Thursday, March 05, 2026

Bare Root Planting Time

Repost form December 2012:

We planted over 250 trees and shrubs at our Red Bluff 5 acre ranch in Northern California. Our fruit orchard consisted of 125 trees.

In December and early January of each year, Karen and I plant bare root trees and vines. We also plant potted plants. We also dig up and move plants to new locations.

This year, we are planting the following bare root trees and vines: a Splash Pluot, a Bartlett pear, a non-pariel almond tree, a neplus ultra almond tree, an Indian free peach variety, and a Moorpark apricot tree. Among the potted plants are oleander shrubs, bay laurel trees, black oak trees, grape vines, mock oranges, bottle brush, and others.

We started a new row in the northeast quadrant of the south field. In the first row, from north to south, we planted: 1) Transcendent Crabapple, 2) Golden Russett Apple.

We dig holes, plant the tree or shrub, stake trees as needed, prune excess branches to shape and reduce stress, and water.

Wednesday, March 04, 2026

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 48

Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 48

"In pursuing the study of Tao there will be daily increase; in acting out the Tao when learned, there will be daily diminution.
This marks the characteristics of the two stages.
In the first the man appears to make rapid progress in learning and philosophy, and so cuts a figure before the world; in the second, he becomes simple, humble, self-effacing, and thus may be said to diminish.
When this diminution is still further diminished, he will arrive at a state of inaction, or quiescence.
There is nothing that cannot be done by inaction.
The Sage ever employs inaction in administering the Empire.
As for those who put themselves to trouble in the matter, they are inadequate to the task of government."
- Translated by Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 48

"By studying, every day one increases (useless and injurious particular notions, in one's memory);
By concentrating on the Principle, they are diminished every day.
Pushed to the limit, this diminution ends in non-action, (the consequence of the absence of particular ideas).
Now there is nothing that non-action (letting things go) cannot sort out.
It is through non-action that one wins the empire.
To act, in order to win it, results in failure."
- Translated by Derek Bryce, 1999, Chapter 48

"Bodily and mental distress is increased every day in the effort to get knowledge.
But this distress is daily diminished by the getting of Tao.
Do you continually curtail your effort till there be nothing left of it?
By non-action there is nothing which cannot be effected.
A man might, without the least distress, undertake the government of the world.
But those who distress themselves about governing the world are not fit for it."
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 48

"Striving for learning one gains a daily addition,

Using the Tao there follows a daily remission,

And as the work lessens and lessens there comes a condition

Of nothing doing, when nothing is left to do.

He who would take as his own all the realm under heaven,

Accomplishes it when no trouble is taken or given,

If trouble he use, by trouble itself he is driven,

And unfitted thereby to take what he seeks to pursue."
- Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 48

為學日益.
為道日損.
損之又損.
以至於無為.
無為而無不為.
取天下常以無事.
及其有事, 不足以取天下.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 48

wei xue ri yi.
wei dao ri sun.
sun zhi you sun.
yi zhi yu wu wei.
wu wei er wu bu wei.
qu tian xia chang yi wu shi.
ji qi you shi, bu zu yi qu tian xia.
- Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 48

"A man anxious for knowledge adds more to himself every minute;
A man acquiring life loses himself in it,
Has less and less to bear in mind,
Less and less to do,
Because life, he finds, is well inclined,
Including himself too.
Often a man sways the world like a wind
But not by deed;
And if there appear to you to be need
Of motion to sway it, it has left you behind."
- Translation by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 48

"Learning consists in adding to one's stock day by day;
The practice of Tao consists in “subtracting day by day,
Subtracting and yet again subtracting
Till one has reached inactivity.
But by this very inactivity
Everything can be activated.”
Those who of old won the adherence of all who live under heaven
All did so not interfering.
Had they interfered,
They would never have won this adherence."
- Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 48

"Al buscar conocimiento mediante el estudio,
cada día se adquiere algo.
Al buscar conocimiento mediante el Tao,
cada día hay que desprenderse de algo.
Desprendiendose de cada vez más
se llega al estado de la No-Interferencia.
Al No-Interferir
nada se deja sin hacer.
El mundo debe regirse dejando que las cosas fluyan.
Nada puede ser regido interfiriendo contra las cosas."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 48

"In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things, until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way.
It can't be gained by interfering."
- Translation by Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 48

Chapter 48 of the Tao Te Ching

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

English Language Translators' Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

Tao Te Ching English Language Corncordance by Gerold Claser. An excellent English language concordance providing terms, chapter and line references, and the proximal English language text. No Chinese language characters or Wade-Giles or Pinyin Romanizations. Based on the translation by John H. McDonald, available on the Internet in the public domain.

