Memories of Our Backyard

South of Red Bluff, California
North Sacramento Valley 
Yolly Bolly Mountains to the West
Our backyard view from 1998-2016

Opportunities as We Age

"Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength."
-  Betty Friedan

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.  Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
-  Samuel Ullman

Aging Well 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Garden Project: Greenhouse

As we transition into late autumn and winter, and the temperature drops, we need to protect frost sensitive plants.  Last winter we brought the frost sensitive plants (e.g., succulents, fuschias, lemon, avocado, etc.) indoors.  We had a snow once (12/17), and several times with winter nightime lows in the 30's F. 

We are now busy moving plants around and bringing some temporarily indoors. 

Here is a photo of the current Nursery area, and then a photo of the plants indoors. 



This year, we intend to add a greenhouse in the area of our backyard called the "Nursery." Here is a current photo of the area:

We selected the Palram Harmony 6 foot x 4 foot Polycarbonate Greenhouse from Home Depot.  This greenhouse arrived yesterday.  Here is what the greenhouse looks like:

Activities Leading to Happiness

Happiness Activities

1.  Expressing Gratitude
2.  Cultivating Optimism
3.  Avoiding Over-Thinking and Social Comparisons
4.  Practicing Acts of Kindness
5.  Nurturing Social Relationships
6.  Developing Strategies for Coping
7.  Learning to Forgive
8.  Increasing Flow Expectations
9.  Savoring Life's Joys
10.  Committing to Your Goals
11.  Practicing Spirituality
12.  Taking Care of Your Body (Meditation)
13.  Taking Care of Your Body (Physical Activity)
14.  Taking Care of Your Body (Acting Like a Happy Person)
15.  The Five Hows Behind Sustainable Happiness: Positive Emotions,
       Optimal Timing and Variety, Social Support, Motivation, Effort,
       Commitment, and Habit. 
-  Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, 2008 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Daily Personal Training

"Tai Chi Chuan is the art of letting hardness dwell within softness and hiding a needle within cotton; from the point of view of techniques, physiology, and physics, there is considerable philosophy contained within it.  Hence those who would research it need to undergo a definite process of development over a considerable period of time.  Though one may have the instruction of a fine teacher and the criticism of good friends, the one thing which is most important and which one cannot do without is daily personal training.  Without it one can discuss and analyze all day, think and ponder for years, but when one day you encounter an opponent you are like a hole with nothing in it - you are still quite inexpert, lacking the skills (kung fu) borne of daily practice. This is what the ancients meant by "thinking forever is useless, better to practice."  If morning and evening there is never a gap, hot or cold never an exception, so that the moment you think of it you proceed to do your training, then young or old, man or woman, you will alike be rewarded with success."
-  By Yang Cheng Fu, A Talk on Practice, 1925

Tai Chi Chuan Quotations

Persistence, Will Power, Practice

Country Pumpkins

We enjoyed a trip up to Woodland.  There is a large dyke along the Columbia River that protects the many farms west of Woodland.  We went out to the "Pumpkin Patch" and enjoyed the beautiful oaks, green fields, and lots of kinds of pumpkins and gourds.  Afterwards, we drove along the dyke road, and then visited Tsugawa Nursery.  Mick and April joined us for the day trip.  

Backyard in Autumn

Autumn: Poetry, Sayings, Lore, Quotations

San Juan Islands, Washington

We enjoyed the Washington State Ferry ride from Anacordes to Friday Harbor at the San Juan Island.  

Sagit River Valley, Washington

We drove east on Route 20 through Sedro-Woodley City, and up to Rasar State Park.  The wooded park is close to the large Skagit River.  The valley area down to the many bays is filled with farms, grazing lands, dairies, and all kinds of crops.  The Skagit River Valley is famous for is verdant farms.  It was very cloudy and hazy today, so we did not have good views of the Mt. Baker peaks.  

Next summer, we plan to drive Route 20 from Port Townsend to Spokane.  Route 20 is closed in the winter in the Northern Cascades.    

Bay View, Washington

We stayed for three nights in a cabin by the southern end of Padilla Bay in northeastern Washington State.  The cabin was at Bay View State Park. 

