More packrat-ism

The lawn swing has been repaired and set up in the back yard, using parts of a second lawn swing of the same type that was in the uppermost level of the barn. There was some damage last year as the lawn swing was being put into storage, and some further damage this year as it was being brought out of storage (I left a section of it on the main floor of the barn while I was getting replacement parts from the level above, and didn't warn my father about it before he backed one of the trucks into the barn for loading some mulch hay for the garden...)

All that remains is some cleaning off of some dust and detritus, and eventually a coat of paint so that all of the parts are the same color...

Shaolin Kung Fu

(Or Gongfu, if you will)

We had our first [ever] test in Shaolin Kung Fu this morning. A bit over two hours of conditioning exercises, stances, strikes, forms (hand and staff), falls and tumbling, escapes, blocks, etc. Both of us passed, and we now have white sashes.

And now we get to ramp up and continue work, preparing for the next sash.

This is the first time of participating in any eastern martial art that I have been ranked. helwen was previously ranked in Kempo, but that was before she went to high school in Hong Kong.