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Mascot
I think I can keep up with the 71 year olds who are my crew. But I truly cannot. I arranged rocks in the gabions for about 45 minutes yesterday morning. It was hot (87F/31C) in the sun and the work was hard. My heart started beating its experimental jazz rhythms, which at first feels…
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Grass cutting
I have been learning a lot about how to effectively wield the grass cutter, thanks to working with the Monaca team at 555. This morning, I cut the grass at home. This is the neatest I have ever managed to make our yard. I’m sure to be feeling pain in my shoulder tomorrow. Swinging the…
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Phoenix vase
The Kawasakis have been piling up metal junk for recycling – old siding, rusty tins, bent wire fencing – and on Tuesday they came over to load it into the k-truck and take it away. Amongst the odds and ends towards the bottom of the pile was a vase. Mr. Kawasaki thumped it to listen…
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4 minute life story
Fridays in Satoyama Yoga classes are for community reflection and conversation. We practice half an hour of movement, then sit together and talk. It’s one of my favorite days, and not because I lead only 30 minutes of asanas. Today, we had a special assignment: tell your life story in 4 minutes. I gave a…
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Pitchfork memories
This week, I have been using this hay fork to shift wood chips from in front of the chipper to a farther pile. And every time I secure the fork back into the pile, I can’t help but remember my first encounter with a pitchfork. I was six or seven years old and my next…
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Climate Catastrophe Dissonance
Bill McGuire’s book, Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant’s Guide, came out this week and a lot of press are turning their attention to climate catastrophe. In the face of yet another summer of extreme heat, floods, drought and fires, it is pretty clear that we are facing the catastrophe in this generation. Right now and maybe for…
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Long Covid – a review
Two Stars. Not a good show in any way: the director lacked a clear vision; cast was underrehearsed and low energy; and the tech was patchy. Even if you get free tickets, avoid this production. I have been “out of it” for the past few months in a slightly concerning way. But I think I…
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A Reflection on Sayonaras
Today I said goodbye to a friend from our neighborhood who is leaving for new adventures. She’s been a colorful character in our area for several years and as the only middle-aged white American women in this part of Chiba, we’ve become close and had each others backs for the unexpected events of country living. …
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Racism doesn’t belong in Activism.
I don’t share them often in public, but I have opinions, political views, and strong ideas about how things could be better in the world. I am anti-conspiracy, pro-science, anti-racist, feminist, pro-LGBTQ+, and anti-consumerism. I believe there’s beauty in everything. I think we should be good to each other. It’s okay with me if you…
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Did we have Covid-19?
Test result said “negative,” but the Omicron-like symptoms said yes. We will never be sure. For about a week, Tod & I had raw sore throat & congestion, cough, runny nose, exhaustion, brain fog, and digestive problems. But neither of us had fever, so no way to get an official PCR test. On the 3rd…
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