MOVE THE Scissors: a feng shui lesson from VardoForTwo

Feng Shui, the ancient science of placement and space based on the Chinese philosophy of attending to the elements of nature and their affect on life with ones home or office or town has been a long-time practice for me.  While we constructed and then created our tiny space which is in essence a bedroom, Feng Shui was ever present in my view.  Challenged by the sensitivities I live with, the basic "good feng shui" tenants have had to be adjusted to accomodate the reality that it is difficult or impossible (at this time) to be with some of those Feng Shui tenants or "cures."  My great-grandfather AhKoon was pure Chinese, my grandfather Amona was half Chinese.  The blood of that ancient legacy traces itself in me, so I ask the ancestors, "Help me out here!"  I've gotta make some wise adjustments to the perfect alignments because we live in a space that is lined with Metal Energy (all the stainless steel walls) and we have one of those beds that is right out of the "not so good feng shui" examples. 

3.  Make sure (THE BED) is a good height. To allow for a balanced feng shui energy flow under the bed you need to have your bed at a reasonable height above the floor level. Generally, the beds that have built-in storage drawers underneath to help you with storage solutions are considered bad feng shui beds. Why? Because the energy needs to circulate around your body when you sleep, which is not possible if the space underneath the bed is blocked.

http://www.wikihow.com/Feng-Shui-Your-Bedroom

Sunday Silliness

The 'ole days and nights of the moon just passed must have really shaken up my hard drive. Thank the gods! All this cleaning and clearing space is transferring some good over this way. So many files of seriousness gets to be too much.

Late last night (about 8:40Pm on the ledge) something drew me to The Canary Report Forum ... 'CHAT' ... something fun ... something sorta new to me this internet social community thing ... there were a few folks there ... two friends ... one old, familiar to me and one a new friend. I jumped in.

Here's the bit that is inspiring me to turn part of every Sunday into Sunday Silliness. By the time I turned the compooter over to Pete for his go round on the cyber-hiway there was just a whole lot of sillines going on there! Goofiness and going back and forth with nothing serious. Oh the shear fun of things that came from folks who live with very, very, very, serious and serious sensitivities.

HERE WE GO 1 MINUTE OF SILLINESS:

"What do you call a rabbits walking backwards?"

A receding hare line!

While you're thinking of something silly ... do a bunch of laughing yoga. Laugh out loud .... ha, ha, ha,ha, ha.

"What did the ocean say to the beach?"

Nothing. Just wave.



Hmmmm. This is gonna take some practice. Okay, more laughing yoga ......... ha, ha ha, ha, .....

Pete is helping me with this exercise(occupying the futon, under the covers), this One Minute of Silliness.

"Okay, if you start this you can't go back?"

"Ha?" I'm taken back a step.

"Everyday, you're gonna need silliness EVERYYDAY."

"REALLY?" oH my god, I was caught by the serious demons .... I get it, I get it.

Do a little more laughing yoga .... ha, ha, ha!!!!!

Oh, ho, ohhh ... one of my very funny, sweet and saucy friends Leslie R over at Oko Box has one of the giggliest photo and post with comments about HUGE SUNFLOWERS. Click here to go there.


Your first dose of Sunday Silliness from the Ledge in the Woods inside VardoForTwo.

Now ... you go

Photo Credits above: Laughing Hyena and Maitrey laughing buddha

Got a joke?
Share some Sunday silliness right here.

WHILE Mending My Nets...

Sometimes while "mending my nets"* during `ole days, something comes up that begs to be shared.

Today's Swami Beyondananda Wakeup Laughing Bit ... (you can find them everyday by going to "The Humor Stick" over on my other blog Makua O`o (www.makuaoo.blogspot.com) ABOUT 'FUNKY JUNKY' is just too funny ... I'm laughing at myself, talk about mending my nets!

What to do with funky junk:
Turn da funk inta function
leave da junk at da junction.
- Swami Beyondananda

* This "mending my nets" analogy comes from the regular practice fisherfolk would do during the `ole days when the ocean conditions called for no fishing. To prepare for the days and nights when fishing was excellent, the nets would need to be in excellent repair.

NO madness

I was losing my sense of humor, and went searching for it ...


