There IS Life After Facebook

There IS Life After Facebook

Let’s see. It’s been about two weeks since I left Facebook and, simply put, I don’t miss it one bit. I feel calmer, more centered, rested, and ready for each day. I can 100% attest to the fact that Yes, Virginia, There IS life after Facebook. In these two short weeks, I have read two books and loved them both. So much so that I am putting the links to them here in case you want to either purchase them from these links ( in which case I will get about .05 cents), borrow them from your public library, or purchase from your own indie book store or mine.

The Garden Awakening by Mary Reynolds

and The Best Cook in the World by Rick Bragg

Both are wonderful reads, and I have just started Mary Pipher’s new book, Women Rowing North.

(Please let me know if you find the links offensive, and I will leave them out in future posts. OK?)

My garden is about half way prepared for spring planting. It’s the one area where I feel behind, but gardens are like that as there’s always something to do. Before I leave for Ireland, I really hope to have my strawberry bed cleaned and tidied, and the greens, peas, and radishes planted. I’m soaking my sweet peas tonight so I can slip them in tomorrow.

My favorite sweet peas

I was able to prune almost all of the trees. There are two larger ornamental cherry trees on the east side of the house that I didn’t get to, and after reading Mary Reynolds’ words about summer pruning, I’m going to give it a try. I’ll report back on how that goes a few seasons from now.

Now, along with the lightness I feel from less social media, I’ve even taken to leaving my phone at home when I head out into town on errands and such, and surviving just fine.  Today I went for a car service appointment, and out of eight people in the waiting area, only one was not bending over a phone. The posture reminds me of when we followed along dutifully at church services with our missals when I was a little girl. Two weeks ago, there would have been 100% on phones, as I would have been that eighth phone devotee. Just as I had hoped, emails, texts, and a voice mail were all waiting for me when I got home. So was my son, and after a catch up chat about two newly scheduled dates for workshops that he will be leading, and making myself a nice spot of tea, I settled down to respond to everything in my own time.

So, since I’ve brought up my son,  here are links to the two new dates for the Art of the Pie Day Camps that he will be leading this summer at Pie Cottage:

• June 22 11 AM
• July 27 11AM

…and some lovely words from a pie camper after taking his workshop this Saturday past:

“Loved the Camp with Duncan. My husband said it was the best pie crust I have ever made. Looking forward to more pies in my future!”

Duncan McDermott Graham, Art of the Pie Day Camp

If a workshop at Pie Cottage, or a visit to the beautiful Olympic Peninsula, is in your summertime plans, here’s a link to the website travel page with some ideas of things to do in my little neck of the woods.

The countdown has begun for my journey to Ireland–24 days! In preparation, I’m taking an online course about The Book of Kells. Being able to take it is another reminder for me that, yes, there IS life after Facebook.  I’m looking forward to seeing it during my two days in Dublin, before I head to the west coast where I’ll be for the rest of the three weeks on the Emerald Isle. I studied some about the book when I was at university in the 1970’s, and had planned on seeing it when I had been accepted into a summer program at Trinity College during that same time, but life happened, and I didn’t get there. So, better late than never. Right?

A page from The Book of Kells (Trinity College, Dublin)