AAR- The Cornered Cat

Wow, what a weekend. There is no way to fit everything into one post, but I sure am gonna try.

Kathy, her associate Don, Lynne, TSM and I all met for dinner on Friday night. We ate at a lovely, quaint, family owned Italian restaurant. The restaurant was small and therefore only had about 10 items to choose from for dinner which was fine because everything sounded wonderful, unless you have a gluten problem…but, we explained the issue and the staff was so nice as to make TSM a grilled chicken breast “Paillard” and yummy citrus salad. As for the pasta…glutenly delicious. The conversation was lively, fun, serious, silly, educational, and included plenty of gun speak .

Saturday started very early for the hubby and me. John was not able to join us for the weekend meaning I was totally responsible for the range and all that takes place there. Obviously it was very important to me that everything was done right. I have set the range up numerous times, so that was not a problem. Easy peasy. Once that was done it was off to pick up the students at the assigned meeting place. Fortunately everyone found it without issue and was on time.

Sorry to bore you with the same ol’ same ol’, but I love being with the people on the range. Always terrfic people and this group was no exception. I am continually spoiled by the quality of students I get to spend time with on the weekends. Not a bad apple in the group. We had a good mix of men and women. Every single person was there to learn, had a great attitude, took to direction well, were fun, and most helpful.

I was finally able to meet Keads, but unfortunately it was short lived as he had to leave early. I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to hang with him and Murphy’s Law. Life is like that sometimes…cruel and unfair:)

Late Saturday afternoon we did get a bit of a violent thunderstorm and had to retreat into the classroom, but the ever adaptable Ms. Jackson was ready with her holster presentation. I love this portion of the class because it provides very practical advice that actually helps people find workable solutions to their carry issues. Lots of great feedback and input from those in attendance that already carry. What has worked, what hasn’t…and Kathy provides solid real world solutions for people who have yet to find that “perfect” set-up.

Saturday night Kathy and Don found us a jewel of BBQ joint to eat at. Small, tucked in a corner, no hostess, very basic, mismatched glasses kind of eatery. The staff was exceptional, the food was beyond tasty and the company devine. I learned a lot about the business side of things and heard some very funny stories. We stayed there for hours. Had we not had to get up early for class we might still be there.

Sunday was a dream. Again everyone was on time and ready to go. The weather was beautiful. Mostly sunny with a slight breeze and a mild 80 degrees. Day two is always so much fun because that is when the drills get mixed up a bit.

Like one handed drills. This is Whitney showing-off her skills.

Kathy demonstrating and Brandon taking it all in. A word about Brandon…such a nice guy. He and his wife are sweet as southern tea and very helpful. Thanks to both of them!

This is Judy. She and I belong to the same women’s shooting group, but have yet to make it to the same event at the same time. It was a treat for me to finally meet her in person. She is a hoot and a darn fine shot.

Me with Sue. That beauty of a gun she is holding is my M&P. She had some problems with her gun, so I let her borrow mine and I must say both she and the gun performed beautifully.

The group. The gentleman with the brown shirt standing next to the woman with the white one are two of my most favorite people. I was so happy when they decided to take the class. I could go on and about this group, so I think I will. One lady, Trysta, took it upon herself to organize a student meet and greet dinner the night before. By the time I met them all on Saturday they had already become pals. Wendy is an accomplished hunter and I really enjoyed my chats with her. Cindy and Sherman, ahh, what to say about them. You would have had to have been in the class to understand how special. Oh, Dick and Joann…Funny as heck. Joann also had issues with her gun, so my husband lent her his M&P and as with Sue, both the gun and the operator did a splendid job. I worked a lot with a woman named Peggy. She was so cool because she was the person in her relationship that was the gun person. Her boyfriend has never shoot a gun before, but after her first day she went home and told him about it and now he wants to take a class. I think that is crazy cool. Last, but certainly not least…Gretchen. Gretchen reads the blog and we had been emailing back and forth for a while. She really wanted to attend the course, but didn’t live in the area. As luck would have it, her husband(a soldier) got stationed close enough that she could make the trip. She was our smartie pants of the group. Everyone was smart, but Gretchen, like someone else I know(me), tends to over think things in an effort to get it right. She was already getting it right, but once she let go a little and did what she knew to do…pure awesomeness.

I was not nervous for the weekend, but when I first started making plans to bring The Cornered Class to Virgina I didn’t know Kathy very well, I wasn’t working for John and I didn’t have any experience doing this kind of thing, so I was concerned about how it would all work out. I was initially concerned I might not be able to fill the class, but within 2 months we had 12 students and by class time 15. Kathy caps out at 16, so not bad for my first time out. I loved every second of the weekend and I am so glad that I took a risk and gave it a shot. Other than the rain I think it was pure perfection. If you have ever thought about hosting a guest instructor in your area, I say GO FOR IT! If you have never thought about it, start and think about inviting Kathy. She is great to work with as is Don! I have a pretty cool picture of me and Don, but it won’t upload.

