Quilt and Bees

For all of you who offered ideas for restoring the quilt my mother made for her and Steve, her husband and my stepfather, that upon his death she gave to me, the news is that the quilt is back on our bed splendidly restored. Dwight and I have adorned our bed and kept warm with this quilt ever since we moved to MuRefuge. The restoration process was vast since the binding was worn and many spots tattered as the quilt was made from scraps, some pretty old, others not so much so, not to mention the wear and tear by the four leggeds who have lived at MuRefuge and shared the bed with us.

A corner with the replaced binding

Susan Vorbeck of Designs in Fabric, Petaluma, was the person who restored the quilt and educated me in the process. To make newly purchased fabric antique she boils the fabric in a cast iron pot, repeating the process until she likes how aged the fabric looks. 

Extra fabric for future restoration

And she points out that handmade quilts are imbued with the spirit of the person performing the intricate work, which is readily felt by those touching the quilt. Susan was creative.

A rent in the lower right hand heart Susan creatively repaired.

And she spent many hours lovingly repairing what my mother made over a quarter of a century ago. Yet she honored the amount I was willing to pay for this rather large project.

Restored quilt on bed

In a recent issue of Nature Conservancy appeared the following: "Food Security. The Farm's Best Friend. Wild bees are better than their domesticated cousins for pollinating crops, according to research recently published in the journal Science. Led by Argentina-based scientist Lucas Garibaldi, a global team of 50 researchers found that  wild bees and other native insects are twice as effective at pollinating crops - such as almonds, apples and coffee - as managed bees whose hives are moved to farm fields for that purpose. 'These results dispel the myth that managed honeybees can make up for the loss of wild pollinators.' says Christina Kennedy, a Nature Conservancy scientist who was coauthor of the study."

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

"Best wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year." 

Chinese New Year :: 2014/ 4712

Green Wood Horse

This Saturday past was Liu Ming's annual Chinese New Year presentation in Marin. Such an awesome few hours to be in the presence of such a powerfully spiritual BEing, a FIre Pig by his own admission. He had sage advice for anyone dealing with the epidemic anxiety of the modern world: Be who you are rather than "what you ought to be."  This suggested way of moving in the world is sort of like letting go of the habitual practice of pounding a round peg into a square hole. So Liu Ming suggests focusing on balance or equanimity 

which is a moment to moment practice of tuning in to NOW and making adjustments which can certainly be an antidote to the over the top sensory overload of these modern times.

In the past few cycles there have been secretive or hidden aspects. In the Year of the Wood Horse "what you see is what you get. What is perhaps most troubling about the Wood Horse is also what is most hopeful - that is, a kind of adolescent qi. . . When choosing business partners or consultants choose young ones. . . the Wood Horse expresses his/her feeling through action and not words. . . Injuries will be more common than illness and ignoring them more common than seeking treatment. . . Choose doctors with experience and integrity. . . the Spiritual Path is found embedded in work, ordinary routines and, if it is not too worn-out a phrase, the Zen of everyday life. . . Small things will be accomplished but big projects will stagnate. . . This year's immature Qi gives everyone a chance for new horizons and the great benefit of education. . . great year to enter school, start new disciplines, travel (for insight), stop postponing and reinvent your self. The Qi of the Wood Horse when shaped by wisdom and discipline matures into a profoundly capable and willing force for good. Harness it, geld it if necessary and then let it be a great servant."

From Liu Ming's brochure

Reflecting on this past Sunday's Super Bowl game, the most watched sporting event ever, the young football team of Seattle far out played Denver with its older, experienced quarterback, fully demonstrating this adolescent Horse Qi harnessed.

A bit more wisdom from his printed handout:

"The system of astro-cosmology in China has always suggested that the Universe is reciprocal - so what each person does adds up to the only Universe that is . . . do not be disempowered or enslaved by statistics, media morbidity, constant criticism or pop-science or religious dogma - make a better world! We can do it - we have no other job!"

As does Liu Ming throughout his presentation,