Simple Day Trip - Lots of Fun

My wife and I often comment about how it doesn't take a lot to entertain us. We really never go to sporting events, concerts or even movies. Not that we have anything against any of those pursuits, we just don't do them, at least not very frequently.

Several months ago, I became a member of the N.C. Train Host Association. As train hosts we are required to complete at least one trip every 60 days on board The Carolinian. Most hosts complete at least one per month. My trip takes me from Kannapolis to Rocky Mount and back. We meet and greet passengers, answer questions about the area and about train travel, as well as assist the crew as needed.

I have talked with a number of people, including school groups who take the train to Raleigh for a day trip. So, my wife and I decided we would do that. We ordered two Business Class round trip tickets. Our original plans were for me to do a hosting trip on the Friday prior to our trip, as I had a friend who was to travel from Charlotte to Durham. I knew that we could spend some time together on the trip and I could still fulfill my duties. He was to return to Charlotte on Monday, so my wife and I decided that is when we would take our day trip, and he would join us on the trip back that evening. The Host scheduled for that Monday is a friend and we were all four going to have supper in the Cafe' Car.

Well, the friend had to completely change his plans and did not get to travel at all. I did the Friday hosting trip though. The weather turned snowy before the end of the trip and by Monday the secondary roads were still slick, so the host friend was not able to travel as Host that day.

However, my wife and I did get to go and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It is really nice to sit back in the seats on the train and let someone else drive, while enjoying the scenery. This particular day was especially nice since the sun was shining on the slowly melting snow as we traveled through the towns and rural areas to our state capitol.

We arrived in Raleigh and walked to The Pit Restaurant, a popular barbecue restaurant in downtown Raleigh. It would be worthy of a Blog Post some time. There is so much good to say about that place, that space here just doesn't permit it. I will say it was some outstanding 'cue and we did not go away hungry.

We then went to the Museum of History, followed by the Museum of Science. We enjoyed both, but my favorite was the Science Museum.

The sidewalks were either very clear or still snow and ice packed, with little in between, except one that was very slushy. After the museums, we stopped in at Port City Java for a Mocha, then headed back to the train station, all the while taking pictures of downtown Raleigh.

We were so full from lunch, we never made it to the Cafe' Car. We enjoyed the trip home and met and talked with several people along the way.

We arrived home tired from the day, but certainly less tired and less stressed since neither of us had driven on the trip.

It was a simple, but very enjoyable day trip and not all that expensive. We bought the train tickets and used our AAA discount and the museums were free. It is a really simple way to spend an enjoyable day.

Two Giant Steps Towards Simplfying

Since my last posting, I have taken two "giant" steps towards simplifying my life. Although if one were to look around our house, you would think, NOT! There are boxes every where. Most are now empty, thankfully, but there are stacks of this and that yet to be put away.

I stepped out to my carport this morning and felt overwhelmed when I saw five empty apple boxes setting in my "seating area." That is a spot supposed to be reserved for two Cracker Barrel rocking chairs that have been from our sunroom, to my little "store" building in the backyard, to our "beach" apartment, and now have a new life in the "Carport Coffee Cafe". That is where I enjoy my first cup of coffee, weather permitting while listening to NPR on WFAE, most mornings before the birds are awake. It had been a simple sanctuary with a resin chair and matching table, but the chairs needed a new assignment.

Back to the boxes, it suddenly occurred to me that we will no longer be going out of town every other week as we have done for so long. We now have one residence, and that is one of the "steps" forward.

We took the easy way out on a "beach house." We leased an apartment within eight minutes of the beach, and just minutes from downtown Charleston, in beautiful Mount Pleasant, South Carolina..."the pleasant alternative."

We did not have a crystal ball when we leased it, but as we know the economy "tanked" in the third quarter of 2007. Had we owned a condo or house, it would probably have gone down in value, and we would be sitting here with some thing we could not sell.

The reasons we did not renew our lease would be a short list, but the top two reasons, we got tired of paying two of every thing, plus the driving to and from. We were also creating quite a "carbon footprint", some thing that does not go with simple living.

We enjoyed our time there and have great memories, but it will be nice to be home more. Besides, over a 2 1/2 year period of time, walking through countless cemeteries, I never encountered a grave with our last name, nor that of any close ancestor. Nor, were there any in the telephone directories, which tells this seventh generation Cabarrus good ole boy, we did not belong in the low country on a permanent basis for sure.

