Happenings

The kids have been making a lot of mini-model sets lately.

Cap and the kids have resumed "table" activities with the start of Fall.


The kids are summarizing, making predictions, asking questions...their work touches on spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure, and other elements of writing.

I'm still thinking occasionally about eggs, but am not craving them anymore.

I've discovered the wonders of dipping fruit into boiling water. When you're eating for healing on the Dragon's Way, you eliminate cold foods (and drinks). Both in terms of the food's essence (according to TCM foods either have a cooling or warming essence), as well as, temperature and raw vs. cooked.

Yesterday I gave some cut up watermelon a hot water bath and was amazed at the change in flavor. There is so much flavor, but also, the experience somehow goes deeper. It feels so undeniably right. (Yes, you do lose some of the nutrient value of the foods by cooking them, if even briefly. However, for the purposes of acquiring qi and storing into your bank, any cool/cold essence/temperature will slow down the process.)

I had some more watermelon today and found myself tuning in to the color, and somehow the flavor, in a multi-sensory way. I felt like I was tapping into an old memory from another life. A rose colored silk couch...Victorian... Kind of crazy, even for someone as oral as I am. But, fun and opening, in a wonderful way.

I decided to warm my mango for lunch. As I was peeling it, I was immediately drawn to the color. In the organ system schematic we went over in class last night, the colors associated with each organ system was noted. Mango would probably fall under "yellow", which is "spleen" (mother/primary) and "stomach" (child/secondary).

Heh, heh, I just checked and the associated emotional activity for spleen is "overthinking". I feel as though I am coming out from a period of heavy overthinking. The environmental factor for the spleen is "dampness". I have definitely been feeling this.

On days like yesterday, when rain is coming or present, I can get achey in and around my joints and I felt that big time yesterday. My internal dampness reared up this weekend when my cat allergy flared up. I have extra mucous just waiting to go over the edge.

I am starting to pee a lot. Again, an indication of the extra water in my body. Practicing Qigong and eating for healing is releasing the excess water.

Hmm. The skin of the mango is green, though, which is the color associated with the liver which is the mother of all organs for those of us in "the West", and certainly is for me. Associated emotional activity? Anger. (In my case, way too much suppressed over years and years.)

I'm enjoying thinking about this stuff as it comes up. Looking forward to heading out to the supermarket for some scallions and bamboo shoots. And maybe some fennel.