I went to the beach, it was raining and I was not prepared.
I went to the bakery, and ate a danish.
I went the internet and found all sorts of advice.
I went to The Canary Report's new social community network and found Linda's new blog with a post from one of my old-time funny guys Swami Beyondananda. It was JUST the thing I needed on this lack of humor Monday.

This is my favorite from Linda's post "SWAMI'S 10 GUIDELINES TO ENLIGHTENMENT", and something I think I'll clip part of that guideline to VARDOFORTWO so I'll see it everyday.

If we want world peace, we must let go of our attachments and truly live like nomads. That's where I no mad at you and you no mad at me. That way there will surely be nomadness on the planet. Peace begins with each of us. A little peace here, a little peace there. Pretty soon all the peaces will fit together to make one big peace everywhere.

Thanks Linda!

FROM THE KITCHENETTE

THE KITCHENETTE

This is where we live. When VARDOFORTWO the blog was born, back in October, we posted pictures of our safe at home space we have come to know as THE KITCHENETTE. I credit my therapist for reminding me of that word which is just what our home is ... the kitchen and her ette. Leslie from The Oko Box Blog posted pictures and story of what it takes to live in 'safe' fashion with stuff that 'ordinaries' or 'civilians' have/build with ...Least I forget how MUCH WE HAVE living in The Kitchenette I felt compelled to make her our very special pin-up girl. With out her we would be dead meat!

HERE SHE IS: Dressed in beautiful flowing tropical golden folds, The Kitchenette is always oh so lovely wearing a print of ti leaves and banana fronds. An old favorite print that has blessed so many places we have called home, first cut and sown for our cottage on Puhala Drive in Manoa Valley on O`ahu. In the background above the full-sweep of golden folds and tropical leaves the silvery all-powerful Denny Foil encases the cabinetry that keeps on stinking after all those thirty years. What? You wonder what those dancing geisha are doing above the doorway in The Kitchenette ... that my dear friends is a keepsake that has weathered thousands of miles of wandering, originating in Lahaina, Maui Jodo Mission when once we danced with friends at O BON ... the feastival to honor the dead. A truly wonderful time, a real grand dancing in a circle time.
ABOVE YOU SEE THE VERSATILITY OF A SHEET (many time washed and safe, safe, safe) & DENNY FOIL. The dark green sheet-wall is skillfully stretched and tacked with push pins, across a gaping opening between nirvana (The Kitchenette) and ... hell? No, not quite, but purgatory yes. Once again the mighty DENNY FOIL hidden and taped behind the sheet, creates a sturdy barrier temporarily or for as long as you need it to be. Ever the island folk we have kept the decor a la Sig Zane adding colors of Hawaii and the shapes of things we love about `aina-- the ULU, breadfruit panels were cut and hemmed years ago when we lived on Wailuku Drive in Hilo, Hawaii. What we have kept can be washed easily and folded into small spaces for ease and mobility.

OUTSIDE THE KITCHENETTE TODAY: What is that man looking at?

OMIGOD! It's BLUE SKY

BUILDING THE VARDO: The next design

Here's our next design for a VardoForTwo! I love it, and picked it from my new favorite FREE CLIPART Site, PLUS it was the only little cottage that didn't have smoke rising from the chimney. There is an undeniable draw to the round cottage. And the colors are perfectly fantastical, whimsical. With all the seriousness going around I needed a little whimsy. Just fool'n...but then, you never know!

Humor

Halloween! Trickers and Treaters come out tonight. It's still raining. When my son CKB was a boy I remember Halloween nights where raingear was the costume of choice. I'm in the kitchenette. Pete's out shopping for more stuff, or just out talking with the guys who make things he can't. JOTS the White Center kitty that's adopted us (or at least our chicken and salmon tidbits) is wondering "Where's the folks?" Hidden behind the curtains her tiny face can't see me.

There are down times when not working on the vardo is exactly what we need to do ... we both slid into a "Need for humor" and a need for a push on the "Refresh" key. While digging through the things we DO still tote around with us, Pete found these Halloweenee Toys that have made us laugh for years ... thanks Jude. Sometimes a rainy day is a good thing.