Out and About Archive

Happy July 4!

We need to be reminded occasionally that freedom isn’t free, and we know that only too well in our military community. Most of the signers of the declarations signed their lives away with the stroke of a pen. I recently ran across this on singer Michael W. Smith’s website, and it is a message that we all need to hear, regardless of the time of year.

I’m visiting a prison later this week in Blountstown and I was required to submit information for a background check before I got permission to go inside.  Let that sink in.  I totally understand, but the irony wasn’t lost on me. I heard that the prison is training inmates on how to operate a piece of machinery that I’m interested in knowing more about. And, because there is always a story, there is a story. However, I don’t have permission for the story yet. They have vocational programs and when the inmates that are in the program are released, they leave with a vocational certificate. I’ll have to see if we have any subscribers there. We have quite a few in prison. One time a paper was sent back to us because inside that issue was a story about how someone got in trouble for breaking someone out of prison. The note we received back from the prison office was that the story was too descriptive and gave details on how to sneak certain items into prison. The person that didn’t receive their paper missed it, so we cut that story out of the paper and sent it back to the prison. It was very appreciated. We appreciate our subscribers that happen to be in prison. At least it helps the prison guards read newspapers – because apparently, they are reading them before they are passed on to their rightful owners. My mom used to go to a maximum-security prison for women in Orlando every Sunday evening to lead a Bible study when she was in her 80’s. She was always nervous that she would make a mistake and not be able to go back. There were very strict rules about what she could wear and bring with her. Pens were not allowed, or sharp pencils. I’ll follow her lead when I visit the prison.   

This week I’m writing about mosquito control because they are out of control. I was trying to talk to my new neighbors, who recently moved here from Alaska, around dusk last week and we were all swatting mosquitos and dancing around trying to get out of the mosquitoes’ way. They were relentless. My feet and ankles were on fire. I finally had to tell our new neighbors that I just couldn’t chat anymore because – I couldn’t. I high tailed it back into my house – while zig-zagging back and forth trying to throw the mosquitos off my tail. I have found a few trying to follow me in my house. I found out that in the few months that our new neighbors have been here, they have also found the mosquitos to be overly plentiful. They had already invested in some kind of mosquito magnet machine that kills mosquitoes.  I would have checked it out if I didn’t have to literally run away.

We have done highly scientific research and found out that people that drink craft beer don’t litter. In Actuality, I know a runner who runs up and down Highways 98 and 87 and told me that he never sees craft beer bottles littering the side of the roads. And, I use to cycle up Hwy. 87 before texting on cell phones became a thing and about the time cyclists were getting run over by those texting and driving – and I can attest to the same hypothesis.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting a lot of people in the 24 years of working at Navarre Press, and I wouldn’t make a list in order of importance because it isn’t something you can quantify. However, I’d have to say that Pat Quinn would be very, very close to the top. He was an awesome man in so many ways. He was fun to be with because he was funny, honest, observant, wise, and so many other adjectives. To say that he had led an interesting life would be an understatement. Let’s just say he couldn’t have gotten another ounce out of life because – he lived it – to the fullest. And, in doing so, he contributed greatly to every community and person that he was close to. The Gulf Breeze Zoo celebrated its 40th anniversary last month, and I asked our team to pull the pages and pages of stories we have written about the zoo over the years and a sampling of the results can be found on pages C6 and 7. One of the stories was about “Remembering Colossus” which was written by our reporter John Richardson, who passed away last year and who is another person that I had the privilege of calling my friend. This is an awesome story and will give you a taste of what Pat Quinn was like and how fortunate we are to have the Zoo in our community.

I’m learning new traditions and entitlements as my children get older, and I find myself having conversations with them that weren’t even a topic when I was their age. My daughter’s husbands have brought up evaluating jobs on how long they will have off for paternity leave when they start have babies or continue to do so. Really? I was lucky my husband was in this country when I had babies.

We are only a few days away from Navarre High School Class of 2024’s graduation, a milestone in every teen’s life. It’s the first step toward adulting. Some will go to college, some will take on a trade, some will become executives. Some will stay home.

We have had a very busy week. After putting out three papers on Monday, our editor, Daniel Evans, left Wednesday to move his family from Georgia to Pace, Florida. They signed the paperwork in Georgia Friday morning because they were selling and buying at the same time. They arrived Friday afternoon at their new home and had to wait to get into their new house until they got the go ahead from the seller’s Realtor and received the key to their new home. They worked very quickly and were able to return the U-Haul by Friday evening. As they were getting settled in their new home, they found out they couldn’t operate the stove top and oven at the same time and the dryer didn’t work. There are always things that don’t go according to plan, but it was a major feat to coordinate selling, buying and moving withing 1.5 months. I credit Daniel’s wife for the precision with which everything took place. And there were other complicated factors – and it all came together because of awesome planning.  And in honor of Mother’s Day this past weekend – I have to say – moms are awesome and they are the driving force behind getting things done for the family. From planning moves to planning vacations, moms know that where there is a will – there is a way.

I was traveling again last week, and I was able to read the paper from my e-edition and the app on the go. As I write this, I’m on a mother-daughter weekend in Charleston, SC – a week before Mother’s Day. I have two unsolicited tips for those coming to Charleston; don’t wear high heels and bring mosquito repellant. Charleston is a very popular place for bachelorette parties and weddings, and there are a lot of ladies wearing high heels and the sidewalks are very uneven. And the mosquito is apparently the state bird in SC. There are a lot of marshes on either side of historic Charleston and the mosquitos are stealthy and apparently, relentless. I didn’t see them or feel them, but I have itchy welts on my neck, arms, feet and ankles. I have plenty of items to ward off mosquitos in Navarre including a natural spray and arm bands. Mosquitos love me…I check all of their boxes for a tasty treat. Next to OneBlood, mosquitos consider my blood to be a high value target. If I get out of this place without a mosquito borne disease, it will be a miracle. I just Googled, Charleston, SC mosquito activity and the result was, “The risk for mosquito activity is extremely high.” I didn’t see any “Mosquito Joe” signs around – maybe there is no hope for protection.

A moon tree? Never heard of it – but Gail was intrigued enough to read Hansen Hasenberg’s story on it and tell me about it. I will be reading the story with you when it comes out in print. Apparently, in 2022, Artemis 1 (a NASA uncrewed spaceflight) took some seedlings into space on a 25-day trip orbiting the moon. West Navarre Intermediate School obtained one of the seedlings – and we were there as they planted the sweetgum seedling. You will have to read the story to find out the history of moon trees and how one of the seedlings came to WNIS.