The Tao of Weeding

I was pulling weeds in the backyard yesterday when a phone call from a friend rescued me from the chore. I mentioned that I was finding that when I tried to pull the weeds with force or speed, they snapped off at the stem, but when I gently and slowly pulled them, I could get the whole root to slide out from deep underground. We joked about how this seemed a lesson of the Tao, an ancient Chinese philosophy or religion, which is still practiced today. Tai Chi, with its peaceful meditative motions, embodies the principles of Taoism.

Tao literally means "the way;" the way to do things, the way to think about life, and the way that energy flows in the natural world. One of the many principles of Tao is Wu Wei, which means effortless effort. My friend told me that one of the exercises of Tai Chi that exemplifies this principle is "reeling the silk," a slow, graceful motion. He suggested that my weeding could be approached in this slow, gentle way as a kind of meditation. Effortless effort. To achieve this, I would have to detach from my outcome, which is to free my entire yard and patio of these pesky weeds, and concentrate instead on each weed, pulling gently, gracefully to help it leave the ground. I'll let you know how it goes!

Standing on Solid Ground

The floors in my house are made of terrazzo. Even if you don't know the word, you have seen a terrazzo floor -- in your elementary school, at a museum, at the supermarket. The U.K. company, Marble Masters, has a wonderful description of it on their website:

Terrazzo, in various styles, has been used as a flooring product since Roman times. Today, it enjoys an enviable reputation as an attractive hard flooring that delivers an appealing combination of durability, ease of maintenance, beauty and performance.

Terrazzo is a manufactured composite of natural marble chippings and/or other durable aggregates set in a cement matrix with added colour pigment. The marble chippings can be selected from a wide range of colours and sizes and set in practically any colour of cement matrix to create an unlimited range of shades and effects. The terrazzo aggregate colour and composition is exposed by grinding and polishing the surface after the matrix has set.

The thing is, while my terrazzo floor are the same white/grey mixture you see in the picture, they don't have nearly the shine. They've been covered for years with carpet and tile. I believe they can be beautiful and shiny again. And I am in search of a craftsman to grind and polish them back into their former glory. Stay tuned...

You've seen my Harvest Gold countertops, right? A company named Giani says that they can turn them into granite! You heard me! For $50 a kit! I don't know if I believe it, but I definitely will try it... on that piece in the garage! I will let you know how it turns out, of course. Check out the pictures from their website.

If I can turn my countertops into anything resembling this, I'm all for it. And if after turning them into faux granite, they can withstand the rigors of cooking and cleaning, I'll become a spokeswoman. Just look at those photos! They have the "wow" factor I've been searching for. This, combined with melamine paint for the cabinets might be all the kitchen remodeling I need.

And the Color of the Year goes to...

This is Pantone's color of 2011. I wish I had the creativity needed to include it in my home color scheme. Heck I wish I knew how to include it in my wardrobe. It is a bold color. Here's what Pantone says about it:

A Color for All Seasons
Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.

Guess I'm not courageous enough...