Monthly Archives: May 2019

2019-05-03

I found that my calendar was filled with an abundance of “ME” time. DF went to Morocco with her women’s group for a couple of weeks.

Camels on the Beach: DF on the Lead

I quickly got into the business of a detox fast. I took care of myself, exercised moderately and studied on how to do that.

One day, I wandered out and found myself at the door of an old friend that I used to work with. He has several acres about a mile and a half a mile from me.

As we caught up, he began to show me around his property. I realized that I had never seen the acreage. Upon my request, he took me on a full tour of his desert twenty, or so, acres. The main wash rolls through the property on the hidden side of the hills, which you don’t see from the south face, where he lives. It is covered with the usual mesquite and grasses. It is the stealth route that DF and I have used to access a tall waterfall through the Stone Canyon Golf Course and residential area. The gated community sprung up blocking my old bike path to the waterfall, but that is another story.

What I didn’t realize is that there is a tributary, which intersects there and his property is backed against State Trust Land. He also offered me the run of the place, anytime.

After the visit, I got on line and investigated the area with Google Maps. I followed the brown strip of sand up and into the mountains. Several spots with large bedrock sheets can be seen. Mesquite trees line the natural path. There are million dollar homes on the border of the public lands, but apparently there is a dip into the wash, which creates a view buffer and the distance is far enough to not be seen. At this point, I have decided to hold off until DF‘s return, but I’m chomping at the bit to get out there and explore.

My Front Drive in Bloom

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Forests are made for weary men,

That they may find their soul again.

And little leaves are hung on trees

To whisper of old memories.

And trails with cedar shadows black

Are placed there just to lead men back

Past all the pitfalls of success

To boyhoods faith and happiness.

Far from the city’s craft and fraud,

O Forest, lead me back to God!

—Mary Carolyn Davies

There are thousands of poems that rejoice the spiritual quality of nature. Vistas of snow-capped mountains, flowing rivers, dark forests and golden plains inspire awe and stir spiritual feelings in the human soul. The scent of a flower, thick green grass, or the touch of the waters of a cool lake impart wonderment and sensuality.The infinite roof of stars and clouded skies elicit human writing that extols their beauty from authors of every nation and creed.

Authors and readers the world over appreciate the sensual spirituality of the natural world. It is a sacred dimension that can be felt by everyone. It allows a soul to respond to the natural world, from a child wishing on a star, to old age.

Nature brings us closer to a sense of an immaterial reality, a higher power, an integral oneness in nature that connects its myriad forms with us – if we care to let it.  From the earliest roots of mankind, when perhaps forces of nature were closer to our existence and perception, we have known this spirit and this transcendental oneness. It can be simply by our senses interfacing with the experience of nature.

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2019-03-03

We have mentioned our sweat before. It is a wonderful way to bond with friends and create nude community. We have described it to be as a spiritual exercise, but it is more. It is very healthy.

There is science to sauna and arts. Making something better and better is the science of sauna. Procedures evolve. When sitting around enthusiastic about something, it is difficult to not look for ways to improve the system. Questions come up and experiments are done. One decides where to sit, close to the heater, or higher where the air is more hot, or lower and stay in longer where it isn’t quite so extremely hot. Questions arrive like how much water to put on the stones for steam, when to scrape the toxins that come from the body, to sit, to lay down, to get up and move. These creative concerns can evolve into tools and design.

Self Styled Veniki Dance

Last Sunday we hosted a sweat. Several friends came and shared. A younger couple arrived, then a much older friend. We got started sweating and sat conversing from, “How ya doin” to Amazonian Anacondas. After a while, another couple arrived and then a late thirties mom showed up with two of her cool kids, which are something like eight and ten. With DF and myself, there were ten of us participating.

Russian people have bathhouses ingrained into their culture. One of us grew up around Russian saunas. He loves to spend time in insane heat. One day, we managed to get the thermometer up to over 212F. When it passed the red bar, we had to take more frequent breaks. I was trying to understand why my body didn’t just boil over, like a kettle on a stove, or a boiled egg. He has described big city Russian public saunas with walls of heat, their customs and how they are used. Continue reading →

2019-05-04

This year on World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD) we had no veggie garden. I’m selling my house and I figured that I’d be gone for the harvest.

There is a bumper crop of mustard, nearly waist high in DF’s yard. It had sprung up just as she was preparing to leave for Morocco with her women’s group. It all dried well under the Arizona sun while she was gone. The result was a mess. The thick stems have to be ripped up by the root by hand, or else they leave a yard full of daggers for bare feet. The task looked daunting.

There had been frost damage to her potted plants earlier this year. These had to be replaced. So, we had gardening to do. Not the typical green veggies, but we could celebrate WNGD.

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