So, our lease was running out, and we moved our belongings back to Concord this past week. We still have work to do organizing, sorting and disposing of things we do not need, but we will chip away at that task little-by-little.

The second "step" actually occurred last weekend, when I went through my clothes supply and eliminated forty some tee shirts I had accumulated from various race entries. I sometimes wonder why I don't check the "no tee shirt" option and save a little money, but sometimes that is all you get for your entry. I still have a tremendous number of shirts even after the purging which included other shirts, jackets, etc. I have more than a simple supply, but again, that will take time, which I now have more of around home.

Simplifying one's life is not a simple task, and it cannot be accomplished over night. It did not get complicated over night.

What it does take is a serious commitment and desire to have a simpler life style, formulate a plan, and follow through, continually looking for ways to make things more simple. It also takes a conscious effort to reduce your need for things. So, that brings up the question, the next time I enter a race, will I take the tee shirt, or take a giant step forward, and not take it? Only time will tell on that one. If I do take it, I commit to disposing of two in place of the new one. That's a strategy I also have tried, with some success, to use with buying new books.

I will let you know how the tee shirt plan plays out.

Delayed Slimplicity

The picture above is from Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. It is within a few hundred feet of the apartment we have leased since June 2007. It is beautiful and peaceful. We have enjoyed hours of fishing there as the tide comes in from the Cooper River and the Atlantic Ocean.

It is a wonderful place. The apartments were built in the early 80s and the setting and landscaping are beautiful. When we are there, we can enjoy a simple lifestyle, while others take care of that landscaping and building related issues.

Unfortunately, the "second home" has now become a reason for my life not being as simple as I would like it to be. Paying rent, having another cable tv bill, the cost of gas to commute twice a month, keeping two kitchens and refrigerators stocked, and having to pay two different policies for renter's insurance (due to it being close to the coast) are complicating my life, at a time I have been making conscious efforts to simplify.

Our lease runs out December 10th and we will not be renewing. Yes, it has been nice for the past two and a half years to "bum" around in a bathing suit on the Isle of Palms, walk through the "Old Village" of Mount Pleasant and stroll through the historic downtown Charleston.

We have hundreds of pictures stored on our computer, in albums and even a collage poster to remind us of our time there.

This year of 2009 was going to be a year for me to really focus on the simple things in life and to further simplify my life. Two unexpected deaths in the family and assisting our daughter in two household moves put the brakes on those plans.

Giving up the apartment will be a giant step forward in simplifying my life. We will no longer have to borrow from "Peter" to pay "Paul" and as I have commented more than once recently, we have had to borrow from "Peter the Second" to make ends meet some months.

After we move out of the apartment and no longer have the commuting expense, my first plan is to get rid of the credit card debt, then focus on other bills we have created.

We look forward to being able to take some short distance day trips to places we have not been, as well as some places we regularly go. I am also wanting to re-join the YMCA after the first of the year and get back into Yoga and water exercise.

I realize there are always going to be things that can slow the progress toward a more simple life, but having one home and being happy with that are going to go a long way toward the simple life I strongly desire.

We do not allow ourselves to get caught up in the consumer-driven Christmas holidays. We won't be sending Christmas cards, so "Merry Christmas" to everyone reading this, and we keep the gift giving to a minimum.

Hopefully, the next writing will be to tell you of a number of accomplishments I have made toward "My Simple Life".

We will miss the beauty of Shem Creek, but a man recently saw our back yard with it's beautiful Oak trees, sun room and hot tub, and said "you have a little 'Oasis' here, and he's right.

Blessings to you, "Happy Thanksgiving" and "Merry Christmas".

A Simple Father's Day (with corrections)

George E. Faggert, Gregory & Woodrow W. Faggart

The title may be a bit misleading. You may think this Blog was about buying or making simple gifts and having simple celebrations for Father's Day. Far from it.

After a person's father has passed on, Father's Day is never quite the same. Even if you are a father and the recipient of nice gifts and celebrations, you will never stop missing your own father. I always called my father, "Daddy" and that never changed, even as we both grew older.

This year Father's Day will be especially difficult. My daddy passed away just after Mother's Day in 1996 at the age of 76. Sherry's daddy passed away less than three years later in 1999. We still miss them, but we have been able to move on a celebrate Father's Day, since I too am a father. Just this month however, our beloved cat, my best buddy Mickey passed away in the peace of the sun room, "Mickey's Room" at 2 AM on June 3rd, with me "Gramps" close by. Just a few days later my son-in-law tragically and suddenly passed away during surgery, leaving my daughter a shocked and grieving 20s something widow. The rest of the family is still in shock as well. We have two very fresh holes in our heart right here at Father's Day '09.

