ordered the correct ones ($120 each) online to arrive the 9^th. Turns out on the 9^th they arrived in Chicago (from Wentzville, Missouri), then went to Texas, and were in Memphis on the 12^thso John taped up the hatches and latch areas for travel. Travel preparation started a week early; the trailer hitch was put back in the truck, John avoided the rainy days getting just a few tools and things packed up, our mail was on hold, and mowing arrangements were made with one of our renters.

Our small-town post office is a blessing! Connie called first thing Wednesday morning to find our slam latch order had arrived; we were able to pull off the road on our way by, pick up the package, and be on our way at 8:30 am May 13. Traffic through Atlanta wasn’t bad and we arrived at a SOWER project for our overnight stay around 4 pm EST; a long, overcast day with a few rainy spots. John got us parked, put on the new slam latches, and we had too many TV channels to choose from. Travel day 2 is always harder, even though a much shorter day and no pressure, we arrived at the Western South Carolina Fairground (Aiken, SC), to a warm welcome, got parked and mostly set up, were treated to a Chinese Buffet dinner in town, and went to bed early. John worked two mornings with the other volunteers putting up 1x12x12’ wood boards on the interior of a huge insulated metal building to be used for meeting areas at the fairground.

Friday we tuned and practiced for our concert following a great lasagna meal, and Saturday we relaxed a bit before a potluck meal, followed by us leading a jam session. We had to refresh our rusty memories for setting up our sound system for Friday night! Saturday brought quite a few participants, Connie accompanied a singer and flute with our keyboard, and we had time to share 3 songs. We met a few of these wonderful volunteers a year ago in Florida and it was so good to see them again and play along with a few of their songs. The Campers on Missions gathering ended after church Sunday morning and we started planning for the rest of our travels, did some mending, passed our trailer key to a friend ‘just in case’ something happened while we were away, and enjoyed some evening fellowship. When we returned May 29 to pick up our RV, we had a lazy day to get packed for the trip home, there were no leaks, we enjoyed another Chinese Buffet meal with our friends, and got our ‘tree’ passenger wrapped up for the trip in the shower this time.

It seemed we had plenty of hot days throughout the month, wherever we were. Thunderstorms and heavy rains a few times before our travels, with more severe Mississippi storms after we left. The fairground in South Carolina was in the 80’s by 8-9 am and plenty of humidity! South Carolina continued to have storms while we were away with lots of wind and rain. Early mornings were nice for porch sitting in Virginia, in general not quite as humid but still hot, and only a bit of rain towards the end of our visit.

It was a tough month for exercise with all the different schedules. Connie determined to walk every other day while at the fairground and at our sons in Virginia, starting with 20 minutes then 30 minutes. The fairgrounds were part field roads and part houses with a large white barking dog tied outside, a cat standing guard inside a fenced yard with a “beware of dogs” sign, and lots of plants including cactus, rabbit’s foot clover, wisteria with pods, and the pine cone graveyard. Walking was harder in Virginia with all the hills. We did some swimming earlier in the month and will have to do a lot more to lose the 5# we each gained during our travels.

We had one date night in May and were able to attend both our churches before leaving, what a blessing to have friends and congregations praying for us. In other news: John researched a ‘free replacement window’ ad that led to a meeting with a huge price tag that we declined. Connie tried one more time to print our mailed April newsletters in color, the printer is officially dead now, black and white photos are pretty ugly. After some heavy rain we found a bedroom ceiling light was full of water (over Connie’s side of the bed) so we are keeping watch and trying to find this leak. And, like everyone, there is always something else to fret about. Our dining room awning went out and didn’t want to come back in (it did later in the day but we haven’t tried it since).

May 20 found us back on the road headed to Fredericksburg, Virginia to be with family. It was a great travel day, almost all on the interstate, 480 miles, 9.5 hours, with stops to add DEF and change drivers. Along the way was a large thick group of blooming mimosa trees, a Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, and the muddy brown Pee Dee River which we joked about. Our almost 5-year-old granddaughter was with her mom at a birthday party so we had a bit of time with our 6-month-old granddaughter (first time in person) and son. They have a wonderful place for us to stay! There were lots of movies, teething baby rocking, puzzles with older granddaughter and grandpa, morning quiet reading or rocking time on the front porch, blowing bubbles, Sunday morning church, a very interesting bug on the porch, and walks through the now full subdivision. We had a great Memorial Day breakfast brought in by our daughter-in-law’s family, along with some great fellowship and catching up since our last visit a year ago.

The first morning in Virginia was cold and rainy, and Connie forgot to pack a jacket, her toothpaste, and hair brush! So, a trip to Goodwill and Walmart was in order. They live in a newer subdivision and it was time for the second coat of asphalt on the long, uphill driveway; the last four days of our trip we hiked up and down their front lawn to our vehicles. We took their family out to Chick-fil-a for a belated anniversary lunch after stopping at the library (picked up lots of books for the older granddaughter, and a couple of free Christian books for us). They took us along for a double birthday party with Mexican tacos, all the sides, Horta (Connie loves this pink milky drink), and a live band. There were some pretty special meals for us as well – waffles, lots of bacon, brisket, grilled shrimp and salmon, Brussel sprouts, Korean BBQ with fried rice, and of course ice cream. They made sure we had some things to do as well. Connie’s task was to cut some glass for a broken double-sided picture frame; the first glass was too thick for the frame so there was a last-minute trip to Walmart purchasing two very cheap frames and cutting them to fit, it worked great. John had several things including a trip to Lowe’s for ideas for wood for a wall frame in our son’s guitar room, helping put together yard maintenance items, and the must do trip to the coffee shop.

