Easter brunch, splashing in the rain, lobster rolls- fortunate

so much going on. i have fallen behind because i have multiple irons in the metaphorical fire. let's see, how about we start with my favorite thing-yesterday i met up with my friends for lobster rolls! we did the curbside pick up thing (from different cars), then drove out to longboat key to eat them and just enjoy the bayside view from a restaurant parking lot. this was the first time mermaid's pies and produce has been open for several weeks, so it was certainly a treat!! please ask how many times i have driven by and looked for the open sign! and here's the best part- a friend had seen that i was going, because i had post something about it, and he venmo'd $ to enjoy my treat!! #randomactsofkindness #COVOD19-style now to pass along the kindness!

best lobster rolls around! 

it had rained almost all of last week, after a long dry spell. in fact, so dry that there had been a burn ban in effect for quite some time...in fact the pond out near my parking lot looked like two big puddles, it was that dry. it has since filled in quite nicely, as it seems we are moving into some rainy season activity. also, some of the first turtles have begun laying nests.

ah, the rain!

so last week i went out for a walk and parked by the little maritime museum in cortez and walked over the bridge toward my favorite beach park because there is still no parking there, and beaches have yet to open. as i was walking down gulf drive, there was a large puddle in front of one of the motels and that was were i was walking when it happened. it was still dark out, but there were street lights...and i had on a bright coral long-sleeve, apparently not bright enough. an 18-wheeler, going much faster than necessary, hit that puddle like he had every intention to see how high he could make the puddle fly. i got soaked, and i my immediate reaction was to yell some unseemly things that should never be repeated. for an instant i considered returning to my car (i was about halfway through my walk, sopping wet, and a bit chilly), but i kept going...partly in hopes that the driver would have stopped ahead with engine problems and i might be able to get off a good throat punch and knee to the groin... i was driven for at least the next 7 minutes. then as approached the park, the sun was rising, and i was rewarded with the most beautiful sunrise! and a bit further down, i had to stop and take in the beach view, since it's been so long! then i made my way back to where i had parked, thankful that my car hadn't been towed.

gorgeous, no?

on the way home i walked on the opposite side of the street, but there's the puddle lake

i forgot treats, so they were not up for Easter pics...i'm sure everyone has experienced this with their families as well.

and for Easter, i listened to an online message and watched a special, then went over to do brunch with my friends shea and patrick. i took some mini brie/gruyere/carmelized onion quiches, and they had put together some eggs, bacon, and the 'piece de resistance' KANAKUK KAMP CoffeeCake! amazing!

YUM!

we caught up for a bit, then i went home for a bit to take a nap, before reconvening with 3 other friends to do an egg-hunt with snacks, chit-chat, social distancing around the pool, and then patrick's homemade noodles with pesto! yummers! good to see the crew-safely.

did you notice how there are 4 separate stations to sit at?! #playingbytherules

the past few weeks have been an inspiring time to create my own cards and stationery because, as we know, i like to write letters, and at this time, the store really doesn't have much that suits my needs! plus, it's been a great outlet to use some pent-up creativity! (much inspired by a video that one of my friends shared with me!).

these are a few-i've already sent a few others out...spread the joy!

in other news, there have been some fun video conferences for work and play. and this afternoon, i was inspired to try whipped coffee-one of my friends posted a pic of hers, and i've had something saved because i'd been meaning to try it for quite sometime. i happened to find some instant decaf, and thought, 'JACKPOT!" because this meant i didn't have to go to the store! but unfortunately when i opened it, it had all disintegrated/melted together...something, but it was definitely not good. gosh, how long had i had that canister, yikes! so i did in fact have to go to the store...and in my hurry, i parked the car and realized that i had forgotten my debit card at home...(zero motivation to go back), so i fished around in my coin jar, and had $2, so i opted for the dollar general next door to get a mini-jar of instant coffee to do this thing!

 i made the first batch and spooned it over some iced-coffee- not bad...but i wasn't convinced. so i followed it up with a second batch and spooned it over coconut milk. i was pleased with the result!