Personally, I would like to just skip it this year, but I know that will not happen. We can, however certainly control our invovlement in any thing that may be too hard at the moment, like church Sunday morning and we will forgo the luncheon that follows the service.

I will also be thinking about a good friend of mine whose father passed away on Father's Day in 1996, ironically the same year that would be my first Father's Day without Daddy.

I have great memories of my Daddy and my father-in-law. To keep the Blog from being too long I just want to share some of the ones about Daddy. There probably is not a perfect daddy around, because all are human, but mine came so close to being perfect. I so wish I was more like him.

He was born in what was then rural Cabarrus County on Hwy. 151 (now US Hwy. 601 S) just past Hwy. 49, behind Mount Hermon Lutheran Church on January 20, 1928. He was born and raised on a farm, and that land to this day remains a farm, although not in the family. His parents were George E. and Lula Hall Faggert. Pap Paw always seemed to prefer the "e" in Faggert, but we have always used an "a." Daddy was a sixth generation, the family having arrived here in the mid 1750s from Germany.

He attended Harrisburg High School, but as was so common in those days, went only so long, then headed to work on the farm. His mother passed away when he was 17. It must have been hard, though he never talked much about her passing. He was the "baby" of 12 siblings.

At a fairly early age, he apparently decided he had had enough farming, went to town and got a retail job and from that point on was a "city slicker" even though the farm was only a mile and a half away from where he and mother settled.

He was always a strong person. Even though in my life time he buried his father and 10 siblings, along with other kin and friends, I never saw one tear shed. He would always say, "well, that's something we all have to face some day." He always said he did not want to end up in a nursing home, that he hoped he would pass away at home, as his parents did. He wanted Hartsell Funeral Home to carry him out the front door of the home he loved so much on Spring Street. On May 16, 1996, in the early morning hours, he quitely slipped away, and Hartsell's carried his earthly body out the front door, just as he had always hoped. No nursing home for "Woody".

Daddy was an excellent provider. We were not rich, but we never lacked food, shelter, or clean clothing. We took simple vacations to the beach and went on day trips to the mountains.

In his younger days, he did enjoy new cars, but the addition of two children to the family meant that those new cars were kept longer, and getting a new car only happened one time in all my twelve years of going to school.

He was active in St. Andrew's Lutheran Church as a Council member and Usher. But, beyond that he did not belong to any civic or fraternal organizations, so most nights he was home after work to eat supper and watch TV until 10 PM bed time. That's what he enjoyed in addition to reading The Charlotte Observer and The Concord Tribune.

Even though he was a member of the Greatest Generation and survived the Great Depression, he was never able to serve in the military due to an illness in his late teens. I have seen pictures of him with some of his kin that were in their military uniforms and you could tell he was proud of them and proud to have his picture made with them.

In later years, he and I started going to breakfast at the Red Pig on Saturday mornings. That was our time to visit. He was semi-retired and I was deep into my fire service career. Between the two of us, we knew everyone in the restaurant, so we would always have to talk to a number of people, but we still enjoyed our time together. Daddy never met a stranger. He could strike up a converation with anyone and most of the time would introduce himself and offer a hand shake.

Once a year, for as long as I can remember we would visit a family he knew in West Jefferson. After the man and his wife passed away, Daddy and I would still go to the mountains, but would go to Shatley Springs instead. I never saw a man like fried chicken any better than Woodrow W. Faggart. He would talk for days about how much he enjoyed the trip. Yes, over the years the roles reversed and I became the driver on those trips.

There are so many more things I could share. Daddy was not a huggy, touchy, feely person, but he had a warmth about him that radiated love even with out all of that. He loved God, his church, his wife, children, grandchildren and all of his kin.

This year, as always, I will certainly be thinking about him and those great memories, even though my heart is broken from the events of this month. If there is any thing I can do this Father's Day, for my daddy, it won't be to put flowers on his grave, it will be to try and be more like him, with each passing day. That I shall try to do.

A Simple Father's Day

George E. Faggert, Gregory Faggart & Woodrow Faggart

The title may be a bit misleading. You would think this Blog would be about simple gifts and celebrations for the big day coming up Sunday June 21. Far from it.