Tuesday, March 03, 2026

Layers of Life

The Onion of Being
Never stops growing
Layering layers over layers---
Giving us one peel a day
On our life's way

Pulling Onions

Monday, March 02, 2026

Lessons from Paulo Coelho

I found this information about Paulo Coelho on a recent post to Facebook. Since I have not read this book, I am unsure as to the correctness of this post. However, it does fit with the messages of positive psychology and practical philosophy that I have studied by other authors.

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

10 Top Lessons
From he Book The Alchemist

A book by Paulo Coelho

1. Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.

And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

Any new pursuit requires entering uncharted territory -- that's scary. But with any great risk comes great reward.

The experiences you gain in pursuing your dream will make it all worthwhile.

2. What is "true" will always endure

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back.

If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return."

~ Truth cannot be veiled by smoke and mirrors -- it will always stand firm.

~ When you're searching for the "right" decision, it will be the one that withstands the tests of time and the weight of scrutiny.

3. Break the monotony

"When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."

~ Gratitude is the practice of finding the good in each day.

~ Life can easily become stagnant, mundane, and monotonous, but that changes depending on what we choose to see.

~ There's always a silver lining, if you look for it.

4. Embrace the present

"Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present.

If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man."

~ There's no point dwelling in the past and letting it define you, nor getting lost and anxious about the future. But in the present moment, you're in the field of possibility

~ How you engage with the present moment will direct your life.

5. Your success has a ripple-effect

"That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."

~ Growth, change, and evolution are weaved into the fabric of reality.

~ Becoming a better version of yourself creates a ripple effect that benefits everything around you: your lifestyle, your family, your friends, your community.

6. Make the decision

"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he has never dreamed of when he first made the decision."

~ It's easy to get overwhelmed by the unknowns and finer details of your dreams.

~ Actions will flow out of having confidence in your decision; sitting on the fence will get you nowhere.

7. Be unrealistic

"I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does."

~ Some of the greatest inventions would not have happened if people chose to accept the world as it is.

~ Great achievements and innovations begin with a mindset that ignores the impossible.

8. Keep getting back up

"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."

Because the eighth time could be your breakthrough.

Some of the greatest novels in history were published after receiving hundreds of rejections. Thankfully, those authors never gave up.

9. Focus on your own journey

"If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry.

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

~ It's easy to be influenced by others, but you'll be miserable if you end up living someone else's life.

~ There's nothing wrong with taking advice and learning from others, but make sure it aligns with your desires and passions.

10. Always take action

"There is only one way to learn. It's through action.

Sunday, March 01, 2026

Cheng Man-ch'ing's Tai Chi Chuan

Yang Taijiquan 37 Form of Master Cheng Man-ch’ing in 1940

1. Preparation: Standing, Step
2. Beginning: Raise Hands, Lower Hands
3. Ward Off Left
4. Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail: Ward Off L/R, Roll Back, Press, Push
5. Single Whip
6. Raise Hands
7. Shoulder Strike
8. White Crane Spreads Its Wings
9. Brush Left Knee, Twist Step
10. Play the Lute
11. Brush Left Knee, Twist Step
12. Step Forward, Deflect, Parry, Punch
13. Apparently Sealing, Seemingly Closing, Apparent Close, Push
14. Cross Hands, Embrace Tiger
15. Return to Mountain Brush Knee, Grasping Sparrow’s Tail, Single Whip
16. Rely on Fist Under Elbow
17. Step Back, Retreat, Repulsing Monkey 3X
18. Diagonal Slant Flying
19. Cloud Hands 4X, Single Whip
20. Snake Creeps Down
21. Golden Rooster Stands on Both Legs 2X
22. Kick with Right Foot
23. Kick with Left Foot
24. Turn, Kick with Left Heel
25. Brush Knees 3X, Punch Down
26. Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail, Single Whip
27. Fair Lady Works the Shuttles 4X
28. Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail, Single Whip
29. Snake Creeps Down Left Leg
30. Seven Stars of the Big Dipper Step Forward
31. Step Back, Ride the Tiger
32. Rotate and Turn Body, Sweeping Right Leg Lotus Kick
33. Bend the Bow, Shoot the Tiger
34. Step Forward, Deflect Block, Intercept and Punch
35. Apparent Close, Withdraw and Push
36. Cross Hands, Horse Stance
37. Conclusion: Feet Together, Hands Down, Standing

List of the 37 Movements, 1 page, PDF format, 4/15/2016
http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/chengform4.pdf

Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902-1975): Tai Chi Chuan Master

Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Resources, Reflections, Notes.
A hypertext notebook by Michael P. Garofalo.

