South Florida Visit

Margaret Anne's idea of "Art"

MY idea of Art!!

On Thursday, we packed up the RV and packed up grandbabies CJ and Margaret Anne, and off we went to Davie to visit Uncle Jay and Aunt Ashley and little "B'Zanna" (well, that's what 2 -1/2 year old Savannah is calling herself these days!) We came down the "back way" -- down old Highway 27 through citrus country, cattle country, and into sugar cane country. What a pleasant, "old Florida" trip!

CJ and Margaret Anne outside of the lovely Clewiston Inn in -- where else?? Clewiston FL. It was a beautiful sunny south Florida day!

Although Jason had warned us about getting to the mega-populated area known as Southeast Florida after about 3:00 p.m., we decided to stop for lunch in Clewiston anyway. There they have the Clewiston Inn, an old antebellum style restaurant and inn. It is always worth the time to stop for a lovely buffet of Southern cooking and hospitality. It was built by U.S. Sugar Corp. in a time when everyone in the area worked for the sugar companies or worked to supply them.

Now, foreign companies produce sugar more cheaply, and US sugar cannot compete. The company is going out of business, and the US government is buying up much of their huge land holdings to return the Kissimmee River and the Everglades back to their original condition -- thousands of acres back in government hands, and American sugar consumers at the whim of other nations. It was a little sad, wondering what will happen to this wonderful place after "sugar" is gone. But the visit was, as expected, pleasant.

On we went through miles and miles of cane fields, sharing about the production of sugar with CJ and Margaret Anne. The population per square mile is much like our home community in Central FL, but that was all to change!! Once we hit "Alligator Alley", which crosses the state of FL on the southern tip, there they were! Rows and rows of condos, houses, apartment complexes . . . where did these spring up from?? And the roads were commensurate with the houses. Zoom!! Zip!! I always forget what driving down here is like!

Well, we got connected and set up in a lovely urban park in Hollywood and then met up with the "other Frodges" for dinner together at the Buca di Beppo Italian Family Restaurant. I had not heard of this chain before Jason and Ashley took us there once before, and then I requested dinner there last night! It is wonderful food! Danny is the Olive Garden enthusiast in our family, but I am sold on Buca!

Hmmm, I am beginning to think this post needs to be put on pause for Part 2!

So Worth It . . .

Savannah, her mommy's assistant chef! Whatcha making for me, Savannah? When her daddy calls us, she chatters and chatters in her own special way, and we don't mind -- we could listen for hours!

Joey, Grandmother's heart . . . Oh, what I would give to have Joey down the road again!

Precious little angel babies . . .
. . . or monkeys!! They are together so rarely anymore that this has to be one of my favorites!
Sparkly little Emma Jane! God is bringing her through the healing process from a very severe respiratory problem right now. Thank you, Lord! Ask her, "Emma, how much do you love me?" and she will spread her arms wide, put on a sweet smile, and say "Dis much!!"
William, the youngest grandchild. Don't you just love those pudgy little leggies sticking out there! He's getting his "all boy" personality!
Little Sam. Grandmother's eyes well up remembering the days he spent in ICU after he was born. His faithful mama sat with her newborn in the emergency room and in his ICU room for nine days -- all she could do was pump nourishment for him, and sit with her hand on his heart as he lay in that little box of a bed. She would not be deterred, and I think the hospital staff saw a true mother's devotion.

Well, I don't have any deep thoughts today, just blessings for the little ones. Oh, the older ones are mighty important -- not only are they adorable but they are accomplishing and doing and growing and making us all so proud of them. But today, I was just thinking of the little ones. Thank you, Lord.

Much to think about . . .

This may be hard reading, but I surely hope you will bless me by digging in and seeing what my heart is trying to say . . .

This week has brought about much to think about. First, the religious fervor and dog-and-pony show that was the Democrat National Convention. The "smartest woman in the world" upstaging the "finally-proud-of-her-country" future First Lady. Or was it the other way around?? The triumphal entry into god-like surroundings by the "next" President.

That triumph was short-lived. On the other side of the aisle, the trump hand was about to be played!! The scene was breath-taking -- clean, confident, accomplished, Super-Mom, with the darling family behind her all the way -- the "next" Vice-President of the United States! How could conservative Christians possibly resist coming back into the fold??

Oh, my heart! If we did not trust in a sovereign, providential heavenly Father, we could despair of ever seeing the culture changed, of ever seeing the family restored to its Biblical, God-ordained rightness. When those who proclaim to fully believe the Word find a ray of hope, nay, a blazing sunshine of hope, in a new face and her family on the national scene, the only recourse for the heart is to truly rest on the unchanging Word of God.

He is not taken by surprise. He has His plan. He wishes for His children to keep focus on our generational vision and the task at hand. I was encouraged to read today a wonderful "Clearly Seen" illustration of God's plan for families. See if it doesn't encourage your heart that you are taking the right path:

"Open an acorn: in it we find the oak in all its parts, -- root, trunk, branches. Look into the home: in it we shall find the state, the church, the army, the industrial organization. As the oak is germinant in the acorn, so society is germinant in the family. Historically, the family is the first organization; biologically it is the origin of all other organizations.

