It is now mid-December and we are still here. The fall months have been relatively gentle and there has been no further debris flow. The schedule and practice continues at Yokoji—albeit in a slightly different format, but regardless, it continues.

We held the November Rohatsu sesshin at Yokoji and toward the end of it, we received our first flash flood watch since the summer. With a number of sesshin participants in residence for the week, we did not take any chances, so we moved the sesshin to a members house nearby and continued for a day and night there, before returning to Yokoji once the threat had passed.

The fall is often mild compared to the winter up in the mountains, so we have evacuation plans in place for various scenarios over the winter months. As far as possible, and as far as it is safe to do, the practice will continue here at Yokoji. We will continue with the Sunday programs up here, and as usual, will post on the blog and Facebook should we have to cancel.

A lot of work has been done over the past few months in preparation for the winter weather. We enlisted the help of a local excavation crew, and they bought in heavy machinery which made our own small tractor look like a diesel-powered tea spoon in comparison. Channels and pits have been dug around the grounds in various strategic places, and we are now about as ready as we can be for whatever the winter may bring. The video shows many of the areas which have been worked on over the past few months.

Please come and join us when you can over the winter, either on a Sunday morning, or during the week. There is still ongoing work and your help is both needed and appreciated.