Count on the Moon, Value the Sun ... 'make hay when the sun shines'

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=baling+hay

Everybody is talking about how cold or how wet it is here on the Island.  Sunday's Farmers' Market was a soggy time, but it did not stop the work from getting done, the jazz from being played, the potatoes and eggs from being cooked and served, or the fragrance free restroom from being cleaned and prepared.  The full moons of Kaulana Mahina have begun, and whether you are tuning to the fullness of the moon via a paper calendar or finding the energy of the water-nature within, this is a full-tide time.  Spring has budded and is pollinating new life.  The work in our lives is in process.  Pete is out re-flooring a friend's cottage.  The skills of a lifetime of fixing and building continue to be part of his daytime.  Things have changed during the years where we learned not all processes or products are equal, and many p&p will harm.  So, Pete works with that awareness but still, the old ways prevail.  He makes hay while the sun shines:  gets work by hustling it, uses our beloved but gas-guzzling old workhorse of a truck, and removes the not-so-good-for-anyone pressboard from our friend's cottage. 

Pete and I are older folk now, his pace and his output is less vigorous though to most who observe him it is a pace that outmatches most.  Still, today, Pete has a helper and that is good news.  We need help, and now on this Island Pete is getting it.  When he is off to work, the energy around the Quonset and Vardo quiets.  My work is different, but it is full.  Where I sit to write the stories and details of a life where 'malama i ka 'aina' is more than words ... and are words of rendered meaning, the work is in the thoughtfullness of a post.  I'm not always sure what story needs telling when I come to sit.  Today, I know that the Full Moon(s) shout to be told from both the Sun and the Moon's perspective.  Two things have inspired the story wanting to be told:

1. Sustainable Living is ... this post from my friend Leslie reminded me of the work we need to do while the Sun SHINES! 
2. The moon Mahina has no light of her own ... instead depends on the reflected light from Ka La the sun.  With the Full Moon energy a balance of list and do seems the message best heeded.  The 'Ole Moons past have fueled me in insite and inspiration ('go down-stream', look where you're going not where you've been).

Sustainable Living ... make hay while the sun shines

Leslie Richards from The Oko Box Blog begins her post TO DO LIST FOR THE LUCK CABIN

"Sustainable living is kind of a strange thing... you try to live in the moment, and enjoy seasons as they are but at the same time you have to always be preparing for the seasons ahead. If you take a break, you basically won't be prepared- which means way more headache if you are living mostly off grid. You can be half assed in the city about alot of things and still live quite comfortable, turning up the thermostat whenver you want a lil' more warmth........ a DIY eco- lifestyle takes a certain amount of vigilance."

We became Internet friends with Leslie R. during the early days of life on the road, slogging through the discoveries of living with MCS.  While Pete and I lived in the basement kitchenette in industrial Seattle, and pieced together a new version of life on the planet, I came to know this young woman with the quirky and funny DIY life.  She and we now live versions of sustainable living that confirms:  '[It] is kind of a strange thing."  Leslie's post is perfect Taurus-list-and-action work, and it inspired me to make my own TO DO LIST.

