Lord I was born a ramblin' man...

Wow, 1 month since my last post. One of the regular readers of this blog (okay, a family member) sent me an e-mail wondering if I was still alive...I assure you I am alive and well, okay, not that well, too busy to really be well, but I am surviving. Work has been incredibly busy. I have been traveling non-stop for 3 weeks straight. I keep thinking I have a trip coming up, but I get a week at home before flying out again.

Lori and I didn't get to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary in the same city. I was in Dallas, and she was in Columbus. I was helping lead an ideation workshop for a restaurant client, and she was helping Jeff move into his fraternity. We called each other and said, "Happy Anniversary! We can celebrate when we are back in town." She gets back tomorrow after visiting with her family in Minnesota. While in Dallas, I got to catch up with an artist friend. We were in Africa together...he painted the mural for the kids. His name is Ro Diaz, and you have go to his website and check out his stuff. I dragged a work colleague to his studio, and then took him to dinner. He ended up giving us each a signed poster of a commemorative piece he did after 9/11 using molten glass from Ground Zero. Then he let me pick out an original painting for Lori for our anniversary. I had it framed yesterday, and Melanie and I hung it up as a surprise for Lori. No need to worry about her seeing it here...she never reads my blog! Ha! Here it is...it is called "Face". It is charcoal and oil paint that Ro dilutes with Linseed oil so it is more like watercolors in effect.

Everytime I go back and look at it, she looks different...Ro is amazing. He also signed a limited edition print that is also being framed. If you go to his website and search his portfolio of work, it is the one entitled, "Road to Batuna". It is beautiful.

24 years of marriage is humbling when I think about it. I can't believe that is is more than half my life, and I can't believe how quickly it has gone by. I am seriously on the back side of life. Jeff in college, Melanie looking at schools, me looking at retirement options, feeling the aches and pains of life, and measuring life's results v. life's expectations. Did I do what I wanted to do? Is there enough time to accomplish what I set out to do in life? Actually when I really look back, I had pretty low expectations for myself, and when I see the kids, I realize that I don't need to accomplish anything else. It would be nice to hit on this little start-up, but not a necessity.

I got to enjoy a few special moments with my kids these past few weeks. Jeff had his buddy Mark (guitar player and lead singer in their band) visit us in early Sept. They hit the Bumbershoot festival (indie music), and then we showed him around the beautiful Pacific NW. Then Jeff and I went to the UW/OSU game last Saturday with a friend of mine from Cincinnati and his daughter, whom Jeff met last year in the dorm. What a small world! They became friends not knowing that their dads were friends 15 years earlier. Earl got tickets to the game and flew out with his daughter Erika. I was the only unhappy one as the 3 of them got to enjoy a Buckeye pounding of my Huskies. It is hard when the Huskies had to play against the #1 defense AND the referees, but who's complaining?

Melanie and I have been enjoying the house to ourselves after Jeff and Lori took off for Columbus after the game. Mel took good care of herself for a couple of days while I was in Dallas. I have been on her to get her driver's license, but since she was gone during the summer (Europe), she didn't get much of a chance to practice. I think she is worried about parallel parking, so today I took her around town. We parked in every spot we came across that gave her a chance to parallel park. She did a good job. She will be the best parallel parker amongst her friends...trust me. So we have been cooking for each other, and chatting about life in general. I have been giving her advice about boys (believe it or not, she asked me). It has been fun just talking to her. We went to the Highline High football game last night, and were treated to a thriller as the Pirates pulled out a win with 32 seconds to go! Melanie plays in the band, and afterwards the group she hangs with asked her to go to Denny's late night...she got home late, at night.

Thanksgiving is approaching and I got the best news I could hope for...we will have visitors! Yay! I love cooking for a crowd! This year I will have an outlet to post my all-time favorite recipes for my Chestnut Stuffing and Double Bourbon Sweet Potatoes, so look for them in early November as you wonder, "what should I do this year for Thanksgiving?". My parents will be flying out from DC with my sister and her 3 girls. My brother, his lovely wife and 3 of the 4 kids are also coming. I am sure my aunt will feel compelled to visit, and I expect a single straggler or two from our extended network of friends. Lori is groaning from the expectation of a crowd, but I love it!

