Hunkering Down and Making Kajal

Dear Reader;

 Canada is not called a deep freezer for nothing. This past week has been cold...windy but the sun still comes to make the misery just a little bit more tolerable. Today it is still very cold but sunny. We have had a warning to expect a terrible blizzard and perhaps 2 feet of snow!!! So in preparation Gaura Nitai is making sure that we have a large stock of wood and we have done our grocery shopping so we are prepared. My only fear is if the electricity goes off then getting water to the herd will be difficult.

 I grew up in a small village in Saskachewan,Canada and I remember that in the winter time on Saturday my foster mother would get large blocks of snow and melt them in a large tub on the woodstove. When the water was hot then she would give me my sponge bath by the stove. Scrub...scrub...scrub....rinse...rinse...baby power...flannel pyjamas...hot water bottle in my bed and zzzzzzz.

 That is my plan if the power goes off to melt snow on the stove and carry it to the cows.

 What I did do yesterday to continue to simplify my lifestyle was make my own kajal....eye makeup. I took a small 4" by 4" cotton cloth...rolled it up and then soaked it in ghee...put it in a frying pan...lit it up and then placed a wok over the flame so that the soot could collect. When the flame died down I simply mixed a 1/4 teaspoon of ghee with the soot and placed it into a small metal container. I would have liked to add a pinch of edible camphor to the kajal but I simply can't find any around here. The camphor helps to cool the eyes and the kajal not only looks beautiful but it is very healthy for the eyes.

 Stay warm:)
Hare Krsna
Kokum Lal

Simple Living.... (also means to know how to defend)

Dear Readers;

 I have decided that on this path of simplifying and minimizing I am spending to much time on the computer. Although it looks like a quick write up and short video ..it often takes  up to 2 hours and a lot of thought. Therefore I have decided to post a new article only once or twice a week.

 Most of us would like to think that we live in a warm and fuzzy world but the fact is ...we don't. In my experience it is vitally important to know how to defend yourself against attacks of all types. Those attacks may come in either a verbal or physical nature. It is best to be prepared.

 In my lifetime I have personally been physically attacked on more than one occasional and because I know a little bit of self-defense....the attacker had to be hospitalized. I may share more stories about that in the future but today I will post a video on how to escape a forward choke hold. The front choke hold is often a man's favorite hold because he can hold you by the neck with one hand while he rapes you.
 Practice makes perfect ladies and gents.

Empower yourselves.
Hare Krsna.
Kokum Lal

How Small Is Just Right?

Dear Reader;

 It was bread day Friday and all went well. The monks have their breakfast bread for tomorrow morning and we have ours for the next week.

The weather has been so brutally cold that we have had to close 6 rooms of the house. We moved into the room just above the kitchen stove and we are warm and cosy. Although I love lots of room to dance in I don't like lots of stuff to fill it up with. So my question is how much room is just enough?

 I came across these Youtube videos on small apartments and thought that I would share with you...if you haven't already seen them. Here are two of many.

Hare Krsna.
Kokum Lal