Maintaining Sanity; Backing Away from Facebook

 Hi, friends. Some of you are much wiser than I am and have long ago backed away from Facebook. Perhaps not deleting your account, but just backing away. I find myself so stressed out lately about conversations there of all types, most of them on other people's pages, not my own. Some about politics, but others about various cultural topics. After yesterday, I just can't take the anxiety load anymore.

Part of the damage is that my anxious mind has difficulty relaxing enough to do things that I really want to do, like reading your blogs! Your nice, peaceful, happy, creative, beautiful blogs -- just the kind of social media that brings peace! Why has it taken me so long to have the courage to back away from Facebook? Well, there are people who I only see there, dear friends, family. So I'll try to check in with them, hope they will private message me. I'll still put my blog posts and watercolors there. But I have to get away from the actual text posts that go off-the-rails so fast.

Granny Marigold mentioned a youtube lady whose channel is called The Last Homely House. She's utterly delightful and creative, and makes many of the same kinds of things I like to make! Go give her a look. This morning I enjoyed watching how to hand-sew small Coptic-stitched books.

Now for a few photos of what's been happening here.

Two new baby chicks, with Henny Penny as their mama.

Four more eggs are being sat upon, but I don't think they're going to produce chicks.

Yesterday I wrapped some cured soap, tea tree bars and lavender bars.

I'll put their stickers and price tags on soon. Planning to return to the farmer's market in September when it's cooler ... if the crowds are manageable.

I've been looking at last year's autumn "Victoria" magazine for pleasure and inspiration.

Adam's still cooking yummy, healthy stuff. He must change his diet for better nutrition for his Pemphigus Vulgaris - lots of leafy greens and vegetables. He made a delicious eggplant dish called Spetzofai, on his homemade bread.

Eggplant, onion, red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, balsamic vinegar, wine, a bit of sugar

Summer is coming to a close, and with the cooler mornings and evenings, Adam and I want to develop a habit of walking with the dogs. We drove to Oriental to one of our favorite old walks: looking at boats on the docks at a marina.

Below is the "Blue Bayou," which used to be a very fast racing boat. It's in a sad state now. I blogged about it a few years ago. We were amazed that it's still floating. Adam laughed and said he realized while walking past it that the name is a lovely word-play. As a winning racing boat, it could also be spelled, "Blew By You"!

What a sky!

The pair of catamarans below have been anchored out in the Neuse in front of Oriental for a few days. Just chillin'.

Still painting a little. For months I've tried to figure out how to add a watermark to my photos of my watercolors. Finally! -- I found I could do it on my phone! Nothing techy is ever easy for me!

I painted a few pugs. This one looks friendly!

Sunset last night:

That's it for today! I hope you all are well and safe from storms, fire, and pandemics. What a world we are in! And for Facebook friends ... I may return, probably after November, or in the New Year.

New Normal, and Picking Figs

I ate lunch (outside, in a stiff breeze, great social-distancing, with a mask when the server was near) yesterday with two friends who are in their 70s. We talked medical stuff. One lady noted that, after age 65, they were doing "maintenance." I think Adam is feeling that already. Since Wednesday we have been trying to adjust to the new normal of his having a serious autoimmune disease that will require diligent, life-long attention.

Adam bought me flowers on his grocery run this morning.

But you can't live there every minute, can you? No!  As much as possible, you cannot let a diagnosis rob you of all your joy. Today, we are watching Hurricane Isaias creep up the coast toward us. I enjoy listening to Mike's Weather Page on facebook look at all the models and guide us through the nervy anticipation of wondering where landfall will occur. This time, I'm hoping for the middle of South Carolina (sorry, SC friends!!!), and giving Ocracoke a break. Those poor people!

I've been picking figs. We have two large bushes, well ... really trees. Our Brown Turkey fig tree is slow to mature this year, but our Mission fig tree surprised me this morning!

The beautiful Mission figs don't have as much flavor as the Brown Turkeys, but together they make an excellent  jam. I have nearly a gallon ziplock bag thus far in the freezer, and if the coming hurricane doesn't strip them all to the ground, I'll have  a  lot more!

After lunch yesterday, we three ladies went to a local farm stand. I bought two heirloom tomatoes, and Adam will make us BLATs again for lunch: Bacon/Lettuce/Avocado Dip/ Tomato

The hens continue to lay well, about 3 or 4 each day. My new rooster is very fine.

I'm practicing painting very thin, translucent flower petals. They are time-consuming but pretty.

Our anniversary was rather a tough day. Adam got his diagnosis that day. So we celebrated small, and went to our favorite gyro place in New Bern. I called ahead for our gyros and we took them  to a park to eat in the car together.

The park is on the Neuse River with lovely views and so  many birds used to being fed. You can scatter your sandwich crumbs out the window and they say, "Thank you." The sandwich shop also has a bakery next door, so we splurged on a chocolate cupcake (for Adam) and  two cookies (for me). The coconut macaroon was so yummy.

That's all from us! Life continues to be challenging right now. I remind myself that it will even out again at some point. Meanwhile, it's good to remain hopeful and thankful.

Mr. Badger Writes Home

Dear Ratty,
At last I have arrived near the American ocean, and I begin to see my way back home to our fine island again. I admit that all this traveling wears on an animal, but I'm holding up rather well. All our friends have been such gentle hosts. Each time I arrive I find it so freeing to be removed from the yellow envelope and given tea.

Oh, Ratty! The first thing my hostess did this time was drive me to see the River! The River -- I knew you would want to see it straight away!

 So wide! So majestic!

My dear fellow, when I think of the many hours of delightful rowing you would enjoy here, it makes my heart yearn for you to come as well. When you visited the colonies last, this destination wasn't on your itinerary. How I wish it had been!
Today, dear Ratty, I'm spending the day recuperating from the exhaustion of traveling in the lumbering post office lorry across country. I'm snuggled in a blanket on a rainy day here on Red Robin Farm. I'll write again  soon.

Fondly,
Badger

If you'd like to read more about why Badger is traveling and whom he's visited, here are a few links:

Badger's travels originated from Pom Pom at PomPom's Ponderings, and you can read a bit about his visit there at this link to her blog.
And this link right here will take you to all the posts from Mags in Ireland describing Badger's visit there in the cold of winter. Mags and Pom together are orchestrating Badger's round-the-world tour.

In late 2011, Badger's friends, Ratty, Mole, and Toad visited us in the NC mountains on a similar tour. Read how we welcomed them and all the contents of their traveling package.
Read about when Ratty, Mole, and Toad  got a tour of Brevard, NC  and had adventures traveling in bank tubes and viewing a waterfall.

Catching Up

I'm sorry to say that I'm still struggling with my photo situation here on ye olde blogge. Hmm. Google Photos does a lovely job of syncing all my photos immediately onto their website. It even lifts them straight from my phone without my doing anything at all. However ... for some reason there is NO quick, easy, intuitive process to upload photos from that website to this blog. And both things are Google's. Why? Bleh.
Yesterday Oriental hosted yet another sailing event, the Hoop Pole Regatta, a kids' sailing race on sunfishes and FJs. A girl in our church participated in this race and placed 10th.

 I shot these photos from the end of the Lou Mac pier.

 Many of the races on the Neuse look like wandering chaos, to be honest. And if you're in them, they sometimes feel like long, languid, wandering chaos! But these kids had guide boats and the course was pretty tight. So they looks like little sails doing an intricate dance on the river dance floor. Waltzing boats -- there's an idea! It was lovely to watch.

 And here, my friends, is the REAL Farley, whose picture I snapped at the farmers' market yesterday. He's a character in my latest Dog Days of Oriental story, "Muffin Comes to Town."

 Hiya, Farley!
I finished a green shawl for the local Prayer Shawl ministry this week. I got down to the final two stitches (as you see on the needle), and I had less than two inches of yarn left. Knitters, has this ever happened to you? I had to start an entire new skein of yarn, for those two stitches. That's ridiculous!

 Peter returned to college this past week too. I hugged him quite a few times and felt rather teary. He does so well at school and was excited to go back, but I loved having him here this summer. He had a great time, made lots of great friends, had fun and worked hard. He'll miss these two pups, and they'll miss him. They slept with him at night, all snuggled up together on the futon.

 And he's off!

Come home soon!

Well, I did get these photos to load fine. I uploaded them from "my phone" directly, instead of trying any other uploading method. That's great ... except it means I will never be able to edit a photo, because I can't edit it on my phone -- cropping or anything else. Grr. I can do that on Google Photos, but then I have no clue how to get the photos to the blog. Or anywhere else, for that matter. I had a bugbear of a time getting photos to load into Trip Advisor, to do a few reviews. If you have ideas about how to use Google Photo for blogger, please do tell!

In the Water She Goes ~

Photos! Let's hear it for photos! We're still struggling in the Christiansen domicile with crashy Apples and dead iPhoto and uncooperative Picasa 3. But still ... thar be photos!
I took these yesterday on my bike ride to show the very fickle personality of the Neuse River Sky.

Better yet, let's do a little video so you can see it from one end to the other.

Crazy!

But today I want to share with you the good news of the launching of our little sailboat, the Nocturne.
Doesn't her deck look gorgeous? That's all Adam's hard work.

Fabulous weather at Sailcraft boded well for the launch. See the two fellows up on that boat? They watched the whole thing. Boats both large and small are launched all day long at Sailcraft.

Here she comes! Paul Wells with Triton Yachts did a great job of bringing her over. He's such a nice guy.

Interestingly enough, when we arrived this white boat (below) was in the sling. It's new owner was trying to get it out of the water, onto a trailer. Adam recognized the boat -- it was a free boat about 3 years ago when he was first looking for a free boat. It's sat sadly in a marina, neglected, for 5 o 6 years. We passed on that boat because our boat, a Cape Dory Typhoon, is quite desirable. And now that Adam has done such good work refurbishing her, she's worth a bit of money.

The Nocturne in the sling, lowering into the water:

Adam stepped straight onto her deck with his life jacket.

He fiddled with his motor a bit ...

And took off into Whittaker Creek!

I drove out to the little marina where our boat lives, and met him there. She looked happy back in her home. The next day, after a heavy rainstorm, Adam and the girls checked on her. Before her redo, Nocturne tended to leak, and the cabin would be wet after a rainstorm. Not now! Adam happily announced that the cabin was dry. 

I'm hoping we can take a little overnight trip on her next autumn when the weather is cool again. She still needs her mast up, of course. That'll happen soon.

Signs of Spring

When the trees begin doing this, I feel safe to commit my heart to springtime.

My neighbor has a lovely patch of pansies planted where some old pine trunks were removed.

This very moment, the ornamental pear trees are bursting in clouds of white.

The prettiest place by far for pear trees is Fulcher's Horse Farm, near Oriental.

Isn't it stunning?

It really looks like something from a movie set. Tara? The Ponderosa?

I've shared these trees before in the autumn when they turn vibrant purple/red.

And here's a slice of Neuse sky for you ~