After a person's father has passed on, Father's Day is never quite the same. Even if you are a Father and the recipient of nice gifts and celebrations, you will still be missing you own father. I always called my father, "Daddy". Even as we both got older than never changed.

This year will be especially difficult. My daddy passed away on May 16th, 1996 at the age of 76. Sherry's daddy passed away on February 10th, 1999. We still miss them, but have managed to continue to recognize Father's Day, since I too, am a father. Just this month, our beloved cat, my best buddy, Mickey passed away in the peace of the sun room, "Mickey's Room" at 2:00 AM on June 3rd. Just a few days later, on Sunday June 7th, my son-in-law tragically passed away, leaving my daughter a shocked 20s something widow. The rest of the family is in disbelief and hurts for her.

If it were within my power, we would just skip the '09 father's day, but that isn't going to happen. Besides it would not be fair to those with fathers who are still living. I do not know what the day will hold, but I do know that it cannot be avoided. Our church is having a covered dish luncheon, but my wife and I will not be in attendance at either the church service or the luncheon. It would just be too much right now. We can avoid putting ourselves in places we do not absolutely have to be.

A friend of mine was telling me that her dad passed away on Father's Day. Ironically, it was the same year my daddy had passed away less than a month before Father's Day.

I do have great memories of both my father-in-law and my daddy. To keep this post from being too long though, I would just like to write about some of the memories I have of daddy. There is not one word I can write about him that is not good. I am sure there is no "perfect" daddy, but he certainly had to come as close as humanly possible.

He was born in what was then rural Cabarrus County on Highway 601 (Highway 151, then) on January 28, 1920, the son of George E. and Lula Hall Faggert. His daddy usually spelled the last name with an "e" but for some reason, for us, it has always been an "a". The family farmed on land behind Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church. A place that is to this day a farm, and with the old home place still standing, though some of the farm buildings have long ago been replaced.

He attended Harrisburg High School about as long a lot of other farming families did in those days. At age 17, his mother passed away. He never really talked about her death, but did mention her a lot over the years. It must have been very difficult to lose one's mother at that age, and I always felt a twinge of sadness for him because of that. At some point, when he was still very young, he apparently decided the farm was not where he wanted to spend his days, so he headed to the city, got a job in the auto parts business and never looked back. From that point on daddy was a "city slicker."

Daddy was always a strong person that never felt sorry for himself. If he did, he did not show it. I cannot say the same for myself. He passed away when I was 42, the age he was when his daddy died. In all my years, I never once saw my daddy shed a tear. When death came to his daddy or to any other friend or family, he was a real pillar of strength. He would always say, "well, that's something we all have to face some day", and he would be ready to move forward. The hardest thing I ever did, was deliver the news to him that his sister, Mary had passed away. He was at work in a post-retirement part-time job. I told him, and asked him if he wanted to leave work. His answer was "no".

We always had all the necessities of life. Not everything we wanted, but the things we needed to eat, stay clean, get an education and stay well.

We took simple vacations to the beach. His feet never touched foreign soil, and it's looks like I will be following in those same foot steps.

Earlier in his life, he liked to drive new cars, but I think when my sister and I came along that pretty well ended. Cars were kept more often. He was active in the Lutheran church, serving on Council a number of times and as an usher. We were there nearly every Sunday for Sunday School and Worship.

He was honest, faithful to God and family, hard worker who never drank. He smoked heavy until a near fatal heart attack, just before his 50th birthday, when he quit for good. I rarely heard any bad language come from him.

Daddy always loved his family and you could tell he did. He was a huggy, touchy, feely person, but there was still no doubt he loved us deeply.

He always appreciated the simple, routine things of life. After working all day, he enjoyed coming home to supper, reading the evening newspaper, then watching TV until bed time, which was usually around 10:00 PM. Weekends, he mowed the yard, washed the car, often grilled hamburgers or steaks and of course on Sunday went to church.

In later years, we started going out for breakfast at the Red Pig on Saturday mornings. That became our time to visit, as he was semi-retired and I was deep into my fire service career.

Once a year, we always made a trip to West Jefferson to see some people he knew and when they passed on, we would still go, but make our trip to Shatley Springs instead. He loved fried chicken better than any man I know and he would talk for days about what a good time he had going to the mountains.

There are so many more things I could share, but I think the most important thing is that he lived a Christian life by example. I have a life time of good memories about him, but if there is any one thing I could do to honor him this Father's Day, it would not be placing flowers on his grave, but striving to be more like him. And, that I shall try to do.

