Dear zen friend
1)   No sesshin is scheduled in October.

Reopening is near.
A few months ago, people expressed fear under a mask.
Now the fear has been fading.
Be patient (one of the deepest values of Mahayana Buddhism).

2)  During the Labor Day weekends, we were busy to make herb gardens.
More than ten  kinds of flowers were planted. 
Humming birds were seen next morning.
Four shrubs in the woods were planted, too.
In the google map Valley zendo is surrounded with green color.
Green leaves alone are seen from inside in summer time.
Nature must be rich in color.
Rose is red, violet is purple.
Where is rose, where is violet?

I started cutting trees for making flower gardens in spring.
The project had proceeded slowly.
At the end of August a flower loving person appeared.
She needed a piece of land, we needed flowers.

I used to plant fruit trees and fruit vegetables.
I was hungry.
These days I am hungry for seeing multiple colors.
Maybe because my stomach has shrunk.

The flower project is in the beginning.
The color in the google map will be changed in ten years.
Then I will recall that the project began at the time of corona pandemic.

Flowers help bees, insects, and humming birds to survive and thrive.
Many things must be done for making flower gardens.
In reality, physical work is the source of health. Flowers are helping human lives, too.

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda
Valley Zendo