Our next adventure was a mini-vacation staying with our church friend’s sister and husband near the coast in Newport, North Carolina. We had a leisurely travel day about half each interstate and highways. It was quite a surprise to find beautiful black dirt, gold fields (wheat or barley?), tobacco fields, 2’ high corn fields, a cabbage field, and a row of large pine trees with about 4’ deep pine needle mulch at the base. After some rain we arrived around 5, unloaded our things, and they treated us to a wonderful seafood dinner at a restaurant along the ‘sound.’ Our prayers were answered for dry weather the next day for sight-seeing. We were driven on a tour of Morehead City, Beaufort (the Maritime Museum was closed, but a boat building shop was open and we toured a few shops, saw some beautiful flowers, received a free piece of fudge, and some great boats), Harker’s Island (some Canada geese with two goslings, the ferry to Cape Lookout lighthouse and Shackleford Banks where there are some wild horses was closed), and a local thrift shop where we purchased a book, frying pan, and wardrobe bag (they work great for our pillows) all for less than $5. We attended a potluck and study at their church (Acts 16:20-25, shackles are not what we thought) meeting some more of God’s wonderful family! We gained a back seat passenger for our trip home; they dug up a 5’ popcorn tree, bare roots wrapped up, for us to get back to our friends in MS. After getting rained on at the fairground (SC) we black bagged and tied it to keep in as much moisture as possible until planted, now it’s up to God.

We left mid-morning May 29 for our last travel day without the fifth-wheel. (We hit 22 mpg average once!) We took the long way heading east to catch the bridge to the Emerald Isle for glimpses of the water and beaches, the highway was 35-45 mph and it didn’t look that long on the map, then followed back highways to Interstate 20. There were fields being prepped for planting, a few tobacco fields, and a peacock wandering about in someone’s yard. John took over driving with a rainy start on the interstate near Florence, SC, then hit three windy drenching downpours along with rush-hour traffic around Columbia, SC. We arrived, the rain quit for us to unload at 5:45pm, slightly frazzled to enjoy being back in our RV. We had excellent accommodations while away, but there’s still no place like home.

May 31 we were back on the road headed to Mississippi. We split the drive, going 244 miles to our overnight about 10 miles into Alabama (Heflin). There were several slowdowns going through Atlanta, the roads seemed especially bumpy, we gained an hour getting back to CST, and it seemed we stopped every hour for fuel or bathroom breaks! John chose this spot because they had a restaurant on site, thinking breakfast; wrong, it was called Damn Yankees, had an interesting owner (also manager of RV park), a bar, but some good pizza (to go) for our supper. The next morning, Sunday, we met our neighbor overnight travelers, found they were Christian and we had prayer before leaving and encouraging each other. Another 234 miles and we were home, June 1^st. All total May 13-June 1: 7 travel days, 2174 miles, 4 locations, and we’ll see how many days to get back to normal life!

Devotion Thought: Most American adults believe that culture plays a role in establishing moral norms. However, a majority also agrees that “the Bible provides us with absolute moral truths which are the same for all people in all situations, without exception.” Absolute truth has its source in the Lord. No human can think up or discover a new truth. As you study and assimilate His Word into your life, you can count on the Holy Spirit to guide you in the truth.

Did you know: Mother’s Day was held in Boston in 1872 at the suggestion of Julia Ward Howe, writer of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” But it was Anna Jarvis, daughter of a Methodist minister who made it a national event. During the Civil War, Anna’s mother organized Mother’s Day Work Clubs to care for wounded soldiers. She raised money for medicine, inspected bottled milk, improved sanitation, and hired women to care for families where mothers suffered from tuberculosis. In her mother’s honor, Anna persuaded her church to set aside the second Sunday in May, which was the anniversary of her mother’s death, as a day to appreciate all mothers. Anna organized a letter-writing campaign to establish a national Mother’s Day. President Woodrow Wilson then proclaimed the first national Mother’s Day as a “public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country.”

“And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.” Deuteronomy 6:24-25 ESV

Until next month – thanks for traveling with us!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367, Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
** June-July – Mississippi, remodel work, music
** August 1-21 – SOWER Project, Union Grove, WI; friends and family
** August ?-September – Clinton, Illinois area, family, volunteer work, friends, music
** September – Hopeful visits Litchfield, Carlinville, Macomb, IL and Kirksville, MO

The Salt Shaker ~ April 2025

April 30, 2025September 6, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – God is good all the time! Progress with our addition, visiting friends, new music friends, physical strength to keep working

Prayers – New color printer for CD’s and newsletter, motivation, roofer, RV repairs and air conditioning, safe travels

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 NIV

Hello to our family, friends, and followers:

April brought some interesting weather; thunder storms, gusty winds, heavy rain, dark skies, tornado watches, and one tornado warning. Our rental family and us spent a couple of hours on the addition porch waiting and watching; the entry to the shelter was flooded and slick with mud. Getting that to drain properly is now on our list of repairs needed! Most of our nights were in the 60’s and days upper 70’s and some 80’s. We found attic heat was coming into the multi-purpose room (where the beam was added and closet supports removed) and spread a tarp over the attic floor to seal it up a bit. It will be a while before we get to rebuilding that area.