again, i am grateful. thankful to have a job, a place to lay my head, my boys, friends, food, a sense of humor...i am fortunate and i don't want to take any good thing for granted.

i hope your weekend has been everything you needed it to be!
julie

how far? 8 and a half puppies...

alrighty then...it's been a few days. a lot going on. who are we kidding. so, how far apart? one of my friends did a facebook live today for istation, (click here to see), and she talked about some math suggestions, which made me think of this... so, seriously, how far apart? everyone knows it's 6 feet...so it seems like this is a great opportunity to use those approximation skills you learned in kinder, first and second grade when you had to measure with non-standard measurements...like how many fruit loops...how many pencil-lengths...what would be the best thing to measure 6 feet with? answers will vary...depending on geographical location. let's see, from the different places i have lived, what might the measurement be?

illinois- chicago pizzas

kansas city- gates rack of ribs

wisconsin- baby holstein calf

costa rica- shell necklaces from punta arenas

HONDURAS- coffee pods

kansas- wheat sheaves

iowa- corn stalks

missouri- kanakuk kayak

texas- long horns- like literally the span of a longhorn bull's horns

florida-alligator, manatee calf, sea turtles

i did stop by my friend's house for 10 seconds to drop something off, and look...they went and created a home theater and disco...they had to block all light, so this was the solution. #covidcreations

and it worked, they created somewhat of a cave! 

i have continued to walk the river walk- makes for a beautiful sunrise. fortunately the other morning when i arrived to park, there were two older lady walkers talking to an officer, and pointing at a sign. apparently, OVERNIGHT the marina had put up signs and parking is no longer allowed on the north side-reserved for marina folk only...snobs. way to go, bradenton, i hope they paid you well. 

so unimpressed. 

one of the few rewards to waking up....early

so glad the skate park was shut down-too much gathering...

then back at the complex, it was looking a little dead out, but beautiful days! so we put the garage door up and made a makeshift office. the view. (much better the following days after i moved my car). the boys drive me nuts though, because they are out scavenging for leaves-which they eat and then it just makes a mess. but it's nice to go out because the set-up of the apartment doesn't allow for much natural light in the afternoon-it always seems later than it is because all of the windows face the east, and there is a mini-wooded-bush area on the back side. 

pretty, but silent

looking for leaves, looking for bugs...they'll try to put pretty much anything in their mouth to get a reaction.

one of the kinda' cool things to come out of this is that we have had company-wide virtual meetings to touch base and get information out...virtual happy hours on fridays, which is interesting-fun putting names to faces and seeing everyone! it is also neat to be able to learn a little more about the people i would not otherwise be exposed to. 

fortunate to work with such scoundrels!

i may or may not have done the one thing that is making salon-artists across the nation cringe...yep about 3-4 inches. i knew i was going to do it though, and i think i mentioned it in a previous post. it's hair. whatevs. at least i'm not dying my hair and living the mullet dream...(looking at you, lori). some people can pull it off...i'm not one of them.

and these guys. who needs to be in a legit office or see people for 3 months when you have companions like this!?! 

chaco...little romeo...loves people

bruno in the foreground....food-motivated!

we try to work together, but when we're recording or doing serious webinars, they cannot stay because i never know who is going to walk by and make them lose it.

i have a story about a cockroach, and it is almost time to share. stay tuned, that may be tomorrow's feature story...it's a little longer, so i think that will do it for tonight.

wash your hands, and 6ft... an alligator length(baby-ish alligator)...or 8 1/2 puppies!

julie

walking the riverwalk because coffee, bread and thai soup...

maybe it's a psychological thing that i feel like i should sleep in on weekends. always take care of your mental health!

i had a delicious breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and toasted coconut bread with melted butter and strawberry jelly! yummers- i need to eat this bread and get back on track... so i am sharing some of the bread with friends, and today i made my favorite go-to the thai coconut soup (see recipe here), i use shrimp, but today i added scallops as well. which i will take over with the bread. i did share with friends, and then i had a second bowl, and a strange texture in my mouth. when i pulled it out, it looked like a small animal hair. that was weird...so i thought through every ingredient, wondering if any can or carton could have been contaminated...then it dawned on me- the lemongrass...it's in a squeeze tube and chunky-and these were tiny fibrous pieces that hadn't gotten ground up (i even got the tube out to squeeze some out to double check). whew! i need to cut back on the fish oil, because it was a bit salty, too, and no one needs a sodium attack (ask lot's wife about too much NaCl!)

