today we have started a garden with my students, they put the seeds in soil and watered them. very humble beginning of a big project we are joining. the school got the grant for land conservation, so it’s pretty incredible that we can be a part of this labor of love. we have a few raised flower beds and are looking to add more. Today we planted seeds to grow cilantro, bell peppers, basil and lettuce. we could potentially grow other vegetables as well, they say tomatoes and strawberries, technically those are fruits but we could still grow them here in Oregon.
Blessings
my students in the newcomer center are learning English and integrating into a new culture. they are all very different yet united by the same goal. beautiful young people full of hope and optimism. after finishing high school they have to start a new adventure in the new country they now live in. I am wishing them the best of luck!
When new life begins you have no time to dwell on old grudges, stirring the cup and inflicting suffering on someone else. When a new chapter is here you couldn’t care less about what others think it should be like or it should develop into, the world is YOUR oyster, don’t let other people decide what it’s going to be/look like. You only have one life to live, so do it well and stop trying to indulge every creature under the sun. It’s not happening… unless you are chocolate, even then… even then someone might object.
The new year of Dragon is coming to bring peace, prosperity, success… I want you to make it happen today as if there is no tomorrow. Your future is in your hands. Good fortune to you and yours in 2024! Live long and prosper every day in every way.
Chinese New Year – Year of the DRAGON, Due February 15, 2024. 24th Annual Chinese New Year Swap.
The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar. The holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Each year the New Year in China falls on a different date than on the Gregorian calendar. Dates range between January 21 and February 20. The Chinese New Year 2024, Year of the DRAGON begins on February 10, 2024 – the second New Moon after the Solstice.
The “Spring Festival”, beginning on the new moon, is the start of Chinese New Year, and is China’s longest and most important traditional festival. It is celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems. Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February. The Chinese New Year’s festivities end two weeks later on the 15th day of the first month (Full moon) and is celebrated with what is known as the Lantern Festival. The Chinese horoscope predicts that the Year of the Dragon in 2024 will bring luck, wealth, and power.
There are many traditions/beliefs associated with the New Year: The Chinese believe that as they enter a new year, they should start a new beginning. They pay off all of their debts, purchase new clothes, paint their doors, and even get new haircuts in order to have a fresh start. The night before the New Year begins, it is important to completely clean the house and sweep it. If you sweep or clean on Chinese New Year Day, it is bad luck, because you are sweeping out your good luck from the New Year. The same goes for bathing/showering. Instead of washing the morning of Chinese New Year, you are supposed to bathe the night before, then wait until the day after to shower again. Otherwise, all your (New Year) good luck gets washed away. New Year day is spent with family and friends, and usually there is a big family dinner. Flowers on the table each flower has meaning, fruit in bowls, and each traditional dish made, symbolizes something.
For this swap, your cards can be depictions of this year, 2024, which is the Year of the Dragon. But you may also depict any Chinese New Year Animal, and there are 12 Chinese New Year animals to pick from. Usually the U.S. post office (as well as the Canadian Post Office) releases a stamp to celebrate Chinese New Year. This year the post office is offering a blue rat. This stamp calls to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon dance often performed in Lunar New Year parades. This three-dimensional mask depicting a rat is a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk art crafts created during this time of year. It is not available yet, but I will post a link when it is.
You can have the the Spring Festival, or the Lantern Festival, or red envelopes, or peonies, pineapples, mandarins, kumquats, or koi. You can create cards about New Year beliefs/celebrations/traditions regards things to do, and other items which are BAD LUCK to do.
You can have celebrations such as Lion Dancing, Dragon Dancing, Dragon Boat Races, parades and/or fireworks. The dragon is a very popular symbol for the Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of strength and good luck. A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without a giant dragon parading down the street. The dragon costume is always very colorful and can be up to 100 feet long. People inside the costume make the dragon move up and down as it zigzags past the spectators.
You can have Chinese New Year traditions, like the gifting of money in red envelopes/red pockets. On Chinese New Year, it is good to be a single person because all the married people give unmarried people red pockets with lucky money inside. Others say red envelopes are only for children.
Fish, which are synonymous with Chinese New Year, Koi in particular. Koi are very positive symbols and the different colors all have their different meanings! So when you fill you Koi pond, make sure you get the right color mix! All very feng shui!
