7/29/2018 Micanopy, Lots of Books, Watch One Hour

Saturday we visited the town of MICANOPY (mick-ah-No-pee), the oldest inland town in Florida and called The Little Town That Time Forgot.  It is about twenty minutes southeast of us in rural north-central Florida between Gainesville (University of Florida) and Ocala (The Horse Capital of the World.)  DeSoto came across a Timucua village here in 1539.  Now it is a  historic district with 605 residents who occupy 300 residences, many of them living in the old homes.  The old buildings have been converted into shops that are full of  antiques and old things (including us today.)

This was the school house - now the Micanopy town hall - built in 1895.

One of the old homes built in early 1900's 

You can see both flags - the American Flag and the Thin Blue Line Flag which is for our police officers, "for their courage and for the camaraderie all law enforcement officers share."

 
The walking path along the front of some of the old homes and stores is covered by this canopy of the huge Florida trees.  You can barely see me at the end - certainly one of my better pictures.

 Another home turned antique shop and restaurant.  Most of the shop owners have been here a long time and are long-time and true southern residents with colorful personalities.  The style of some of the homes here is called the Florida cracker architecture.  They have metal roofs, raised floors and large porch areas that often go around the entire home.  They are screened in from the time there was no air conditioning.

This old house, below, doubled as the hospital where Michael J. Fox's character worked in the movie Doc Hollywood.  There are other movies that have been shot here.

It is probably a big surprise for you to see what caught most of Mike's attention.  This was an outside display and there were lot of books inside.  There were several shops like this and we visited every one -- our only purchase a $1 Peter Rabbit book.

We liked the instructional home-made signs they often had on the doors.

 This is the outside of the museum, which was originally the Thrasher Warehouse and was constructed in 1890, simply a wood frame building used by J.E. Thrasher for his general merchandise business until he completed a big two-story brick building in the next block.  It is quaint inside and they still cool by open windows and fans - makes us more grateful for AC.

Inside - A refrigerator - a "White Frost Sanitary" refrigerator to be exact.

 with instructions

 This is for Mike's sister Carol who followed Grandma Waite as the Postmaster of Bunkerville.  There was a stamp to cancel the letters, but they also had this machine - very modern for the time.

 And this is for Dr. Brotherson -- can you even imagine contact lenses this size?

At first we thought this was a new beautiful kind of leaf, but Florida has a plant called an air potato plant or potato vine.  It is a twining plant, a pest plant and hard to control and will kill the trees.  They have actually brought in a beetle that will kill it -- you can see what the beetles do to the leaves and finally the tree.  Interesting to find a situation where the beetle killing the tree is a good thing.

 You can see the vine better in this picture.

 It was a fun trip - and the first time we've really been outside a lot during the time of day when it was over 90 degrees and over 95% humidity .. as cold as I usually am I was glad to be in the car with both cooler vents blowing on me.
    One of what our missionaries call a scriptural "Aha!!" moment came to me this week as I was studying from one of the Institute manuals - Teaching and Doctrine from the Book of Mormon.  The chapter is on The Baptismal Covenant, the Sabbath, and the Sacrament.  First this quote from President Oaks - "During sacrament meeting - and especially during the sacrament service - we should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities,especially from behavior that could interfere with the worship of others.  Sacrament meeting is not a time for reading books or magazines.  Young people, it is not a time for whispered conversations on cell phones or for texting persons at other locations. When we partake of the sacrament, we make a sacred covenant that we will always remember the Savior.  How sad to see persons obviously violating that covenant in the very meeting where they are making it."  Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament, Ensign Nov 08.
   Then, my "Aha!! moment -- Elder Oaks then said to read Mark 14:37 And he cometh, and finding them sleeping, and saith unto Peter: Simon, sleepest thou?  couldest not thou watch one hour?   He than said an application for this verse might be for us to set aside all distractions and give the Lord our full attention each week - watching one hour - as we worship in sacrament meeting.  It is interesting how one little thing can add to our worship in a meeting - this did for me.
    We are grateful every day for our friends and family, and grateful for the gospel and the great plan of happiness.

  

7/22/2018 DSW Enactus, Windows 10, Alligator

BYU-H Enactus team wins USA National Exposition

Enactus is one of the organizations at BYU-H that David Stratton works with.  Students from 180+ schools came to Kansas City to participate in the USA competition.  "Enactus is a global nonprofit organization that challenges college students to come up with service projects that both create jobs and pave the way for a better future.  Their project was a sustainable farming project called Rice Up.  It is a program to expand farming opportunities and a food source for communities in the Phillipines and Hawaii." They won a giant trophy and $10,000 in prize money.  They go to San Jose California in October for the Enactus World Cup.