Personally, I have lots on my mind...but that will be for later posts. For now, all I can do is ask you all to keep me in your thoughts and prayers...big decisions coming up.

Chow!

Over-Indulging Our Kids

I saw the best quote from a recent visitor to the US upon his return to Kenya. When asked about the most amazing thing he experienced in the US, he answered...

"American children have the most well-behaved parents in the world."

I read this in our local newspaper this morning and had a good chuckle about it. But after thinking about it, it makes me wonder about our future generations. Are we indulging our children just a little too much? Mom's chauffeur service is now 24/7, and is just a cellphone call away.

My teenage kids favorite show lately is MTV's "Super Sweet 16 Birthday Bash". It is entertaining for them to see the excessive behavior at its best (or is that worst?). Encouraging bratty behavior, whining, self-indulging, and selfishness may not be good to watch. I think the girls who get these kinds of birthday parties end up on WE's "Bridezilla" show at some later point in life. Parents just haven't said "no" enough to their children. They have gotten zero teaching on what is reasonable, how to share, how to play nicely, and in general, how to respect others.

My daughter just turned 16 yesterday, and thank goodness she has had a pretty reasonable upbringing. Even though we indulge her (she has a car available to drive, cell phone, i-Pod, etc.), she feels guilty asking for things. Whew! Big sigh of relief...in that department. But still, she is immune to real hardship, hard work, and disappointment. She has a part time job delivering newspapers in the neighborhood...but she does it while being driven around by her mom! No bike route or, heaven forbid, walking!

I think we have mistaken that for good parenting. Successful child-rearing has become what that African visitor has noticed...kids reliant on their parents to keep them from enduring any amount of disappointment and sacrifice. We say we want "the best" for our kids, so we help them be successful, getting involved where we shouldn't and shielding them from failure. We forget that hard work leads to discipline, satisfaction, and self-respect. Sacrifice leads to patience, commitment and joy. When handled properly, disappointment can lead to learning, determination, and accomplishment. What do kids learn when disappointment is avoided and success is given to them? They learn entitlement, and to expect success at everything. That isn't part of growing up.

Okay, parents, try to pull yourself out of that role of over-involved and protective. It worked on you, and look how well you turned out!

Ciao!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

There has been plenty of blog space given to my Dad, I guess I have neglected to talk about the woman behind the man. My Mom celebrates a birthday tomorrow. I want to devote an entry to the amazing talents that she has, and to celebrate her life with you all. I am a little biased, but I actually truly believe that Mom is the best. I will tell the tale, and let you decide for yourself.

I don't remember ever having any typical "Generation Gap" issues with her. Well maybe I do remember one...it has to do with horrible elephant print pants that she bought for me during "back to school" shopping before the start of 6th grade. I wouldn't be caught dead in them, but she insisted...I never did wear them. I could classify that as a power struggle, not a lack of her understanding me. Maybe my sisters could enlighten us all to more generation gap issues, but really, I can't remember any knockdown, drag-outs about much. Mom was always a good listener, she gave me plenty of rope to explore the world, my feelings, experiences, and emotions. She never tried to shield me or protect me from the world's disappointments. I know now that she actually struggled within herself as to whether to let us know how torn she was internally, but I always felt she encouraged us to grow, develop and become independent, responsible adults.

Even now, I am going to say she is the best mother-in-law my wife can have. She has never interfered with how our kids are raised, she has never questioned our judgment as parents, and so on. Mom has basically kept her nose out of our marriage and child-rearing. Never offered unsolicited advice, ever. I don't know how she does it! Well, maybe I do know how she does it...she just treats my wife and the other "in-laws" like her own kids (sometimes better than her own).

