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Sycamore Canyon
One of my favorite things about this house is seeing the pink stucco wall of Madame Ganna Walska's Lotusland every time I look out my window. Since we're practically part of Lotusland (okay, I'll admit that's a stretch), OF COURSE we like to think of our little garden as Lotusland South. To me, that means distinct gardens, each organized around a theme, with a little whimsy and a lot of personality.
The front yard was a single plane, sloping towards the house. (Runoff sat at the foundation of the house.) It was dominated by asphalt -- everywhere. There were some fabulous trees: a majestic live oak, a deodar, a liquidamber, a gnarled ornamental pear and some smaller tropical-looking material flanking the driveway entry (assorted Palms, Giant Bird-of-Paradise). The balance of the front yard was planted to junipers that had grown together to form an impenetrable 4' high thicket festooned with rat nests.
To add life and texture to the formerly asphalt-laden front garden, we used three-level terracing with broad, low stone steps between terraces. Features include a trio of Chitalpas to frame the top of the Lotusland gate, matching metal benches, pots with dramatic plantings and beds of blousy pink-tinged foliage and pink-hued flowers. A central fountain is surrounded by the grey-green softness of Silver Carpet ground covering nested between surrounding flagstone.
The backyard was dominated by an expansive flat lawn bordered by a sweep of ivy and perimeter screening. Mature trees include a dozen show-stopping live oaks, a large she-oak and some relic pines. Concrete paths and a small patio were removed. The backyard of this house looked like a park when we arrived. It was absolutely the right feel --- it just needed it to be low water, low maintenance, fire resistive and more user-friendly. Oh – and beautiful!
We kept the park-like feel, retaining the mature trees and the perimeter screening and the sweep of ivy. Everything else is new. A flat lawn is replaced by drifts of perennial grasses. Garden features include low broad stone steps and grading to create distinct spaces, two dining areas, new sandstone lined pond and pots with dramatic plantings to add punch throughout the yard. Concrete pavers make the patio a natural extension of the home, complete with firepit.
Bringing the outside in was a top priority, and purposeful design features make it seamless.


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The Recharge with Milk Ontario Tankard
is the annual event that will determine the Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Champion. The winner of the 2018 Recharge with Milk Tankard will represent Team Ontario at the Tim Hortons Brier in Regina Saskatchewan, March 3-11, 2018.
The Huntsville Curling Club is proud to host the 2018 Tankard at the Canada Summit Centre in Huntsville, Ontario from January 31st to February 4th 2018. There will be 12 teams from across Ontario who will compete in the Tankard. Qualifying teams will be decided through 2 provincial qualifiers (6 spots), and a challenge round (3 spots), the top two teams in Ontario, based on CTRS points and the current Colts Champion.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Extraordinary Awaits in Pondicherry/
Every year, I try to take a trip to Pondicherry, India, where Sri Aurobindo and the Mother did their great work of building the energetic foundation for humanity's evolution to the next level of consciousness. Words are feeble when describing the experience, but here are some takeaways I want to share.
1. Yoga is Best Learned through Transmission.
Imagine visiting the scene of one of the great spiritual events in the history of humanity. Imagine that event is so recent that a residue is palpable, and available to you as a feeling, a vibration, so your experience is not simply one of inspiration, but of transformation: you shift.
That happens when you visit the samadhi of Sri Aurobindo Ashram (where he and the Mother are laid to rest). As I sat there in silence, I realized what I was feeling was not residue, but evolution in real time. I watched -- and felt -- a deep and universal Love realign my past and my future to a more beautiful story of oneness, harmony, and purpose fulfilled. My life broke free of its old limitations, and the liberation was profound and humbling. Sri Aurobindo may have left his body, but he did not leave the ashram. The Mother's physical form may have died, but her energy did not disappear. The work of evolution is happening NOW, and anyone who sincerely aspires can participate.
While you don't have to be in Pondi to do the work, the original fountainhead does have special power: the energy of transformation is so close to the surface there. When you sit in silence in Sri Aurobindo's room, where he worked in deeply focused seclusion around the clock for decades, pulling down the force that is evolving the world, you are changed. If you retain that experience as a tactile memory embedded with sensation, you will never have to wonder what "yoga" means, or what its true essence is; you will have felt it and known it. That's better than a thousand definitions and a lifetime of study.
2. A System Helps. A Lot!
While transmission is the root of spiritual teaching, it is only effective when we are receptive, and receptivity requires a lot of work. It would be great if we could hop on a plane, breeze through the front gate of the ashram and emerge from the gift shop, changed. That's not the nature of integral, lasting transformation, though. We must have a systematic and effective way to get rid of our junk in order to make room for our Light.
I have never been more grateful for Purna Yoga and Heartfull Meditation than I was in Pondicherry. My practice made my experience possible, and it continues to enlarge and refine my power to evolve. Without Purna Yoga and Heartfull Meditation, I would have been a tourist observing a place where something epic happened; with the help of my practice, I experienced, participated in, and was blessed by, the on-going movement of consciousness towards a loftier peak.
3. I'm Going Back.
Pondi is bigger than a personal shift for me. When I am there, I feel the promise of humanity's future. Part of my growing up, spiritually, is helping to create this greater future, here and now. So, I am going back to Pondi, and I am taking with me anyone who wants to participate in this great change. You will learn the tools of Purna Yoga and Heartfull Meditation™ so you can be as receptive as possible to what's extraordinary in Pondi. We will go to the samadhi and open our consciousness to evolution. We will meditate in the Matrimandir and find the beauty that we hold inside. We will change, and, as we change, we will begin building the world we aspire to live in.
If you want to come with me, the first and most important thing to do is to believe: "This is possible for me." Then we can work together to make the possibility a reality.


