I just wanted to share some thoughts after yesterday's QiGong class. Something just clicked into place when Mr. Bronson taught us about having access to lightness and happiness, using memory. Based on what's been happening so far, it's changed my life! That was definitely missing from my practice. I tend to go straight to my head, get focussed, think too much. But this new exercise is giving me huge energy! This makes me think that not being light, rather being depressed or stressed, sucks a…

I've been thinking more about why we should study martial arts or any other art, even if we never have to defend ourselves or become professional artists. 

I speak from the viewpoint of a violin/viola teacher and relatively new blue belt student of kung fu, so I can experience these arts from both sides, the beginner and the expert. It has been so many years since I have been a beginning/intermediate student of music, that it is hard to recall what it was like, but learning Kung Fu…

Tonight I went to forms class and was the only one there, so I got a private lesson. There was some real weather, which probably kept everyone else at home. 

Mr. Bronson and I ended up discussing legacy, our connection to history, and what  we can do to preserve some sort of context for our arts. He has talked of this in some classes, explaining where our forms originated, where his teachers came from; and for me this had the lovely perfume of a plea to us - please remember our…

We've been trying to apply some permaculture principles in our garden. I planted comfrey around the drip lines of two fruit trees, and then put down newspapers and dirt/compost under the tree, with oregano, chives and wild arugula on top of that. The comfrey mines the soil for minerals and makes excellent mulch. It seems to blanket the tree roots well, and the trees are doing fabulously. We're rid of that pesky grass, and the herbs are in flower. For the first time, the pears don't have…

Johanna has outgrown her size 0 kung fu pants. Anyone want them? Let me know!

This year we have seen only one bat. We also have noticed very few insects. Usually I have to be vigilant about making sure no water is standing in a tub or pot, because mosquitos would reproduce in it, but this year we have seen none. Also, we have seen very few swallows, when usually we have a lot. Every year we have a pair that nest in one of our nesting boxes, and this year they returned and laid eggs, but the baby chicks died and the parents disappeared. We wonder if there has been so…

I loved that class. I was a bit sore from a good forms class Friday night, and then I went on a 3.5 mile hike on somewhat hilly ground Saturday morning, so by the end of the weapons disarm class I was pretty tired. It was a great day for getting exercise! And the class was excellent. Those who missed it really missed out!

Today I was cleaning out cupboards, getting rid of some out of date things, finding a few things for the chickens, when I found...an old bottle of CANOLA OIL!!! Eeeeek! Out with it! 

It is now in the trash can. I think it must have come with me when I first got divorced and moved into this house, it was tucked so far back in the cupboard.

It's important for me to go through stuff, shed things. Each time I do it the bar is set higher, and while I once thought some things were…

Today I am especially feeling frustrated. I was reading on old post from Mr. Bronson about chemicals in our hoses, as well as many older posts and new posts about how we lost 30% of our bees in the US (again), which now means that the almond/blueberry/apple crops will probably not get pollinated. We have reached that critical low point.

Why do we have to work SO HARD NOT TO POISON OURSELVES?!? Why do we have to do tons of research in hard to find places so as NOT to kill our…

For my mom's 75th birthday dinner I made Boeuf Bourgignon with Brian's Simply Grown Beef and some organic veggies, and it was delicious. Served it over brown rice.  The side salad was orange slices, pear, and pomegranite, all organic. Dessert was a Serbian Walnut Cake, one of my favorite recipes. It is very rich, with a stick of butter in the frosting, hardly any flour, and lots and lots of walnuts. A good time was had by all. Brian's beef is great!