That Nasty Four Letter "B" Word

It's been six months since Christmas.  Hard to believe this year is already half over.  Time really does go faster as you get older, and  I don't like that at all.  Another thing I don't like...I haven't visited with my family since Christmas.  It's not like we live on different sides of the country or anything!  There is really no excuse.  Even that nasty four letter "b" word (busy) that we all use as our excuse, doesn't make me feel any better.  When I realized it had been six months since I saw my Dad, I looked at my calendar pages from December to May and analyzed what I had been doing.  Yes, I had been "b*#!", but not necessarily doing things that are as important to me as spending time with my family.  Facebook's good, and we're all on there enough to have some idea of what's going on with each other.  If it weren't for Facebook, I wouldn't even know what the newest member of the family looked like.  I have a cute little great nephew that I've yet to meet in person.  So, I'm thankful for social media, but it sure doesn't take the place of  real "face" time.  Before Iphones, that actually meant physically being in the same place at the same time.  A few weeks ago, I decided enough was enough, and took off to do some old fashioned visiting.   First thing I did was meet my sister for dinner in Winston-Salem.  We ate and talked and talked and talked.  We had a lot of catching up to do.

Then I spent a few nights with my dad and stepmom.  I got to see (and eat from) Dad's garden.  He sure has a green thumb and I'm always picking his brain to figure out how he does things so well.

On this trip he gave me this little tip -plant radishes around your squash plants.  Apparently, squash bugs don't care for the company of radishes. Who knew?   Not me, but now I do and  hope it's not too late to plant some, because I had a heck of a time with squash bugs last year.

Dad and I took a hike at Stone Mountain State Park.   I love this place!   The trails are nice and

what a great reward when you get to the end.

I coaxed a nephew into coming along with us.  Okay, so maybe I didn't have to do too much coaxing.  Jackson had a blast hiking and playing in the water.

After watching for a few minutes, I decided to shed my boots and join him.

Unbeknownst to us, this little guy was sunning on the rocks, while watching us wade around him in the water.   I really appreciated the nice man who came over to us and said, "ugh, you do know there is a snake on that rock don't you?"  Well, duh.  Of course we didn't!  We came out of the water PDQ (that's "pretty darn quick" for anyone who wasn't raised in Yadkin County) and Dad and Jackson commenced to do what boys will do,

throw rocks at the snake to try and get him to come out.  It worked.  Boys will be boys.

After a quick change back into dry-ish clothes, we started back up the trail.

The return trip was a tad bit harder...

and we stopped once in a while to rest.

I couldn't help smiling as I watched this little guy romping around, enjoying the great outdoors.  This had been his last day of school and we decided he had started his summer off with a bang.  Hiking, playing in the water, seeing a snake and a deer (which he was the first to spot )

and this big cone of ice cream on the way home might have helped a little too.

We enjoyed a wonderful cookout later in the day.  Dad was the burger chef.  Do you think maybe he  got the hint, when I gave him an apron, oven mits, a new spatula and grill basket for Father's Day that maybe I wanted him to put them to immediate use?  

The smell of burgers cooking on the grill rock my world.

I got to spend time with more nephews (sorry for the blurry shot, but this kid doesn't slow down much)

and my brother too!

Unfortunately, I missed one of his boys who was sick at home with mom.  Next time Cortland, it's you and me buddy.  Let's plan something really fun!  I don't know how I managed not getting any pictures of my stepmom, but as always she was the ideal hostess and I enjoyed spending time with her too.  That lady can cook up a breakfast that would rival any Cracker Barrel and I always appreciate being the recipient of her efforts.  So yummy.  All in all, it was a great trip and I feel better having spent time with some of the family.  I'm still working on seeing the rest of them soon.  Yes, Facebook is alright, but nothing like the real thing.  I sure love my family and I don't want to be guilty of being too "b*#!" to let them know. 

Life in June - Daybook Entry

Outside my window...sunshine, glorious sunshine.  The butterfly bush is full of purple blooms and really big this year.  I think we should have pruned it back in the fall....  Pink roses, daisies and lots of weeds in the flower beds.  Who has time to weed flower beds? 


I am wearing...red button up cotton shirt and new cropped khakis from Eddie Bauer. I do like the way their pants fit, how well their made and how long they last.  And I'm down a size since last summer and that makes me really happy.


