Over the expanse of the treasured earth in this wide world,
May benefit for beings appear like infinite moons’ reflections,
Whose refreshing presence brings lasting welfare and happiness
To open a lovely array of night-blooming lilies, signs of peace and joy.

Descending from a canopy of white clouds, the gathering of two accumulations,
May these true words, like pearled drops of light or pouring rain,
Falling in a lovely park where fortunate disciples are free of bias,
Open the flowers of friendship so that well-being and joy blossom forth.

~His Holiness the Seventeen Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Red Chair Program – Annette Lake Jasper AB. Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

Ah World

World, we live and die on your lap.
On you we play out all our woes and joys.
You are our home, old ancient one.
Forever we cherish you; we could not bear your loss.
We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams,
into a field where all creatures live without prejudice, all equal.
We wish to transform you into a loving warm gentle goddess.

Our wish to embrace you is unchangeably steadfast. To that end be the ground which sustains us all.
Do not show us the dark side of your character.
And we too will transform you,
all your corners into fertile fields of peace and happiness.

May the harvest of joyfulness and freedom’s sweet scent fulfill our limitless infinite wishes.
So we pray.

~His Holiness the Seventeen Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje

Some toys that attract cats the most will also be a health hazard for them. Consider ribbon, yarn and string. Although they’re a classic kitty play toy, and they often make for a perfectly idyllic scene to watch, they do pose some problems. If it’s long enough, for instance, a cat could roll around and get caught in a ribbon or yarn, which might strangle it. Plastic bags can also suffocate cats.

But the most common warning against ribbon, yarn and the like is that if a cat ingests it, it can cause blockage in the intestine. Ingestion is also a danger for rubber bands or feathers. And small balls and other objects are always a choking hazard. If you do find string that’s been partially swallowed (or coming out of the rectum) don’t try to pull it out, as it could cause fatal intestinal damage. Instead, take the cat to the vet as soon as possible. Source: AnimalPlanet

Chewy and flavorful yard long beans, also known as Chinese snake beans, are closely related to black-eyed peas. Its immature, tender, edible pods are one of the most popular pod-vegetables used in the Philippines and other East Asian cuisines. The beans are also grown in small scales in the home gardens in Southern United states, West-Indies as well as in the Mediterranean regions.

The yard long pods are actually legumes belonging to the Fabaceae family. The beans were thought to have originated in southern Chinese Yunnan province. Scientific name: Vigna unguiculata, sub. sesquipedalis. Some of the common names include asparagus-bean, string-bean or Chinese snake beans. The beans in general recognized by local names as bora (West Indies), dau gok (China), pole sitao (Philippines), etc.

Yard-long bean is a fast growing annual plant; require trellis to support its growth. Dwarf and tall climbing varieties exist. Depending upon the cultivar type, it bears blue to violet flowers after about 6-10 weeks of seedling. Numerous pencil thin, tender, light-green, flexible-textured pods appear after about another two to four weeks following flowering. These fleshy, pendulous pods are usually harvested while they are immature and eaten as green vegetables. The pods vary in length that ranges from 30 to 80 cm.

As in other bean varieties, harvesting may not be a time-guided event. The pods usually harvested early for young, immature beans, or they may left on the shrub to dry-out in order to obtain dried beans. Continue reading →