Questions Around Town


It is my intention to write a newsletter talking about the shift in my life that is leading me, effective this week, to take a partial sabbatical from teaching yoga. I will still have my Tuesday night class at William Penn House and hope to see many on at least an occasional basis. I will also be available for single and group privates and expect to teach a workshop or two in the Fall. But after eight years, I will no longer be traveling up to Takoma Park every weekend, currently on Friday nights and before that Saturdays, to teach. In this shifting, I have much to say about Kali–goddess of sequencing–and moving within the limits of time and space and some other things beside.
In the meantime, while I am wrestling with how to say what I believe are among the things I want to express and as I deal with a bout of being very busy at work and spending far too much time at the computer to want to spend more time writing in the evening, I just want to mention that it is indeed possible to make decent granola in the slow cooker. I experimented with that today, in between conference calls and emails and document reviews (slow cooking, after all, takes very little consistent attention). The cooking reached its conclusion while students and I gathered for Wednesday night practice. More important than requiring little attention after the initial preparation stage, the slow cooker doesn’t heat up the kitchen, and I refuse to turn on the oven if it is going to be 80F or above. Slow cooker granola is an excellent compromise between no homemade granola in the hot months and turning on the oven.
When I’ve experimented some more, perhaps I’ll create a recipe, adding to the many dozens on the internet. My first attempt was relatively low fat and no refined sugar. Yum. And if you’re a local, do come join me this Friday for a sweetly nostalgic and celebratory evening of restoratives. 5:45pm-7:15pm, Willow Street Takoma Park. Drop-ins and make-ups welcome.
For those of you in DC without your own roof, I just received this email (live in another jurisdiction–maybe you can get your state or county to sponsor similar legislation):
Dear ,
DC Solar United Neighborhoods (DC SUN) has been working hard to make solar affordable and accesible to every resident of DC. I’m excited to report that CMs Cheh and Alexander introduced the Community Renewables Act of 2012 on Tuesday. A summary and the full text of the bill is available online at http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/legislation/community-renewables-energy-act-of-2012
If you live in an apartment building, a Condo, a Coop, if you rent or live in a shady area this bill is for you! It will let you own part of a commuity solar array somewhere else in DC and then let you “virtually net meter” the production from that array right to your electric bill. You will be able to buy solar and see your Pepco bill DROP! You will also be able to support local green jobs and help fight climate change! The bill also has really important provisions to support solar in low income households. For more info, a fact sheet and everything you want to know about the bill go to DC SUN website: https://sites.google.com/site/dcsolarunitedneighborhoods/key-issues-and-committees/community-renewable-energy-act-of-2012
We are so excited by this news! If you see Council members Cheh or Alexander say “thanks for taking leadership on Community Solar.” Stay tuned for updates.
Anya
PS: Check out this great radio story on the Community Solar bill– http://wamu.org/news/12/03/08/dc_considers_community_solar_power
These orchids were left out with the trash in the neighborhood yesterday. Though my bags were full from a walk to the farmers market, I did not want to leave them to perish when they could yet offer more beauty.
Despite what looked like months of neglect–the plants evidently owned only for their blooming time and not their full growing cycle–there was optimistic new growth.
Time will tell whether they will rebloom. For now, they look pretty happy to have a new home.