I am listening to...the washer and dryer and someone scrounging for something to eat in the kitchen.


I am thankful for... the juiciest and sweetest cantaloupe that I'm eating as I type this.  I love melon season!  I haven't bought a watermelon yet though - with the prices hovering at six dollars a piece,  I think I'll wait a while longer.   The mountain laurel is beginning to bloom on the driveway and the little tomatoes that are growing on my tomato plants bring a smile to my face. 


Around the house...I'm trying to work on cleaning out the office area in the basement.  I've misplaced some very important papers that I felt sure were there.  I've fretted, fussed and stressed to the point that I've made myself sick over the "lost recipes", (which I hope aren't like the "lost manuscripts" and will actually be recovered).  I'm praying powerfully that they will show up soon, all the while trying to not lose hope that I've lost family heirlooms.   The more I work, the madder I get that I ever let things get that out of control in the first place!  I have twenty five years of photos, scrap booking materials, homeschooling resources and more in that small space.  It's past time to do something about it. 


I am loving... the longer days.  And I saw the first lightning bug last night - a sure sign of summer.


I am hoping....well, more than anything to find the recipes.  I'm also hoping for answers to some hard questions.


I am reading.... Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Never read it before and felt like I needed to.  I just finished To the Rescue - the biography of Pres. Monson which was wonderful.   I think that one will deserve a post all it's own.  Also read The School of Essential Ingredients, and The Sunflower, which is the book club selection for this month.  They were easy and light reading and I enjoyed both of them.  I listened to a book on CD when I took a little road trip last week and loved it.  These Is My Words is a fictional journal account of a pioneer woman and her family as they settle the Arizona Territories.  The narrator was delightful, so I'm glad I listened to it, but there was so much "quote worthy" material that I ended up buying a copy of the book for myself...and the next two in the series.  I hope they are as good as the first one.   I'm rereading A Place at the Table as I eat breakfast each morning.  I have much I can still learn from this one.


I am creating...a vegetable garden - a really big vegetable garden!

I am pondering... 

"Don't hyperventilate about something that happened at 9:00 in the morning when

                               the grace of God is trying to reward you at 6:00 in the evening."        

   Elder Holland

This is just one little snippet from an excellent talk in April's General Conference.  I realize that I  never understood the Parable of the Laborers before this talk...thought I did, but I really didn't.  I have listened and read this one over and over again.

I am learning... that it's so easy to slip back into bad habits.  During my lenten fast, I cut out sugar and processed foods and felt great.  At the end of that time, I felt like I was in the healthiest place I had ever been in my relationship with food.  Yes, food and I definitely have a relationship. But in the last few months I've found myself backing off on my "once a week sweet treat" commitment and sneaking in a candy bar here and there (they are really good candy bars!). Chips,crackers and other processed things have found their way back into my grocery cart.   And I've gained five pounds.  So, I'm embarking on another forty day fast to get myself back on track.  Don't worry, I won't be going hungry by any means, but I will be going without sugar, processed foods and meat.  Yeah, I decided to cut out meat and see how I feel.  If ever there is a good time for me to take a trial run with vegetarian food, I figure it is now, with all the fresh fruits and veggies available.  We eat a lot of meatless meals anyway, so it will just be a matter of adding a few more in a week, right?  During this fast, I will take a break each week on Sunday and eat whatever I want, meat and sweets included.  I'm hoping to get my eating habits back on track and grow spiritually at the same time.  


From the kitchen... I've made blackberry scones (twice) with our berries and oh, man, were they good!
And I made that Best Lemon Cake Ever for Father's Day for my sweetie.  He declares it his favorite.  


Living my faith by... recommitting myself to early morning scripture study.  Something about summer makes me lazy and undisciplined.  It takes more effort to get up early.  I always say I will study later in the day, but it doesn't happen.  To be faithful to this discipline, I have  to get up early.  It's just the way it is (same thing for exercise).  After reading President Monson's biography, I want to focus more on people.  Showing love and concern and rescuing those in need is how he lives his life.  He follows the example of the Savior to minister to the "one" and I want to work on that as well.  We have one more Primary training session this Sunday and our conference trainings are over for this year.   Then we will visit units and help out as needed.  Being with the children each Sunday is one of the Lord's tender mercies to me.  He knows how much I miss having little ones around my house.  