I learned to cook by watching and helping her in the kitchen from the time I was about 10 years old. She always had time to answer my questions and let me try things in the kitchen. I still remember the first thing she ever let me cook by myself...fried rice. And she announced it loudly at the dinner table that night. She has always been my #1 fan as well. I don't know anyone who raves about my cooking more than Mom. Who doesn't love positive reinforcement? Now when I cook the favorite dishes from my childhood, I do it from memory...pleasant ones from my childhood. I have memorized those aromas, flavors and textures. I don't do it exactly like her, because I have my own experiences to add into the mix. I do regret not passing on this love of cooking to my kids. I am hoping that maybe that passion kicks in late. Mom is an excellent cook of so many things, I always wonder why she did such a hack job with Thanksgiving? I think it was because she tried to do it in the classical Pilgrim style...start the Turkey at the crack of dawn and cook it all day. She forgets that modern ovens do a better job than colonial ones.

Mom is talented as a musician, writer, and family historian. She is chronicling memories that she and my Dad have for future generations. When you compare her education and accomplishments with her younger brothers and sisters, it doesn't look fair. All of my uncles are all brilliant scientists responsible for huge advances in research, my aunt is a leading authority on early childhood development. They even married brilliant scientists and researchers. Masters degrees and PhD's could cover part of the Great Wall in sheepskins. I love all my Aunts and Uncles dearly, but I hate how Chinese families like to compare these types of accomplishments, because my Mom and Dad seem to come up with the short end of the stick. But I gotta tell you I think the wrong measure of success is used. Maybe it should be measured in grandchildren and great grandchildren; in miles traveled, friendships developed, and the sound of laughter in the home because then all of them are successful...but with MY Mom and Dad coming out on top!

Everyone knows by now that we didn't have a normal upbringing. We lived all over the world, and my brother and I spent many of our formative teen years in boarding schools away from home. So I don't have many memories of her getting up early to make us pancakes for breakfast, or screaming for us in the stands as we played sports. But I don't see those as being that important. I always felt loved, supported and that I was getting the best of everything that Mom and Dad could afford. I have never felt cheated or minimalized in any way. Maybe that is why I have no issues with my childhood and upbringing. Maybe that is all my kids need from me.

(Duke, don't forget it is Mom's birthday tomorrow!!!)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Chow!

I Left My Heart in Africa

Well, I am back from Africa...full of stories, insights and ideas, but more than that, I am full of wonder, humility and concern. The needs in Africa are amazingly huge, with just a tiny bright light at the end of a dark, long tunnel called AIDS. I think orphans and AIDS treatment is the new export of Africa. I am hoping and praying that it is only a 1-generation issue, but Africans don't believe that, who am I to think that?

Here is a brief log of my travels and experiences. I think I need to start by telling you all about the Ring Road Orphans Day School. RRODS is located smack dab in the middle of the Nyalenda Neighborhood in Kisumu, Kenya. About half a million people live in that neighborhood. Most western aid workers call it a slum, but the Kenyans don't...they think it is a middle class neighborhood. It is legit...property is dealt, rents are paid and recorded, and people work hard. We call it a slum because it lacks basic utilities like running water, electricity and sewers.



The school for orphans was started 10 years ago, in fact, they celebrated their 10 year anniversary while we were there...3 Christian workers were pestered by an orphan during their lunch hour. As they talked to the boy, they were convicted by his horrific story of starvation, abuse and lack of status. Both parents died within a few days of each other with AIDS. His closest relatives stole all his belongings and put him on the streets...the streets didn't want him either. He lived by his wits starting at the young age of 7. Jared, Thomas and James decided right then and there that they needed to do something to help. They took him in, and started teaching him how to read, write, and basic math. Guess what? There were more like Peter...many more. The three Kenyans began a small school in their church building, and it slowly grew.

Let's fast forward to today. Ring Road is the model for how to normalize and care for AIDS orphans in Africa. The work there supports, educates and loves about 400 orphans. African culture dictates that orphans should be sheltered by extended family, not institutionalized. The school is for orphans only...usually AIDS orphans are at the bottom of the status ladder...last to receive anything. Putting them first helps build their esteem and confidence.