Relax (Sung) in Tai Chi Chuan

Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes, Instructions. By Mike Garofalo.

Cheng Man-ch'ing on UTube

There is a very good article by Master Wasentha Young titled "Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing's Design of the Yang Style Short Form." It is located in the recent Qi Magazine: Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness (Volume 27, Number 4, 2017, pp. 30-37.) Her instruction on pacing energetic flow levels at subsequences of dingdian, parts of the 37 form, were valuable.

Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing was also known affectionately by one of his many nicknames - "Whisker's Man." Lots of pictures of him smiling - I like that.

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Gardening Information for Vancouver, Washington

Repost from 2000:

It is now raining heavily in Vancouver, Washington. The Cascades will get some heavy snow at the higher altitudes. Temperatures in the 40's.

The annual average rainfall (AAR) in the different places I have lived is of note for me:

1946-1967 Unincorporated East Los Angeles, Bandini Neighborhood/Varrio,
City of Commerce, Southern California AAR = 15”
1948-1958 Karen grew up in Alexandria, Central Indiana AAR = 42"
1969-1973 Biloxi, Mississippi AAR = 65”
1973-1983 Bell Gardens, Southern California AAR = 15”
1983-1998 Hacienda Heights, California AAR = 15”
1998-2017 Red Bluff, Northern California AAR = 25”
2017– Vancouver, Southwestern Washington, Northwest USA AAR = 42”

Vancouver, Washington, is rated as USDA Agricultural Zone 8B.

Zone 8b means that the average minimum winter temperature is 15 to 20 °F.

Gardening Information for Vancouver, Washington:

Understanding your gardening environment is essential to success. What are the climate conditions in your area during a year's cycle? What is the soil like?
What kinds of plants are grown successfully in your area? What nurseries are nearby.

Vancouver, Washington, USA, Zip Code: 98662

Hardiness Zone: Zone 8a: 10F to 15F

Average First Frost: October 21 - 31

Average Last Frost: April 1 - 10

Koppen-Geiger Climate Zone: Csb - Warm-Summer Mediterranean Climate

Ecoregion: 3a - Portland Vancouver Basin

Palmer Drought Index: Extremely Moist

Average Annual Rainfall: 43.55 inches

Heat Zone Days: Rare Over 86F

Elevation: 171 feet above the Pacific Ocean

Soil:

Nurseries: Yard and Garden, Shorty's, Tsugawa in Woodland, Lowe's and Home Depot.

General Geography:

The Pacific Ocean and Astoria, Oregon, is 100 miles to the West from Vancouver.
The south side of the City of Vancouver is the Columbia River, and across the river is Portland, Oregon. The Cascade range and Columbia Gorge is to the East. Looking north: 165 miles to Seattle, 494 miles to Vancouver, Canada; 105 miles to Olympia, and 45 miles to Mt. St. Helens.

January Average: 33F low, 46F high, 6" Rain

February Average: 35F low, 50F high, 4.99" Rain

March Average: 37F low, 56F high, 4.38" Rain

April Average: 40F low, 60F high, 3.28" Rain

May Average: 45F low, 67F high, 2.67" Rain

June Average: 50F low, 72F high, 1.88" Rain

July Average: 53F low, 79F high, .8" Rain

August Average: 57F low, 82F high, .5" Rain

September Average: 49F low, 75F high, 1.91" Rain

October Average: 42F low, 64F high, 3.41" Rain

November Average: 38F low, 52F high, 6.49" Rain

December Average: 34F low, 46F high, 6.68" Rain

Yearly Averages: 42F low, 62F high, 43.55" Rain

The Spirit of Gardening

Gardening in Red Bluff, California

Colors in the Garden: Vancouver, WA

Gardening in Vancouver, Washington

Mt. Adams Emerges in the West

The Fireplace Records Case #58

Mt. Adams Emerges in the West

"Master Yellow-Bitterroot Mountain asked me,

'What is the meaning of Old Pahto emerging in the West?'

I lifted my cane and placed it in my mouth, saying nothing.

Later, zany Zen liar that I am, I wrote:

"No minds, no dharmas. No-mind, much Dharma."