Abraham builds an altar, and his wife and children and servants gather about it for the evening sacrifice: the family is the first church.

The herds and flocks are driven daily to their feeding grounds by his sons and servants: the family is the first labor organization.

He counsels, guides, directs, controls the children and servants; the power of life and death is in his hands: the family is the first government.

The brother is carried off in a raid by robber bands. Abraham arms and organizes his servants, pursues the robber bands, conquers and disperses them, and recovers the captive: the family is the first army.

Moreover, it is out of the family that society grows. As the cell duplicates itself, and by reduplication the living organism grows, so the family duplicates itself, and by the reduplication of the family the social organism grows. The children of the family come to manhood, and marry the children of other families. Blood unites them; the necessities of warfare, offensive and defensive, unite them; and so the tribe comes into existence. For the united action of this tribe some rule, some authority is necessary; thus tribal, state, national government comes into existence.

These families find it for their mutual advantage to engage in separate industries, and exchange the product of their labor: thus barter end trade and the whole industrial organization come into existence. These families thus united by marriage into one tribe, cemented by war in one army, bound together by the necessity of united action in one government, cooperating in one varied industry, find in themselves a common faith and common aspirations, in a word, a common religion, and so the church comes into existence.

Such, very briefly stated, is the development of society as we read it in the complicated history of the past. Historically the family is the first social organization. Organically it contains within itself all the elements of all future organization. Biologically, all future organization has grown out of it, by a process of duplication and interrelationship.

In the family, therefore, we find all the elements of a later and more complicated social organization; in the family we may discover written legibly the laws which should determine the structure of society and should regulate its action; the family, rightly understood, will answer our often perplexing questions concerning social organization -- whether it is military, political, industrial, or religious."

This is from an article, "Why Women Do Not Wish the Suffrage", written in 1903. The entire article can be read at http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/03sep/0309suffrage.htm . It was a link from an excellent article at www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com . There are several good articles there along the same lines. Ladies, it behooves us to be vigilant, faithful stewards of the domain we have been called to, true "keepers", guards of our homes. God bless you as you take your precious children on into a time I won't see. May He prepare you for all that is ahead. I am praying for you.

Cozy Day...??

(Actually, this picture isn't showing much of the storm, even though it was taken mere moments ago! But it is a good picture of our faithful old tree that is still hanging on by a few roots after Hurricane Charley, 2004. It has releafed in some strange places! Hurricane-harrassed trees always look a little spooky!)

Well, it has been an interesting day! TS Fay came by for a visit, and that always makes it a cozy day for me. Tropical storms/hurricanes are the closest we get to "hunker down" weather here, and it seems that life goes into slow motion -- very few clients coming into Danny's office; visitors and phone calls at a minimum; we surely aren't going out!! TS Fay is only slightly reminiscent of Charley, 2004 -- basically the same path, although Charley's eye passed directly over us, and Fay is to the east.

But the feeling is there -- get prepared: fill up all vehicles with gas (the lines were outrageous); be sure there are supplies for a while if needed (I am a storer, so we are ready anytime); check out the battery on the house generator (Danny's office is here, and he needs power!). Then sit back and feel cozy! Well, that's me, anyway. I haven't talked to the girls recently, so maybe they find it a good time to bake . . . or declutter . . . or get extra schooling done! (There's probably too much excitement for that!)

We are pleasantly surprised that the computer satellite is still up, so I thought I would get this posted while there was still a link to the outside world. Hmmm . . . not much else of interest! How about you S. Florida folks? Did you have a rough time? Our rain has been pretty steady, but the winds have not been bad at all. Our last big old tree near the house (see picture) is still standing, and we are thankful for that!

A few minutes ago, Danny and I were talking, and I said how comforting it is to know the Master of the winds and waves -- Danny said, even better -- that He knows us! Thank you, Lord, for showing your sovereign power through nature.

Better Pictures . . .??

Katie was not happy with the pictures I last posted of her children. Seems they were too "in the moment" -- you know, a little grimy from honest labor; dusty from playing, like normal children waiting for their cousins, outside in the summer; etc. Here are some other ones -- sorry there are no Olan Mills portraits!! (Y'all, hopefully, she is taking this in the same tongue-in-cheek spirit in which it is offered!) Granddaddy with precious little Millers right before they were wrenched from our very bosoms and spirited away. Benny, Joey, Rachel, and Andrew (l to r)

At the conference in Branson: friend Gabriel, Katie's 2nd boy Matthew, cousin Peter, and oldest R.G. What did the Millers ever do before pinky-loops??
Andrew in the RV with us. Clean, tidy Andrew.
This one was taken a year ago on our front porch. But I thought it was so precious, I would include it. Unfortunately, Rachel's hair ribbon is untied. But we don't care!

Margaret Anne with Rachel and Rachel's puppy. Hey, even the puppy is clean and neat!
Matthew playing that big bass. I was so pleased that, not only was Matthew able to pick right up with the bass, after not having it in Arkansas to practice, but he actually seemed to have advanced!! Good work, Matthew!
Benny (right) with his friend Thomas. Although not in his Sunday best, I promise Benny is clean. I love Benny, whatever his cleanliness portion. I love to hug him when he is hot and sweaty or dressed to the nines!
Precious Daniel with his little cousin Emma Jane. These big boys love little ones!

Though I would add this one of my girls singing together -- not much opportunity for that anymore. The grandchildren love to play for them to sing. And hey, there is that cute little Samuel!

This is a precious picture -- cousins Rosie, Rachel, and Margaret Anne, together for a few days.
R.G., in a clean white t-shirt, challenging Kitty on the "Orange Blossom Special". We love it. Robert, in the background, doesn't get many opportunities to watch the children play together. So glad you were there, Robert.

Katie, please know I am just having fun. I truly did not think about the children not looking their best in the last pictures -- I only knew that was how they looked when we came to their home in Arkansas and my heart's holes were healed for a little while. Please forgive your mother.

Faces We Miss So Much

Benny -- what a sweet helper! He loves to do things for people to show his love. Matthew -- becoming a man of God. You have to get to know him to see what a comedian he is!
R.G. -- God knew what he was doing when He made him the elder brother. R.G. is a leader of men. The three oldest boys had just returned from working all day. They have already earned a good reputation for hard, honest work, and are adding to the family economy in a big way.

Andrew -- Arkansas is fresh territory in his never-ending search for woolly mammoth artifacts! Andrew, the learner.
Joey -- what can I say?? Joey, the heart-stealer.
Rachel -- precious little rose among all those . . . . umm, boys!
Daniel -- already a strong man. He and Matthew make quite the comedy team!
Little Sam -- Mama's rascal! He is growing up so fast -- not a baby anymore!
Just like the good old days! Uncle Chris is here to tell another story to a captivated audience! Those boys could listen to Uncle Chris for hours -- and usually do!

We arrived at the Millers the evening before the conference. What a wonderful reunion! The boys showed us around the property -- they have done so much work, but there is quite a bit to do before winter. Hmmm, it will be interesting to see Florida crackers get the impact of what it means to prepare for winter! They have already made some fine friends who are helping them learn the unique aspects of living in the Ozarks.

Robert came in from off the road in the middle of the night, and then we were off to Branson (a couple of hours away)! Thank you, Lord, for safely reuniting us with loved ones. The saga continues . . .

Oh, the Saga!! ... Getting Started

On July 10, our family was scheduled to leave for the Defending Your Faith family conference sponsored by Vision Forum and Answers in Genesis in Branson, Missouri. The Dischers, who had won an audition to perform in NC for the national conference of county agricultural agents, left as scheduled, heading first to visit family in Charlotte. Danny had decided this was the time to show his old Beaver RV (now affectionately known as the "Beavasaurus") was still "the top of the line" -- after all, he got a great deal on it, and in its day (1987), it really was top of the line.

He had done some preliminary preparations on it, checking out the engine and other mechanical parts and even having it nicely cleaned and waxed. I was my usual skeptical self (or maybe worry-wart self), since it feels top-heavy to me, and I worry that it will topple over on every turn. But I knew I had to trust the Lord and be willing to give it a try. Well, now Danny says he feels like the Bible story of Balaam applies to him -- and he is Balaam. Mechanical genious son-in-law Chris and Danny spent 2 - 1/2 days working on the old dinosaur, causing our departure to be delayed and me to stew and fret.

We actually went and looked at some new models, assuming that the gas crunch had made dealers desperate to get rid of guzzlers -- they weren't all that desperate. Chris kept working, and an RV shop even proclaimed the RV road worthy, but every time we thought we were ready to go, something new went wrong. Finally, Danny gave up and stopped beating the poor donkey. We went up the road to an RV dealer not far from us, and looked again. This time, there was a nice, 2006 model, just the right size and a good price (really) that was pretty much prepped and ready to go.

The Stricklen grandchildren and adopted granddaughter Amanda (family friend) eagerly switched stuff from the ole Beavasaurus to the new "Sun Seeker", and off we went! What fun! We knew we would not have all the cushion time we had planned to visit at daughter Katie's home in Arkansas, but we were on the way! Oh, as Chris was bringing the old RV to the dealer for trade-in, it started smoking and the transmission totally blew! Thank you, Lord, for saving us from ourselves and a stay on the side of the road somewhere in Mississippi!

CJ and Willie in the "Chipmunk's Nest" above the cab of the new RV. What a ball we had taking turns riding with Grandmother and Granddaddy!Danny in the captain's seat -- this RV is a pleasure to drive and ride in. Amanda being her usual jolly self! We so enjoyed having her along -- and I know the granddaughters did. She was our cheerful Miss Suzie Homemaker in keeping the RV tidy and functional.