With a budget of $22 per orphan per month, RRODS is able to feed them 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, cover their school expenses, clothing, and a little healthcare as well. That money comes from individual sponsors in America through the Christian Relief Fund. The staff and administrative costs come out of additional donations made privately or through missions support from all over the world. That they can do all this with only $22 is amazing. Jerrod believes that you have to also take care of their spiritual and emotional needs as well. For real growth to occur, the kids need to feel "normal"...not just fed and clothed. That means fun. So they have 5 soccer teams and the best scouting troop in all of East Africa. How to measure success? How about these tidbits: Ring Road had two of the top 3 scores in National Standard Tests for 8th graders in all of Kenya! Interesting to note that the Ministry of Education has been trying to shut the school down (as substandard) for the past 4 years. Ever since the test results, they have changed their tune. What else...oh! They have the best boy scout troop in all of East Africa and the best girl scout troop in ALL of Africa. They were asked to represent Africa in the UK, but alas, without a budget they could only send one lone girl scout. Irine is a 7th grader, and will be representing Ring Road in London this week. Traveling to London all by herself due to lack of funding. Poets? Got em...one of the 7th graders is a Kenyan award winner based on her poetry about her life affected by AIDS. These kids are gritty fighters that just want a chance at life.

Here is the school: Build by the NW Church in Seattle, WA. The NW group also pays the teacher salaries and operating expenses.




Here are some pictures of the Nyalenda Slum as we walked the roads to get to the school. Yes, it smells as bad as it looks. I have a picture of a butcher shop...I couldn't tell if they were selling meat or flies.




I loved the food. I know now the source of southern cooking: Fried Chicken, Red Beans and rice, fried fish, grits, greens and okra all come from Kenya. Fried Kuku (chicken) is a popular dish as is Samaki (fish), Ugali (corn meal), and Sakama Wiki (collard greens). The literal translation of Sakama Wiki is "to push through, or extend the week". Wild greens are gathered and cooked and help stretch the food through the week.

Here is a shot of our first meal in Africa. We ate at Maria's Cafe. An interesting place from a hygiene point of view. No running water, so don't eat the salad. One of our group didn't heed this advice and had an intestinal problem the whole trip. The wholed fried Tilapia was delicious as were the red beans and rice. Jerrod picked this restaurant because the orphanage just started a new side business...raising broiler chickens for market, and Maria's buys their chickens.

Here are some pictures of the kids...a few years ago, before Christian Relief Fund started sponsoring them, they weren't the picture of health that you see now. We thought many of them wouldn't survive, they looked so sickly. Not only are they healthy, they are thriving. They are respectful, helpful, and obedient. The older kids mentor the younger ones.

They love to play...three boys turned a plastic soda bottle into a makeshift soccer ball. We brought footballs, frisbees, hacky sacks, and jump ropes for them. "Keep-Away" with the football turned into their favorite because 200 of them could play at one time.





Another key part of the orphans upbringing is to make them feel like they are contributing to the welfare of their guardian families. Too often orphans are made to feel unworthy because they are a drain to the family budget. Jerrod and staff know this and do something to correct this by giving the orphans food to bring home to their families. Once a month, the kids take home enough food for a week. Rice, beans, and in this case corn. We sent each kid home with 10 kilos of corn. It was fun to see their excited faces and to watch the little ones lug home all that food. They were singing makeshift songs..."I am bringing home the food, and someone will cook it for all of us". The kids also were given new school uniforms, based on their performance in class. New uniforms for meeting set objectives.

Tenth Anniversary Party!

To celebrate 10 years of existence, Ring Road decided to have a huge party. The invited guests included the Minister of Education as the guest of honor, local newspapers, television and radio reporters and all their neighbors in the slum. We had food prepared for 800 people! We waited in the hot sun for 3 hours for the late arriving minister of education...and when he finally arrived, the medial let him have it...asking why the school was not funded, why they didn't have resources but still put public schools to shame, etc. It was great! At the end of the day, he pledged support to the school. But those are just words...we will wait to see what really happens. Someone called him a "crocodile", which in Swahili is not a compliment.

All the speeches were finally finished around 4:30 in the afternoon. The orphans and neighbors had been waiting for lunch since 11 in the morning. But what a party! The kids sang songs, read their poetry, danced a Harambe (asking individuals to dance with them while collecting a donation from them), and performed skits based on their struggles. It was amazing. The scouts re-built their award winning camp, and gave tours of the classrooms and buildings.

Food for 800 being prepared...



Top Scout in the troop

Mama Mary keeping John cooking

Betsy teaches the kids a new game

Kids in front of a new mural by reknowned artist Ro Diaz

Al handing out treats to the kids

The pictures so far are of works that CRF sponsors. I also got a chance to represent CRF as we evaluated 3 other proposed projects in Kenya. Eldoret, Malindi and Mombasa are 3 other cities that would like to have CRF sponsorship for their orphans. I helped catalog and photograph hundreds of additional orphans. Check out the website and please sponsor a few.

CRF is unique in that you will develop a personal relationship with your orphan. You will get progress reports and letters from the child. There are stories of sponsors that have continued to provide funds for their kid through college. Some even providing wedding costs and baby showers for "grandchildren".

http://www.crf.org

SAFARI!

Okay, It wasn't all gut-wrenching orphan work. I did take one day to do a little touristy stuff. I figured, hey, I am in Africa, I need to go on Safari! So a few of us found a 1 day Safari to East Tsavo National Park. East Tsavo is best known for their lions...these are the ones featured in "Heart of Darkness", the story about man-eating lions slowing down the work on the Kenya Railroad at the turn of the 20th century. Tsavo lions are unique in that the mature males don't have big manes, they look almost maneless. Hmmm, I never knew that.

So here are a few snapshots of the wildlife we saw...

Giraffes were the group's favorite

Big Rhino up close

Here are two of the famous Tsavo lions...the male is on the right

A timid herd of elephants leaving a clearing quickly

One of my favorite shots from a high bluff overlooking a watering hole

It was an extraordinary trip. I now have a burden for Africa and its orphans. The best (and worst) thing happened to me while over there...I found that I care, that I want to help. I call it the worst because I know it will consume me over the next few years. If I don't heed the call, I will fall further from grace. God has asked me to help, how can I say no? think, "what can one person do?" One person can take care of one other person. I can have a vision, but I need an action plan. That is what I will be doing for the next several weeks...formulating my action plan. Starting upon my return, I will try to live a simpler life, and give of my excess.

Will you join me?

Chow!

"T.I.A" Attitude Adjustment Required

We haven't even left for Africa and the difficulty of international travel is rearing its ugly head. Booking airfare as a group means your individual rights are gone...no way to upgrade using your mileage (or favors from your big sister), seat assignments, on-line check in. Besides the airlines and hotel issues add the medical records, proof of birth, shots, currency exchange (here or there?), luggage weight allowances, language, weather, etc.

There is a saying in Africa to remind visitors of what it will be like...TIA-This is Africa! Things will go wrong, expect unexpected hassles, hurdles and understand that schedules and deadlines may have no meaning. I guess that is the excuse used to justify the unorganized, inefficient, and slow services we will experience. I am ready, having traveled around the world for most of my life. But I wonder about my companions...some of whom have never left the beauty and civility of the Pacific Northwest. We seasoned travelers will just have to care for them. "Roll with the punches", "Go with the flow", and "don't have any expectations" will have to be my mantra to counter TIA circumstances. Perhaps I will learn to be more patient upon my return.

