Rose Garden Yoga » Gardening

Probably a Cooper’s Hawk

Elizabeth — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:57:50 +0000

“Wow!” exclaimed the well-dressed woman who was walking towards the Senate office buildings as I was walking in the opposite direction to the DOL through the park on the North side of the Capitol. We had both paused absolutely still to appreciate the drama of the moment.

A raptor flew in and landed on one of the high tree branches. There were a few warning chirps and calls and then everything froze into stillness and silence. After a few minutes the bird flew off, and gradually the squirrels, sparrows, starlings, etc resumed their usual morning activities.

“Did you notice how every thing became still?” I replied.

“Yes,” said my companion in the moment of appreciation and observation. “It hardly seemed real.”

We then moved on to go about our business, becoming conscious again of the noise of the city as the small animals and birds went back to their usual activities.

I looked it up when I got to work. It was most likely an immature Cooper’s hawk.

I did not even think to photograph the moment lest I disturb it. These are the trees after the fact.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Icy Weather Cancellations

Elizabeth — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:16:31 +0000

I participated today in the determination as to whether the noon gentle/therapeutics class at Willow Street should be cancelled due to the weather. It is hard to know when and what to decide unless the roads are absolutely unpassable or it is clear that that storm is not impacting most roads and sidewalks. Some students will have wanted to come to class regardless of the weather, even if it would have been both difficult to get the ice off of their cars if driving and very slippery going from house to car and parking spot to class. If class was held, other students would have wondered why class was not cancelled and felt it unfair that they now had to do a make-up since they were too sensible to go out in the ice. It is a balance of trying to offer the yoga as committed and making decisions about the reasonableness of trying to hold class given safety and logistical concerns. For a class with lots of physically intrepid students within walking distance, the determination is different than for one with people who are facing injuries and other challenges of embodiment, which can make it a challenge to get to class on even a beautiful day.

I’d love to get your feedback on where you think is the weather line between holding class as usual and cancelling. For me, part of the call was that within an hour of class, my porch, front stairs, and sidewalk were still solidly slick with ice. It would have been a challenge even to get to the corner, much less walk ten blocks and take the metro. Things did not really start to melt until mid afternoon.

Sprouted Chickpea, Potato, and Winter Greens Stew

Elizabeth — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:45:56 +0000

One of the first things I did when I got home was to start several kinds of sprouts. Soaking beans overnight is, if you think about it, just a prelude to sprouting. I often sprout beans for a few days even if I plan to cook them. Once they have just sprouted (usually after two+three days), cooking time to tender is only 10-15 minutes. I had some sprouted chickpeas, a couple of potatoes in cold storage (aka the vegetable bin in my refrigerator). Today was the first day I was really able to get into the garden since my return. In addition to carrots, I was able to pull a substantial quantity of various greens: kale, chard, curly endive.

The stew: saute in olive oil (or a mix of olive oil and butter), minced onion and garlic, diced celery and carrot until translucent. Add to pot peeled and cubed potato and sprouted chickpeas (if using only soaked chickpeas, cooking time will be 3-4 times as long; or you could use already cooked chickpeas) and stir to coat with cooking oil. Add a couple of dried hot chilis (optional) and some sprigs of rosemary and oregano (fresh is best). Cover with vegetable stock or water and cook until chickpeas and vegetables are tender. In a pressure cooker this took about 10 minutes. Chop whatever fresh greens you have on hand (anything, but collards; if all you have are collards, kidney or pinto beans would work better than chickpeas). Add the greens just before serving and cook only long enough to wilt greens. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. I used rind from a spanish rosemary-crusted goat cheese when cooking. This would be optional, but if you want just a hint of cheese flavor, cooking with the rind of a hard cheese is very nice.

Ah, it is good to be home.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Beginning to See More Light

Elizabeth — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:03:56 +0000

It was just approaching the deep dark of the solstice when I left for places warm and light. Last week, when I got home, just by comparison to the sultriness of southern India, it felt dark. This morning, though, I noticed earlier morning light. When the wake up call sounded, I was deep in a rather wonderful dream in the violet-tinged landscape of the American southwest. As I had an early meeting at another governmental agency that required me to walk 10 blocks further than my usual walk to work, and I did not want to miss my regular morning practice, I had to get up right away.

The light through my second floor skylight seemed softer than it had just a few days earlier. Instead of being absolutely dark, there was enough of a hint of dawn that there was no need to turn on the light just to walk downstairs. I thought perhaps a little of yesterday’s snow might have accumulated. No snow. It was just the first glimmer of the days starting to get longer. When I walked past the Capitol on my way to the meeting, I saw several robin red breasts. With global climate change, many of them now do not fly farther south for the winter.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Angels We Have Heard on High?

Elizabeth — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:09:34 +0000

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Statuary Around Town

Elizabeth — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:01:12 +0000

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Today’s Errands in Preparation for India Travel

Elizabeth — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:58:17 +0000

1. Got travelers’ checks. Hard to believe there can still be a need to use them.

2. Made donation to Carbon Fund to offset plane travel to and bus rides in India (planted 100 trees).

What Did You Notice When You Started Your Day?

Elizabeth — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:49:49 +0000

Did you notice what brings you pain or hwat brings you joy? If both naturally sprang up, where did you choose to rest your thoughts?

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Have You Ever Seen a Woman Use a Leaf Blower?

Elizabeth — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:25:00 +0000

There hasn’t been a day in the past two months when I haven’t needed to cover my nose, mouth, and ears because I needed to walk past someone using a leaf blower.

They stink with burning fuel, stir up allergens, and aren’t really any more efficient than a rake and a broom. Why are they so ubiquitous? And why is that I have never seen a woman using one, but I have seen men of all races, ages, and socio-economic status cheerfully using one?

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Flowers Around Town (December?)

Elizabeth — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:20:24 +0000

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.