Salty Strings had a full month again with a few additions. April started with the SALT senior meeting. We were with the Booneville Dulcimer Club for two practice evenings and four programs; one of the care facilities added their Memory Ward this month where part of the group played for about 14 residents. Connie had several hours of practice with the organ for Easter songs, and there were many more hours together for all the church worship. We also participated in a twice-a-month jam session with lots of other musicians and music genres. We had fun, even though it was a ‘live’ event (everyone was on video) and they were set up for standing performers.

As we prepare for travel in May our focus shifted to some postponed RV needs. John checked the bedroom a/c unit and sealed around the bath fan early in the month. With a few heavy rains we found the leak continues; we’re still puzzled where the leak really is! Mid-month there were a series of problems – a vent cover on the roof is missing (patched up with a cool whip container), the slam latch to the water compartment broke, 2 days later a latch on the other side broke, the a/c won’t work at all on low, and the living room a/c started doing the same thing (not an emergency since they are working on high). Parts were ordered, the latches won’t work, and more latches were ordered, hopefully arriving in time to install before we leave.

Early in the month Connie had lots of work on our taxes, our first year to have to file in Mississippi as well as a full year as landlords. Once they were mailed off (on the 14^th!) there was paperwork to file away and notes to be made for next year. She also finished up our newsletter, just a bit late, with a sickly printer and lots of help from John. There were four songs Connie arranged and worked out, three for the Booneville Dulcimer Club (Ashokan Farewell, Wild Mountain Thyme, and the chorus for Down In My Heart) and the theme song for the Campers On Mission gathering in May; she enjoyed the challenges and time spent on something ‘fun.’ She also did some ‘not so professional’ phone recordings with the keyboard in multiple speeds to help John with a mandolin song. There were a few cooking experiments, including chiclet noodles thinking it might be faster rather than rolling and cutting. The harp, long neglected, even came out of its corner for a few hours!

Most of our April ‘work’ was in the addition. Connie washed most of the old exterior siding wall and did a lot of painting – primer and finish paint (ceiling boards, trim boards, and walls), and put all the wall electric covers back on. John found two adjoining windows were a bit uneven and fixed the sill plates. He also did lots of cutting, fitting, and putting up various trim. Connie was brave, once, getting on top of the spa to help put up a long ceiling board. Our roof person has not been by to fix the roof leak yet, so we still have ceiling to install, but it is good to see real progress and that our planning is looking good!

There were several meals out early in the month with our visiting camper as he prepared to move on in his music ministry. We had an evening farewell so he could leave early the next morning. We continued Friday date nights, once with our Journey Church friends before attending a Passion Play in Corinth, MS. One date night we enjoyed pizza at one of the homes where we were able to sit on their deck as we ate and watched the cat and crows stand off for the pizza crusts tossed into the yard. We were treated to a great Sunday buffet in New Albany, MS after church with friends, just one of many blessings God continues to provide. We enjoyed eating at Jack’s for our Anniversary and tax completion celebration (on the 14^th). The last day of the month we enjoyed a quiet evening out where we discussed our May travel plans and semi-planned for the rest of the year.

In addition to our swimming, we occasionally walked around the driveway or up the road a bit, once with a neighbor dog following; all dependent on how stiff we were by evening. We haven’t received our replacement floor mat but we are getting a bit better at staying in the center as we swim. We noticed that there was a leak when using the swim spa, the end with the heater and pumps, and John was able to tighten the connection a bit by hand. A week later it started leaking again, this time he used the screw driver to get the connection clamp tighter, and so far, no leaks. Swimming was not as consistent this month because of plywood sheets on top to work on the ceiling.

For more relaxing activities: walks in the woods, guitar playing (almost has his regrown thumb nail trained out of its curve), and picking up sticks around the yard so he can start mowing again. There were several trips to the woods making more paths and going along the boundary markers while keeping an eye on the tree cutters on our neighbor’s land. It has been quite the experience to hear trees sawed (a huge machine can catch 3-5 trees and saw them near the ground) and stacked for transport as well as looking through the trees to cleared land. They have remained off our property so far, but we will only have a few trees left to our south once they finish. John has been making the arrangements for our trip east for some music and a visit to see our newest granddaughter and family. We had one smokey fire in our fire pit and are waiting for a good time to have a hot dog roast with friends and our renters.

We discovered all eggs are not equal – we helped put candy in 5,000 plastic eggs for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was a great time of fellowship, goofing around, and we even figured out how to get Dum-Dums into the eggs! All four Sundays in April we were leading worship at Journey Community Church. We chose to use the church organ for all the songs Easter Sunday, meaning John stretched his voice limits many times! Palm Sunday evening was the feet washing, Wednesday evenings found us back in Revelation most nights, and there was an evening hymn sing with the church pianist and Connie.

We’ve had a few calls and fixes this month from our mobile home renters – mice and microwaves. John spent some time inside, outside, and under plugging holes (expanding foam with steel wool) and spraying rodent deterrent. We worked together getting the old microwave down, finding the wall studs and a hidden GFCI plug, stabilizing the electric range plug, and getting the new shelf unit fastened to the wall. In the meantime, the renters used our little blue microwave on their counter. John spent several days designing, finding wood, cutting, fitting, glueing, and adding several coats of spray finish. Holes were pre-drilled for easy assembly and a light was added after mounting – a beautiful job and a larger microwave!

John was sick (stuffy head, sinus, headaches, very tired) April 2-6. Then Connie caught whatever bug he had for a week. That slowed us both down and the after effects included another two weeks of feeling worn out. It seems when we finally get in a groove or schedule, something always comes around to knock us off course; we just don’t bounce back as quickly as when we were younger!

Devotional quotes for April:

The best route to higher ground only comes by climbing up through the valleys.
Corrie ten Boom once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.”
Don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big God is.
What is over your head is still under Jesus’ feet.

Jesus speaking: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV) “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

Tune in again next month for our progress and ministry update!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
** May 13-early June – Aiken, SC and Fredericksburg, VA for music and family
** August-September – Illinois/Wisconsin, volunteer work, music, family, and friends

The Salt Shaker ~ March 2025

March 31, 2025September 8, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Glory to God for safe travel, protection from area storms, provision, seeing renters enjoying the property, the beauty and rebirth in springtime

Prayers – Safety on scaffolding, roof leaks (spa room and our trailer), music ministry, recording and getting songs online

Question: Why would God limit the roads to heaven to just one? Because He doesn’t want us to guess the way there; Jesus is the only right direction. Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. John 14:6 The Message

Hello to our followers, family, and friends:

March – in like a lamb, out like a lion? Our final days at our Florida project included a few camp meals, a great Mountain Man breakfast cooked over charcoal in a Dutch oven, planning routes (including how to get out of our parking area), a final evening camp fire, and packing up. Another volunteer removed a low tree branch and great spotters made our exit uneventful. We were all watching the weather with high wind and storm forecasts; since we were headed west into the wind we left early on the 5^th and only struggled a bit the last hour as winds increased and we turned north.

At the invitation of some Campers on Mission volunteers, we stayed a few days in the panhandle of Florida. John joined them for morning devotions and did some work sanding bunk bed rails and helping with porch construction while Connie remained in the RV enjoying the down time. We had 3 days of fellowship including supper when we arrived, and visiting SOWER friends in the area.

Our final recreation rest was an afternoon along the Gulf coast with a few stops at some Panama City beaches. Although it was breezy and cool, we started at access 54 (west) at a pier and watched people and waves. We ended at access 2 and found it quite different with clearer water, the surf seemed warmer, but the tide pools forming were still cold. Connie kept her jacket on and walked up and down with her kite picking up a few small shells (John found some as well) as the tide came in. There were red helicopters, trucks patrolling the beach, John recognized F35 stealth and F80 star fighters (Tyndall AFB to the east and Pensacola Naval Air Station to the west), and a patrol boat bouncing from the waves as it towed another boat. We found a Culver’s, yes in Florida, for supper and returned to the RV to prepare the cooler for traveling. We left early on the 8^th knowing we had a very long day to get home to Mississippi. We gained an hour (CST in the Florida panhandle) and gained another hour with daylight savings time when we arrived home, a bit of ‘jet lag’ perhaps?

We were welcomed back to Journey Community Church, although we were a bit weary from our long travel day, and Connie joined right in with the keyboard for worship. It was good to be back, especially rejoining their Wednesday night study in Revelation. The 5^th Sunday, the 30^th, we traveled to our other ‘home’ church in Iuka for their Worship and Testimony service where we shared a few songs and what we did in Florida before enjoying the potluck lunch. That evening we celebrated the 18^th birthday of the Pastor’s son with another meal at Journey Church. March also included a dessert celebration for Pastor’s Wives’ month, plenty of delicious food!

Our first week home was a lot of figuring, organizing, and shopping! First thing Monday was to retrieve our mail, stop for final adjustments for John’s hearing aids, purchase scaffolding at Harbor Freight, and our usual grocery stops. The scaffolding was assembled and stabilized using ladders, and John started removing the old ceiling panels, stapling the insulation, filling some gaps where birds were coming in, and figuring out how to properly mount the boxes for the pancake LED lights. We played the ‘scaffold vs hot tub location’ game for a few days, purchased plywood and tongue and groove boards for the ceiling (110 delivered thankfully), moved the boards inside, and started priming the ceiling boards. Some days Connie helped by cutting boards to length so John could stay on the scaffold. Not bad for our first week back!