We traveled to Anacortes, San Juan Island, Mt. Vernon, Bellingham, Burlington, Sedro-Woodley, Concrete, Widby Island, and south along 101 by the Hood Canal to Olympia.  The Chuckanook Mountains 1896 road from the valley beside Samish Bay to Bellingham was a delight. 

The drive from our home in Vancouver to Bay View was about 260 miles. 

Bay View State Park

The southern end of Padilla Bay was very shallow, mostly mud flats

at low tide.  The view to the west was Marsh Point and the huge

Shell-Texaco oil refinery and the array of storage tanks.  

Just doing a lot of looking, seeking, gazing, listening.

Yang Taijiquan, Cheng Man-Ching's 37 Form

Grandmaster Chen Man- Ch'ing's (1901-1975)

37 Movement Tai Chi Chuan Form in the Yang Style

Winter Gardens Started

Behind me is a veggie bed in the sunshine.  It contains two small grape vines, kale, Swiss chard, snow peas and onions.

Spirit of Gardening Website

Sixto Rodriguez Rediscovered

Sixto Rodriguez.

"For the past 20 years, Stephen “Sugar” Segerman has been involved in the rediscovery of, and resurgence of worldwide interest in, Sixto Rodriguez. This legendary and internationally acclaimed American folk-rock singer-songwriter, who was a huge success in South Africa from the ‘70’s onwards, was believed to be dead but was found alive and well and living in Detroit in 1997. Since then his career has gone from strength to strength following a series of international tours, the re-release of his albums, and the success of the Oscar-winning film about this extraordinary story, ‘Searching For Sugar Man’, in 2013."

Mt. Ranier Trip

Karen and I enjoyed our three day trip up north to the Mt. Ranier area.  We drove 360 degrees around Mt. Ranier via the towns of : Elbe, Mt. Ranier National Park entrance, Longmire, Paradise, Stewart Canyon road, Chinook Pass, Greenwater, Enumclaw, Puyallup, Auburn, Carbonado, and Eatonville.

We stayed for two nights in a yurt at Kanaskat-Powell State Park along the Green River.  The river and rapids were delightful, and the park with lush vegetaation..  The yurt was 9 miles from Enumclaw.  We explored around the town of Enumclaw from 9/5-9/7.

Unfortunately, there was much fog, haze, and clouds at lower elevations that completely obscured Mt. Ranier from the headlands west of this massive mountain.  Above 4,000 feet the mountain was clear and impressive from Paradise Point and many road turnouts and viewpoints as you drove up to Paradise Point.  As usual, there were many summer tourists and the parking lots were jammed and roads busy.  Stunning high mountain scenery. 

Some of the roads we drove on are open only in the summer.  Next summer, we intend to drive up to Sunrise Point, the highest point you can drive to in Mt. Ranier Park, and also visit the Crystal Mountain Resort.  These are areas on the northeast side of Mt. Ranier. 

Familiar Visitors from Las Vegas

Betty Ann Eubanks Yarber (- 2017) was the oldest of three sisters: Barbara, Ginger, and Karen.  Betty and Dick Yarber had three children: Gala, Billy, and Bud. 

This past week, we had visitors for three days.  Karen and my nephew, "Bud" or Galen Earl Yarber, his wife Helen, his daugher Gala, and Gala's friend, Nick, all came to visit us for three days.  I have know Bud since he was a little boy of age 6, when I was in my twenties living in East Los Angles. 

Nice to reminiscence with family about old times, and see young people on the first paths of their lives.  We told stories and jokes, exchanged memories, and shared what we were doing lately.  Bud played a guitar quite well which I enjoyed. 

Bud drove from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Boise, Idaho and Spokane, WA, and back.  Nick drove from Coeur d'Alene Idaho, to Vancouver, WA, and back. 

How to Live a Better Life

12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson


Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
Make friends with people who want the best for you
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't
Be precise in your speech
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos  
By Jordan B. Peterson
Random House, 2018, 409 pages.

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

Computer Problems

My computer has been disabled for awhile due to a variety of software, virus, and malware mischief.

Thus far, I've spend many hours and $200.00 to recover.

I still don't have Front Page 2003 or Cute FTP back working.  Therefore, no website maintenance since July, 2018.

What an annoying hassle for me.