TO DO LIST FOR The Forest Folks in Tandem

1. Insulate the Quonset ... We used Recycled Denim Insulation wrapped conscientiously with Denny Foil and TuTuff Vapor Barrier in the Vardo.  It works!  The insulation is now made differently, using instead, "post-consumer" denim and fabric.  That means we need to check it out before using it.  "Post-consumer" might mean the scented products used to wash and dry these denims/fabric could leave not-so-good-for-us fragrance. 
2. Extend the Quonset ... Pete has begun the shopping for the tiles for the extra 4 feet, and the metal siding to extend the Quonset by 4 feet.  What we remove from the present Quonset will be used in other small building projects, later.
3. Build the Bathhouse/Laundry House ... Electricity and plumbing will be needed to make this dream of additional comfort a reality.  A newly-made friend is also an electrician:  he will help us and trade services.  Pete can do most of the plumbling.  We found an electric hot water tank and a sink for free.  The Bathhouse is laid out and the supplies list and availability is in the works.  Our dream of a furo is not quite there yet, but a shower is clearly envisioned!  We 'live in tandem' with our friends Eileen and MK.  Our plans include them at key times.  How we build and when we build includes keeping them aware, and in accord.  "In tandem" means together.
4. Re-wax and Milkpaint the Vardo ... The new tin of Homestead House Beeswax Finish we used to coat the milk paint on our vardo arrived from Toronto last week.  Once it warms up (the finish works best with 60 degree temps) I'll start re-finishing the back wall of the Vardo, then the rest of our tiny home.  Touch-ups on windows and the porch will need work before next winter, too.
5. Plant the Gardens ... We have three separate gardens in various stages of planting and preparation.  It's mid-May and not quite warm enough to plant without greenhouses.  We don't have green houses yet, so we wait on Ka La and count on Mahina for the timing. 
6. Build the orchard picnic table ... Pete found terrific reclaimed untreated fir 2x4's already old-painted and off-gassed boards for a summer picnic table.  OH HOW GRAND THAT WILL BE!  I love, love, love being at a table and we have been table-less for many years.  Pete's birthday is July 4th ... I'm aiming at a party in the orchard.  Can you see it?
7. Buy/sew/air-out new clothes(for summer and winter) and bedding(for winter) ... Any clothes or bedding we use needs special treatment, and time.  This morning I had this inspiration:  "Maybe, it's time for me to sew beautiful clothes for me, again."  There's a fabric shop close by, and maybe I'm ready to shop, buy and sew again.  Replacing clothes and bedding takes a real conscious process of taking steps.  We need to start taking 'em.
8. Start a savings account for an electric trike ... The inspiration for doing these workshops included being able to earn money, again.  And, earn money to replace driving with pedaling.  There's a bike shop just down the hill from our Quonset that sells the Torker Hybrid trike.  This is an electric trike.  I'm gonna need to work efficiently with downstream-vibes all the way to fill that savings account. 



My Electric Trike!



The deep feeling full-moon in Scorpio, moves quickly like an arrow in motion into Sagittarius for two days/nights, what TO DO LISTS can you make, and actions can you take to put meaning into 'malama'?


Tools, timing, practice, and ALLIANCES

Pete and I were having a conversation in the Quonset this morning, JOTS was back from whatever the Girl Cat does when she takes herself on solitary adventures.  She was wet, and Pete was sitting in her chair.  Her only choice:  sit in Pete's lap.  The arrangement suit her.  "She needs her towel," I said from the comfort of the only other chair with a warm padded cushion.  Pete and I looked around.  No towel.  "Use the big one (he was sitting on it)."  With some jockying, Pete could wipe down the doused Girl Cat, and make his way back to our conversation.

We live in spaces redesigned after loss.  The thing we both see from this end of the journey so far is:  we're building on small, but more solid ground.  During the years of quaking loss, we had a time of it just staying alive.  We did it and are here to tell new stories.  This morning after JOTS resettled in Pete's lap, we hunkered down to share a bit of ElsaElsa.  Elsa had this post up about ALLIANCES, and I said, "You might want to read this one.  It's about what's happening now and will throughout the summer."  As best I can, let's see if our morning Quonset conversation can grow a braid of understand.  I weave this astrological hank here because:

1. It's an example of tools, timing and practice
2. It also builds on the shape of these COUNT ON THE MOON Workshops which grow in 4-Parts over the summer (April, May, June, July) 

Though astrology may not be your first language, Elsa P. does have a way of translating astrology so one get's something from the story.  Read this excerpt, which I've tucked under my own headings (TOOLS, TIMING, PRACTICE) and see how it vibes with you:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Three_little_pigs_1904_straw_house.tif&page=1

PRACTICE (Foundations are well, foundational! I think of the story of the 3 Little Pigs.)

For one thing it is going to leave you with no structure at all for a time and this is a prospect so daunting it’s very common to see a cracked foundation and tell yourself it doesn’t mean anything in this case – in your case....cracked foundations don’t fix themselves nor do they respond to superficial repairs."

TOOLS & TIMING (Astrology applied)

"The summer’s cardinal t-square involves Saturn (structure), Uranus (unexpected) and Pluto (death, collapse etc.)  The earthquake in Japan is a stunning example of this but it plays in our personal lives as well.  Things we rely on for support (Saturn) can and will suddenly (Uranus) be taken from some of us (Pluto) and even if it’s not you, it will effect you.
As an example, I know of a couple who both lost their jobs.  One of their friends took them in and it took a year for these people to get on their feet, point being if something happens to the person next to you, it can easily become your burden."

PRACTICE (Wisdom is found in many places)

"The absolute best thing you can do right now is cement your relationships with others and I’ll explain my thinking on this.    Uranus and Pluto are outer planets as in outside your control. Saturn is not.    Saturn is in Libra and it is just obvious and overwhelmingly clear that strong alliances with others will be the thing that will support you through whatever may come.
Specifically you want to stock your life with people you can rely on and BE someone people can rely on.  Work hard to not burden others unnecessarily because if you do, they are going to throw you off at some point.  Basically, try to pitch in and play well with others because as someone told me 33 years ago, “It’s the little people who have do everything...”

