Family Practice

Frances and I spent much of the day making grape leaf rolls (Greek Dolmades) for a dinner with friends tonight. Though time-consuming and labor-intensive they are fabulously delicious. The secret to their success, I think, is the combination of spices: fresh lemon juice, fresh picked mint from the garden, cinnamon, parsley, pine nuts, and currants. Mmm. Mmmm.

During TCC practice my animal family surrounded me: the dog to my left, the cat to my right, and the two geese directly in front of me. I moved through the motions in the late afternoon heat glad to use little effort since my motivation deteriorated as the temperature climbed.

One of my favorite activities today was watching the geese splash in their small pool while I ate lunch. Water flew up, down, and all around as they flapped their wings, dipped their heads, and threw water onto their backs with a flip of their beaks. It was a rousing good time for participants and spectators.

It's late. I'm tired and ready for bed. I wish I could say that I learned something earth shaking during today's TCC practice. But no. All that I'm sure of is that it is difficult to practice when the heat and humidity climb too high. Thank goodness that late evening brings a cool-down. And, for the moment anyway, I'm positioned in front of an open window with a fan blowing cool air all around me....