December 2015

We enjoyed visiting with family and friends in California, Oregon, and Washington all during this past month of December.

Karen and I just returned today to Red Bluff after being in Oregon for 8 days.  Back to our normal home and work routines.

We are both in good health and wish the same for others.

Happy Holidays to All.  









 

A Carpet of Leaves

 Frost and Tomatoes Don't Go Well Together:

Two large Raywood Ash trees in our back yard can lay down many leaves on a windy day in December. 

Long Fence Line

Looking north from our home, at the circled end of the Kilkenny Lane cul-de-sac.  The smell of eucalyptus trees is potent and unique.  There are many eucalyptus trees on my property.  The fence line separates Debbie's property to the left (west) of the fence, and Ruth's property to the right (east) of the fence; and Slade's property is to the north of Debbie and Ruth's property.  Everything is fenced.  Cattle are raised on Slade's property. 

 

Daodejing, Laozi: Indexes, Selected Translations, Resources, Bibliography

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu circa 200 BCE

Indexes Selected Translations, Bibliography, Comments, Resources.  Compiled by Mike Garofalo. 
Version 2.1, October 2015

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes over 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.   


Chapter 1, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey   

 

Dark and Dreary Day

Sipping coffee and thinking.
I look forward to walking with my dog this morning.
John will be working on our new back door and back entrance siding.  
Mick and April arrive here this afternoon. 
Outside: 45F, overcast, drizzling, sprinking, raining, a darker world.

We have been very busy lately with traveling and having visitors.  We were in Portland for a week before Thanksgiving Day.

November was a very busy month for Karen and I.  

We have repaired the entire south side of our house and the entire back porch.  Both have been painted.

Busy with part-time employment 3 days 8 hours per week, and hope to retire from this job in 12/18.  I still teach yoga/qigong 3 hours each week.

Pulled up dying summer vegetables, raked, spread manure.  Enjoyed working outdoors when it was sprinkling.  When it really started to rain I retreated to a shed or indoors.

"From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens -
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind's eye."
-   Katherine S. White

Last View of Their Swing
11/26/2015, Portland
By Mike Garofalo

 















Cold nights and wind have killed all the summer vegetables. 
2015 gone for them and us.

Quotations and Poems Representing the Month of December

Stoic Philosophy: Notes and Reflections

Stoicism: Bibliography, Hypertext Notebook, Resources, Research, Themes, Reflections

Research by Mike Garofalo.  250KB, November, 2015

In the last month, I have been steadily reading Hellenistic philosophers (300 BCE - 200 CE).  I've read all of Marcus Arelius and Epictetus.  I'm now reading Seneca and Cicero.  I've read many commentaries and scholarly works about the Stoics and Greco-Roman Hellenistic Ethical viewpoints.  

I've focused recently on using Stoic practices, maxims, exercises, and skills development for improving my daily life.