You can depict flowers. Flowers are great alone, and can also make excellent backgrounds. The Peony is known as “flower of riches and honor” or “king of the flowers”, and is used symbolically in Chinese art. It is a flower much favored for Chinese New Year. The Narcissus is a symbol of the beginning of a new year. It is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity in Asia. Cherry Blossoms symbolize spring, the new year, and new beginnings. Daffodils are for luck. Peach Blossoms feature in the Lunar New Year celebrations.
You can depict fruit such as mandarins or kumquats, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. In Lam Tsen there is a Wishing Tree where people throw Wishes tied to Mandarins into the Wishing Tree. Pineapple is considered a auspicious fruit for festive season. There are always pineapple tarts in every home during the Chinese New Year. Red Lotus seeds mean fertility. And pistachio nuts are lucky.
You can add Lucky Coins. Tie the coins together by red or gold string/ribbon to activate them. Group them in 3s, 6s or 9s. They obviously attract wealth! Odd numbers are better than even numbers. You can have fireworks or firecrackers. There are many beliefs about why fireworks are used. One belief is that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits, allowing the new year to begin without misfortunes. ( Taken from https://atcsforall.com/ )
Gromushka didn’t really need money so he decided to do what he always wanted to try but was kind of unsure, work with children. One doesn’t have to have their own kids to provide love and care for the little ones. The job he decided to take was actually not badly paid, he had to do his shift every day from 8am till 3.15pm. He loved the schedule as it left plenty of time for his other projects. He worked with elementary school kids as a teacher assistant, he enjoyed the job because it took 100 percent of his attention any given moment of the day. He loved being completely lost in the lives of others and their problems, it gave him a break from worrying about the future.
He enjoyed the job because he would dress up to entertain and be totally dissolved in love and attention of the kids, he knew it was a temporary thing so he felt at ease most of the time. I think I never told you that Gromushka went to school to be an elementary teacher, this is how I met him. He graduated from University and never really had to work in education, he had odd jobs that paid really well but school has never been on his radar. Until now that he was getting ready to have his own kids, maybe, maybe not…
Working at school can be really fun if you have a nice team. And this is what he was lucky to get, his coworkers were mostly women of different ages, some of them were pretty and nice, others weren’t. This is how life is, nevertheless, they all loved Gromushka and felt privileged to be working with him. He was a nice guy and he was consistently this way with students and staff. Most people didn’t know why he worked in elementary school since he obviously didn’t need money, yet some of the women working there were flattered to think that maybe someday he will be interested in them. Oh well…
Tom thought that it was a short-term solution for a lonely soul but who knows? Sometimes you just have to open the door for the opportunity and see what happens. Children can bring up the best or the worst in us, it’s been proven multiple times. After school activities were plentiful and sometimes teachers were invited to events organized by the head of school, karaoke, BBQ picnics and b-day celebrations were on the list of things to do for young and single. Gromushka wasn’t young any more, but he wasn’t old either. So he didn’t discount an unlikely possibility to meet someone he could potentially fall in love with.
P.S. Gromushka used to be an actor in Hollywood, he went on vacation to Canada for inspiration, since he was completely burned out in LA. He was a charming young man, still single and fun to be with. Men and women loved him equally, though he stayed away from close relations with anyone. He was a hermit by choice, romantic hero of mine.
Art lovers, welcome to the summer art in the park season! With nice weather and the end of school year, feels like life is finally back to normal if there is such a thing. Adventure awaits because we are here, ready to rock, ready to roll, how are you feeling? Is there a special trip you have in mind or just a local gig you would hope to join?
Since the spring cleaning is already done, feel free to go out shopping for new wonderful things to make this summer even brighter, even more fun! Beach towels, a new hat and sun screen… finish the list. I am also ready for the hikes as the snow is finally gone and we can go explore. Do you agree?
Donate something to make you feel relieved and fulfilled, I did it and it helps to be the captain of my ship and master of my soul. Reading and writing some poetry can be a nice outlet for the emotions that have been bothering you for a while. Journaling is another thing that the doctor ordered, write it, burn it, get rid of the load you don’t want to carry. I am so ready, are you?
Why I quit my job 