Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Qi gong in the Park



Terry called this evening and asked if I wanted to meet him in Avenue A Park and do some qi gong. It's an ancient form of exercise/meditation, similar to tai chi but less strenuous. Terry teaches it at a couple of local centers. He and Sharon both teach tai chi, too.

At first I was hesitant because I had already worked in my back yard and was feeling it. But, Terry assured me it wouldn't require a lot of the things that still make me hurt - like bending. So, I decided it was a wonderful way to spend some time with a friend, and be out enjoying the sunshine.

I called Greg to see if he wanted to go and Sharon was at his house so we all went.

Terry gave Greg and me a private lesson, and Sharon did it along with us, which was great because we had two people who knew what they were doing to watch. I really liked it.

We did the "Eight pieces of silk brocade" series - at least I think I've got the right name. There are eight series of movements and you do each one eight times. Terry explained each one and then did them so we could follow along. I was able to do all of them except one that involved bending over and touching your toes then slowly coming upright again. I did one of those and decided that was not a way my body wants to move quite yet.

I'm hoping we can do it again soon. I guess there are lots of different practices you can do, but this is one of the common ones and pretty easy to do. I don't think I could do anything much more complex than this one. It stretched my limits on coordination.



Avenue A Park is such a cool part of our city. The water flows under Main Street and the park is beautifully landscaped. I love the fact that some long-time businesses, like Midwest Feed, are part of the scenery there.
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Easter, Spring and Gardens



At the flea market this weekend, I bought this metal basket, decorated with these metal flowers. I'm not sure why, other than it's Easter season, which makes one think of baskets, and it was a dollar and it's got that pink and gold combo from the 50s that has started to appeal to me in a big way. Lately I've been thinking - just thinking - about redoing my kitchen to incorporate those colors. However, I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Or ever.

Hard to believe Easter is just a few days away. Greg's mom invited me to come to Joplin for the holiday, but I can't leave all my little plants. They would need definitely need water before I got back. They're drinking it up at a prodigious rate.

My only Easter decoration is this little bunny I got last year who is residing on my desk. I had hoped to do an Easter tree outside, but after the blizzard, my tree's leaves are all brown - not very spring like. I don't think brightly colored, plastic Easter eggs would overcome the brown.

Today was a beautiful day - sunny and warm. I spent most of it hunched over paperwork and the computer screen finishing up the United Way application. But after 5 I was able to start working on my back yard a little bit. I hadn't even removed the dead plants from last year. The tomato cages were still in place, with the remains of tomatoes long gone with them. I pulled those out and managed to get a little bit of other stuff out.

The lemon balm is growing, the sage has some green on it, and some of the lavender is starting to come in, too. I am so eager to have fresh food growing in the back yard again. I love the early mornings in the summer. Nothing like going out in the back yard while the dew is still wet, and seeing what's happening in the garden.

I think I'm going to kill the grass in my back yard to make more room for garden. I hate mowing it anyway, and continually need more room for garden, so it seems like the perfect solution. I laid down a little bit of landscape cloth tonight in one small area. I was reminded I don't yet bend well for extended periods of time. But, I can just do a little bit at a time, and I'll get it done eventually. I think I'll start at the back, beside the garage, and work my way forward. That's the area that gets the most sun anyway. I also need to just spray round up on the grass/weed patch out by the alley. I think I'll spend this summer killing it and next year I can plant something there that doesn't require mowing. Is it time to mention again that I hate mowing? Apparently it is. I hate mowing.

There are so many things I need to get done around the house. For two months I didn't really do anything and things have piled up to say the least. But now that I'm feeling more normal I'm trying to do at least a couple of things in the house every day to get life back on an even keel. I still feel "scattered" and hope getting things a bit more under control will help that.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com.

All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.