Simplicity--An Elusive Dream?

I promised myself that 2009 was going to be "the year of simplicity". It has been any thing but that. My plans for the year have not taken root and we are in the sixth month, heading at the speed of a freight train to the middle of another year.

The picture above was made on Easter Sunday. Our cat, "Mick" (my best buddy) and me, enjoying a moment of peace and solitude along with my ever-present coffee cup, while still relaxing in my terry cloth robe. My wife and I had just finished a country ham biscuit which has become an Easter tradition, since I sacrifice meat during Lent. That morning was special not only because it was Easter and I could enjoy a ham biscuit, but also because it was five days away from the two months the vets had said "Mick" had to live. He was doing very well at the time and I knew that was an estimate, but at the same time realized he would not be here next Easter and possibly not the next holiday. So, for a few extra minutes before going to downtown Charleston to celebrate Easter at Circular Congregational Church, my best buddy and me had a few more moments to share, along with his friends, "the Beaver", "Arnold", "Loofa" dog and his little "Morris the Cat" pillow. Easter 2009 was one of my best ever.

"Mick" made it until Wednesday June 3rd at 2 AM. His health and mobility declined between Easter and that day, but he never really got sick. He had a really good appetite until about a week prior to passing on. He continued to love his twice weekly vanilla ice cream up to Sunday night before his passing. We even threw in an extra night on Saturday. He devoured that ice cream and was so funny. We told him he was going to get "brain freeze" if he did not slow down.

On Tuesday morning, I got up early to go running with the Concord Road Runners. He refused breakfast. When I returned from running, he still would not eat or drink. We knew he was fading. So, we carried him on his favorite rug to his favorite room, the sun room, which actually has a little sign on the sliding glass door that states "Welcome to Mickey's Room". We maintained a vigil as much as possible throughout the day, showering him with all the love we could give and making sure he was a comfortable as possible.

Sometime after midnight I told my wife to go on to bed and I would stay with him. Before I lay down on the Futon around 1:15, I told him it was all right to go, we would miss him, but he was tired. I kissed him three times, then climbed onto the Futon and drifted off to sleep. Suddenly at precisely 2 AM I was awakened. Before I opened my eyes, in my heart I knew he was gone. I looked toward him and could not see any signs of breathing. As I put my glasses on, I realized he was gone. I got over to him and put my hand on him and there was no movement.

My best buddy had quietly slipped away on his journey to Heaven within 45 minutes after I told him he could go. He was now at peace and once again made whole and well.

I woke my wife and told her, and we sat with him for quite some time. After a while, I went out to my building and got a special box I had been keeping for him for a casket. I arranged his blanket in the bottom to make a good liner, then gently placed him in it. We had a little plastic bag with a sand dollar, a cross, a penny and a few other tokens we had collected for him, along with his "friends" mentioned earlier in this post. He also had on his red collar, complete with name tag, rabies tag, and his special "America's Bravest" miniature firefighter's badge.

By 8:30 AM he was buried in the backyard along with "Scooter" a dog brother who passed in '07 and "Captain" another dog brother who passed in '02 before "Mick" was born.

Yes, "Michelob" "Mick" "Mickey" Faggart born April 2003 and died June 3, 2009. I think his mission in life was to make a cat lover out of me, and he did. Since his diagnosis, time in decline, the vigil and his passing, I have shed more tears than I have in many, many years. I loved him more than I can ever express adequately. He was truly one of God's creatures and not only did he teach me to be a cat lover, he taught me the importance of staying by their side to the end, just as you do a human. "Mick" had a very unique personality that I loved more and more with each passing day.

We made our first trip back to our Charleston home without him last week and it was not easy. I missed him the entire time. When he was well he always liked to watch people buying from the rest stop vending machines. Once we got to our home, he was ready for the back porch. He loved lying on the concrete in the sun. But, the last few trips, he mainly laid around, tired from his battle with cancer, but still not willing to give up, until he was ready.

Due to another event that took place just this past Sunday (a future blog), I do not feel I am through the grief process, and want to find a time to look through pictures and reflect on my best buddy. I am sorry his life had to end just a few weeks past his sixth birthday, but I also would not trade the experience we had of taking care of him and making his last days, as good as we possibly could.