One of my favorite things... the thrill of pulling carrots out of the garden.  It was exciting, each one a different size and shape. 


In the garden...so much is going on in the garden.  All the plants are in the ground.  I ended up with 25 tomato plants, five rows of string beans, okra, squash (bunches of different kinds), four varieties of potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, leeks, onions, peppers... I think that's all!  I harvested the carrots and the garlic.  Yes!!  The garlic turned out great, another first for me.  I have a new tiller, compliments of my husband, that is small enough that I can operate it myself.  Now, hopefully I can do a better job keeping up with the weeds.


Around the farm... well the big news is the bees have swarmed and we put them in a new hive.  That was exciting and I'll post about that later.  My poor chickens look pitiful, as they have lost so many feathers.  We are still trying to figure out what on earth is wrong with them, as we've treated for mites and they don't look much better.  They still turn out the eggs...but I want pretty chickens!  That is so prideful isn't it?  We had a great crop of raspberries and blackberries and the blueberry bushes are loaded.  Just waiting for them to turn blue...and hoping the birds don't eat them first.


A few plans for the rest of the week... gardening and working on the basement will be the priorities. Finish stringing the beans, dig some potatoes and make a potato salad are on my list.  I hope to catch up on some blog posts.  I have lots of ideas, but no time to sit and work on them.  I'd like to take a hike and view the world from the top of a mountain and maybe a bike ride over the weekend?


A picture thought...

Meatless Monday - Black Bean Burgers

So have you heard of Meatless Monday?   It's a national movement to help people eat less meat and improve their own health and the health of the planet.  Most of us eat too much meat and would be healthier if we would cut back and enjoy more veggies and grains.  I've been interested in this for some time now and we usually eat meatless three or four days a week.  I've been gathering some great recipes and thought I would begin to share some on the blog and help spread the message of Meatless Monday.

There are a ton of recipes for veggie burgers.  Some good, some not so good.  But this one is extra good if you are a fan of tex-mex food.  And I am.  I adapted this recipe for Black Bean Cakes from a Cuisine at Home magazine and serve them with mexican rice and slaw.  It's a tasty combination.  We don't eat them on a bun, but you could if you wanted it to be more like a burger.

I make the rice first and cook it in my ricer cooker.  Of course this can be done on the stove top, but I love my rice cooker.   Start off with chopped carrots, onions, celery and garlic. 

These are sauteed with tomato paste, a bay leaf and cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper.

While this is sauteing, I take the rest of the tomato paste in tablespoon measurements and put them in an ice cube tray.  I've found if I freeze these little cubes, it's easy to pop out one or two as needed and defrost in the microwave.  It's rare that a recipe calls for an entire can of tomato paste and if I put the remainder in the refrigerator, when I pull it out to use later, it's often growing fuzzy stuff.  Yuck!  I hate to waste food, so frozen cubes of tomato paste work much better.  I also keep pesto, lemon juice and chicken broth in the freezer in the same way.  Works great when I need just a little for a recipe.

I transfer the sauteed veggies to the rice cooker and add the rice, chicken broth and spices.  The reason I love my rice cooker is because at this point, I can totally forget about it while I make the cakes and slaw. Be careful to remember to take out the bay leaf before you serve it.  I am bad about forgetting that, and it would be okay if I were the one who ended up with it on my plate, but usually someone else gets that gift, and biting into a bay leaf isn't a nice surprise.

Into a bowl, I put the beans first and mash half of them with a potato masher or fork, leaving some beans whole.  This makes for a nicely textured burger.

I grind up tortilla chips in the food processor and use that as the binder to hold the cakes together.

To this I grate a little onion,  and add chopped red pepper, an egg and spices.

Shape into patties and fry in a skillet until they are heated through and lightly browned on each side.

 While they are browning, I make the slaw, by shredding the cabbage. 

The sauce for the slaw is made in the food processor with scallions, cilantro, jalapeno and lime juice and

sour cream. This combination of flavors screams mexican!  I wouldn't be interested in eating this slaw on

it's own, but it's really good with the rice and bean cakes.  

