The weather is beautiful.  Yesterday I spent 4 hours putting in succulent cuttings in front my house by the sidewalk--and setting 5 rocks into the ground.  Lots of work, but entirely satisfying.  Being outside gave me the chance to talk to two of my neighbors--one is a young mother who is in school and wondering how to make her schedule work.  She came over to me to say hi, but went away thinking about "what would make her more peaceful."  Jody shared how her car got bashed in on the street the other night.  We talked about her new "on-demand" hot water heat that is like the one I had installed.  I don't think I applied for an energy credit though.  Oh well. I can't think of everything.

Two Japanese friends are arriving tomorrow, so we are planning to take them shopping and up to Napa Valley for some wine tasting.  The Japanese numerology charts are coming along, and Fumiko and Robert and I are working on getting the program to work.  It's very complicated!  Only Robert could figure this all out.  The new Chart Summaries are in place in the English version, and I'm so excited at the way they turned out.  So easy to see elements of life purpose and life lessons now. 

 EK and I will take a hot tub tonight and relax and catch up on our news.

It's interesting to watch the mind each day and see what it is that you're afraid of.   

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday.  Robert and I went for a walk to follow the San Francisco Bay Trail, and found only a small part of it.  In El Cerrito, there is a Cerritos Creek Restoration project, to reclaim the creek to health.  Behind El Cerrito Plaza, there is a little plaque that shows where the big Spanish land grant, Rancho San Antonio was located (Trader Joe's market sits there now.) It shows where the Indians lived, where the dynamite factory was (in the 1880's) and where the first blacksmith shop was that was the center of El Cerrito (Ace Hardware is there now.)  

A little further down, the Creek was quite dirty and littered behind the Pacific Ranch Market (the Asian food market where we go to get fish, vegetables, Chinese sauces, and dim sum). It was sad and frustrating to see the  mess.  I was thinking maybe I should join the Five Creeks Restoration project, and maybe participate in a cleaning day.

We walked about four miles and went home to work on my new chart Profile Summary (it's finished!  All Primary Life Charts now have this new, succinct profile summary at the beginning of the full chart. I am very excited about this because it makes it easier for people to read.)  

At 4:30 pm we decided to take a break and walk over to the the local street fair, The Solano Stroll.  As we were looking at the booths, I spotted the booth for the Five Creeks Restoration project!  I was so happy to come across them as I had just discovered them in the morning on the walk.  I mentioned the litter on the Creek, and a volunteer in the booth suggested I call the management at the Pacific Ranch Market--it's their litter that blows into the area.  They also had literature about clean up projects.  I think I might do one!  And I should call the Market and see if they have plans to keep that area cleaner.

At the end of the fair, the Emeryville Taiko Dojo (big Japanese drums) was performing.  I was so happy!  It's my favorite thing, the Taiko drumming--I've been a fan since the very first moment I heard them.  I remember the moment about 20 years ago.  It was the very first time I went on a catering job.  I was at the Oakland Museum.  My job?  Opening champagne. On my break, I heard drumming and marched toward the sound like a lemming!  I've followed their progress ever since.  If I had more time (and dedication), I would take up drumming.

All these things I thought of doing with my time on Sunday!

I walked with Rainey this morning.  On the way back home, I saw my neighbor Marge and some of her family, dressed up going to St. Jerome's on the corner.  They must be attending her daughter's memorial service.

I've been writing on the computer all afternoon, and I've been hearing Marge and her family in the back yard.  They started out kind of quiet, and then I heard more laughs and lots of talking.  A few minutes ago they were really laughing and having a good time.  The spirit keeps going with the strong force of life for those of us still left.  I'm glad it's such a beautiful sunny day out there for them.

Robert and I just got back from a 7.8 miles walk according to my pedometer.  It's a beautiful day for the Labor Day holiday.  We plan to have left overs of left overs tonight--chicken in coconut sauce with jalapenos, over rice.

We had such a fun evening on Saturday with all our Japanese friends--and Gunther and Eliza came over for dinner two.  Auggie and Anders were really on their best behavior and they played with Akiko-san and Tomoko-san until late.  

 Yesterday was Sunday, and Robert and I cleaned out and repotted some of the big pots on the back patio.  Very hard on the back, but very satisfying to have everything symmetrical, fresh, and blooming again.  (I'm a terrible gardener, and kill so many plants.) 

We were breaking up the old broken ceramic fountain pot, when my neighbor, Jody, and a man I didn't recognize, rushed over to my back gate to investigate.  She thought the sound of the breaking pot might be robbers breaking in.  I'm so glad to have good neighbors! (I wonder what her plan was if she had found robbers?)

She's a great gardener, so I asked her what to plant in my pots.  On a sadder note, she told me that my next-door neighbor, Marge, in her eighties, lost her daughter two days ago--she was 59 and had cancer.  This is the third family death Marge has had in the past two years.

I  feel so grateful for every day.

Yoga 8 am.  I'm immersed in writing a new profile summary to go with my numerology charts.  The 3-line format forces me to be as clear and succinct as possible to describe the meaning of each position and number.  After 30 years of working with numbers, I'm still delighted to think about how numbers live through our lives, and show us what our potential is, and what we can do to develop and succeed.  I can't wait to start writing each morning.

Hayashi-san is coming from Japan tonight, for dinner with other Japanese friends.

I plan to have fish tacos with mango salsa, cole slaw, and strawberries with whipped cream for dessert.

 Fumiko is picking up everyone and bringing them back.  I asked Gunther and Eliza to come with  Auggie and Anders.