God’s timing is good, even when it means more things to do! As we started our travels home, we received a call from a renter that their showerhead needed to be replaced; we were able to fix it ourselves. We now have a renter in the house and were able to meet her and ‘Hank’ her great Dane who love the walks in the woods. John was able to attend a “God’s Man Conference” along with the men of Journey Church; the timing was great even though the conference was cut short due to storms in the area. Before leaving Florida, we were greatly blessed in receiving cordless nail guns from a fellow SOWER and they are being used! We were spoiled while in Florida with great internet and lots of TV stations; that ended when we returned. Again, God’s Hand was in the timing and decisions as we visited the phone store, switched and added a line for unlimited hotspot, and came out money ahead every month. It has proved very useful, and being portable our visiting camper was able to have internet for his stay.

With all our travel and work this month there have been several days we’re just too tired to do much for exercise. We stayed pretty diligent with evening walks … for about a week, Connie started her morning exercises again … for about a week, and there were a few swims when the plywood wasn’t over the spa, but nothing consistent. One morning we were both looking forward to a swim but found, to our surprise, our floor mat in the spa was curling up on one end; by evening both ends were curling; and the next evening the whole mat was floating. Calls were made and a new mat is coming but we’ll have to drain the spa before we can position and stick it down – swimming and water exercise are much harder with no center line and a slippery surface. Other than several slivers, a few hammer slips, and some sore muscles we’ve enjoyed good health this month.

We had some special fellowship at the end of the month with a visit from a friend who travels full-time for nursing home music ministry and church visits. We connect every few years when our paths cross and finally he arrived, the first to use our full hookup RV site. Although a bit under the weather and not able to do any singing or speaking ministry, we were able to provide some meals, eat out a few times, deliver carry-out containers from the potluck, and had shower and laundry facilities. Date nights resumed on Friday evenings; we had missed this fellowship while away. Journey Church had a 2-day garage sale where we found a small blue microwave and deviled egg trays (no more recycled Chinese candy tray and John had commented 2 days earlier that he wanted a microwave to heat his coffee while working).

Connie spent some time almost every day priming the ceiling boards, usually 10 at a time, and gets more efficient each batch. John got the first 2 ceiling rows up and leveled (the hardest part), finding rafters a bit off and creating more waste than we figured because each end has a few inches added to accommodate the overhang. By the 22^nd we had the ‘short’ side of the ceiling done, all using the scaffold, and the hot tub ready to fill and heat; that’s real motivation! The next thing was getting the 12’ 4×4 support post fastened to support one end of the ceiling beam – after a few sketches, some materials, and a few prayers we were able to get it fit and in place. John cut boards for the inside window trim and ripped some 2×4’s for 3” ceiling/wall molding trim. Connie sanded some furring strips, all of which were primed along with the trim boards. The longer side of the ceiling was started, again having to get it leveled first, working from ladders for the first 3’ then moving to the ‘easy’ stuff with plywood on top of the spa. More motivation, no swimming until another 8’ of ceiling is finished!

We seemed to bring storms and weather with us. It was cool, rainy, with wind gusts above 30 mph leaving Gainesville, FL. It was in the upper 40’s when we left Bonifay, FL with some sprinkles along the way home. Once back we had some really nice spring days, our plum and apple trees blossomed, the tree leaves started opening, and we needed the air conditioner a few times. There were many more days however that were cloudy, thunder storms, tornado watches and warnings, overcast, damp and chilly, lots of rain and flash flood watches, pollen turning everything yellow-green, and the plum blossoms blew off the same day they opened. Definitely good to have the inside work. A few days started in the mid-30’s with mid-70’s for a high. We did enjoy the night sky on the 1^st with a silhouette moon sliver and Venus shining bright, and John was up for the eclipse on the 14^th.

Before leaving our Florida volunteer project we made an afternoon trip to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo (Gainesville, FL) and had a beautiful relaxing day. We wandered around for over 2 hours enjoying animals, birds, otter training, a wandering peacock display, gibbons creating a noisy ruckus, trying to see the new ‘joey’ tree kangaroo, and meeting a wandering injured turkey vulture that has claimed this spot as home. Although a small zoo, the grounds and winding paths are beautiful. The zoology students had just started a new semester and were willing to answer questions, even though they weren’t that familiar with their new subjects.

On one of our last days in Florida, Connie spotted an air plant on the ground, picked it up, and it ‘bloomed’ releasing lots of tiny seeds with fuzzies (like miniature dandelions). Although none of the seeds have grown, she separated the main plant, tied pieces to drift wood, and amazingly they are still alive! Connie started daily posts for 40 days of prayer, finished a sample flower shaped dish rag scrubber (with a few modifications it will work perfect), and procrastinated on the taxes finally getting serious the last week of the month.

It was good to be back with the Booneville Dulcimer Club and the programs at the care facilities. We are now official members with our new T-shirts! There was a music celebration one Wednesday evening at church with us using the hammer dulcimer (by request). Our church friends had special friends visiting so there was lots of music, including great 4-part harmony hymns which Connie was able to play (without practice) on the piano. We have recently been encouraged by others and believe we are entering a new season of music ministry; we need to pray, search for open doors, and allow God to use us through our music.

(Jesus speaking) “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 New International Version

Thought for the month: From a devotion ~ Despair will cast you down, keeping you from standing. Fear will tell you to retreat. Impatience will tell you to do something now. Presumption will tell you jump before your landing is ready. God often tells us to simply stand still as He reveals His plan.