so today i mulled over where to walk today. i finally landed on the BRADENTON RIVERWALK. i got in my 10k steps, and realized that it has been a minute since i've done a serious walk there. so i think this is going to be replacing the beach walk until they open that up again. i like Robinson Preserve as well, so i may inter-mix them...but i last year the river walk was when i started to get serious about getting back into shape, and so i know it'll be a good time!

so...pretty sure you're supposed to be imagining this mama manatee swimming underwater with her calf...unless you're like me, you may be seeing a manatee olympian with a discus-calf getting ready to break world records...

below are two videos: 1. looking back toward bradenton and the marina and 2. back in bradenton on the east side of the bridge looking back.

the bradenton riverwalk park pretending to be a beach...

now to finish up the coconut bread, and get serious about the food part!

for the most part people were doing what they should in regards to distance (minus the skate park and the exercise station). #fools couples seemed to be the only ones walking together, and every time i walked passed someone, i would look the other way and make sure not to breathe...it kinda' reminded me of when we would drive past a cemetery when we were young, and someone would say, "don't breathe, or you'll breathe in the ghosts!" fyi: a. that i know of, i've never breathed in a ghost b. it was great practice for a respiratory virus spread by saliva droplets! although it makes me look stuck up or rude... oh well. i'm sure when i get up early there will be far fewer out.

finished my walk and did the hand sanitizer and lysol routine when i got into my car... to the ridiculous degree, because i didn't even touch anyone or anything. #coronavirusgotusallparanoid

so all of that was yesterday, and i forgot to set my alarm because i was seriously planning to get up this morning and walk! anyhoo, this was a super busy day, and i had to write everything down to get to it and not forget what's what! tomorrow will be just as busy and maybe i breathe and use the bathroom on thursday...

i was ecstatic to get my package in the mail from terra verde coffee!! my friend from high school-eis
 #gobulldogs marko and his wife, missy, are coffee connoisseurs.

amazing coffee? um, yes, please, i think i will!

 i ordered from them because..HONDURAN COFFEE! my dear friend, tania woke the beast by gifting me HONDURAN coffee at Christmastime! seriously, i couldn't find the brand she'd brought (only at cafeteo, i suppose and the next time i get down there, i will get some), but i am pretty excited about my new supply chain! in fact, i was so excited that i dumped the coffee i had on burner into a mason jar (we'll do iced coffee with that later)...and i made another half pot in the afternoon! that's a pretty big deal, but it was TOTES worth it!! so, if you are looking for a good coffee, and want to support small business and fair trade, check out TERRA VERDE HERE! i'm sure this 1lb bag won't last long...next time i'll go big or go home... 5 pounder, i'm lookin' at you! i got the COMUCAP- and i will definitely get it again!

it was a welcome friend during our afternoon webinar!

so that is where we are for right now! i hope all is well and everyone is washing their hands!

blessings-
julie

does anyone else have a blood coagulation shaving stick?

alrighty then, hello saturday! feels like a sunday, but then again, who knows!

i tried to get out to one of the preserves today- in fact i did, but it was further than i expected. duette preserve is about as far to the other side of the county as one can get, and i didn't realize that they are only open certain hours. that was a bummer because when i got there the picnic area was open, but all of the trail entrances were closed. i was SO not happy..i mean, i had already doused myself with the skin-so-soft i mentioned receiving a couple days ago, in hopes i could give it my stamp of approval!