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Novel H1N1 influenza immunization: Your important role
We are hearing more and more about the significant impact that H1N1 influenza could have on our population as schools across the nation begin new terms in the next few days and weeks. We know that this particular strain can affect even the healthiest young people—in fact, this group is affected more frequently than the elderly that we more commonly think about for seasonal influenza. The number of "candidates" for immunization this fall will exceed 100 million. We know through Twlug immunization programs that about 80,000 pharmacists have been trained to administer immunizations. We also know that four manufacturers are gearing up to produce sufficient supplies of H1N1 vaccine. CDC and FDA do not yet know whether one or two H1N1 administrations will be required, but in any case, the stress for access will be significant.
Our team is meeting with CDC to determine the best ways to help meet the pandemic issues we will face with respect to novel H1N1 influenza. Meanwhile, if you are an immunizing pharmacist, please consider how you can help. If you are not yet trained, consider getting trained through your schools, state associations, or other certificate programs. Let's get ready to show the world how pharmacists can make a difference!


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Read for the Once Upon a Time IX Reading Challenge.
Callie lives with her mother in Kansas. It's the 1930s, and nearly everyone else has left their town, due to the choking dust. But Callie's mother won't leave – Callie's father had promised to come back to them, and Callie's mother is holding onto the idea of his return with all her might.
On a particularly bad night, Callie hears voices in the roiling dust storm outside, and as it tries to beat its way into the family's hotel, Callie's mother disappears, and Callie learns that she's not quite human.
There's actually a lot going into the revelation of her fairy heritage, because Callie's father was black, and her mother has spent all her life concealing that from their neighbors. The thought that some fairy folk are dark, and that Callie could find a place with them is an important driver of the journey she embarks on, perhaps even more than trying to find her mother.
I really liked that this story was set in the Dust Bowl. I would have never thought to bring the Seelie and Unseelie Courts there, but the clever way the author works within that time period had me instantly sold.


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More bad news for Gucci Mane! The rapper was released from prison yesterday after a judge finally allowed him $75,000 bail.
Gucci was behind bars after he assaulted a fan on March 26. It sucks for him that he paid bail money just to be put back in prison. Maybe one day he'll learn but it doesn't look like it's going to be today.
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