Thanks for traveling with us and being part of our family too!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
** May 14-early June – Aiken, SC and Fredericksburg, VA for music and family
** August-Sept – Music, Volunteer work, Family Camp, Clinton, IL area
** September – Illinois and Wisconsin family visits

The Salt Shaker ~ February 2025

February 28, 2025September 6, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Time to rest and renew, thanks for your prayers-March 6 renters moving in, God’s timing in all things!

Prayers – Getting scaffolding (on sale?), music ministry, recording and getting songs online

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!” New Living Translation, 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Hello to our family, friends, and followers:

We continued at Friendship Bible Church the first Sunday in February then moved to Keystone Heights Christian Church for the rest of the month, finding a smaller congregation with great interactive Sunday School, Bible-based messages, and communion every Sunday. They have a Wednesday night fellowship meal (the pastor is a retired Army chef) and message which we attended on roast beef night with a study of the 4^th commandment, remember the Sabbath. We invited our fellow volunteers to attend with us for a special guest gospel music service and had three couples come along. Our Sunday church drive always included a stop for a few grocery needs at Winn Dixie as we drive by, then a restful afternoon with a nap for John. We will miss our new friends!

There were a few excursions during our week between volunteer ‘projects’ and more planned for the end of the month before traveling to our home base. The first was to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville on a beautiful partly sunny Wednesday morning. They have a 1 mile and ½ mile trail that loops through various types of vegetation. We spent over 2 hours enjoying a lazy morning, seeing our first cardinals of the year, turtles, squirrels, koi (which John had to feed), our first butterfly of the year, and a fingernail plant. We had hoped to see some hummingbirds, but not much was blooming and January’s cold weather killed the tops of some plants; it was still a great place and not busy. We had a Chinese lunch, visited a Guitar Center, and (of course) did our shopping.

The next day we travelled to St. Augustine to find parking first then the restrooms at Lightner Museum. This is a huge collection of ‘gilded age’ museum pieces (cut glass, big wheeled bicycles, furniture, and lots more) in the former Hotel Alcazar resort, finished in 1888 complete with saunas, massage parlor, and huge pool that is now a restaurant. After several hours of meandering, we stopped at the Metro Diner finding great food at reasonable prices for our late lunch. We continued down the Atlantic coast stopping at Jungle Hut Park, a public beach where we relaxed in the partly sunny 77-degree afternoon breeze and spotted dolphins, gulls, cormorants, and a pelican flying. John walked and found a few shells to bring home and Connie was able to get her kite flying and had to walk in the salty surf before leaving.

Connie saw the hawk again on the electric lines and finally saw a pair of sandhill cranes flying over our RV – they were squawking at each other in flight, sounding almost like honking geese. We were able to be an encouragement to the camp Director and office Registrar over breakfast one morning. Our laundry facilities here were great, except for the night after our project ended when all 4 washers/dryers were in use along with a window air conditioner. The breaker kept tripping, our 2 loads of laundry were started 3 times before the cycles finally completed and clothes were moved to the dryers (third time is a charm?)! We retrieved them, nice and warm, at 9:30pm far too tired to get them all folded. Warning alert – we learned when something is too good to be true online to pass it by. We tried both of our credit cards to make an order; thankfully our companies flagged the charge and denied them, but it led to one account being closed and waiting for a new account/card to be delivered. On work days we were up at 6am, weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) we managed a few times to sleep-in till after 8, and once John said ‘no thinking until noon’ when we needed to start making plans for our travel back to Mississippi!

February near Gainesville, Florida was unpredictable, just like everywhere else this year! We had highs of 52 and 82, lows of 30 and 65. There were sunny days allowing a bit of sun bathing, foggy mornings, dark clouds with wind and heavy rain, misty foggy nights, and heavy dew mornings. We found our occasional leak drips around our bathroom ceiling fan moved and are now collecting in the nearby light fixture, meaning John will have to get up on the roof with a caulk gun soon.

In February there were many volunteers and a lot was accomplished. John and others were able to complete the plumbing connections for bathrooms and kitchen (inside and under) at the old chapel addition, dig to locate the cause flooding in the hotel, repair barn door rollers, help with a cement landing pad for stairs, scrap and caulk more ceiling from the scaffold, repair picnic tables, rejuvenate three kitchen marker boards, and add solar light caps to posts. Connie and other ladies did a lot of painting – crawl space and ramp trim rails, ceiling and window trim, repainted and added an arrow to an office sign, dorm room interior doors, an assortment of outside chairs including a few rockers and gliders, and finished the girls bath house window trim. The camp was very appreciative and treated their staff and all of us volunteers to a lunch of grilled steak our last week!

February was another busy month with our music ministry. We coordinated two more music jam nights (had two flutes playing duets) with finger food once and a potluck the last time. John’s birthday included the potluck jam! We signed up for a 25-minute slot at the local music store open mic night; it was different and a lot of fun listening to other musicians as well. We led one devotion this month and had a lot of practice time. We were able to work with another couple allowing them to try guitar, auto harp, and dulcimer; he is blind and wants to learn an instrument. They had fun and will likely own a dulcimer in the future. We were very encouraged and, after some printer and ink delays, were able to make up 14 of our ‘Tis a Gift CDs to give to staff and volunteers that wanted to “take us home” with them.

