Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

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I bought a Groupon this week that was 50% off the Jacksonville Zoo but it had to be used by 10/7/12. We figured we would go this weekend to avoid having to go at the last minute next weekend. The husband had never been to that zoo which is why I got it. I have been multiple times, but it has been years since my last visit.

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Since the husband had worked overnights Thursday night and crashed out by Friday afternoon I missed day one of the Penny Farms Estate sale. I really wanted to go since I have missed the last few. So on our way to Jacksonville we took a slight detour. This estate sale was the most stuff and most interesting stuff I have seen there yet. The lady had to have been a teacher, who decorated for holidays, traveled and had a son or grandson named Charlie from what I saw. I probably would have liked her. The husband found a super 8 mm camera with some film and snatched that right up. I only found two Sesame Street 8 tracks. I know, I have many, but I don’t have Sesame Street.

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The husband tried some batteries in the camera to see if it works. The connection for the batteries is broken. He will figure out how to fix that, he always does. Plus he keeps lucking out with old electronics that end up working. We looked up this model and it is in several places on the internet for sale with a variety of prices. We will see if we get it to work on not. We will continue to search for an 8 mm camera to go with the projectors.

After the estate sale where I passed up on a trivet and old postcards (I keep seeing them on other blogs for sale, probably should have taken a chance on them), we swung by the Habijax Restore. I read they were having a rummage sale in the parking lot. Not much there. Nothing was found inside (for once). Mainly in the store I told the husband about the first half of the book I was reading last night, Lolita (or what it should be subtitled: How to be a Pedophile). I know, I know, I talk to sex offenders and pedophiles every week and I knew the basic story of the book. I hear their stories about how the children seduced them, much like the book. I am a bit more liberal about the topic since I have to deal with the people at work. Rather than ban the book and censor it they should have warned people that it was what to look out for in predators.

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Anyway, we finally made it to the zoo. After getting flustered with my phone when it wouldn’t load the Groupon due to also having a stomach ache, we finally got in. We wandered all the loops and walkways checking out the animals, watching the funny children and trying to stay cool. The husband cracked me up when he said, “We don’t have to ride the train, do we?” We skipped the butterfly exhibit since it is $2 a person. We saw monarch butterflies for the ticket price all around the zoo.

My pictures:

This is my husband, or is it the gorilla?

We kept running into the same families throughout the zoo. My favorite was the about 2 ½ year old who kept getting underfoot in front of the husband and was the cutest kid there. I like to also play, Let’s Find the Animal – where you look for whatever is supposed to be in the exhibit. I feel like I’m playing a word search or Where’s Waldo when I can locate the animal.

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By the time we walked the whole park we were tired and overheated hours later. The husband headed to his favorite pizza place – Renna’s in Orange Park. The regular people were not there. His white pizza was not quite up to par. I tried to behave and opted for an antipasto salad since I have not been eating enough veggies and I think the stomach problem is due to it. The husband argued that it was not really antipasto. I explained it was their version on top of a salad. He cracks me up when he gets all northern Italian guy on me.

After pizza we headed to a few of our usual Orange Park thrifts. I passed on a cute and cheap side/end table at the Hospice Thrift store. I am trying not to spend while saving for vacation and I really don’t have room in our little house for it. I bought a 48 cent pot for one of the poor plants in the kitchen. They need to get in a proper pot.

Nothing at the Quigley House Thrift store. We were disappointed in the changed there. They opened a side of the building into a Boutique. I ignore anything called Boutique since it is usually nothing I have interest in and is usually overpriced. This thrift is for another good cause – the county’s domestic violence shelter. I tend to go to and like thrifts that are for good causes. I like to know where my money is going. So I tend towards DV and hospice thrifts. Don’t get me wrong, I like some Salvation Armies and Goodwills, but they tend toward clothing and I have little interest in that.

We also checked out the other hospice thrift on Blanding Blvd. The husband found some lighted bats to add to the two bats he has from last year’s yard sale. The porch will look like a colony of bats live there this year. I bought a bad of Christmas ornaments because they were 50% off and looked old. We will see if I keep them or try to resell.

What I left behind. It intrigued me.

We pulled into a place we have never been to only to find out they went out of business. The lady did tell us where she would be holding yard sales with her remaining merchandise for the next few weeks. We may check it out. She did say she made a good living from the store until she left her husband and had more bills to cover. I am quite curious about what kind of money a small thrift can bring in. There are a ton of thrift stores around here, so I wonder how they make money with all the competition. I keep thinking about what if we got more serious about selling. I am not sure if a storefront would be an option. I have kidded for a few years about having a Habitat Restore in town since there is none, I even picked a location. I am not sure how one would get the Habitat people to let you open one or if they have to open it. I need to check that out. Or else open a store that sells most everything but clothing, especially home improvement and decorating items. 

Sunday we cleaned up the front porch. It had 2 inches of sawdust from all the house projects. It was nice to see the floor and have room to move. Next to set up the outside Halloween decorations. Yeah!

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We also finally went to the Waldo Flea market. The husband even let two of the dogs go. They don't get out much. There is always people with dogs there. This trip we saw someone walking a goat. I have friends that bought a goat there. I finally peeked into the antique store there while the husband waited outside with the dogs. It has been years since I've been there. We have to go back to check it out more since the husband is now over his prejudice against antique stores. They have everything there. We did score some faucets at a great price.