Kite Festival

April, Karen, Mick and I all went to Long Beach, Washington.  We stayed in a 

cabin on Monday and Tuesday evening.  We attended the annual Kite Festival.  
We toured the Long Beach Peninsula all the way north to Oysterville, and south to Cape Disappointment and Ilwaco Harbor.

Hydrangeas

We purchased a 2 gallon container of a Hydrangea paniculata Vanilla Strawberry plant.  

We have seen this plant growing to 5 feet tall in screen plantings.  We think this plant can grow in our front yard with a southern exposure. 

"Voted top plant of 2010 by the American Nursery and Landscape Association, Hydrangea paniculata Vanilla Strawberry™ is a relative of the classic PeeGee Hydrangea that produces large flower heads starting in midsummer. They begin creamy white but turn pink and then strawberry red, or even burgundy, later in the season with the cooler night temperatures. Since new flower heads continue opening into late summer, plants can display all three color stages at any one time. The blooms are borne on red stems, too, making quite a contrast against the green leaves. 'Renhy' PP 20,670

Because Panicle Hydrangeas bloom on new growth, they typically flower normally even if the twigs have been killed back by frost. Plant in a sunny, well-drained spot; some early afternoon shade is beneficial in hot southern regions. Prune in late winter or early spring.

Hydrangea is a valuable genus of some 100 species of shrubs and vines grown for their large and very showy flower heads. Hydrangeas are at their best in summer and fall—a quiet time for most woody plants—and are worth having for that reason alone."

White Flower Farm

How to Improve Your Mood

Boost Your Mood, Pick Yourself Up
Revitalize Yourself, Banish the Blues  

Be grateful for the good in your life.   
Give yourself permission to be human.
Brighten someone’s day. 
Learn something new. 
Listen to upbeat music.
Do some exercise on a regular basis.
Simplify your life, remove clutter, and clean. 
Go for a walk. 
Enjoy sex and discover romance. 
Get organized.
Do a good deed or volunteer.  
Smile and put on a happy face. 
Indulge your senses. 
Seek and cultivate beauty. 
Take time to breathe deeply. 
Look at some old photos. 
Focus on the positive. 
Forgive yourself. 
Get some fresh air. 
Eat often and eat light. 
Begin a program of meditation or contemplation.
Talk with your physician or counselor.   
Cook and prepare a lovely and tasty meal. 
Eat something nutritious like nuts or fruit. 
Pamper yourself.
Alter your routines in some way. 
Have confidence. 
Talk with your spouse. 
Fake it till you make it. 
Sign a song out loud. 
Tap into your creative side. 
Take up a mind-body practice like Taijiquan, Qigong or Yoga. 
Inhale a calming scent. 
Sit quietly, rest, or sleep. 
Brainstorm a problem for solutions. 
Avoid bad or negative companions, and find good friends. 
Watch a good non-violent movie. 
Work in the garden. 
Cool down strong emotions. 
Take some vacation time for relaxation and retreat. 
Look on the Bright Side.
Small steps of progress are better than no steps. 
Avoid watching the news for a week. 
Don’t take yourself too seriously. 
Focus on past successes, not failures. 
Create a wish list and make one wish come true.
Explore ways to boost your self-esteem. 
Focus on what you can control and what you can change.
Get some more sunlight on your body. 
Choose your attitude and how you will react to life's events. 
Spend less, avoid shopping. 
Stop all cussing, swearing, or rude language. 
Keep a journal or express yourself in writing. 
Go easy on yourself and yield.  
Count your blessings. 
Spend some time with children. 
Take a long shower or refreshing soaking bath. 
Get relevant and accurate information. 
Chat with a friendly person or neighbor.
Things change and time heals. 
Adapt, adapt, adapt. 
Agree to disagree; you don’t need to win every argument.   
Think fast.
Consider vitamin or herbal supplements that lift mood. 
Seek professional help for serious mental health problems. 
Read something inspiring. 
Avoid comparing yourself to others, and envy is a waste of time.
Try praying or chanting. 
Evaluate and revise your goals. 
Don't sweat the small stuff. 
Pet your dog or cat and care for them. 
Get a massage.
Enjoy a non-competitive sport. 
Try fasting or staying up all night. 
Donate your stuff, your skills, or your time.   
Forgive and forget. 
Dance till you are tired. 
Punch a bag or bang on a drum. 
Stop using any recreational drugs. 
Spend some time with children. 
Abandon false ideas and unrealistic aims. 
Enjoy a refreshing drink. 
Make someone laugh. 
Allow yourself to be eccentric, and enjoy some silly thoughts.
Have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea. 
Less talking and more doing. 
Get up, dress up, and show up. 
Observe nature carefully and respectfully.
Visit your public library and borrow some beautiful books. 
Be less self-centered and selfish. 
A spiritual advisor, rituals, or religious beliefs can sometimes help.
Love expands your horizons of caring and happiness. 
Accept the fact that some things are broken and can't be fixed.
Memorize and inspirational saying, prayer, poem or quote. 
Call or visit a sick person. 
Play a game. 