the trip there was an adventure unto itself. as i was driving out, i should have known better than to take the water. i mean... i drank about a liter more than i should've. ugh. you know what that means- stop to use a restroom, only i had passed the last opportunity about 10 minutes prior.  i know this about me, i hydrate and need to dehydrate quite a bit, so this wasn't a surprise...always pushing the envelope. and then, almost like a unicorn, i saw a small country service station, so i decided it was the last opportunity! so i made a purchase, and saw the sign on the door said restroom closed, but there is a porta-potty...**closes eyes, sighs, and realizes the options are slim**. so i did it. yep. pulled out the lysol, used my own kleenex from the car, and made it happen. ignore the flies, think happy thoughts...lysol myself and get back into my car. but it was the relief i needed, because i THOUGHT i was going to be walking/hiking at the preserve. so disappointing- i didn't even get out of the car once i got there! boo.

should not have partaken in so much of this! i KNOW better.

i've exposed myself to so much, that my immune system is super hero power status

new addition to travel supplies in the car.

on the way home i had to stop at the store for some necessities. i also had to stop at the gas station, because the orange light came on. so thank you, circle k for providing 'fuel gloves'! i didn't see them until i'd already used the kleenex to input my pin and begin pumping the gas. so pulled one out, only luck would have it, 2 came out! so i put the extra glove in my car for later use! (i mean, not a hoarder...it's just one, take a breath). does anyone work for circle k, or are frequent patrons? because this doesn't look like something they just threw together, have they been doing this forever?? if so, i'm super impressed, and could easily be swayed to doing more business there in the future!

these beauties and sanitizer as well!

and speaking of kleenex, still no tp at the stores (at least not when i've gone!)...so i do purchase kleenex whenever i find them! and since they only allow you to buy one item, i try to purchase the bundle sets.

#gamechanger

yes, tp still an issue. amazing. in the USA. somehow i wait often wait longer than i should to get new razor blades because they cost so much...anyone else with me? anyhoo, so i broke down the other day and bought new cartridges. well, in my excitement over having smooth legs in record time, i nicked my ankle- WE'VE GOT A BLEEDER!! so i finished my shower, wishing i had one of those special sticks my dad had for shaving- you know, the ones that help the blood coagulate! i mean, the nick left me with two choices: use a treasured tp square or use the towel and hope the blood stain washes out...OR just bleed out (too drastic?) so i used the tp square. we good. but that cannot keep happening! so i ordered the stick! i looked up: blood-coagulation-stick-for-shaving. (what did we do before google?!) drum roll, please, it arrived today!! super excited! now there will be no more close calls with life-altering decisions due to small cuts!

this past week was a busy week. i know a lot of people may be in kind of a holding pattern with working from home, especially if it's new for you, and workplaces not really knowing how to navigate or set expectations. i am especially fortunate that the company i work for is an ed-tech company, meaning this is our time to thrive because we have been able to help our clients- from the parent and teacher side of the spectrum and help them make sense of the current reality that is happening. we have been working so hard to get creative and meet unique needs. it has been an exciting time, and unconventional...but hopefully we are able to shine brightly and this will be one of those special moments in time for istation! i know several of my colleagues have been putting in lots of extra time and brain-power, and the next couple of months will be interesting and i'm sure very busy. things that were already in the works on hold to meet changing needs. i feel fortunate to be a part of the #redcapenation ! that said, HUGE shout-out to those who have been doing the night-before things, the rearrange-your-schedule things, the putting-fires-out-that-no-one-else-knows-about things.... to you we raise our glass! 

to you, to me, to the both of us!
julie

ah, my little coconut bread! my friend, how i've missed you!

so when asked what was the best thing to come out of coronavirus 2020, i will be able to say: PAN de COCO! i've always been slightly hesitant to do breads because...i don't know...yeast? flour? ew...i do not love the feeling of sticky dough on my flesh. gag. but oh my. i suppose you just have to weigh out the pros and cons and figure out some good tips and tricks, because: HOW HAVE I NOT MADE THIS BEFORE NOW?!😍 alright. thank goodness i made a half-batch, because i would make myself sick eating it! yes, so in making a half batch, of course one must halve all of the ingredients...i'm just bad with fractions, so what did i do? i may or may not have pulled up Istation Math Teacher Station and used the digital tools to figure out my measurements. #dontjudge if you are still in school, life lesson: this is a real life math scenario! #stayinschool (only you can't...covid19)

i'm just gonna' say it, we have the coolest math tools and the math instruction would've helped me, ask ms. smallwood...

