Summer Rhythm

July 9, 2024

Acting casual about the situation

She has turned up the volume and the heat

Blasting color and rambunctious sounds

Without reservation, ignorant of restraint

Splashing human souls with a liquid beat

Patriot Party

July 3, 2024

With mindless fuss and fury

The picnic table is loaded for bear

The guest list includes our kind

With no conscious awareness

Of the dangerous state of affairs

We bathe in team colors for a moment

Looking forward to grand explosions

That will work to distract from reality

By this process patriotism is redefined

Self Care Nation

July 2, 2024

Ironically enough the definition

We have created for self care

Involves buying and consuming

Various lotions, potions, and services

In a busy furious battle to unload

Our most undesirable tendencies

Onto many an unsuspecting prospect

Shifting responsibility to a product

Or a system reveals our unwillingness

To take the time to be present for life

History Repeating

June 30, 2024

Seasons melt slowly into one another

Each second brings total transformation

If the freeze frame feature of our memory

Shuffles cards we may miss the meaning

Time fluidly folding over itself in a torrent

Of rapid changes turning in ever deeper cycles

My Shrink is a Dog

June 29, 2024

Shadow was the first friend I made when I started living in Oregon for summers. He lived a mile away from me at the time. His mom was busy with her dog training business, so she hired me to give him exercise and attention. It was, and still is, a dream job. He’s moved to Forrest Grove and has a Dalmatian sister now. He and I take walks in Historic Forest Grove, which we both enjoy. He serves as my depth psychologist. I serve as his walking assistant. He is really perceptive with shadow issues.

For him the thrills are in the smells, the critters, and the action around the neighborhood. For me it’s all about the landscaping and architecture. There are a couple of trails that go through wooded areas, but we like to check out everyone’s gardens and the changes through the seasons. There are fruit trees that frequently offer low hanging fruit right above the sidewalks. This week we found ripe cherries waiting for us to discover (and eat).

Time I spend walking Shadow is as therapeutic as anything that I have ever done. He is a high quality listener who absolutely does not discriminate. He likes the songs I sing to him (because they are all about him). We are perfectly matched for walking pace. We create an atmosphere of delight on our walks.

His extremely well adjusted attitude is no accident. He lives with his family at his mom’s dog training studio. Jenn’s Dogs offers programs for a wide range of canines. Puppy Playtime is an introductory program for young dogs to experience a safe environment for supervised play. Programs to support more advanced training as well as systems to work with aggressive behaviors are all available.

I’m impressed with his behavior and leash manners. He has vocabulary buttons that can make his intentions clear. He’s a smart guy who loves to play. He’s a very well rounded dog who brings happiness to his family and friends. I am honored to be his canine companion.

Reverse

June 25, 2024

When danger looms over the horizon

The course has been obscured by riddles

It’s a natural time to make a getaway

To consider the exact opposite of this

To escape from the perpetual bending

To a center that stays open and steady

No matter how the winds are blowing

Internal Affairs

June 24, 2024

Wake the interior wizard by casting a light

Set aside the temporary weapons of rigidity

Give room and respect to the dark warnings

Proof of presence will be necessary

to enter the premises

Color Bath

June 24, 2024

Absorbs the energy and power from tides

Receives the imprint of imported populations

Takes the anticipation of the visitors

Turns it all around at the end of each day

Changes are constant

We capture fragments

Distillation

June 23, 2024

I’m a student of the recently deceased monarch of aromatherapy, Jeanne Rose. Her deep knowledge of plants and their uses has been catalogued in her many books and articles. In person the lessons were vibrant and full of interesting stories. Her teaching was thorough and engaging.

I learned distillation from her over the course of three workshops. She taught absinthe distillation at the Hangar One Vodka factory in Alameda, CA. My introduction was to an alcohol for which I have a strong aversion. It served for teaching purposes, but I had no appreciation for the final product as other students did.

Next we distilled lavender in a large wood burning still. This was labor intensive and took a long time because the vessel was so large. We began on the farm for harvest and a lesson about the process. The class then proceeded to the still to observe the way it all happens. The hydrosol that day was very much to my liking. The whole day was luscious as well as educational

The photo above was taken at an orange grove near Solvang, CA, where we met to learn distillation of orange blossoms. We harvested blossoms by the bucket, as my fellow student shows above. Jeanne walked around teaching and guiding us through the process. This day was beyond delightful with heavily scented activities throughout the day, from harvest to final hydrosol.

Learning distillation has helped me to understand how the universe works. I am forever grateful for her friendship and her knowledge. She was a wonderful teacher.