ninja, sketchy conceal carry class and TP in the sky

i know i have promised a post about the cockroach, but that will have to wait a minute.

i am happy to say that things here are cautiously getting back to normal...not sure what that means, but they just announced at today's county meeting that they are dropping the beach parking restrictions. that is normal enough for me! they were restricting parking from 10 am- 9 pm, which basically meant that i could not park there for morning walks, so my motivation to walk 1.5 miles to the beach from cortez village was relatively low... but i've already set my alarm for tomorrow morning, thank you commissioners!

mama turtle tracks-it's season!

That said, i went yesterday after work, and they allow 2 hours parking. so i walked a little, then pulled out the hammock for a bit. my time limit came to an end and it was before the sunset, but i knew that if i wanted to get to the store, i needed to go because they have been closing by 8pm...and i needed some greens! i made it, but it was tight! i did a little splurge as well, but it was something that i'd been thinking about for awhile and the time had come. i had been putting it off because apartment living is the devil in disguise as far as space goes. i have so many kitchen items, but so little space in my kitchen. i did some researching, and i have several ninja products, so when i saw that they produce a toaster oven that flips up for storage, i was sold! and the walmart near me had said item.

there will be an abundance of roasted veggies in my future!

the roasted chicken and roasted peppers...yummers!

so mom and dad, next time you visit, we can actually make toast without firing up the oven...i may or may not have roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli for lunch, then roasted chicken, peppers and onions for dinner. it has already been worth every penny! and i may or may not have tried some mini blueberry turnovers...and sugar cookies. oops. #covidcurses

this past weekend was a good weekend- i went to help a friend lay a few patches of sod, then came home to celebrate my sister-friend's birthday on a zoom celebration...then after a little nap, met up with a couple friends to go do a little kayak/paddleboard adventure! same place as before, in the sarasota inlet....it was a strong current, so we stopped at the first clearing, knowing that the return would be brutal. there was a moment when shea's pup was chasing a stick by the point and could've easily been swept away, but fortunately ezzie and shea were able to man-handle the 100 lb beast and get him out of the current and move around the rocks toward the beach! all's well. on the return we saw some dolphins- it seems to be a good area to chance encounter these friendlies!

now, the parking may or may not have been blocked of, so we may of may not have parked in a secret-ish lot behind the abandoned tennis courts and hiked a quarter of a mile to the bay...worth it!

then mother's day was relaxing. i did get out to the beach, and parking was not an issue (still the 2 hour limit), no issue because rain had been predicted- in fact there was a 30-40 percent chance, so i had checked the doppler radar, and kept an eye on it. i got in a good little walk, then set up the hammock and it was beautiful! then as my 2 hour limit was approaching, there came that quick brisk breeze, which was my first indicator, i looked at my radar app, and it was upon us; thankfully my take-down time for the hammock is record, so i was back to my car just as the big raindrops began to fall from the sky. i love to be dry, so i was glad that i remembered the lessons learned from joe at kamp in regards to the weather!

it was slightly comical watching other running to their cars from my dry fortress...don't judge.

what else? well...i'm trying to help the local doughnut business- thank you, peachey's! they should be preparing for their fair circuit up north, but it seems rather uncertain right now, so we'll take advantage of them being in town as long as possible...it's kinda' like when you get ready to leave and you keep saying goodbye, and then running in each other again- like if you were in the tsa line and you keep seeing each other as you round the corner...only it's me showing up buying donuts, so not like tsa at all. whatever, make up your own anecdote if you feel you need one.

snicker-doodle glazed, and the most amazing buttery sourdough pretzel-just what the doctor ordered...yep...pretty sure i heard fauchi say this was the covid19 cure in one of those pressers...

i had allowed my tx conceal/carry to expire, so i was all in when my friend mentioned going to take the class to qualify for the conceal carry permit here in florida. it was at a little mom and pop target practice place, and to be quite honest, it seemed a little suspect. the others in the class were all men, there was a very strange guy who sat up front-i don't ask questions, but he seems like the type who is probably not married and lives in a little cabin in the mountains (only there are no mountains here)...so i don't know what the equivalent here would be...burial mounds? idk. anyhoo. there was a guy at our table who didn't seem to have a firm grasp on the language, and a young buck who had probably never really spent much time around guns. then two older gentlemen who were former leo, or current guards. so the class was nothing like i imagined. you have to understand that in texas it seemed a little more serious. here it seemed like a bit of an after-thought, and even at that, the trainer said he was one of the more exigent of trainers in the area...(insert sketchy-face emoji here).
i mean...the classroom was under a tarp off to the side of the building, held up by branch poles and a ladder where the important documents were held. no video. no internet. nothing but a little story-telling and guidance. i wasn't sure what to think. actually, i was very glad that i had previously taken the course in texas, and had plenty of practice time. it was pretty close, and they do have a good membership deal, so i will probably go back just for the practice.