We are getting older, and that includes being more accident prone along with just plain stupid stuff! We were both tired and stiff a few times this month. Two of our SOWER couples backed their trucks into a tree (no, not us and they chose different trees) causing John to get a tree bark sliver under his nail. John has used his hearing aids all month and they have really helped! He will see the audiologist with a few questions once we’re back. Connie slacked off on her morning exercises and finally got started again, it helps but it is so easy to get out of the habit. She had a few slightly dizzy spells toward the end of the month and didn’t work one day after some tunnel vision turned into a migraine headache – she needs to remember to drink lots of water! Connie woke one Sunday morning with some pain across the back of her right hand like the tendons were sore. It got worse overnight, was slightly swollen the next morning, and there was no strength. How is it that we know what to tell others what to do when they get aches and pains, then neglect to apply it to ourselves? That evening John asked if she had used ice; that worked and by the end of the next day her hand was working fine.

After almost ten years Connie now considers herself a southern girl. Although still not comfortable above mid-70’s, sadly she has to put on socks and shoes when it’s in the low-50’s! She didn’t get much done on our taxes but did finish the 33×33 baby blanket and started a modified pattern dish cloth scrubby. We had lots of February fellowship including a few camp fires, men’s and ladies Bible studies on Tuesday morning, a Valentine’s Day breakfast, a game night where Connie came in 2^nd place twice, star gazing, and attending another Thursday music bingo night to use up our free appetizer coupons before we leave in March. There were three nearby SOWER couples that brought over ice cream, toured our camp, provided lots of fellowship, and Connie got 4 ant bites. John was able to practice outside quite a bit, watched the Super Bowl Game with others here at camp, washed the truck (lots of pollen here), and accompanied Connie to our camp beach for some sun rather than driving back to the coast.

It was a great two months in Florida – reuniting with some old friends and making lots of new friends; encouraging others and being encouraged. The camp has used some great materials and color palates that gave us new ideas to finish up our addition. We look forward to a visit to a teaching zoo and our drive back home in March to get our own project finished up!

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13 New International Version

Please keep us in your prayers . . . and THANKS for traveling with us!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

March 5-8 Traveling, Mississippi home base for a few months
May 14-early June – Aiken, SC and Fredericksburg, VA for music and family
Future plans include Illinois and Wisconsin; volunteer work, visits to friends and family

The Salt Shaker ~ January 2025

January 31, 2025September 6, 2025 Salty Strings Music Ministry

Praises – Illinois friends doing much better, safety and protection during travels and getting stuck, John’s hearing aids arrived and working much better

Prayers – Renters still needed, continued health and strength for February volunteer work, contractor cancelled due to health problems (prayers for him and us to finish the work), Mississippi friends continued healing and physical therapy,

“Lord, there is no one like you. You are great, and your name is great and powerful. Jeremiah 10:6 New Century Version NCV

Hello to our friends, followers, and family:

Before leaving for our volunteer work in Florida there were some chilly mornings! On January 6 we lost power for about an hour in the morning with a temperature of 24 (feels like 18). There was snow on the truck and ice on our steps, and it remained cloudy and didn’t get above freezing all day. We turned up the heater in the addition for an evening swim, came back for a shower finding the gray tank was full and it was still too cold to try to open the valve. We decided Tuesday evening (7^th) that we would leave on Thursday before the snow and ice came, a really good decision because Friday morning brought 6” of snow to our Mississippi home.

We were able to get a few fixes done, photos and instructions for the contractor laid out, and water shut off instructions to our renter/manager (just in case) before leaving. There were the goodbyes to our church families, prayers for our travels and our volunteer work, and a ‘men only’ farewell breakfast. We had a couple of shopping trips to pick up John’s new glasses, fill propane tanks, pay property taxes, put our mail on hold, and pay-off our short-term construction loan (good to be debt-free again). Of course, we had to say goodbye to our swimming (temperature turned down) and hot tub (drained).

On Thursday we were up, packed up, and ready to go at 9am . . . then the electric tonneau cover over the truck wouldn’t open! Eventually a friend came over and helped John get it partially disassembled and fastened for travel. Then surprise! The hitch lock bar wouldn’t go in, finally on the road at 11:30!! We stopped overnight north of Dothan, AL after dark, missed our spot, circled around and squeezed past a power pole into a pull-through site. We hooked up the electric, got somewhat leveled, and stayed warm with only our electric heaters. Travel day 2 brought a few sprinkles before we got the jacks to go in (too much slope error) with no rain the rest of the trip. We arrived around 3:15 (EST) and got stuck in the sand driveway between two trees! Not fun, but the camp had a backhoe and operator along with several spotters to get us pulled back, straightened up, then pulled forward until we reached solid ground. We treated ourselves to a great Italian supper, and Connie was able to wear sandals!

Salty Strings was busy this month. There was music for SALT, the dulcimer group practice, and dulcimers at the Natchez Trace visitor center before our travels. John was able to practice inside and outside once we arrived in Florida, and we found lots of other musicians at the camp as well. We had a potluck jam one evening with great food and 9 musicians sharing their talents. Country, folk, 60’s, hymn sing, a new mandolin player, a few original compositions, and most enjoyable, a flute and tuba playing along with many songs. So much talent and encouragement to each other.

Our volunteer work was with 4 other SOWER couples, 4 RVIC couples, and a COM couple who had our materials ready and coordinated the daily work. We met the camp director on our first tour and found there was lots of work to be done. He is a visionary and shared camp history as well as future visions. The camp hosts a community lunch the third Sunday of the month, to which we were invited, free of charge. It was great seeing many church people head to camp for their Sunday lunch, and how they appreciate and support this ministry. There were a few days we lacked direction, mostly weather related, and we were glad we didn’t have to coordinate all the volunteers.

Connie helped arrange siding and bead boards for painting, caulked nail holes, moved and stacked painted boards, walked around the camp picking up branches, prepped and painted the front of the office, painting in the men’s bathroom including cleaning the screens and trim, cleaning the staff dining area, and ended with a few hours in the kitchen. The ladies were invited to join a weekly Bible study “12 Extraordinary Women” which was uplifting and wonderful to be a part of. Connie also had our keyboard and played a song or two for most of our morning devotions.

Most of the work requested by the camp was outside, and the weather did not cooperate! Our first week was chilly, mostly overcast, a few damp drizzly mornings, but usually reached mid 60’s. The second week brought the cold wave, nothing like the north had, but COLD for Florida with a few nights below freezing and a high of 34 one day, others in the low 40’s – not good for outside cleaning or painting and Connie had to wear shoes and knee socks!! Our last week brought more sunshine, still in the 40’s overnight, but usually 60’s by afternoon.

It was a great group of guys that worked in various combinations to get a lot of camp projects completed. John was involved in running water and sewer pipe for a RV site, tearing off and rebuilding the old chapel front porch, cutting siding for the south peak, clearing the bath house for the ladies, painting trim and bead board, putting up insulation and bead board in the old chapel, and turning into marshmallow man in his Tyvek suit for some tight crawl space plumbing! His nail gun was used by many, and it was great to see the addition end of the old chapel being transformed before our eyes.

January was a great month of fellowship; having morning devotions, working alongside others, and several meals together. We got to go out to eat twice before leaving; once with a church couple, and once with fellow volunteers traveling through from Wisconsin. A local restaurant has Music Bingo on Thursday nights. We went the first time they introduced the ‘90’s Rock’ theme – definitely not fun; too loud and didn’t have a clue what they were playing but, the second theme was ‘All Together Now’ which we really enjoyed even though it was getting a bit chilly outside (imagineentertainment.biz). Only 6 winners per night and of the eight in our group, three came back with winner coupons. We had fresh baked cookies, delivered warm to our door one afternoon, what a treat. One of our pot luck meals centered on a wonderfully cooked brisket with great sides, we brought pudding cake with whip cream for the dessert.

There was lots of walking around the camp, up and down ladders, crawling around with plumbing fixes, and the ½ mile loop around the camp for exercise. Connie posted January 1-11 on the Journey Church group chat some self-examination questions, that was great sharing with each other and it kept us connected part of the month. We prepared three devotions and used our folk instruments most of those mornings. John visited the local music store with a thrift store next door, finally finding a good jacket. Connie started on our taxes and a new baby blanket (the 11^th), stand by for the finish dates on these projects. We went to Friendship Bible Church our first Sunday and have continued to go there and joined Bible Study the following weeks. We have great internet here and several TV stations which allowed John to finally catch some football games. After an afternoon of looking at various displays and models, we ordered a new cover for the truck bed with a two-week delivery. We spent part of an afternoon getting the old electric cover off and the new cover came within a week of ordering. January 31 found us cleaning the rail and installing the new cover, easier than expected and we think our gas mileage has improved.

We drove to Gainesville one Friday morning to the La Chua Trailhead where we had an easy walk on board walks and trails through the Alachua Sink (prairie marsh and wetlands). Lots of herons, cormorants, other birds, and mostly big alligators sunning themselves on the opposite shore. It was great to be in the sunshine enjoying the fresh air and huge mossy trees. Another Friday we went thrift store shopping in Keystone Heights, then on to Waldo to a huge flea market where we found some clothes and stained-glass ideas followed by a great lunch at the Classic Café (a lonely date ‘night’). At our camp site we’ve enjoyed the squirrels right outside our window, one enjoying TV with his evening meal, burying acorns (and digging them up a few days later), we hear sandhill cranes, spotted an eagle soaring overhead, and a huge reddish gold hawk (Red-shouldered hawk?) has landed a few times on a nearby water spigot post. We had a visit from a big pileated woodpecker before leaving Mississippi.

Thoughts for the Month:
Irish theologian Frederick Whitfield said, “God’s way of answering His people’s prayers is not by removing the pressure, but by increasing their strength to bear it.”
Pastor and missions director Bruce Howell reminds us: that you are not what you used to be, you are not what you ought to be, and you are not what you hope to be, but who you are is according to your reliance upon the grace of God in your life.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

January 12-March 6, 2025 – SOWER Project, Melrose, Florida
March 7-8 Traveling, Mississippi home base likely for a few months