A New Day Dawns

Here. we. are. Just where we dreamed of being. Perhaps a bit sooner than even we had anticipated.

Acadia - a playground for all things outdoors. Hiking. Biking. Kayaking. Bird watching. Gardens. And of course, stuffing our faces occasionally (!) with lobster, fresh strawberries (Quick! Before they go moldy!), corn on the cob, and picking our own blueberries along the hiking and biking paths.

Being semi-retired (more about that later) holds so much promise, and at the same time, it can be a bit unnerving.

I've had sticker shock in the supermarket recently. $2.97 for a bunch of celery? Honestly. How much can one really do with CELERY? $1.29 for a cucumber?! Aren't both of these about 99.5% water? Jeesh. As I grocery shop now, every item I put into my cart is a deliberate, conscious decision -- do we really need it? Will we use it in the next week? How far can I stretch this item? Is there a store-brand alternative? Is this food really healthy for us? (Yes, I know...that should have been the first question!)

And thanks to our daughter, Beth, and daughter-in-law Laurelyn, I'm asking new questions about food. Was it grown locally? What about those additives? Is this something I would feed to our 2-year-old grandson, Graham? Is this something we could grow ourselves, and if so, why aren't we? That question led me to create a new section in our garden -- herbs! I visited a local nursery and purchased a number of small plants -- oregano, rosemary, tarragon, LOTS of basil, and sage. So far, several of these are in a darling, small rough-hewn birch "chair" that's really a pot for plants. Today I'll officially plant them! Can't wait for pesto time. . .

And there's something to be said for loading our kitchen with lots of fresh fruits and veggies! Down 3.6 pounds in my FIRST week back at the Weight Watchers' way of life. Ta-dah!