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My computer crashed so we had to get a new computer, and they only come now with Windows 10.  They will put on Windows 7 but it really isn't compatible .. whatever that means.  All to say I have spent the last hour and a half, finally getting the pictures uploaded, but now I can't find them to send them on .. next week maybe.   

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 I called Aaron and he taught me how to do it ..   So a couple of pictures.  First is Ellie Gordon who is in our Institute Class.  The lesson was Revelation Chapter 4 and 5 .. He asked if there was an artist, and she volunteered .. then drew as he went over the throne, the 24 elders, the four beasts, the seven servants, the lamb .. etc.  pretty amazing.  And it brought a nice spirit, which the pictures we had uploaded never could have.

 Mike and his first taste of alligator.  We both tried it - tastes kind of like chicken nuggets.  We were ready to try frog legs, but they didn't have them .. maybe that is good.

 Jesse had a soft shelled crab -- he said it was good - and we will take his word.

Samantha is eating a fried green tomato - they are quite good

 Our creative elders -- we were doing apartment inspections which are done every transfer (6 weeks) and  this is a curtain they "made themselves" in one of the bedrooms.  

 At church today our speaker, Brother Nance, an attorney here, told of his CES teacher when he was going to law school in Chicago.  This is his teacher's story and the kind you have to hear from someone who knows it personally to believe that it is true. 

      His parents both died when he was young, he was an only child and no other relatives, so he bounced from foster home to foster home.  He was pretty rebellious, and would run away.  At age fourteen he began living on the streets, begging money to eat.  One day at a particularly low time, he walked down to watch the ocean.  He said he sat there a long time, looking way out across the waves and he felt completely alone, he had no one and nowhere to go.  But then, this young, hardened 14 year old, said he unmistakably felt a strong comforting feeling -- You are not alone, I am here with you always.  

     There was one nicely dressed man that had given him money.  He saw him one day and went to him again.  The man pulled out his wallet, opened it, then closed it and said .. instead of giving you money, I'm going to give you a job.  The boy took the address and went the next day .. his job was to read to this man's son .. a young boy his age that was dying of cancer.  The book he was to read to him - what else - The Book of Mormon.  One day when he was reading the sick boy began to cry.  He heart still a little hardened, he didn't understand, didn't feel any compassion actually, but asked the boy why he was crying.  They were reading about the resurrection.  "Don't you understand," said the boy, "this means that even though I will die, I will live again."  

      Long story short.  He continued to read the Book of Mormon to this young boy until he passed away, and was adopted by the parents.  He joined the church, went on to serve a mission, graduated from college and went into the CES program.   

        We are so grateful for our Father in Heaven and the love He has for us, grateful for the wonderful family and friends we have been blessed with.  We do love ya'all.

                                                  

7/15/2018 The Yearling, Southern Food, and a Small Miracle

   This is the home of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings who in 1938 wrote the novel, The Yearling, which is about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn.  It was made into a movie in 1947 and was around long enough that I remember the book and the movie.  She lived her life in rural Florida, about 40 minutes from where we are.  Her home is a museum and a little further down the road is a restaurant called The Yearling.  The YSA Branch Presidency went down there.  So much history here.

 The restaurant was built many years ago and has the same rustic look.  They don't have to do much to the outside - it hasn't changed.  The food and the atmosphere bring people in.

 
                                                            An old generator

 The food is good and the atmosphere is awesome .. when you first walk in, this young man is playing the harmonica and guitar.  I hope the video works, but it usually doesn't.

And these two were playing in the room where we ate -- old songs we knew.  It was great.

           At the back of the dining room, they have a small stuffed animal collection.

 They were introducing us to southern eating so everyone got a side to share -  fried conch, fried green tomatoes, and fried pickles.  The fried green tomatoes I liked.  Mike was OK. We didn't know what conch was, but it is the critter that comes out of this beautiful shell.  We will spare you the picture of the critter, which we just barely looked up and is not so pretty.  It is good that we didn't know what we were eating, or we probably would not have been so brave..
 

I had red fish because it was one I hadn't tried before.  It is good, but not as good as salmon or grouper.  I also tried okra and tomato which is better than it looks in the picture.  

Mike for the first time tried fish - grouper - it was good, although he probably wouldn't get it again.  He also had cheese grits, but he particularly liked the sweet potato & hush puppies. 

When we have to send the missionaries notice about something, usually I use my mother's talent for rhyming - but it is often silly just to make it rhyme.  One of the elder's sent us this:

Not what we are used to in Nevada -- this patio and nice, green, grassy area by one of their churches is where they hold a lot of the outside events - like wedding receptions and the Stake Picnic last Saturday.  The downside is that this time of year the humidity is usually in the 90's.  As a note - the elder on the left is a second cousin to Craig's (Krishelle's husband) father.