Run, play, enjoy that ice cream in Heaven, my little buddy. I know you immediately met Jesus just like we had talked about a few months ago, and I'm sure by now, you have met my dad, "Grammy's" mother and dad, and many, many more loved ones.

We miss you, but you are in such a beautiful place beside the still waters. We will see you again one day.

So, simplicity is not an elusive dream in spite of all that has happened. Rather it is a works-in-progress, with plans that must be flexible...and lemonade to make from all those lemons we get. It also reminds me that I am not in total control...to be so would certainly not be simplicity.

Simple Life?

It's hard to believe that the first quarter of '09 has slipped through our hands, about as fast as our money seems to these days.



I promised myself that the year of '09, would be my year to focus more on simplicity, which I have earnestly tried to do, but there are always obstacles to stumble over in that pursuit. May be, if I could find about a 10 acre plot, put down a small, cozy structure right in the middle of it and surround the property with a fence, I really might achieve a higher degree of simplicity. No one would be able to see the home from the road, nor get onto the property. I would limit the amount of time each day the cell phone was on, and return calls only at certain times of the day. I would not be "tethered" to the cell phone, which is a practice I'm trying to incorporate into my life as we move through the year. No offense to anyone, but I want to start treating the cell phone like the landlines from back in the day. If you weren't home you couldn't answer it and people would just have to call back, possibly by that time, they decided they really didn't need to talk with you after all. It would be nice, for a while anyway, to live like Henry David Throeau did in Walden's Pond. I could sneak out before sunrise to the road and pick up the paper and watch Good Morning America in absolute peace and quite. I could read, exercise, go for walks, enjoy nature. Clothing would be very simple, or even optional, and I would put a timer on the computer.



Oh to dream and fantasize so early on a Sunday morning!



The reality is during this year, there have been several obstacles that have disrupted my simple life, but that's just the reality of living in this world.



First, we spent January and part of February as a continuation of trying to determine what was ailing our cat. It actually took from December to mid-February to get the experts to finally say he had a cancerous tumor and that his left hind leg should be amputated. We reluctantly agreed to do that. On the day of the surgery, we received a call from the surgeon informing us that the cancer had spread and there was also a possibility he could not tolerate surgery. So, not wanting to lose him that day, we decided against the surgery. We brought him home after he woke up. He was supposed to be sedate for a few hours, but the opposite happened. He was wide open and more energetic than we had seen him in quite some time.

Our plan of action from that point forward was to make him comfortable, let him spend as much time as he wants in his beloved sunroom, feed him well and start him on some herbal liquid. It has been two months. We take one day at a time and cherish each moment we have with him. He is only six, so he should not be facing this. He has been so brave during everything he has been through. He has limited mobility and gets tires, so we are waiting on him hand and foot, but that is quite all right. We intend to make things as comfortable and easy as possible for him.

About the same time, our '02 PT Cruiser blew a head gasket and when we were presented with the estimate, we opted to let it go in on a trade. We had committed to keep that car for the long haul, but it did not make economic sense to do so. We bought a 2008 Chevy Impala from Ben Mynatt Chevrolet, our local dealer, feeling that we helped the U.S. economy as well as local.

I also returned to work at a bookstore after a six year absence. I had been there for five years previously. This is a definite example of what Thomas Wolfe meant when he wrote, "you can't go home again." There have been times in my life I have disagreed with that statement, but in this situation he was right on.

Returning to work there has been a diaster from day one. That's the day I found out about our PT Cruiser problems and emotions were still raw over the cat.

So, after an unfortunate incident two weeks ago, I submitted my resignation and will once again go back to being retired full time and wait for what God has in store for me next.

The weather has not cooperated with my mental state since last Fall. I cannot stand cold, cloudy weather and we have had days and days of it. I am so ready for summer! I ran a 5K yesterday in beautiful, rural South Carolina. The race was off the road and on hard packed sandy roads through some beautiful woods. Such a nice respite from the "world" to be away from exhaust fumes, traffic, cell phones and just be for a few hours at least, at one with nature. A great example of the simple life after so many weeks of emotion packed, complicated living. After a very chilly start to the day, it turned into a sun-drenched beautifully warm day.

The reality is we cannot live a life of bliss, but through all the stress and turmoil of the daily grind, keep ever present, the thoughts and actions to simplify, simplify, simlify.

Certainly in my pursuit of the simple life, I will take time Wednesday April 22nd, Earth Day, to take stock of what we are doing and what more we can do to protect our natural resources. I hope you will do the same.