Beep Beep Beep.....The Stricklens have updated their Blog. I repeat. The Stricklens have updated their Blog!

 Hello, all you (8) readers of our blog!! Hope y'all haven't felt our absence too severely. ;o) Our camera is in the shop
("in the shop" is that the right phraseology?? Or is that only used when referring to semi's and other vehicles?? Oh well...I guess I can't pretend I haven't lived around truck drivers/mechanics, etc. all my life...) so we don't have too many really recent pictures. For everything I don't have pictures of, I guess I'll just fill you in with good, old fashioned words. ;o)

 The garden is doing quite well. The weather has been gorgeous lately! We are harvesting leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, yellow squash, winter squash, cucumbers, and zucchini right now. The green beans and collards are just about ready. We have started cabbage, turnips, beets, and rutabagas. The seedlings are about to go in the ground.

 On Saturday, we bought some cows from a friend--two heifers and a bull.
There they were safely gathered in the pasture. On Sunday morning.....there they were not safely gathered in the pasture. Rather, they were roaming around the property, grove, and anywhere else but the pasture. :o/
Anyways, we (Well, actually mainly Daddy) got them back in, and fixed the place where they escaped from. That didn't seem to make any difference to the little heathen cows... Apparently they were not satisfied with their new home. The barbed wire being no deterrent whatsoever, they squeezed, jumped, charged, or whatever cows do, through the fence. This time, they went straight for the grove...Have you ever tried finding three little cows in miles upon miles of grove? I know some of you have... ;o)  Anyways, the grove was not their last stop....About 5 miles they tromped till they came upon one of the hundreds of fenced pastures where one of them rammed through. Oh boy....Aaaanyways, to make a long story short, this all started about 6:30 am, and with the help of Granddaddy, Mr. Franklin, and Michael, ended by about 4:00pm. It's really a miracle that they found them! (Thank y'all! Daddy sure appreciated your help!) The cows are now safely in the corral with the goat, who is not terribly thrilled with the arrangements. ;o) As soon as they get used to their surroundings, we will put them back in the pasture.
 Okay, well now that I've rambled on quite sufficiently, I will continue...
Lately, we have been working on fencing the property. As soon as we finish the horse pasture, Lord willing, Callie will get the horse that a kind lady is holding for her.  Wilbur, the pig, is due to be slaughtered in December, and Margaret's goat is...well, doing whatever it is that goats do....(besides be spoiled, picky, loud animals. Sorry, goats are not my idea of an ideal farm animal, or pet.)
Lord willing, we will be getting chicks in the spring. I really, really miss those fresh eggs. :o)

 Tomorrow, Lord willing, we are going to head up to Missouri for Thanksgiving, and to Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum! Can't wait to see all the family up there! I sure hope it's not too cold...(you know me.) ;o)
 Well, y'all, now that I'm through with my rather lengthy epistle, here are some pictures. Hope you enjoy and may the grace and mercy of our sovereign Lord be upon you!

Yellow squash, winter squash, and zucchini

Lots of little cucumber blossoms. :o)

These are really good baked and eaten with cinnamon, butter, and sugar. :oD

Our experimental climbing melons

The cassia tree is so pretty. It blooms all winter!

He's such a little pet. He loooves his nose being scratched. Too bad we have to eat him... ;o)

Helloooooo.......Can I eat your camera??

Oh you know I'm cute....not :oP

Mama and Daddy's 20th Anniversary Bougainvillea thriving on the lovely trellis Daddy built for it. 

Fencing.....

I love trees.....Big, shady oak trees. :oD
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 Nathaniel's 7 months old! :o)

 Don't you think he looks like a Kewpie doll? ;o)

Well, that's that! Hope y'all enjoyed the update. Come back and see us! :oD

The Lord bless you!

El Señor es fiel!

 The Lord is faithful! I like the way it looks in Spanish...:o) Anyways, I thought it was an appropriate title. Nothing exciting goes on around here very often, but we are most definitely blessed! Here are some pictures of what has been going on around here. More excitement than usual, I guess you could say. ;o)
RG, who had been interning with Judge Roy Moore in Alabama came down and stayed for a week. Anyways, we had a good long visit with him. We miss our cousins a whole lot!


 On Friday we had dinner and a bonfire with the church family. It was a lovely, cool Fall evening. (You'd think the mosquitoes would take a hint!! Oh well...)


On Saturday, we went to the 22nd annual Cracker Storytelling Festival and Whip Popping Contest. It's not very big, but it's a blast anyhow. ;o)


 And of course, normal life must go on...The Fall garden is doing well. We have planted lots of zucchini, winter squash, yellow squash, green beans, cucumbers, Romaine lettuce, Climbing melons, cantaloupe, collards, Red leaf lettuce, Chinese cabbage, Swiss Chard and pumpkins. We'll put some Winter vegetables in the ground when it gets a little cooler. Anyways, here are some pictures. Hope y'all enjoy them. :o)

 Bonfire and Fellowship

 Well, he didn't last very long... :o)

 Mrs. Waldman and Mrs. Stevens (and little Waldman #7) looking lovely. :o)

 Yes, they love each other....I think. ;o)

 Haha. I thought so....Daniel still seems a little doubtful, though...

 Cal and RG :o)

 "Boy, is this ever a boring party..."

TIME TO EAT!!!

 We planned a surprise birthday celebration for Grandma Sue. :o)

 She blew them all out in one breath! Yay!! :oD

 Let the bonfire begin!!!! :oD

 The overseers of the fire, Mr. Franklin and Daddy. :o)

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22nd Annual 

Cracker Storytelling Festival and

Whip Popping Contest

 Shoes? What for?? I can crack a whip just as good without 'em!

 Matthew does his stuff

 "And the winner is...."

No, not Will. He wishes though! ;o) Matthew won first place in the adult division. Good job Matthew!

 The contestants

 Tomorrow's News Bluegrass Band. They're really, really great.

 Will, that turkey's as big as you, boy! ;o)

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~Fall Garden~

 Zucchini

 Little Green Bean plants

 Winter Squash

 Hopefully these melons will start climbing the trellis

 Lovely little lettuce :o)

 Cucumbers

New life...

 Ahhh...:o)

 The peaches are just starting to blossom

 Well, hope y'all enjoyed. :o) May the Lord bless you and keep you!

"But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. 

Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. 

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 

When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures."

Jeremiah 10:10-13