With a few slices of avocado on the side, it makes a great meal and no one will be missing the meat!

Black Bean Cakes with Mexican Rice and Slaw

For the Rice:

1/3 cup each of onion, carrot and celery, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. tomato paste

1/2 t. each of salt, ground cumin and paprika

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup white rice ( I use brown - it takes longer to cook)

1 cup chicken broth or water

Saute veggies, garlic, tomato paste, spices and bay leaf in 1 T. olive oil in a saucepan for 2 minutes.

Stir in the rice and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from

heat and let stand, covered until ready to serve.  Fluff rice and remove bay leaf.

For the black bean cakes:

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and divided

1 egg

1/4 cup corn tortilla chips, ground fine

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

2 T. onion, grated

1/2 t. each of salt, cumin and chili powder

Mash 1/2 cup beans and egg in a bowl.  Add remaining beans, chips, bell pepper, onion and seasonings.

Refrigerate mixture for 10 minutes if needed to firm up the consistency. ( I didn't have to do this)

Form into round cakes and fry in 2 T. oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat until heated through and 

browned on each side.  

For the slaw:

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced ( I used a little less than this)

10 sprigs of fresh cilantro

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

juice of 1 lemon

2 cups cabbage, shredded

salt to taste

Puree the first 5 ingredients for the slaw in the food processor; toss with cabbage and then season with

salt. 

Long Live the Queen

Getting Ready

With our suits zipped and tied down and smoker ready, we are going into the hive to see how things
are going with our new bees.  We've had them about a month and have been feeding them sugar water
to give them plenty of food as the pollen becomes plentiful.   Today we stop feeding and hope to find our queens.

Going into the Hive

I'm so excited.  We open the hive in the afternoon, because theoretically many of the bees should be out foraging.  That means less for us to disturb (I remembered that from bee school).  Whoa!  Check out all those bees!  This hive seems healthy and active.  The top frames are filling up with honey.  In fact, it's time to add another super for them to work on.  You go, girls!!!

As we go further down into the brood box (where the baby making is going on), we have a queen excluder on top.  This rack prevents her from rising in the hive and laying eggs where the honey is being made.   The workers can climb through it, but she's too large. 

We take each frame out- carefully, because they are very heavy and the last thing you want to do is drop the frame and upset all those bees.  

And the search begins.  "Oh, queeny...where are you?"  If they would just all stop moving, it would be a lot easier.  In the books, the queen looks very different from the workers and the drones.  She's larger and her body is shaped differently.  I've studied those books and felt sure I could spot her, but it's not as easy as it looks.

Finally we find her!  If you look closely at the bottom of the picture below you will see a yellow dot.

Awesome... we have a marked queen!

By all the activity in the hive, we knew she was in there, but it's so cool to actually see her.  With our mission accomplished, we carefully put her house back together and wait.  And watch.  And pray a little that all will be well until the next time we visit.

Thou Hast Put Gladness in my Heart

First Monday counting...

                       when I share entries from my Gratitude Journal

1630- a love note

1631- date night in bee suits

1632- a new curling iron

1633- salad bar at Jason's Deli

1634- beautiful birthday cards

1635- walking through the gardens at the Arboretum with Tara

1636- "leftovers" night

1637- lunch on top of Big Glassy mountain

1638- hiking with Kenzie

1639- flowers from my husband

1640- learning with friends

1641- a hike in the woods

1642- bike ride

1643- molten chocolate cake

1644- "Happy Birthday" sung over the telephone

by some of my favorite little ones

1645- well wishes from so many friends!

1646- thoughtful gifts

1647- a day to do all my favorite things

1648- a cookbook from dad

1649- hand crafted jewelry

1650- time to think

1651- watching my husband on his hands and knees repairing the toilet,

 knowing that he detests plumbing work

1652- blowing out birthday candles

1653- perfect spring days

1654- pink rose bush

1655- a pot of beans cooked with the Easter ham bone

1656- spring lettuce in the garden

1657- lying in his arms

1658- purple iris

1659- soft rain on a quiet morning

1660- a two and a half hour lunch - good food... better conversation

1661- a slice of chocolate layer cake and two spoons

1662- warm water and the feel of a washcloth on my face in the early morning

1663- waking up each part of my body as I stretch

1664- stepping outside and breathing in the smell of the morning air after a rain shower

1665- crowing rooster

1666- purple and green in a hanging basket

1667- greek yogurt with berries and granola

1668- background music by David Nevue

1669- white fluffy clouds against carolina blue skies

1670- white squirrel running along the guard rail

1671- air conditioning in my car

1672- seagulls

1673- ocean breezes

1674- lobster bisque 

1675- Polish food with new friends

                                                                 1676- sailboats, pirate ships, and adventures with Carol 

1677- the first bowl of oatmeal with blackberries, red, gold and black raspberries

1678- Darlene Beasley's prelude music

1679- holding hands as we walk into church

1680- hearing these words, "I just wanna come home."

"Thou hast put gladness in my heart ..."

Psalm 4:7

Gifts from the Sea

Walking along the beach, the gentle sound of waves breaking on the shore speaks to my soul.  As I breathe deeply, I can just feel the stress washing away.  Sometimes I don't even realize how the pressures of life have built up inside of me, until I've removed myself from my "world" and stepped into this one.  I've come to realize this is something I need.  For me, a trip to the beach is therapeutic.

As I pack my bags for my journey, along with the swimsuit and sunscreen, I tuck in this book.  It's also part of my therapy.

I can't tell you how many times I've read this little gem, because I've lost count.  But I have to read it while I'm at the beach.  It's a tradition, and I'm big on traditions!  (At that very moment, I caught myself singing "Traditions" from Fiddler on the Roof in my best Tevye voice).  Once I forgot to bring it along and had to search out a copy at the local book store.  Now I have two copies.  It's a quick read, but each time through, I learn something new.  Or I'm reminded of something I've forgotten.  On my latest visit to the beach, I actually read it twice while I was there; the first time at a quick pace ( I couldn't help myself) and the second time, much slower, so I could really think about what I was reading.  I love this book!

It was published in 1955, yet the author's words may be as relevant to women today as the day she wrote them.  While vacationing on a Florida beach, she drew inspiration from the shells she found as she walked the shore.  The shells helped her think about her life as a woman, including her roles as wife and mother.  She was grappling with some of the same challenges we all face: finding balance and contentment in each stage of our life.  When I read this book as a young mother, I thought of how dreamy it would be to take off to the beach, sans children, and have hours to contemplate my life, as Ms. Lindbergh had done.  Well, that was only a dream, but as I read her musings, I realized I could learn from her experiences.

When I had teenagers and read the book, her words about solitude and taking care of ourselves resonated with me.  That was a hard time, and I could only handle the challenges, when I had fortified myself first.  Now as an empty nester (well, almost), I find other truths that speak to me from her writings.  This book is really for women of all ages.

The shells she found on her beach, were different from the ones I found on mine.  Each one is lovely in it's own way.  In the chapter entitled, "Channelled Whelk", the author speaks of finding balance in her life.  As she talks about her desires to be a good wife to her husband, a good mother to her five children, proficient at her craft as a writer and ably carry out her obligations to the world around her she says this:

"But I want first of all - in fact, as an end to these other desires- to be at peace with myself. 

 I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to

 carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can.  I want, in fact- to borrow from the

 language of the saints - to live "in grace" as much of the time as possible.  By grace I mean

an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony."

Gift from the Sea, pg. 17-18 

Isn't that lovely?  To live "in grace" is what I seek after as well.  She offers some techniques of living that can lead to this state of living "in grace" that I like.  The first one is simplification. She admits that the life she lives does not lead to simplicity. Being a wife and mother "entrains a whole caravan of complications". 

"It involves a house in the suburbs and other household drudgery or household help which wavers between scarcity and non-existance for most of us.  It involves food and shelter; meals, planning, marketing, bills and making ends meet in a thousand ways.  It involves not only the butcher, the baker, the candlestickmaker but countless other experts to keep my modern house with it's modern 'simplifications' (electricity, plumbing, refrigerator, gas stove, dishwasher and numerous other labor saving devices) functioning properly.  It involves health, doctors, dentists, appointments, medicine, spiritual, intellectual, physical, schools, school conferences, car pools, extra trips for basketball or orchestra practice; tutoring; camps, camp equipment and transportation. It involves clothes, shopping, laundry, cleaning, ,mending.  It involves friends, my husbands, my children's, my own, and endless arrangements to get together; letters, invitations, telephone calls and transportation hither and yon.  What a circus act we women perform every day of our lives.  It puts the trapeze artist to shame."

Gift from the Sea - pg. 21-22

Boy can I remember feeling this way.  In my naivete, I though that when the kids were raised and out of the house, my life would be so much easier.  In some ways it is, but where is all that time I thought would magically appear?  I'm still struggling to balance my time wisely.  Good, better, best.  Decisions need to be weighed out and only the best can come out triumphant.  I suppose I will be doing this the rest of my life and from this text message that I received from my dad this week, it sounds like it doesn't get easier as you age.   "Life has gotten busy for everyone.  I thought when I retired everything would be slower, but seems that is not the case.  Let me know when we can get together."  Spending time with my dad definitely falls into the "best" category and I'm determined to make this one happen.

So how do we simplify our lives in the midst of seeming chaos?  As the sea animal sheds it's shell, so Ms. Lindberg suggests some things we might be able to shed from our lives.  Things such as distractions,  pride, our Martha-like anxiety about many things, our Puritan conscience about absolute tidiness and cleanliness and insincerity.  She says, "The most exhausting thing in life, I have discovered is being insincere.  That is why so much of social life is exhausting; one is wearing a mask.  I have shed my mask."   I had never thought about shedding insincerity, but that's what eliminating pride is all about, isn't it?   Learning to be humble and content is a great gift.  I love these thoughts:

"To ask how little, not how much, can I get along with.  To say- is it necessary?-when I am tempted to add one more accumulation to my life, when I am pulled toward one more centrifugal activity."

A Gift from the Sea - pg. 28-29

Yes, that is the question isn't it?  I am all about simplification these days. 

In the next chapter she discusses the moon shell and the need for solitude.

"Solitude, says the moon shell. Every person, especially every woman, should be alone sometime during the year, some part of each week, and each day.  How revolutionary that sounds and how impossible of attainment.  To many women such a program seems out of reach.  They have no extra income to spend on a vacation for themselves; no time left over from the weekly housework for a day off; no energy after the daily cooking, cleaning and washing for even an hour of creative solitude.  is this then only an economic problem?  I do not think so.  Every paid worker, no matter where in the economic scale, expects a day off a week and a vacation a year.  By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off.  They are the great vacationless class.  If women were convinced that a day off or an hour of solitude was a reasonable ambition, they would find a way of attaining it."

 A Gift from the Sea - pg.42

I can't agree with this enough!  I'm grateful that when I had small children, I could rely on family and friends to help me get away on occasion.  Vacation is so important!  I find when I'm starting to feel grumpy or discontent, a few days away can drastically change my outlook.  Going somewhere beautiful where I can soak in God's beauty is good medicine.  And sometimes that doesn't have to be too far from home.  But sometimes, distance is good.

 "Actually these are among the most important times in one's life - when one is alone.  Certain springs are tapped only when we are alone.  The artist knows he must be alone to create; the writer, to work out her thoughts; the musician, to compose; the saint, to pray.  But women need solitude in order to find themselves; that firm strand which will be the indispensable center of a whole web of human relationships. She must find that inner stillness which Charles Morgan describes as the 'stilling of the soul within the activities of the mind and body so that it might be still as the axis of a revolving wheel is still."         

A Gift from the Sea pg. 44

Are you beginning to see why I value this book?  It is chock full of truths, from which I can ponder and hopefully glean solutions to whatever particular challenge I'm facing.  As I read it, I feel I can slow down and enjoy my life a little more.  I always close the book feeling inspired, like I've just had the most amazing visit with a woman who "gets me".  That's why it's good therapy and why I need to read it each year.  The next time you go to the beach, maybe you would like to spend some time under an umbrella with the ocean breeze blowing on your face, reading this little classic book.  And if you have little ones scurrying all over, enlist someone else to watch them for you, while you read.  I promise it will be time well spent.   And then walk along the shore and pick up a few shells of your own to take home as a reminder of the gifts you've received from the sea.  I picked these up on my recent trip to the shore and whenever I see them, they remind me of the lessons I relearned while reading this book in a most beautiful place.  I feel refreshed and blessed.