Thank you to John for the use of his range. Thank you so much to Kathy for making the trip and thank you so very much to my husband who gave up his entire weekend(the open weekend of NFL football no less) to come out and help. A huge THANK YOU to the people who came out to the class. It was such an honor for me to be tiny part of your firearms training. Those that are just starting out and those that are already quite accomplished, you guys ROCK!

 

Blogging

Just a quick note about blogging. I am not going to say I am done blogging, but I am just not sure when I will have the time. I have several posts I want to do…review the TDI knife and my new belt. Both are good, but have some issues, at least for me. I have read several books that are really good especially for the new shooter.  I wanted to write a post in response to the comment left on my post about my mugging where the author felt like it would better for me to be murder than to defend myself, but alas, no time.

The last several days have been focused on getting M healthy. In short the gluten-free/dairy-free eating plan had helped her tremendously. She is still suffering from some headaches and bloating, but she has more energy, is breathing better, her color is finally back to normal and she is eating. I was none to happy about having to change our eating habits, but to be honest we are all loving it. The food is great. Exactly the same ‘foodie” type of yummy delights we enjoy and we have discovered many new ingredients. For example I had never heard of Ume Vinegar before. It is a tiny little bottle of pure delight. It is also a tiny little bottle of pure gold or at least it cost as much. Not cheap. However, most recipes call for only a drop or two, so it will last a while. I also discovered the joys of cooking with almond flour, also very pricey, but we love it. Prior to finding out about the Paleo diet(we are not strict followers of this) when I tried to make gluten free breads it was a nightmare. I needed 3 different kinds of flour and guar gum or xantham gum and it still didn’t taste all that good. Enter almond flour…I can make bread with just that and nothing else except eggs, baking soda, salt, etc. and the bread is yummy. The bread I made this weekend was better than any bread we have tasted. Now, that will likely not be the case if you like white bread, but we have always enjoyed grains in ours. Our favorite was from a store called Ukrops that made safflower seed bread…to die for. This bread is very similar. Here are a few pics of what I have made, all from scratch and all gluten and dairy free and all have lots of flavor…

I did not follow the recipe exactly. This first time I made it, the loaves were tiny, so I doubled the recipe and added some seeds.

Yummy turkey stuffed peppers. Nothing really different about these except that there wasn’t any rice.

Coconut-almond flour waffles. The interesting thing about coconut flour is that it has a very strong sweet coconut smell, but isn’t all that sweet or coconut tasting. It is more of a subtle hint. One thing I wish the Paleo recipe bloggers/cookbook writers would do, is give tips on how to cook with these ingredients. Likely most people have not used them and these flours do act differently. For example, when using almond flour, it burns quickly cuz it’s a nut. When I made pancakes I had to turn the heat way down and I lost a few in the process. If I am using a 5 lbs bag of wheat flour that cost $1.50 I do not cry much if I have to toss one or two flapjacks in the trash, but if I have to toss a pancake that comes from a $12.99- 1lbs bag of almond flour, I have a panic attack. I did end up just buying almonds in bulk and grinding small batches as I needed it, but still it hurts.

Even if you do not have any diet restrictions you might want to check out thefoodie.com. The site has a lot of unique recipes that might be fun for a change from the same old boring things we often get in the rut of making time and time again.

Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to leave a comment or emali me about how to live gluten & dairy free. You really have no idea how much it has helped. As I stated before we have been doing the gluten free thing for a while, but it hasn’t effect the family or my cooking all that much. My husband is a grown man so mostly he has managed it. Outside of eliminating bread and switching to gluten free pasta, not much had changed. A child is different and dairy free made me nervous. I thought what the heck kind of cardboard crap are we going to be reduced to consuming??? Having folks reach out and offer support and resources has been wonderfully calming and helpful!

In addition to taking care of M and learning an entirely new way of cooking and eating we have been full swing into EMT. My husband and I are both enjoying it immensely. The class has a total of 30 students. Most volunteer fireman and nursing students and most under the age of 25. Neat group of people. The instructors are wonderful. The $250 fee is all inclusive: certs, testing, books etc. The only thing that was recommended that we purchase on our own are stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs/monitors. The  classroom and all ambulances have plenty, but for practice at home, convenience and sanitation etc, they suggested we get them. More research to figure out which to buy.

I have not read any blogs or FB’s or regular books or sat down or had a single alcoholic beverage or much of anything else, but I am having the time of my life. The only bummer of a thing is that I found out someone I cared for and respected isn’t the high caliber person I thought he/she was, but fortunately I have lots of others who are. I am sorry for those emails I haven’t returned or that have been delayed and that were very short.

Oh, oh and this weekend The Cornered Cat comes to Virginia!!  John and I are very excited to have her at the FPF Training Range. Can’t wait to see Kathy again and finally meet  the fine folks who signed up that I have been chit chat with for months. We did have a few people have conflicts and drop out, so on the off chance you are near Culpeper and want to learn from one of the best in the business, you can still sign up.

Wow, that was not a quick note at all was it…