I have been anticipating this trip for 2 years now, but am full of fear. Not the typical fear of disease, hunger, heat, mosquitos, danger or death; but I am afraid of what I will feel, see, smell, hear and taste while over there. Mostly my fear is focused on seeing the great need and not wanting to do anything about it. Apathy will be my greatest temptation. I am afraid to pray for faith because that would require action...action I may not be prepared to follow through with. That is too funny...I know my prayers would be answered, and I may not want them to be! But I am going with an open heart, hoping I have the strength and courage to do what is asked of me to do.

Many of you have been asking what our group from NW Church will be doing while we are over there. We have group responsibilities as well as individual assignments. Our group of 11 adults will be leading some teaching, preaching, singing, and ministry classes on Sundays, and will get down to the business of educating and caring for orphans of AIDS the rest of the time. We will be representing an arm of Christian Relief Fund out of Dallas. Our church supports the school by paying the rent, paying the teachers and keeping the buildings going, while CRF feeds, clothes, and cares for the children...about 380 of them at the Ring Road Orphanage and School. Besides Ring Road, we also have a group of children we support in Kitale at the Lakeside Orphanage. We have a fairly diverse group going...teachers, business people, skilled artisans, and me.

While I will help with some teaching, I will also be doing some leg work for CRF. We built an AIDS clinic on site at the request of the US Government who had set aside money for African AIDS grants for abstinence programs. We built the clinic to their specifications but did not get a grant...so we have an unfunded brand new clinic with no doctors, nurses, or counselors. By chance (or was it something else?) an AIDS doctor and missionary came across unsponsored orphans while looking for more sites to build and staff clinics. We know orphans, they know clinics...we may do a little horse-trading while over there. My role will be to see if something creative can end up in a win-win situation. I need to check out new sites for orphan support by evaluating the ministry leaders, the families and churches that will provide the services, and the orphans themselves. I will "process" them by getting their life stories, their picture and data for the CRF database. As with any of these charitable requests, we need to make sure the orphans' needs come first before any political or religious agenda. Pray for my discernment as I will be making recommendations that truly are life and death decisions.

I want to also see if there are opportunities to make the works there more self-sufficient and less reliant on cash donations from abroad. I have been asked to look at micro finance opportunities and I will look for other cottage industry type options like light assembly and manufacturing, or even warehousing. We shall see.

Keep us in your prayers. I think this post will be the last one for a while. I will keep a log and use that to add blog posts and photos upon my return.

Chow!

Father's Day Post

It's Father's Day today, and I wanted to wish all of you fathers out there a great day! You may think your career is the important job of your life, but in reality it is being a good father; one that sticks to it, sacrifices, and loves unconditionally.

My brother and I had the chance to talk about our dad experiences a few weeks ago by phone. We were laughing that Dad never taught us how to ride a bike, never helped us with homework, or talked to us about the opposite sex (unless he was making a joke). However he seemed to instill in us personal drive, generosity, commitment, morality, a love for travel and great food, and how to have fun. Dad is a popular social entertainer, and he is usually the life of the party. He can cook like nobody's business, and if you need someone to catch fish...put the rod in his hands. In my case I also learned to enjoy financial things, real estate, and the outdoors...I think I got that from him. He was always home for dinner, he never had any bad vices (a love for Scotch and Bourbon don't count), and he has stayed married to my mom for 51 years. His hobbies seemed to be ones that improved him somehow. He learned to fly a plane in the 1960's and play tennis in his 50's. He got his real estate license in his 60's and has succeeded in all three of those hobbies. He advanced his flying skills to include jets as big as a 737...he has been club champion in his age group in tennis, and he has turned his love of real estate into a second career after retiring from the US Government. Duke and I decided that it wasn't a big deal to not have that memory of Dad teaching us how to ride a bike...we have better ones. We have seen much of the world because of who our dad is...and we saw that world the way he wanted us to...the way the locals live, what they eat, and how to speak their language (as best you can manage). We never had the cushy posh accommodations, and he forbade us to even ask to eat at a McDonald's when overseas. I secretly cursed him for that one...but now I see, and more importantly, I agree with his perspective.

