08/28/2026
The reason behind the Florida trip ...
We got home this afternoon after being gone for a week and a day ...
It is approximately a 16 hours/1000 mile trip each way to where I grew up in Florida.
We drive it straight through on the way down - and split it up on the way back ( too old and tired to do it straight through on the way back )
I was born and raised in Florida and lived there until moving to Indiana 17 years ago ...
This trip was not really a vacation... we did try to take some time to unwind and relax after our "work project" each day and that is most of the pictures that I have shared here ... we got to see sooo many beautiful sites along the way ...
My dad was a complicated man ... about a year ago he had a stroke that changed his life , after that he never fully regained his health and passed away in May of this year .
For many years he insisted that when he passed we would have no services for him ...
So when he passed in May we (mom & I) ultimately decided to respect his wishes ... we decided to wait a few months and go down when we thought mom would be ready for us to help clean out his garage .
Now as a native Floridian, I always tell anyone thinking about traveling to Florida DONT go in August... thats the absolute worst time of year to go as far as heat ( February is the worst for tourist) ...
So as things seem to go thats when things worked out for us to go ... right in the middle of August 🤪
Anyways ... I knew before we left it was going to be hard , dirty , hot work ...
When we arrived we saw just how daunting it really was ...
I don't think mom or nelson really thought we could get it done in the time we were going to be there .
But one positive trait that I inherited from my dad was the "just dig in and dont quit till its done" attitude...
So we began ...
It isnt a small garage
And the garage was full ..
I don't mean kinda full ...
I mean FULL.
And every single thing that got moved needed to be opened ( because he liked hiding things inside of things ) ...
And then a decision made ...
Trash , recycle , sell , keep , etc.
This exhausted me more mentally than I had anticipated ...
He loved to fix things that most would consider trash ... he would also create new things with pieces from other random mowers , killers, etc.
His tools were old corded tools , like drills and saws ... but he removed the original cord and wired in a 25 / 50 foot extension cord instead ...
He had multiple mowers and tillers that he kept just for parts ... these things were old and heavy and greasy and just hard to move ...
And in the midst of it all we found a one of a kind tiller he had made from who knows what all ... looked like parts from 20 or more different things .
We found so many things that showcased how smart and creative he really was ...
We saw so many things that were in progress that he probably thought he'd finish someday ...
He had pictures of his grandkids on his bulletin board and tucked away in random places ...
We found more stuff than I expected that reminded me of the hard/dark side of him ...
There's lots of things that will never be understood .
Everyday we hauled out more stuff ... Neighbors came to see what was going on ...
Some didn't know he had passed ...
Some commented about his gardens of the past ( they were really something ) ..
And others commented about all the times they tried to talk with him and he'd shut the garage door when he saw them coming 🤷♀️
I got to chat with people I haven't seen in 20 years or more ... I left with phone numbers to numerous neighbors with the standing offer that if I know mom needs anything I can reach out and they will help .
Everyone that stopped and saw the task at hand asked how they could help .
Some brought muffins , some brought dinner , some helped load a dumpster and pickup glass out of the yard ... some bought stuff they didn't need to help us get it moved ...
Some just stopped to say hi ...
Every single one is appreciated 💗
We worked HARD for 5 days( and when I say we I mean everyone , the boys are so strong and absolutely saved me from completely throwing my back out ) ...
On the next to last evening Nelson said , I didn't think we were going to come this close to getting this done ... and of course I said why do you always doubt , you know I'm not a quitter 🤪
The next morning ( very last day ) someone showed up and made a good offer to buy the remaining items that we were hoping to sell ...
Again Nelson kept saying I can't believe that just happened , I didn't think there was any way we were going to sell it all ...
I said I told you God's got all this covered ...
Before we left the garage had been completely emptied and swept out .
Mission Accomplished.
And in the midst of all the mixed memories I found along the way , this one was the only one I took a picture of , it was hanging up on his bulletin board ...
In Christ Jesus
Your past is not fatal
Your present is not futile
And your death is not finale
Something about it just struck me ...
He was a smart man ...
He had hundreds of unfinished projects sitting around ...
He knew the Bible from one end to the other and could talk about any part of it at anytime ...
And yet he didn't put his favorite verse or chapter on his bulletin board ...
He chose instead to put up this reminder to look at everyday ... he liked things that made him think , riddles , problem solving , etc.
So this just fits right in that category...
Maybe its a reminder someone else needs to see tonight ... its one of those quotes that can really make ya think ...
Anyways we made it back home safely today ... made new friends all along the way ... it seems like everywhere we stopped there was someone that wanted to chat .
I still have some pictures and videos I plan to share of the beautiful sites we got to see along the way ... but I'll try to just sprinkle them in randomly amongst the normal/regular farm posts so yall dont get tired of my non Indiana stuff 🤪💗✌️💗🤪
Probably gonna take a few days to get back into a normal groove again ... but we will be back out on our delivery route tomorrow...
So we will see some of you soon 💗
Lana Lengacher
