Yesterday it snowed, then melted, then rained, then stopped, and started all over again. Today everything is green and there is no evidence of winter at all. The robins seem to take it in stride, even when they're suddenly surrounded by white!!
My big cat, Red, just doesn't think snow or rain should keep him from going outside:
For those of you who remember one of our clinic cats, Kiki, you'll probably remember her sitting quietly in a cage (with the door open), being very timid. She has now become a "people cat" and sits on my lap whenever I sit down - like right now when I'm working at the computer. She is very photogenic:
And for those of you who are wondering, the meditation garden continues to progress - just more slowly now since we have to wait for a day without a lot of moisture to work on it. The Zen garden will be finished this weekend - then I'll take more pictures!!
And speaking of that, I just returned last weekend from a Calligraphy workshop taught by a master Japanese calligrapher at the Buddhist monastery here in Clatskanie. I stayed at the monastery and participated in all their ceremonies. Very educational. The workshop was great - since I didn't know anything (correctly, that is) about calligraphy, it was rewarding, informative and inspirational. Here are some pictures:
I didn't know, for instance, that the brush is not held like a pencil and doesn't usually do what I am intending it to do, the images are made with one continuous stroke, and some of the brushes are about 4 ft long and 4" wide! Also, if you make a stroke slightly ajar from the others, you can be making an entirely different symbol (and saying something very different from what you meant)! This is a picture of an evening program that was open to the public, and these original prints were being made from audience requests. Mine is the one on the far left, which means MEDITATION.
Now I'm excited about pursuing this a bit more, and am looking into ordering brushes and paints (well, not the BIG brushes, since they can cost as much as $400 - I'll have to settle for practice brushes).>>> This is a symbol I did in the class (my first attempt with one of the large brushes). This is supposed to be the Zen symbol for "supreme". It is also called an enso, and is created as a symbol for enlightenment. It can be an open or closed circle, and the person making it can choose to name it according to what it means to them. (That's my feeble attempt at explaining it......)
And here's Lili, doing her own Zen cat symbol for contentment:
