Whew! How in the heck is it the end of July already? Honestly, time feels like it has weirdly both sped by and has been dragging on. I blame the Rona-hoe. With so many things having been canceled and or restricted to the point it’s not worth visiting (sorry, zoo & botanical gardens, I’m looking at you), this summer has so far felt stagnant. You almost can’t even get a camping spot or have an outfitter contact you back because so many people are taking up outdoor activities, which is both a positive and negative thing. Positive because I’m a firm believer in the benefits of nature for a person, but also negative in the fact that this is more wear and tear on already delicate ecosystems because people simply aren’t as educated about outdoor principles such as leave no trace and how to interact with the outdoors. <—-Do I smell a blog post idea? I think I do!
Anyway, back to me. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted a wrap-up post, so I’ll just give you a little life update on all the things that have been keeping me away from Amor et Vita. Back in early spring, my grandpa passed away. He was my last living grandparent, and probably the one I was closest to. He taught me so much about fishing, the outdoors and gardening. I enjoyed visiting with him these past few years because he opened up and talked more with me about his time serving in the Army, and lots of other topics. So, I took a little time off to come to terms with that. This was also at the beginning of “lock down” so we haven’t been able to have a proper service for him yet, but hopefully that will happen soon.
Like everyone else, lock down drove me more than a little stir crazy. You think you don’t really get out and do much until you literally can’t go out and do ANYTHING. Time just felt like it was at a complete standstill, and everything has felt so stagnant. I’m a very tactile person, so not being able to see things or feel them in person really put a damper on shopping. Virtual tours are ok to an extent, but only being able to see things through a small screen really limits your ability to appreciate them. I’m hoping that we don’t go into another extreme lock down situation here in Missouri, but things are trending in that direction, and I’m frustrated by it. It really effected my ability to write on the blog, because it was hard for me to think positively, and I didn’t want to get on here and do nothing but complain (although it seems like that’s what I’m doing anyways!).
June and July are when we started venturing out a bit more. Restaurants were opening up, so we were able to hit up a couple of our favorites and actually eat a meal that wasn’t prepared by me or a little cold by the time we got it home. Definitely not one of the perks of living in the country, for sure! Take out using services like Grubhub or Doordash is virtually nonexisitant here. So by the time I would pick it up on my way home and get it home, it would be pretty cold. My sister’s birthday happened at the beginning of July, and we had a nice dinner on the patio at Cobalt Smoke and Sea, where we got to visit with friends. Then a few weeks later, we headed out to our favorite seafood restuarant, Gulf Shores, and ate our weight in shrimp and crab legs. Beyond divine.
I got my kayak out a couple of times, too! Once was with a group of friends, and the other time I took a little solo adventure to our local lake. It was my first time loading, hauling, and paddling by myself. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but once I made the trip there successfully, I felt much more confident in my ability to handle my kayak by myself. I wouldn’t venture out onto moving water by myself, most likely, but knowing that I can load up and hit up a local lake without worry about having someone with me opens up a whole new realm of adventure. We had been shooting for an overnight kayak camping trip/fly fishing camp out at then end of this month, but things couldn’t quite come together to make it happen. So as of now, we are planning a group kayak overnighter for September.
I consistently ran for the month of June, but fell off the band wagon hard in July. I’m going to be starting again next month, with the same program. Things just haven’t panned out in July like I had hoped. I usually take a week off for our county fair, but that was canceled this year, so no July vacation for me. I’m thinking of taking my birthday week off, but haven’t decided yet.
I’m very much looking forward to sharing all the content I have planned for August with you guys! The peaches in my orchard a just starting to turn ripe for picking, so I have a few posts planned up on what to do with those. I also am going to be sharing a fancy but secretly simple recipe of my own creation with you. Plus so much more! Make sure you sign up below to receive notification when a new post drops delivered straight to your inbox and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