MALAMA I KA `AINA

The work and the adventure involved in launching the wa'a kaulua (canoe) of COUNT ON THE MOON Workshops is all about using tools, timing, practices and building ALLIANCES.  The foundational work is in the mana'o of COUNT ON THE MOON , that first month of study and practice with moon time and Mahina.  The energy of shifting and loss will effect all of us on Earth.  The shift is inevitable ... out of our control in some/whatever regard, but there are things we can do about it.

The 'things we can do about it' are KULEANA ... within our world of responsibility.  We get to decide to see.  We get to decide to be.  We get to decide and allow the best outcomes and people to flow under and into our lives.  Malama I Ka `Aina builds on what we believe to be true.  The exercise of looking to Mahina, for ourselves, creates alliance with YOU.  It builds your confidence. Here we (Pete and I) are launching this wa'a kaulua from the wooded island peak.  We throw net (see our main kane/man on the blog, standing his net?) and fish.  One moon at a time, we build a foundation more solid than that of a straw house.  We malama, malama, malama and learn to play fair, and be fair.

MAKUA O'O

It's a journey, and tools, timing practices and alliances change.  A makua o'o is a being in progress, measured in moon-time the journey seems painstaking sometimes, quantum at others.  Link back to COUNT ON THE MOON and the basic life tools of Makua O'o  http://countonthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/04/makua-oo.html

We are so happy to have you here, building alliances with you, sharing what we have in our net.

As we move through the moons leading up to Olekuhahi early next week, consider the tools, timing and practices in your life.  Who are your allies? Who considers you a worthy ally?

...Most of you know that damage to the foundation of a structure spells doom for that structure unless extreme measures are taken and even then partial collapse of the building is likely...

MALAMA ... CARE

Aloha,

If you have just joined us at "Malama I Ka `Aina" please start here with the initial post "LEI ..."
This post will help you navigate and weave between Part 1 and Part 2 of the workshop-study.


If you have not yet watched the initial preview of "Malama I Ka `Aina" please go here and enjoy the videos with Kawikapu Hewett.

Very early during our settling into the community here in South Whidbey, my friend and I had a heart-to-heart conversation that basically circled and, encircled the topic of "Care."  My friend is a nurse with a long history of long-term care and women's work.  New in our friendship, I listened to the heart of this woman whose passion includes everything.  She was trying to understand me and the illness/disease that was not yet making sense to her.  It would take more time, and many more conversations about that me with the illness/disease ... and in the process even that story changed.  But, what has not changed since our original conversation about 'care' is the value and life view of 'malama' as a way to understand caring.

As with most values that sustain with long-time, over time, malama means multiple things, covers a lot of ground and is at the same time exquisitely simple.  If in your definition of things/life there is no distinction or separation from All that is "malama" bcomes simple:  you care for me = you care for all that is.  When Pete and I were in the middle of time without time ... during the period of losing identity, caring for ourselves became more explicit.  Extras never entered the picture:  find a place to be safe enough, find water to wash ourselves enough, find food that would not poison us, find people who would believe us enough.  Enough.  Piha.  Just enough became a way for us to see and feel what was important and slowly we released all the extras.

Habit, the momentum of beliefs long-standing require attention.  I have learned to notice the momentum of past beliefs that keep me from becoming happy.  With smaller spaces to malama, I notice when the clutter is taking more room than I can handle.  Two old folk and a cat take up the space we have in short order.  We malama ourselves, and we clean up.  Oh, even then the small spaces get all messy.  But something happens when you live with less and live outside.  Our living example has become more and more the way our friend sees who we are.  We share the 5 acres of "Land Steward" forest here in South Whidbey.  We share the work.  We share the laughs.  We share the truck.  We share a car.  We share the chicken and duck eggs.  We share the orchard.

MALAMA is also the word for Hawaiian Lunar Month.  As we move forward through this second workshop and study of Kaulana Mahina, the value of time, can now include expanding on definitions.  Malama means 'care'.  Malama means 'month' or thirty lunar days/nights.  I love how that translates ~ "Malama i ka `aina" .... a month, every month, care ... this month we focus on caring for the land.  Simple.

In your life, who are the people who malama you?  And you in turn, who do you malama?  And those who are cared for, what 'aina is your kuleana (responsibility)?