What's New With Me?

"To know your soil is to work with the land and to let the land work you as well. How you cultivate your ground depends on you — maybe you will dig down deep like a joyous, unleashed dog and mound up your garden as we love to do at Green Gulch, or perhaps you will choose to create a long-term, slow-pulsed permaculture garden with soil that is hardly moved at all. What matters most is that you are in relationship with your land and listening to the soil as you work, finding your true place in the body of your garden."
- In the Tangle, by Wendy Johnson

Roses are everywhere! They're big and small,  fragrant, colorful, amazing.

I took a drive up to the Russian River a few weeks ago to celebrate my grandma's 93rd birthday and mother's day; the drive is amazing, through rolling vineyards and then through cool moist redwood forests to get to the little town of Cazadero, Ca.

These German irises or "Bearded Iris" that are a rich maroon color are the color of Dr. Pepper and seriously smell like Dr. Pepper, no joke!

I am studying the ancient way of the tea ceremony.  It's super fun, I get the same feeling of playfulness that I get when doing oryoki (that special style of eating in the zendo used on days of all day meditation).  This is Meiya the tea master.

• The apple trees are full of aphids, kinda gross!  And kinda sad.  Apparently this happens every year...but it is hard to watch the trees you love being eaten by swarms of tiny bugs
• I have taken up knitting again, we have a little club so maybe I'll learn to knit more than a scarf!
• My bike is finally here and Austin and I have a year pass to Muir Woods so I can just ride over whenever I want for a quick stroll through this international tourist destination (it is also great fashion watching)
• My bff Lacey and her bf Ron are coming to visit today.  They are my first visitors after my parents (who graciously have come out several times).  We may have a bonfire with organic hotdogs, or watch the fireworks celebrating the anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge and we may end up at the Pelican Inn, the local pub that welcomes Green Gulchers with open arms and sometimes even free french fries!