Picture from Alaska where our granddaughter, Taylor McKenna, Stephen's oldest, is working for the summer before going to school at BYU in the fall.  Her first fish.

Our Heavenly Father does take care of us all.  This was our little Sunday miracle.  Because of some delays, I got to the institute building just as this family came in to the small downstairs foyer.  They are relocating to Gainesville, just arrived and had looked up the closest church building but were not sure because it was the institute building and not a regular chapel and were just walking back out the front door.  They were a little nervous because of the way they were dressed, but with a bit of encouragement from those after we got upstairs, they stayed for sacrament meeting.  Then President Davis found out where they would be living and had them go to the church they would be going to and meet the Bishop there.  The mom was anxious to have the children get to know some of the youth as soon as possible.  It was a cool experience.

Finishing up with this from Vinnie Leavitt's weekly email that says exactly what we feel:

We are so very blessed.  We live in a land of freedom.  We worship as we choose.  We travel as we wish.  Our homes are safe and protected.  There is hope for our children and our children's children for a life as free as ours.  We have the promises of the Lord of his protecting care when we repent and follow his commandments.  We have a Prophet who God directs to lead and guide us.  We have a Church government that is led by revelation to help us in our needs and learning.  We have the promises of God behind us.  How great is that?   Indeed, how great is that!!!

            And we are grateful for each and all of you.  

7/8/2018 - Fourth of July in Florida, Computer Problems

     This will be a quick post because there is something wrong with my computer - Best Buy Geek Squad has gone through everything, and now the determination is that it is a hardware problem in the screen -- something about pixelization ..
    Fourth of July in High Springs, Florida -- out in the forest where the Browns, Keith is our Branch first  counselor, have their home on ten acres surrounded by forest.  The pictures cannot do it justice, but maybe will give you a feel for what it is like.  You all would have loved it and we would have loved to have ya'all there with us. 

Not sure if the video will work, but you can see the rain - the trees were swaying back & forth.  It rained about an hour and then stopped, typical for this season in Florida.

 













They have a tree they put targets on - it was nice to shoot again, and I got two out of two.  Thought it wise to stop there.  Josh Jones used the hand gun and did a lot of rapid firing.

They do a lot of the Slacklining here,  but this is the first time we had seen it.  All you need is the wider webbing and a couple of trees and there are plenty of those in Florida.  It isn't strung as tight as a tightrope so it moves a little.  It looks easy until you try it.  In some of the areas at UF where kids gather to study or eat or just hang out, they set them up.   And you always see hammocks.

 Horseshoes -- the ground is so spongy at this time of year that wherever the horseshoe hits, it usually stays. Mike hasn't lost his touch.  Most had not played horseshoes before, but they caught on very quickly and enjoyed it.   The kids were wondering who ever invented the game.

Brother Brown really enjoys fireworks, in fact, he really enjoys life and brings a fun spirit.  He is a lot like Art Shaner and everyone loves him.  The fireworks are an annual event for his children and grandchildren and whoever else comes.  They turn one of those big water tanks over and set them off from there.  They have fun stories to tell about incidents over the years.  We almost had one when his son-in-law put the firework upside down in the canister, it shot off and down and then across the ground, right through where I had been sitting before I moved to the other side of Mike and up over the head of our Branch President.  

For a YSA service project we helped serve dinner at the Hope Lodge where cancer patients that are receiving their treatment at Shands (the UF Cancer Hospital) stay.  If we didn't have a station for serving, they sent us out to visit with the residents and we met these two fun sisters.  The one in the middle had come to be with her sister during treatments who has leukemia.  She is three years older than I am, her sister a year younger.  One of the newer treatments is taking bone marrow from the cancer patient, basically curing it and then putting it back.  It was fun to listen to them and to watch them together.  They say they will come to Nevada to see us after all the treatments are over.   

Finally this is from several months ago but I don't think we posted it.  All of the senior missionaries in the Florida Jacksonville Mission were having dinner at one of those restaurants that has the look of a barn, and doesn't have to advertise because the food is so good.  This is where we tried fried green tomatoes for the first time - at least I tried them.   President and Sister Lee are at the front. 

Robert D. Hales in 2010 talked about our amazing gift of agency - "Our agency- our ability to choose and act for ourselves - was an essential element of the plan.  Without agency we would be unable to make right choices and progress.  Yet with agency we could make wrong choices, commit sin, and lose the opportunity to be with Heavenly Father again.  For this reason a Savior would be provided to suffer for our sins and redeem us if we would repent.  By His infinite Atonement, He brought about "the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice." 
      How grateful we are for the atonement and grateful for our opportunity to serve another mission.  Our Father has blessed us so very many ways, among those, all of you.  Grateful for ya'all.