Zen Koans: The Fireplace Records
Koans by Mike Garofalo

Zen Koan Collections Studies

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans

Reading Wittgenstein 1975-

Buddhism

Taoism

Meetings with Master Chang San-Feng

Philosophy

Quintain Poetry

Mount Adams, Old Pahto, Washington

Pulling Onions

Friday, February 27, 2026

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls for Older Persons

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls
Safety Tips for Around Your House
For Older Persons, Seniors, Elderly:

Avoid clutter. Don't leave things on the floor. Pick up after yourself.
Make sure you have good lighting for both night and day.
Keep furniture and tables to a minimum. Leave room for walking.
Keep areas beside the bed and into a toilet clear and uncluttered.
Use hand bars beside toilet and shower.
Have a strong small ladder for reaching up to higher shelves.
Wear good shoes indoors.
Make sure rugs and runners are secure on the floor.
Watch out if you have steps into your garage or rooms.
Be careful, slow down, be alert!
Use your cane or walker as needed.
Be aware if medicines you take make you feel lightheaded or dizzy.
If sitting for a long time, stand up slowly and carefully.
Move carefully on arthritic or injured limbs.
Use tips and techniques for standing up carefully and safely.
Exercise each day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
Make sure all chairs, seats, and tables are in good working order.
Use it, or slowly but surely loose it.
Keep all cabinet drawers or doors pushed and closed properly.
Let others help you or pay for services.
Know you own strengths, limitations, or weaknesses.
If you are obese, it will impair your balance skills. Loose weight!
Do exercises to improve the strength of your legs and hips.
See a physician for serious dizziness.
Practice Tai Chi Chuan to improve your balance skills.
- Michael P. Garofalo, Balance

Aging Well Information, Bibliography, Quotes, Notes, Links

Shifu Miao Zhang Takes A Walk

The Fireplace Records Case #57

Shifu Miao Zhang Takes a Walk

Toju Zenchu brandished his staff before Daoist

Shifu Miao Zhang and challenged him "Miao

Zhang, speak and you get whacked with Nanten's

staff. Do not speak and you still get whacked with

Nanten's staff." Shifu Zhang stood up quickly,

lifted his cane strongly in defense, and quietly

said, "Yunmen's shit stick stinks and Nanten's

staff is cracked! I am leaving now to take my

evening walk. Goodbye."

Zen Koans: The Fireplace Records
Koans by Mike Garofalo

Zen Koan Collections Studies

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans

Reading Wittgenstein 1975-

Thursday, February 26, 2026

The Green Man and Pan

"There lies within
A hidden glen
An altar made of stone.
Creeping vine
And moss entwine
To hide this ancient throne.
Tangled thorn
Grows thick to scorn
Those who seek to enter.
For though they strive
No man alive
Shall ever reach its center.
Known as Pan,
To some Green Man,
This glen is his sacred place.
He dons his hood
Of wildwood
To hide his leafy face.
The roving clans
That raped the lands,
Cut down his beloved trees.
And so, alas
As time did pass
The Green God fell to his knees. ..."
- Kristina Peters Moone, The Green Man

"The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever.
The force that drives the water through the rocks
Drives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streams
Turns mine to wax.
And I am dumb to mouth unto my veins
How at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks."
- Dylan Thomas, The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower

The Green Man

Lore, Legends, Tales, Celebrations, Springtime Symbols, Folk Stories and Plays
From the hypertext research notebooks of Mike Garofalo

This cabbage, these carrots, these potatoes,
these onions ... will soon become me.
Such a tasty fact!
- Mike Garofalo, Cuttings

Portrait of the Emperor Rudolph II as Autumn.By Arcimboldo, 1591, Held at the Museo Civico, Brescia.

A Repost from May 2018.

Cutting Through the Wind

The Fireplace Records Case #56

Cutting Through the Wind

Mayoku walked around his old Daoist friend,
Shifu Miao Zhang, three times and then thumped
his staff on the ground. Miao Zhang stood up,
walked around Mayoku once, tapped his cane three
times on the wall, and said "The power of the wind
can topple trees and is gone by morning. My cane
can cut through the wind."

