I've tried using neem soap on my itching skin. It has been two nights so far, and it does seem to soothe the itch.

Why haven't I heard about it earlier in my life? I asked Jill, my friend from England, and she said that the Chinese people do not usually hear about neem because the tree simply does not grow in China.

However the medicinal effects of neem appear to be well-known – or, dare I say, even ubiquitous – in India. (according to Wikipedia: “Margo soap uses margosa [also known as neem] as its main ingredient.“)

snapshots

Warning: image-heavy content follows.

One moon cycle has passed, once again.

I've been disciplined about applying betamethasone cream to my eczema skin.

Weather has been pleasantly cool – albeit a little grey – and

My Buddhist friend, Maia Duerr, publishes a public newsletter upon every moon cycle, and I want to follow suit.

And I believe that this moon-aligned behaviour is alive in practitioners of the Jewish tradition.

Different faiths, same moon. Different beliefs, same planet.

without further ado, here are snapshots from my part of the world:

Warning: image-heavy content follows

I don't know when I started noting the musical compositions that have been featured in what little I've read of the manga-series 'Nodame Cantabile',

I reproduce the text of three songs in the record 'Mi jardín solitario; Madrigal y cinco canciones sefardíes; Concierto de cienfuegos'. The texts are by Celedonio Romero (1913 – 1996), as translated into English by Susannah Howe.

First, the song 'Soledad!'

Let the horse run free, don't pull on his reins, for the day may come when you want him to run but can't

Don't let your heart be tainted by evil, and if love has gone... let it go, Soledad!