By Mike Garofalo
Valley Spirit Center
Red Bluff, California, 2011 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Ways to Lift Your Spirits (3 pages, PDF Format)

Virtues and Good Character

Fitness and Well-Being

Dao De Jing Concordance and Indexes

Tao Te Jing (Dao de Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) 
Resources, Index, Concordance, Commentary, Recommended Reading
Selected Translations in English, Spanish, and Chinese


Concordance to the Tao Te Ching
Alphabetical Index by English, Spanish, and Wade Giles Terms (Words)

Concordance to Chapters 1 - 29



Chapter Index to the Tao Te Ching

Concordance to the Tao Te Ching

English Language Versions of the Tao Te Ching - Translator's Index

Spanish Language Versions of the Dao De Jing

Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Bibliography

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

Cloud Hands Blog Posts About the Daodejing

Tao Te Ching  Chapter Number Index Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Tao Te ChingChapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE Chart by Mike Garofalo Subject Index
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50
51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60
61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70
71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80
81

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 up to 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.   

Dao De Jing, Chapter 26

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 26

"The Place of Peace ...
The heavy is foundation for the light;
So quietness is master of the deed.
The Wise Man, though he travel all the day,
Will not be separated from his goods.
So even if the scene is glorious to view,
He keeps his place, at peace, above it all.
For how can one who rules
Ten thousand chariots
Give up to lighter moods
As all the world may do?
If he is trivial,
His ministers are lost;
If he is strenuous,
There is no master then."
-  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 26   

"As the heavy must be the foundation of the light,
So quietness is lord and master of activity.
Truly, “A man of consequence though he travels all day
Will not let himself be separated from his baggage-wagon,
However magnificent the view, he sits quiet and dispassionate”.
How much less, then, must be the lord of ten thousand chariots
Allow himself to be lighter than these he rules!
If he is light, the foundation is lost;
If he is active, the lord and master is lost."
- Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 26

"The weighty is the source of the light; stillness dominates disquietude.
Wherefore, while the Sage proceeds the whole day according to Tao, he never departs from either calmness or gravity.
Although there may be spectacles of worldly glory to attract him he sits quietly alone, far above the common crowd.
How is that a Prince of Ten Thousand Studs of Horses can regard his own person  as of less importance than his regal dignity?
This lightness on the part of the Prince loses him his Ministers, while restlessness on the part of the Ministers loses them their Prince."
-   Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 26    

"The Solid is the root of the light;
The Quiescent is the master of the Hasty.
Therefore the Sage travels all day
Yet never leaves his provision-cart.
In the midst of honor and glory,
He lives leisurely, undisturbed.
How can the ruler of a great country
Make light of his body in the empire by rushing about?
In light frivolity, the Center is lost;
In hasty action, self-mastery is lost."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 26


"The heavy is of the light the root, and rest is motion's master.
Therefore the holy man in his daily walk does not depart from gravity.
Although he may have magnificent sights, he calmly sits with liberated mind.
But how is it when the master of the ten thousand chariots in his personal conduct is too light for the empire?
If he is too light he will lose his vassals.
If he is too passionate he will lose the throne."
- Translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 26


"Prudence is more stable than frivolity.
Rationality is superior to impatience.
Therefore, the sage always behaves prudently and rationally.
Even when successful, he is not carried away.
How could the king of a big kingdom rule without prudence?
Frivolity results in the loss of stability.
Impatience leads to the loss of superiority."
- Translated by Thomas Z. Zhang, Chapter 26