i may need to just take my own targets- i miss the place i used to go in plano!

in other news, i walked to the little mail kiosk last week, and on the way back i saw something going on in the sky, so i had the boys join me in the shade to see what was going on. at first, i thought it was a request or advertisement for toilet paper, but the plane continued to churn out more letters until the word TRUST was written in the sky. i don't think there was anything else, but i had to go back inside because: work. but it was something different!

i was amused at first, and then the pilot had to go on and make it philosophical...

and i have been trying to transition to hot tea in the afternoon instead of coffee because sleep is a good thing at night. anyhoo, i've tried to like hot tea before and it just never stuck. so i decided to follow some hints that noom dropped, and the republic of tea delivered! i think this could be a game changer...we'll give it a go. so far, so good!

i do enjoy both.

find your calm and wind-down zone, get out when you can, and always keep an eagle-eye on the strange guy in class!

julie

eat your produce and i'll eat my coconut bread

alright, here's your PSA for the day: use your produce that you bulk-purchased awhile back because it's about to turn if it hasn't already! (speaking to myself).

i did get out for lunch today with these two yahoos... it was a quick trip to the post box to find a post card about what steps i should be taking to curb the spread. #doingmypart

as you can see, i told them to look away from the camera. not really, but they do this every time i don't prompt them with a treat. it's almost like they are trying to train me to bring treats. 

 as i mentioned before, i fear that we may have waited too long to close those beaches (and when i say we, i had nothing to do with it...no vote on the matter, don't blame me), but yeah, i'm afraid the beaches could easily have been a spreading ground...who knows. and i have been lazy the past couple days...i think tomorrow i make an effort to get up early and do a little cortez village/drawbridge walk. it's time. oh, the things we take for granted.

the county did decide to close the part of emerson point where people were gathering on the beach, which i never made it to. i guess it's all the way down the main road, but i usually just  walk the trails. it seems that there were a lot of people trying to gather there since the beaches were closed, so that's fair, as long as they leave the trails open...

so i said i was going backward a bit. last week on thursday, i did a little panic breakfast, because a. i couldn't remember how long peachey's was going to be in town, and b. see a. i mean....donut/pretzel truck falls under essentials, right? i submit that yes, yes as a matter of fact, it does. #needs and they did say that they planned to be coming to our local ace hardware parking lot on thursdays through april...if things go as planned they'll be able to head back out to the festivals and fairs. i hope this is the case.

my krytonite. #covidweakness

i received my special purchase (let's be honest we all been 'special-purchasing' on amazon and blaming it on coronavirus...i see you!) so yes, my special purchase arrived. i am going to be pretty excited about this if a month or two down the way it's as good as it touts itself to be... i got the SIMPLEFRESH shampoo and conditioner bars! i tried them, and they do lather up as promised, and have a lovely minty smell (the ones i chose), they are the sulfate-free, which if this works as expected, i will be able to travel without tsa fear, and no spillage! i'm about 3-4 months past time for my brazilian blowout! but now it gets strategic. i am going against what i know i should do. i plan to cut it now-gives plenty of time for it to grow out before i see anyone...and wait until it gets closer to the 'un-locking of the lock-down' in which groups of 10 or more can congregate to use product and do the actual blowout process- until then we'll stick with messy bun + headband. but let's just be real, even once life has been unlocked, i don't even know a group of 10 here to congregate with... mine would be a group of at most 6. maybe at that point we just adopt a few random unknowns to join the group just for a 're-congregation' event. yeah, no. but yes, so i like the bars so far (see how i took us back?), and i will let you know after a couple months if hair is healthy or not!

you'll be happy to know that i did cook up my spaghetti squash today, and plan to continue eating that tomorrow (single issues-must eat multiple meals of the same thing so it doesn't go to waste). but i like it, so all's well. i still have more produce to get on the plate...i suppose i can freeze the spinach if need be to make smoothies later. we'll see where we are in a day or two!

oh! i also did my 90 second keto bread, but i modified the recipe- i recommend using the original. yes. quinoa flour is a bit more dense than almond flour. so next time i will stick with the almond flour, perhaps use a little more baking powder, and i think oil works better than butter...but i still ate it! just so you know, in the past, i have tried it with coconut flour as well, and it was also dense. but i do like the idea of making fresh mini-loaves, because if you have the raw ingredients, you can make it and eat it.

size-palm of your hand

made in a mug

speaking of bread, my friend from a lifetime ago back in HONDURAS posted something MUCH BETTER return visit home! anyhoo, i saw the recipe, and tonight i went through the pantry to see if i have the necessary ingredients, and i think i do! i need this. (don't judge, coconut bread is like paradise for me...it truly is amazing how smells and tastes can transport you to a different time and place...and take a toll on your waist and thighs. #cursescoronavirus for giving us so much down time).
today that immediately made my ears perk up and my mouth was watering! coconut bread, ya'all! in fact the last time i mentioned coconut bread was back when i was planning my

before i close it down, just take a moment to think about the things that you take  took for granted. moving freely. not worrying when someone coughed or sneezed. shaking hands. hugs. toilet paper. not worrying about the next paycheck (if that is not an issue for you right now, consider yourself blessed and pray for those who are, because it is THE ONLY THING on their mind). now, for those of you in the U.S. know that we are much more fortunate than so many countries, and think about the fact that even before the world-wide pandemic, and so many countries enforcing some sort of quarantine, many countries have issues that we have not had to suffer, like having certain confines for the sake of safety, be it due to gangs, rogue governments, sickness, terrorism, fill in the blank...the fact that we have costcos, walmarts, targets, sam's clubs, amazon...this is not a luxury for everyone. be grateful for what you have, and be empathetic for those in less fortunate circumstances. #prayforall

well, i do think that will wrap it up for tonight! best to everyone-
julie

and then summer began if 'june know what i mean'

summer for everyone! well, as far as the weather is concerned! and by the way, i made a mistake. the trip to mississippi actually happened in june-the first week...uf. that's why one should record their blog posts as soon as they happen!

the weekend before i headed to ms, we took advantage of the beautiful day to try a new donut shop-5-0...crime scene! it was interesting, but not good enough to trump AMI donuts or the farmhouse, or peacheys (which i was thinking about just this morning...but good thing they are away up north for the summer!).

i didn't like the actual donuts more than others i'd been to, but a quick fix if you're in this part of town!

kind of a fun staging area! 

 so we tried them, then went to check out jungle gardens! there were some animals in cages, i felt bad for the reptiles and felt the animals could've had a better ambiance, but the highlight of course was the flamingos! just hanging out, doing their thing. a sign was up, letting us know that they might be aggressive as it was breeding season. i may be the only one that didn't get bitten. they were beautiful, though! just not very hungry; we were thinking that perhaps they come out and actually feed them shrimp in the mornings, and the crappy-feed from visitors was merely a 'treat' but not a really good treat...more like feeding me a piece of seaweed paper when i really want doritos.. it's amazing the things you see and hear when you observe other visitors. again with the little kids...they were jerks. i'm blaming parents on this one, because most kids are not innately cruel to animals, they are just selfish and think they are the center of the universe. parents, please don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys...or jerks.

a bunch of the flamingos milling around

this one lone flamingo took off and got away from all the others (like he was on an energy drink or something), and he ended up in a completely different area of the park-here he is acting like a giraffe!

the same flamingo from the above pic, he moved even further from the trip and toward the kiddie park in the sandbox!

the verdict is out-a little pricey for petting flamingos, but if that's something you're just dying to do, it's as good a place as any to do it. plus they do have picture times with the baby alligators, and parrots. one of the cool things for us was that someone randomly called out to shea, and we were thinking IMG employee, but no, it was one of her close friends from oklahoma middle school(?) who visits family in sarasota annually! good times!

and actually the same night i returned, another kamp friend was flying in with her toddlers! merce stayed with shea, and they flew into tampa, i flew into sarasota. but we did get together the following evening for dinner! saturday we made it out to myakka and again saw some baby gators, but the water was much higher than the previous visit, so they weren't just laying out on the banks (of the hanky-panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky..) anyhoo. we did some muddy hiking with the kiddos, and one of shea's co-workers and her children. good times! we sloshed through some muddy/watery parts of the trail, but knew that it was just a bit further to the end of the loop that led to the parking lot!

sunday was our last hang-out day, so we headed out to AMI and did donuts and a beautiful beach day! there was some boogie-boarding, some treasure hunting...and just instilling the general love of ocean in the babes!

fun floating and looking for waves-of which there really weren't any big 'uns!

the following day i was off to broward for a little training on our spanish product, and it was pretty exciting! a good crowd! and then the following week i drove up to orange county-the orlando area to support our pki/implementation/sales team as one of our sales reps has the unique opportunity to go overseas to begium to teach! while we're excited for him, it's always a chore to get the 'just right candidaes' to meet the needs here in florida!

then about 2 weeks later it would be time to head off to dallas for our summer conference 2018...but just a couple more tidbits before the trip!

great start to a 'booming' week!
julie