i was pleasantly surprised (ok, fake surprise because i'd recvd a tracking e-mail) when my istation t-shirt arrived at the front door! woohoo! then when we walked to the mailbox, i had a package in the box, and a key to get a package from the bigger mail lock-boxes! the smaller package contained a 'creamer' that kinda' does taste like birthday cake, and the bigger package was my #1 from Hunt a Killer series! (i'd received #2 and #3, but the first one hadn't come, so i couldn't begin). i will be looking forward to this one! there is still a half-finished mystery over at shea's because we all go busy last fall and never found a chance to get back together to finish.

t-shirt: we've got your back, birthday cake creamer-yes! who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday year round in the form of coffee?! and to hunt a killer, because it's good to keep the brain sharp...and you never know when you might need them skills #murderino #ssdgm

i probably shouldn't have tried the prymal coffee creamer, because it was already 3:00pm and it may affect my sleeping pattern...yikes. oh well, it seems like such a minor...(until 2am rolls around and i'm wide awake). but it IS delish, so well-worth it. i think the serving size is 4 tsp, but i only used 2 in an over-sized cup, and it was plenty, so don't let that calorie count scare you!

**danger alert** i may have just had another coconut bread roll** i.can't.stop.myself.

and today was the 2nd company-wide "virtual happy hour" via ZOOM. last week and this week- it has been an interesting experiment! it's fun when you are in a breakout room with people you know and converse easily with...it is a little awkward when you know almost no one in a room, but a good chance to get to know people and what they do..kinda' like looking at the brady bunch of work colleagues and wondering, "hmm...which one could be a potential serial killer...or who would make the best serial killer...or who would play the best serial killer in a movie..." i mean, there's a lot of routes you could go! next week maybe the internal question will be: WHO in this breakout room: who would be the MOST likely to survive a quicksand pit? escape headhunters? (sorry...gilligan's island). anyhoo, it was good to see my people! even if it meant being on the computer for an extra hour...maybe next week we start an hour later on friday. i also think i need to come up with a list of questions or silly anecdotal things to talk about because dead space is seems like a virtual faux pas. 

i was hoping that my mermaid's pies and produce would be open, but they seem to be closed- i may swing by tomorrow just to double check! they make the best lobster rolls in the area, and i am a huge fan! they are also well known for their award-winning pies! i've tried a variety of slices. my favorite to date has been the coconut creme!! LOVE! i need to order their brie and caramelized onion quiche, because it's been awhile, and i know what i like!! they seriously do have the best lobster rolls! i don't even bother with the seafood festivals for lobster rolls anymore, because sometimes you go someplace and nothing really compares! they do the traditional as well as the ct style -hot with melted butter, both on toasted roll- large chunks of lobster- always freshly made. #hugefan

look at the size of those lobster pieces!!

if they are not open, i will probably make some shrimp and scallop coconut thai soup again, because that stuff...woah! i may make enough to take a taste over to shea and patrick. we'll see if that works. 

this morning i did get up early and went for that walk- i have been lazy the last couple days. so today i drove over to cortez village and parked at the park/museum and walked through the neighborhood (cute little fishing neighborhood), and then across the drawbridge and down the main beach sidewalk, barely into the park before i had to turn around and come back. well worth it, and a nice different change of scenery!

he was getting ready to fly away, then he sensed that i wanted a pic, so he put his wings back for a minute, gave me the sideways glance..the "get-on-with-it" glance, and once i'd taken my shot he flew off! love me some pelicans! (mostly because i don't own a dock, so i don't have to deal with pelican poo).

not sure what this weekend will hold, it may be very chill. i may be going to the store to get more flour, skim milk and whatever else i need to make more bread- bread that i will share.

