Another landscape...

The past few weeks while I was home alone, blogging away and enjoying life, Kyle was out working up a storm. His latest fire assignment enticed him northward, where he was surrounded by trees and even some rain. Very cool! Here are some pics from his adventures. Enjoy!

Still coffee free...

My coffee free efforts are still going strong, in spite of the return of "temptation". For the past couple of morning, I have had to genuinely resist the urge to partake of some java, as it is once again being prepared in my presence. Though I do plan on occasionally drinking it again at some point, my main desire and objective continues to be the establishment of a healthy existence that is void of the daily "need" of it. For now, I want to keep extending my break. My morning "jolt" of tea is satisfying me at present, however, to be more of a purist I would need to take a pause from that as well. Hmmm...maybe someday, but not any time soon.

It bloomed...

Our passion flower expressed herself today. What a wonderful surprise! (Photo is a little blurry, though still very beautiful:)

Some of my delights...

This evening when I returned from work I smiled at the sight of my little flower pots. Their colorful greeting always puts me in a good mood. Lately I've even started to expand my gardening domain around the property, adding splashes of this and that where uninspiring bare areas once were. My most recent addition is a passion flower plant. I searched for weeks to find one, and the plant I have is very young and kind of sad. It's perking up in its new pot, though not quite blooming yet. When it does, I will post another picture of it so you can see the progress it has made.



One of my other delights are the tomatoes. For weeks they have been providing a steady supply of fruit. I love to watch them ripen on the windowsill, though devouring them is even better. Homegrown tomatoes are the best! Hopefully life is bringing you all boundless delights as well. Enjoy!

Sand creations...

Yesterday was the Sandcastle Festival in Santa Barbara. Kyle and I attended the festivities last year, which made me curious to return again and see all the new sand creations. Honestly, I was a little more impressed with what I saw before, though there were some exceptional sculptures. My favorite, though not technically difficult, was the sandwich. It was fun to watch people figure out the visual play on words that had been created from the sandwich shaped mound of sand with a witch head and feet poking out the ends. Very clever. The best part of the experience, however, wasn't the sandcastles. It was being surrounded by the merriment of it all. As a society, I pray, that we never stop celebrating life's simple pleasures: fun, family, friends, creativity, and the great outdoors!

An update on my coffee hiatus...

A week without coffee has officially passed. I feel quite proud that I have been able to resist its consumption, though yesterday I was kind of tempted. During a meander downtown, I passed by numerous coffee shops, with tantalizing aromas escaping their confines. Ahhh...the delicious smell of coffee! Up until those moments, I have completed avoided everything that has to do with coffee. There was a little hesitation at one point, though my will power won over in the end. Hurray! In place of coffee, I have been happily drinking tea. Our eclectic tea collection that has been neglected for some time is now being "cleaned out" as I sample a different type each day. Variety truly is the spice of life. The real test in this whole challenge, however, will come when Mr. Coffeemaker himself returns. Will I be swept back into the life of coffee addiction, or will my new found coffee-free confidence enable me to remain strong? Honestly, I'm hoping for that latter because in a strange way I feel kind of healthier without coffee. Hmmm. Stay tuned to find out what happens!

What do you think???

Blogging has become a fun, creative outlet for me. I enjoy sharing my musings with friends and family both far and near. Though I don't often know who is tuning in or not, it delights me to think that there are people out there who are staying in touch with us through this virtual reality. When people comment, with the exception of the insensitive spammers, Kyle and I get really excited. It is great to have some feedback. To encourage more comments from our loved ones, I changed the settings on our blog this evening. It is now an open forum. If you feel touched or inspired, saddened or uplifted, please express yourself via a comment at the end of the post. We look forward to hearing from more of you, though please post responsibly. Thanks!

A simple revolution...

Inspiration can come at random times and in very unexpected ways. Tonight, I found some through the simple act of picking up a few pieces of trash on the beach. I often collect garbage when I am out and about because it bothers me. (Litterbugs are not cool!) That said, gathering unsightly rubbish has become an almost unconscious act for me. Usually, my contributions to a clean earth go unnoticed, though not this evening. As I walked by other beach visitors, I was repeatedly praised for my efforts. This surprised me. People actually noticed the small amount of trash I was carrying? Their encouragement felt great. It was kind of a wake up call for me; I am not alone in my desire for a litter-free reality. Hurray! Change is possible. So...here is my thought. I propose that we all start a simple revolution in our lives. Whenever we see trash, we should pick it up (using gloves for the gross stuff, of course). We must not assume that others will do it if we don't. Our collective efforts will make a difference. Let's make our world a healthier place to be. We can do it!

Ode to tarballs...

This evening I went for a stroll on the beach with a friend. As is often the case, I walked barefoot, in order to allow my feet to feel the squishy sand and an occasional wave. I've strolled on this particular beach many times, though tonight was especially "fun" because at the end I realized that my feet were almost entirely covered with tarballs. Before moving to Santa Barbara I never understood the lyrics to Jack Johnson song, "Our feet were infested with tarballs." Infestation is a very accurate way to describe this phenomenon. For those of you who have never been lucky enough to experience this for yourself, I've posted a picture of my foot to show you how bizarre it is. The tar is actually quite sneaky, accumulating in mass without bringing attention to itself. It is only when the time comes to rinse off the sand and go home that the black, gooey substance is revealed. Crazy! I've heard that this tarball reality is relatively unique to Santa Barbara or at least Southern Cali. Hmmm, I wonder why they don't advertise that in the travel brochures? Also noteworthy about tonight's walk was the fact that I saw people playing the plastic cup on pvc pipe frisbee game that Kevin and Katie introduced us to. I tried to covertly capture it in the photo below, though you'll have to zoom in to see it. Fun, fun, fun!

Pausing an addiction...

After years of endless coffee consumption, I have decided to take a break from my addiction. The trigger, you may be wondering, was the combination of a couple coincidences. First, I went to the dentist two days ago for a cleaning and was reminded once again how badly coffee stains the teeth. Argh. Secondly, my coffee maker is gone for a few weeks, so it seems like the perfect time for this experiment. Today was my second morning without coffee. Oddly enough, I was dreaming about it before I woke up. Instead of going completely cold turkey from all caffeinated beverages, I settled on a nice hot cup of green tea with my breakfast. (Hopefully that won't stain my teeth green now!) Do I feel any withdrawal symptoms? So far, just a slight headache and a little fog in my brain. I've read that the affects should only last a week or so. By then, I'll have either learned to live without coffee or I'll be ready to unpause my break. Why am I posting this on the blog? I figured it would be a good incentive for staying accountable. Though I passionately adore the taste, smell, sight, and feel of coffee, the negative health impacts are hard to completely ignore. Do I want to strip my aging bones of the calcium that they need? Do I want to continue to overstimulate my adrenal gland? Do I want to be addicted to anything? No, No, and No. Are there others out there who want to join in the experiment? We can support each other!