Shifu Miao Zhang

Zen Koans: The Fireplace Records
Koans by Mike Garofalo

Zen Koan Collections Studies

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans

Reading Wittgenstein 1975-

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Yoga Postures - A Likely History

Repost for 2014:

Recently, I have been reading many books about yoga, exercise and spirituality. The following book by Mark Singleton has influenced my understanding of the evolution of the practice of hatha yoga since 1880:

Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice By Mark Singleton. New York, Oxford University Press, 2012. Index, bibliography, notes, 262 pages. ISBN: 9780195395341. VSCL.

Mr. Singleton's well argued and carefully documented thesis is that transnational yoga as we know it today, asana practices, emerged from physical culture practices from Europe, Indian nationalism, gymnastics, bodybuilding, medicine, health regimens, New Thought, a Hindu studies revival, fitness and gym business promoters, and the development and expansion of visual media. This process began in the 1880's and continues to this day.

"Consider the term Yoga as it refers to modern postural practice as a homonyn, and not a synonym, of the "yoga" associated with the philosophical system of Pantanjali, or the "yoga" that forms and integral component of the Saiva Tantras, or the "yoga" of the Bhagavad Gita, and so on. In other words, although the word "yoga" as it is used popularly today is identical in spelling and pronunciation in each of these instances, it has quite different meanings and origins." p.15

"As Joseph Alter has recently argued, a key methodological issue is therefore "how to exercise ethnographic relativism, historical perspectivity and intellectual skepticism all at the same time." This means critically examining modern yoga's truth claims while seeking to understand under what circumstances and to what ends such claims are made." p.14

The esoteric, magical, religious, New Age, imaginary and spiritual dimensions of "yoga" are definitely part of the currents of contemporary yoga practice and trends in non-church spirituality since the 1880's; but, the bigger picture of its popularity is due to our enthusiasm for fitness, bodybuilding, stress reduction, sexuality, improved health, relaxation, and the "good life."

Another book that points us in the right direction regarding contemporary yoga practices is:

The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards By William J. Broad. New York, Simon and Schuster, 2012. Index, bibliography, notes, 298 pages. ISBN; 9781451641424. VSCL.

This book is a must read for those who question the often outlandish claims for the benefits of yoga, are concerned about risky yoga postures, and favor a more scientific approach to yoga practice.

Finally, I enjoyed reading:

Original Yoga: Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga By Richard Rosen. Illustrations by Evan Yee. Boston, Shambhala, 2012. Index, bibliography, glossary, appendices, 286 pages. ISBN: 9781590308134. VSCL.

"The changes the traditional practice went through over the centuries might be considered organic, common to any living organism’s natural evolution. What happened to Hatha Yoga in the early years of the twentieth century, by contrast, happened virtually overnight and was totally "person-made," or artificial. The full story is too long to tell here and has already been masterfully recounted from slightly different perspectives by British researchers Elizabeth de Michelis in A History of Modern Yoga (Continuum, 2004) and Mark Singleton in Yoga Body (Oxford University Press, 2010. Suffice it to say that by the end of the nineteenth century in India, Hatha had fallen on hard times and was on its last trembling leg. Several Indian teachers set out to save Hatha from oblivion; among them was Tirumular Krishnamacharya, whose work provided the impetus for three of our most popular and influential modern teachers: T. K. V. Desikachar (whose teaching was once known as Viniyoga, a term that has since been abandoned); the late K. Pattabhi Jois (who taught Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga); and B. K. S. Iyengar, who (though he often adamantly insists there’s no such thing) created Iyengar Yoga. And save Hatha the teachers did. You may have heard or read somewhere that yoga is five thousand years old, a number that’s continually cited by people who should know better, since there’s not a shred of concrete evidence to back it up. What we do know for certain is that the yoga we practice in the West is no more than one hundred years old. Our Indian teachers took what was once the province of a relatively small, loose-knit, mostly male ascetic community that was resolutely living on the fringes of respectable Indian society and transformed it into a worldwide mass movement open to anyone of any age, gender, or physical condition. This is the second meaning of original yoga, the yoga that’s "original" to the twentieth century, or what we call modern Hatha Yoga." Original Yoga by Richard Rosen

This book includes instructions on some practices for "energizing" aspects of the esoteric body that are typical in Qigong and Yoga. Those interested in organic energy, Prana, Chi, and nadis/meridians will find it interesting.

After you set aside the preaching about worshipping Krishna, Shiva, or other Tantric dieties; strange chakras, gunas, and pranic realms; divine grace or higher consciousness; the power of meditation, mudras, and mantras; and Hindu pride ... just stick with the physical practices of yoga to effect significant transformation of your body and mind.

Consider the situation and determination of the following fellow: