Increase your enjoyment of living!

By Sharon Courmousis
Sacred Rocks Reserve

April 15, 2011 (Boulevard)--There are times when being away and returning opens our eyes to unexpected beauty. True, it happens every year about this time; however, we tend to forget. When we live with minute changes in nature every day, it may be difficult to really see what is evolving.

As you drive around the mountains, notice the stunningly vivid yellow flowers, pushing up out of the ground suddenly. It is as if a mighty paintbrush has colored all available ground with a very large stoke. It set me to wondering…..

Someone once said, “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”

By Sharon Courmousis

Increase your enjoyment of living

By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

February 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- Recently, I read about February 14-20 being the “Random Acts of Kindness” Week. Most of us have heard this phrase, but where did it come from and what does it really mean?

By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

January 14, 2012 (Boulevard)--The natural rhythms of nature and our own physical systems help us understand about cycles. Last month we worked on completion. The completion of 2010 and shedding the old skin, the sadness of loss, the pain of outcomes not desired. It is now the New Year and time to look forward to the fresh and clean. It is time to bring in new information into our lives and re-generate plans for the coming twelve months.

Thoughts on giving, plus egg nog recipes for your holiday season

By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

December 15, 2010 (Boulevard)--The presents are wrapped and the little dears are tucked up tight. All the games and toys and electronics advertised on TV – wrapped up under the tree. Oh, wait, that was last year, or the one before. This Christmas everyone seems to be downsizing IF they are lucky enough to even have a home, and a job, and something extra. So the question is HOW do you make this a wonderful Christmas if the day itself is not really about the quantity of gifts?

By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

Increase your enjoyment of living

November 30, 2010 (Boulevard)--This is the time of year when we turn our eyes toward celebration. The thesaurus also calls celebration by the words commemoration, festivity, party, gala, observance, and remembrance. Unless a person is a true hermit, it is hard to celebrate by oneself. Some folks have few or far flung families. Some folks feel alone. Others create their own families, their own circle of friends that are like family.

Increase your enjoyment of living

by Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve
"Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find.” ~ Quoted in Time

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.” ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

Recipe: Lime and Coriander Char-Grilled Chicken

By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

Increase your enjoyment of living

June 27, 2010 (San Diego's East County) 

“Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.” ~ Ada Louise Huxtable

RECIPE: SUMMER VEGGIES (A low-fat, tasty side dish.)

This seasonal favorite is compliments of Sharon Courmousis, owner of Sacred Rocks Reserve RV Campground in Boulevard and author of the "Purple Mountain Sage" column.

by: Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

Increase your enjoyment of living

 “We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.” -- Billy Graham
 

Unstuffing

Cooler weather and wild storms have caused spring to come later this year. Signs of spring for me are seen in the plants and animals around Sacred Rocks. The Yucca plants, like huge asparagus, are popping up all over the mountains. I photographed peachy blossoms, pinkish with deep purple at the outside edges -- one I saw was a brilliant eggplant color. Astonishing beauty without human intervention, a gift.

Increase your enjoyment of living

By Sharon Courmousis Sacred Rocks Reserve

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” ~ John Muir

by: Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

Increase your enjoyment of living

"A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. " -- John Muir

This month's column includes:

Hunkering Down - essay

Chocolate cake with fudge icing - recipe

By Sharon Courmousis

"Perhaps dreams are like seeds. Some take hold and produce fruit, some are barren, and some spurt and then die. What lessons are there for me? Do I know myself better now than a year ago? What could be possible for 2010?"  -- Purple Mountain Sage

Increase your enjoyment of living!

January 24, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Savor these tantalizing offerings to nurture both your appetite and your spirits.  In this issue:  

RECIPE: YAMS IN ORANGE SHELLS

ESSAY: A THINKING TIME OF YEAR

by Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve
 

The Gift of Today

The land is getting ready for winter. Flowers have died back mostly. The leaves have changed colors and dropped to the ground, a carpet of reddish-yellow, soon fading into earth colors. The seeds have popped from their husks and been harvested by birds. Squirrels have tucked away tons of acorns. Daylight pales early. Temperatures drop quickly as the sun disappears over the western sky. I want to sink into my own ‘cave’ with a fire in the fireplace, a good book, visitors dropping in for a cup of chili (recipe below) and a rowdy game at the community table.

The holidays are coming soon, and this time of year can bring joy… or dread.