I find that I am subconsciously imitating him. I find myself saying the same things to my kids that he said to my brother, sisters and me. I guess imitation is the best form of flattery. So, Dad, consider yourself flattered! My kids laugh at how similar I am to Grandpa...they find it funny...I think it is a compliment. I did, however, add to the parental experience. I did teach my kids to ride bikes, how to swim, play sports, and have had those "talks" when the kids were the right age. Unfortunately I am not home for dinner every night, and I am less patient with loved ones as he was with me...this bothers me. But it is almost too late...maybe I will be a better grandfather than a father in that regard. I guess I will have to wait to see if my kids imitate me with their kids.

Our kids have it easier, and we seem "okay" with easing them into the world. Maybe we have the means to do the easing, but I am not sure it is the better way. I think learning about and experiencing some disappointment at a younger age strengthens us and keeps us persevering instead of quitting. We just think they shouldn't have to go through any pain. I don't think fathers believed that just a generation ago...because the reality is that there will be pain in life.

Believe it or not, but this blog has opened up lines of communication between me and my kids and even my parents. I think they like seeing my train of thoughts about personal things like feelings, my upbringing, and my opinions. Maybe it shows them my human side.

Chow!

Bonsai Master

It has been a while, my sincere apologies for those of you who get the update on our lives from my blog space. Work has been crazy, life outside of work has been crazy, and I just haven't had the energy to even think about The Blog of Wu.


I had a flash of inspiration this weekend that I thought I would share with you all. My aunt came to visit us over the weekend; it had been way too long. She only lives about an hour from us, but we only get to see her a couple times a year. I called her to see if she wanted to come over for a visit. She was happy to hear from me, and said that she had been thinking about calling! She had a gift for Melanie...she was looking through her jewelry box and came across a string of pearls that my mom and dad had gotten for her when Dad was stationed in Japan in the 60's. She felt it was a good time to return them to our side of the family, and insisted that they go to my daughter instead of her own granddaughter...Chinese traditions...who can figure.

Anyway, it made a nice excuse for her to visit. Typical of my auntie, she was about 3 hours late. She had to run a few errands, do a little shopping (she always stops at the Asian mall that is on the way to my house), and she slept in. Luckily I know her habits, so I planned dinner for around 4:3o, but told her to come at 1:00. She got here at 4:15. We had a nice dinner, caught up on the latest news about her son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter. We spent the late afternoon and evening trimming a Bonsai tree that she had given me when we first moved to Seattle 7 years ago. I had neglected this poor little guy for 6 years. I watered it, moved it indoors in the winter, but had no clue how to trim it up. I was glad she brought her bonsai trimming stuff with her.


My aunt is pretty amazing...she learned about bonsais years ago and decided that she would make this into her hobby. She is truly an artist with it. She told me the romantic history of a monk in China that was trying to capture the beauty of nature that he had seen as a young man. He made miniatures of mountains, waterfalls, and of course, trees. His miniature worlds were put into small dishes, plates and bowls...hence the Chinese translation of "bonsai"... life in a bowl, literally. It was very relaxing sitting there, snipping away overgrown branches, wrapping the unruly ones with copper wire to get them to submit to my idea of how they should develop, and planning years in advance of where I wanted a branch to be. I was trying to imagine how it would look in 5, 10, and 15 years, and tried to trim it accordingly. I got lost in the time, and before I knew it, it was dark. We chatted, trimmed and snacked on fruit for over 3 hours. Now I know why it was a Buddhist monk that first started this...he had some time on his hands to contemplate.

My little bonsai has 3 trees potted in a rock shaped pot, and looks like a mountain. I finished trimming one, and couldn't wait to get to the other two, which I just finished tonight. Here is the work in progress. It is starting to look like an ancient tree, in miniature.

Just what I needed...another hobby! I am going to look for a "project" tree to submit into miniature. I will keep you all updated on my search...it has to be a woody trunked plant that is about 5 years old. Digging it up, planting it in ever decreasing pot sizes should turn it into a miniature...leaves and all.

Chow!