Gerry and I (Shannon) love a morning at the farmer’s market. Wherever we have lived, we always find the local spot to grab locally grown produce, sourced honey, and any other goodies! When we moved to the east coast of NC, it definitely made things a little more difficult in regards to dining out, finding […]
Can spirituality exist without religion? This is hardly a new idea. Some don’t consider Buddhism to be a religion, rather, a philosophical movement. It’s a non-theist movement that has thrived and still thrives in eastern cultures for thousands of years- maybe, one of the bigger influences to some of our current trends, i.e. yoga, mindfulness, […]
Much is made these days, at least in my (Gerry) reading circles, of the empaths, old soul personality type, who seem to be the type to seek a lifestyle much like Shannon and I have sought out in a smaller town by the water. We are empathetic individuals in different ways. I consider myself highly […]
Mr. Plant and I (Shannon) go way back… waaaaay back, like 1994 back. It’s difficult to imagine that I would be able to keep a plant that long, but somehow, I have. It was a summer day in 1994, and I had just gotten my heart broken for the very first time. I was in […]
With the start of 2020, and taking on the challenge of The 30-Day Minimalism Game, we have begun to realize that even though we feel we live life with a minimalistic approach, it is still a practice we have to continue. During this challenge, getting rid of items each day has given us both a […]
Ah, Asheville! The city that sits in the North Carolina mountains with so much eclectic charm, it could be a sister to Portland, Oregon. We started our visits to Asheville soon after we got married. One most reminiscent, was a stay that included seeing the Smashing Pumpkins at The Orange Peel during a two-week residency […]
2020 is here! What better way to groove into 2020 than to see it clearly, through less stuff! Get it, 2020=see clearly?! 🙂 Oh well, we digress. As we have mentioned before, we are BIG fans of The Minimalists. They are one of our four lifestyle resources at the bottom of our website. Joshua and […]
With some extra time off over the holiday season, we opted to take a road trip across North Carolina, to visit the NC mountains. The first leg of our trip started in the Linville/Grandfather Mountain area. I (Shannon) hadn’t been to this area since I was a kid, and Ger had never been, so going […]
2019 was a year of change, as so many years are. We spent the year adjusting to the ways of eastern North Carolina, while still maintaining our minimalist outlook on life, and taking as many opportunities as we could to experience life largely, while living small. One of our latest hobbies is ‘Forest Bathing’. The […]
If you’re a regular here at Arner Adventures, you may remember last year’s post, “Minimalist Christmas”. We talked about our plans for making Christmas gifts that were consumables, and not simply buying gifts that the recipient may or may not use, hence, adding to their clutter. Well, here we are again! Tis’ the Season! Some […]
An apology is necessary to Wordsworth, Pope, Keats, Shelley, and other famous poets, prior to presenting this ode. O, dear turkey, your feathers so full, Your personality is gleaming as you maneuver freely. That people don’t understand you shouldn’t be eaten, is just bull. You are a living being who has children; they should be […]
It is quite possible to imagine, though rare, a couple of folks who live in Eastern NC who do not eat pigs, cows, chickens, nor any other animal. Having been vegetarian now for almost 7 years, we have had our fair share of conversations with people who cannot fathom the thought of not eating animals, […]
Fall of ’87, living off of Hillsborough Street in Downtown Raleigh, I (Gerry) was excited to see my first Replacements show, which was held at The Bear’s Den, Mission Valley. They were out promoting their “Pleased to Meet Me” album. They were introducing their new guitarist, Slim Dunlap, who was taking the place of founding […]
Like most people, I was tasked to read Hemingway in high school, never appreciating his writing until I became an adult. Gerry and I began visiting Key West a few times, also the home of Ernest Hemingway for a number of years, so he became part of our yearning to know more about Key West, […]
I (Shannon) came home from work today, changed into my “outside clothes”, took Betty White out for a stroll, and when we returned, she sat on the porch and watched me as I unraveled the hose to water the plants. It was a scorcher today, so it took longer than usual to quench all of […]
I (Shannon) was recently reading the book, “Southern Lady Code” by Helen Ellis, and a chapter resonated with me. It was a chapter called, “Free to be…you and me (and childfree).” It moved me so much, that I thought I should write about how it made me feel, as it may inspire others who are […]