i was awake SUPER early this morning, and i was thinking about the things that we take for granted, and my list was so simplistic yesterday. truth is, even our 'poverty' got NOTHIN' on some people around the globe. when i lived in HONDURAS, we would visit some of our churches out in the smaller mountain villages, and they would take us to their one-room home with dirt floor where they keep their dishes in a suitcase in a corner..i don't even remember how many brothers and sisters lived here with the parents, but one room. how can they social distance?...obviously not every family was this 'poor', but those experiences have never left me. i have AC, washer, drier, two t.v.s (i'm single...), cable, android, 2 work devices and 3 personal tech devices, a go-pro, camera, more than 2 pair of shoes, more than 5 outfits, a refrigerator, stove, microwave, multiple kitchen appliances i seldom use...and that's just the tip of the iceberg...please just take a look around your home and think about the 'things' that you have that you take for granted. the reason it even hit me was because it is easy for me to 'shelter in place' i can buy food and freeze it or preserve it...i have running water and electricity...i can cook food...i can wash my clothes and take showers...I CAN WASH MY HANDS 50 TIMES A DAY... again. be grateful that you are even able to read this on the internet on whatever device you have...for that matter, be grateful that you can read! you are richer than you know.

blessings-
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

so do your best, and be satisfied with that

alright, so i'm guessing that i will have some sort of comment about the COVID 19 thing on a daily basis for awhile. today let's just discuss how there are some unique issues for florida. it is especially hard for florida because we have about 24% of the population in that 60 Plus age group, so they are particularly vulnerable...and of those, i'm guessing it's a high percentage that are hard-headed and not real containment-followers. (i've seen it with my own eyes). another reason this is a difficult time for florida is because the main product of florida is tourism...that is what drives the economy, so when everything is being shut down and for safety's sake, you really don't want to import sickness, that kind of a shutdown will do a number. another issue for florida is: spring break. and yes, the beaches were open at that time, i have a feeling the state gov was hoping to get as much revenue as possible and hoping for the best before closing the beaches down, but, alas, we all know the spring break crew is not always thinking about others and tend to air on the 'it's all about me' side...at least this year it seemed rather visible. it was ugly. the JUST DON'T CARE CROWD is dangerous.

thankfully that is over. but...um, i just heard this morning on the news that several new yorkers (don't take it personally if you are from new york and happen to not be a violator, not talking to you, breathe...but if you are a violator, please quarantine...) traveled down this way and out of NY when they heard "lock-down", which means there is an unknown amount of people who could easily have been carriers inadvertently spreading that cv around! boo.

i was also thinking about the fact that it wouldn't be too unrealistic to imagine that some of the superbowl visitors were carriers, because the virus was already in the news at that point...30K coming into the airport daily...90k leaving on march 3...i mean is it such a stretch? MIA being an international airport...

i will say that streets were pretty dead when i went out after work this afternoon, so that is a good sign. why was i out? i needed some truvia, shrimp, a large bag of coffee and bleach (which i still couldn't find). but while i was there, since it was so dead, i got a few extra things, and felt a tinge of guilt because the wireless mouse and the squiggly eyes weren't essentials. but don't worry about me and my conscience, it didn't last long. and when i got back to the apt, it was a welcome surprise when i opened my mailbox and found a package with the skin so soft that i had ordered! i am in a kayakers group on FB and multiple peeps had replied to a thread that this was the most effective against no-see-ums, which just are the bane of my existence, and it's about that time of year again, so i thought it was worth a try! i mean if you can't trust your fellow kayaking fb group, who can you trust?!

so the googly eyes weren't necessities...until they are.

so, as i mentioned before, i have gotten used to the working from home gig, but it loses its 'cool' factor when it's a government mandate! i feel for those who are trying to do this with kids in the house-what a completely different dynamic. your kids aren't like my pups who are content to do this for 8 hours:

just gonna' rest for a minute...or all day

what? don't judge.

give yourselves a break, this is new territory. don't expect that you will be as productive as usual if you are new to this lifestyle of juggling work and kids and their schoolwork, and making their meals, and the list goes on...but don't sweat it. everyone is in the same boat, and it will be temporary madness. do what you can, and do it well. it is much more important that your family knows that you love and value them, so do whatever it takes to make sure that you actively love and value them! if that means you need to take a break to just listen or laugh or cry, then do that. this will end, and you will get back into a work routine, but relationships are fragile things, and need to be nurtured. so do your best, and be satisfied with that.

go forth and be your best for yourself and for your family!
julie