重為輕根.
靜為躁君.
是以君子終日行, 不離輜重.
雖有榮觀.
燕處超然.
奈何以萬乘之主, 而身輕天下.
輕則失臣.
躁則失君.-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 26

zhong wei qing gen.
jing wei zao jun.
shi yi sheng ren zhong ri xing, bu li zi zhong.
sui you rong guan.
yan chu chao ran.
nai he wan sheng zhi zhu, er yi shen qing tian xia.
qing ze shi gen.
zao ze shi jun.
-  Hanyu Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 26 

"Gravity is the source of lightness,
Calm, the master of haste.
A lone traveller will journey all day, watching over his belongings;
Yet once safe in his bed he will lose them in sleep.
The captain of a great vessel will not act lightly or hastily.
Acting lightly, he loses sight of the world,
Acting hastily, he loses control of himself.
A captain can not treat his great ship as a small boat;
Rather than glitter like jade
He must stand like stone."
-  Translated by Peter Merel, Chapter 26    

"Heaviness is the basis of lightness.
Stillness is the standard of activity.
Thus the Master travels all day
without ever leaving her wagon.
Even though she has much to see,
she is at peace in her indifference.
Why should the lord of a thousand chariots
be amused at the foolishness of the world?
If you abandon yourself to foolishness,
you lose touch with your beginnings.
If you let yourself become distracted,
you will lose the basis of your power."
-  Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 26

"Lo pesado es la raíz de lo ligero.
La calma somete a lo agitado.
Así, el sabio cuando viaja
no se aleja de la caravana.
Aunque pudiera divagar por los paisajes más excelsos,
conserva su paz y se hace superior.
¡Cuanta más atención debería poner el señor
del imperio en la esfera terrestre de su persona,
en vez de ocuparse de sus diez mil carruajes!
Quien se comporta superficialmente
pierde la raíz de su poder.
Quien se ofusca,
se pierde a sí mismo."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 26  

"Weight is the root of lightness, stillness the master of motion,

And the daily way of the sage departs not from his base,

Although he have brilliant prospects, he is unconcerned and quiet,

Should the lord of ten thousand chariots be too light for his place?

Then he will lose not supporters alone,

But, being too restless, loses his throne."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 26    

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 26, 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  

Progress on Home Improvement Projects

Lately, I have been very busy and working hard each day on outdoor home improvement projects.  I improved all the fences in the back yard.  I rebuilt the west fence, 30 feet long, and added a gate.  We added our first small "sunny garden" on the west street side of the property.  We improved and weeded the nursery area.  I built a new fence, 60 feet long, on the east side of the back yard to hide all of our workshop and storage areas.  We got the irrigation system working in our front yard; thanks to Sean's help.  We removed the dead Western Red Cedar tree limbs and branches over our east roof (from our neighbor's tree); thanks to Mick's help.  Karen added new vegetable plants and flower beds.  

Mostly work on rough carpentry, gardening, lifting and moving.  On the whole, enjoyable.

When resting during the heat of the day, I read, study, research, use the Internet, play video games, make notes, shop, and nap.  

Most of our home improvement objectives have been accomplished.  We will set new goals and objectives in September.   We want a 8 foot by 8 foot garden bed set over the removed lawn on the west street side of the property.   I will redo and improve the garden hoses watering system.  We will plant more shrubs in our garden and yard.  

We have travel plans in the Northwest this summer and autumn.  My brother and nephew and families are visiting us this summer.  

Not doing much Taijiquan, Qigong, Yoga, Feldenkrais, or walking since the Spring.  Mostly focused on home improvement work projects.  This work on home projects gives my 72 year old body plenty of exercise.   I do plan to resume my former exercises in August of 2018.  

Work Quotations:  http://www.gardendigest.com/work.htm

"Every kind of work can be a pleasure. Even simple household tasks can be an opportunity to exercise and expand our caring, our effectiveness, our responsiveness. As we respond with caring and vision to all work, we develop our capacity to respond fully to all of life. Every action generates positive energy which can be shared with others. These qualities of caring and responsiveness are the greatest gift we can offer."
-  Tarthang Tulku

I will add a few pictures of our efforts: