Stuffing Bell Peppers

Can't believe I haven't posted since Oct. 17! I've been trying to keep things simple, but life seems to stay complex! Now I'm due in the Yogatorium for a class - so a quickie - The photo is of the last of my lovely bell peppers before the cold hits. I'll be stuffing peppers this afternoon for the freezer! What fun! Hope your garden produced good stuff for you this year. I've got one red cabbage plant struggling along, but the okra, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. are gone or on their last legs, so to speak.

Coping with Stress

I'm home. And ready to resume life with a new vigor. Time off is truly useful for restoring one's equilibrium. This morning my reading in Simple Abundance included a section on "Coping with Stress" with a long list of ways to do that - here are the first five: Cultivate gratitude. Carve out an hour a day for solitude. Begin and end the day with prayer, meditation, reflection. Keep it simple. Why don't you pick one and begin coping with your stress? I am. If you don't like these, send me an email and I'll give you a few more to choose from. ------ Remember, this coming Sunday, the 23d, is the 4th Sunday at 4:00 silent retreat. Hope to see you here. Namaste.

Last Day in New Bern

Well, so much for a boat trip. Captain Jim just decided to abort. So, we'll go out and unload the stuff and get back to New Bern for the night. Will be back home in my cottage tomorrow evening. One thing we learn from boating is that we are NOT in control! Not only is there a mechanical problem with the steering, the weather is worsening too. Still, we've had a good time together this week - lovely dinner at Persimmon's restaurant last evening..........Ray: Angie, my neighbor, told me some man was out doing something - maybe taking soil samples - and I explained it was no doubt you planting daffodils! What a nice surprise they will be next spring! THANKS!

Aborted Boat Trip - Back to New Bern

First trial - on the water at 7:00 this morning - look closely at Jim's photo and see the moon - trouble with steering, back to Oriental boat shop and now back home in New Bern waiting for word from the repair shop to see when it will be fixed. Fo now, who knows what we will do next?

New Bern - Still Waiting Ashore

So, another day of waiting. We are definitely leaving in the morning. By then the wind and rain will be much less and we will be able to travel safely. As it turns out, the first leg of the trip is crossing the Pamlico Sound - the only place where the water is wide. And, shallow. Good spot for rough water when wind is high. Now we're getting really eager to go, so repacking and such to take off EARLY in the morning and get to the boat at first light. I'm EXCITED! The photo is of Jim's boat --I took it at Annapolis when I was there in July. Will get more photos when we get underway tomorrow.

New Bern, NC

Here I am in New Bern, NC at Jim and Anne's home. We're staying here till the weather passes through today and we can hit the Intracoastal Waterway to head south from Oriental to Pawleys Island - probably a 4-5 day trip. We met at the Reserve Harbor Marina in Pawleys Island yesterday and left my car - Jim drove us here. He's on his way out to the boat to make it ready to leave - when we can. I'm truly blessed to have a chance to be on the water again for several days. There's something so freeing about it - it's a perfect chance to "Just Be." And, as most of you know, that's really my ideal state these years. It's difficult to come up with things to worry about (other than weather) when you're on the water. All you be concerned about is the depth of the water and that the boat keeps running! I'll try to keep the posts coming. It's fun to think I have your company on the trip!

Litchfield Inn Beach

Whee! I'm sitting on a screened porch on the second floor of the Litchfield Inn. The roar of the ocean is strong, waves are high, wind is warm but strong, beach walking is possible. Still, it's protected here and I can still enjoy looking at the ocean all stirred up. Supposed to rain tomorrow, but by then brother Jim and I will be on our way to Oriental to get on the boat tomorrow evening. Martha is rocking away reading while I type. We just enjoyed a trip through Brookgreen Gardens and then a stop at a neat little ice cream/etc. shop on Hwy 17 right where we turn to come out to the Inn. A delightful little place with couches, chairs, books, magazines, and lots of different kinds of coffees - and wi-fi. The sundae was superb! Mud pie ice cream, coconut, walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top!!! We walked on the beach last evening and again this morning before breakfast and will make another attempt later hoping the wind might die down a bit. We did get smart enough to walk first into the wind after the first walk when we walked first with the wind and came back REALLY TIRED! Neither of us slept last night - we left the patio door open to hear the wind, were VERY cold but not cold enough to get up and get blankets, and the roar of the waves was loud. Tonight, perhaps we'll do better - at least we found the blankets this morning. Tomorrow Martha heads back to Greenwood and I continue on with Jim. It's hard to describe the freedom of being here at the beach!! What a joy!