Fu-Der Temple,Protecting the Land and the Residents

Fu-Der Temple, Protecting the Land and the Residents

A humorous of the small local temples,called Fu-Der Temple, located on everywhere of Taiwan , especially on Taoyuan which as  near our neighborhood ,the distance of each temple only  1/2 Km . We live on The White Horse Cottage closed to one else.There are gathering the aged under the shadow of a great tree to play chess game or gossip about the passed hard time. They said ,the temple was supported by the farmer

Chen who had eight sons enough laboratory to rent a large amount lands to product, but in that time 60-70% of the harvest must paid for the landlord .Since 1950the government Land Policy announced the new law was 37.5%belonged to the landlord and the farmers provided 62.5%, then the fortune was turned over. 1953the Government published that the true workers on the land is the Priority to get the right own the land and the land price was paid with the crop in ten years. Then farmer Chen became a landlord and thanksgiving came from the God .

The small Fu-Der Temple was built to worship the God of the land,people call him Granpa and the Hakka people call him elder Grandpa with respecting. In early time, it closed to a district named The White Horse Cottage ,the main residents are the teachers and the officers ,though  kindergarten,elementary,junior school,high school ,commercial school are sited near by. And in front of the temple,the original large farm and wide field were disappeared by buildings instead. The suburbs are rolling ahead to a developing city center. The livelihood is more convenient ,beautiful and artificial.

Recently, the economic depression was associated with jobs lost, bad mood, criminal cases up,but the temples are appeal to common folk who feel be protected in peaceful and hopeful .

福德祠，保護土地和居民

福德祠土地公廟是多得數不清的地方小廟，散落在台灣毎個角落，尤其桃園特別多，就如我們社區附近，每半公里就有一座，我們居住區就有一座專屬的白馬莊福德祠。

這裡每日都會聚集許多老人家在老榕樹下下棋，天南地北聊天，也聊過去的艱辛歲月。他們説這座土地公廟主要是陳家支持的。陳家原是佃農有八個兒子，足夠的勞動力讓他們不辭辛勞承租了大片農地耕作，在那個年代，60-70%的收成必須繳交給地主。自從一九五〇年政府土地政策宣布新法令「三七五減租」，地主最多祇能拿收成的37.5%，而農民可分配到62.5%，就此翻轉了佃農的命運。至一九五三年政府公佈「耕者有其田」，即實際耕作者可優先取得土地所有權，地價以穀物分十年攤還。陳家佃農因此成了地主，衷心感謝神明護佑。

這座福德祠興建來祭拜保護一方水土的土地神，人們稱祂土地公，客家人敬稱祂伯公。它緊鄰的社區名為白馬莊，主要居民為公教人員，緣於附近就有幼稚園，小學，國中，高中和商業職業學校。廟前原來的一大片水稻田和池塘田野，逐漸被建築物取代而消失。郊區迅速翻滾成不斷發展的都會中心。生活圈更便利更美麗也更人工化。

近年，經濟不景氣影響了失業，情緒失衡，犯罪率上升，但是福德祠還是緊密的吸引一般民眾，人們感覺有拜有保庇，相信土地公會守護他們安寧和給予希望。

A Letter to Santa from a Grandmother

A letter to Santa from a grandmother

Dear Santa :                                                                   December 8, 2017

Ken ,my oldest and hardest-working grandson, is responsible for his future .His dream is to grow up to be taller and more intelligent like NBA basketball star, Jeremy Lin.

Terry , a smart and warm-hearted boy ,deserves a heathy and happy life for all his fighting. Please give him the power to be strong and wise.

Morris is a sweet boy, but he needs to focus on school's courses more than electric games .He has figured out how to improve his school work and build his confidence.

Fanny ,a serious and leading girl, arranges all of her work well,if she keeps smiles ,

she will be a charming and beautiful girl.，

Miles and Herbert were born in America and have received their education of both western and eastern cultures. They need to learn how to get together in peace instead of fighting.

Please look after my dear grandchildren and light up their ways ahead.

                                                                                      Sunny with affection                        

一封來自一個祖母給耶誕老人的信，

親愛的耶誕老人：

肯，我的最大也是最用功的孫子，對他的前途很有責任感，他的夢想是長得高大又聰明像NBA籃球明星林書豪。

泰瑞是一個機靈又溫暖的男孩，為了他曾經歷的奮鬥，他值得擁有健康快樂的生活。請給他強壯的力量和聰明的智慧。

摩理斯是個貼心懂事的男孩，他需要更多的專注在課業上多於電動遊戲。他已經研究出如何改善功課建立信心的方法。

芬妮是個嚴肅有領導能力的女孩，她總是將事情處理得井井有條，如果她能笑容滿面，將是個迷人又美麗的女孩。

麥爾斯和哈柏特在美國出生，接受東西方不同文化的教育，需要學習和平相處不再打架。

請照顧我可愛的孫兒，並指引照亮他們的前途。

                                                                                               珊妮寄予慈愛

Holding On and Letting Go

Holding On and Letting Go

My attention was drawn to her strange images covering all but two eyes,looking like a picking tea -leaves woman,running after a golden dog in the summer sun shine or sitting on the chair of the neighborhood park by surrounded some stray dogs. She had a pet dog wandering in the house ,sitting on the sofa and lying on the bed, just as the another kid.

Since 1973 ,we were coming to a Commercial High School at the same time being the new teacher and becoming the first friend to make the school life manageable. Soon, we were the neighbors and our children were good company with each other. Until someday,she found her baby saying Taiwanese language at first ,she told me politely," My mother tongue is Hakka , it's a weak language hard to hold on learning environment for my child. Would you understand ?"

We respected the different thought and kept my children away ,though an invisible distance more and more between us.

She grew up and came from a tea farm in the mountain far away from the neighborhood, used to be lonely life and stuck to her promise of Hakka culture ,no matter what we do ,we just can't get close friendship. I wonder if she prefers to make best friends with dogs to people.

把握，放下

一個奇特的景象吸引我的注意力，她包得緊密僅露出兩個眼睛，像個採茶女，追著一隻黃金毛色的狗在夏天的驕陽下奔跑或是坐在社區公園的椅子上，旁邊圍繞著幾隻流浪犬。她家養一隻狗自由在家閒逛或坐沙發或爬上床，寵愛得像另一個孩子。

自從一九七三年，我們同時來到一個商業高級職業學校報到成為新進教師，我們是彼此第一個認識的朋友，新環境的學校生活因彼此照顧而適應良好。不久之後我們成為隣居，孩子們成為好玩伴。直到有一天，她發現牙牙學語的女兒初學的語言是台語，她很客氣的告訴我「我的母語是客家語，它是弱勢語言，我很難為了我的孩子學習，掌控學習環境，你能瞭解我的意思嗎？」我們尊重彼此不同的想法，也儘量帶開我們的孩子，但是一個無形的距離在我們之間越來越大。

她成長於山中茶園遠離社群，習慣於獨自生活，堅持對客家文化的承諾，不管我們怎麼做，終究有點似有若無的隔閡存在。我覺得她似乎更愛與狗做好朋友。

A Glance at Sacramento

A glance at Sacramento

June 27 ,2014. On the way from Lake Tahoe to go home, we stopped by a beautiful city ,Sacramento,Which located on the central of California, the Capital of the State California. We visited the white spectacular government building and the grand square filled with giant woods that the trees grow stretching freely and reaching for the sky different from the artificial woods of European palace, a symbol of freedom in pressed us.

August 5,2017,Saturday.We stepped on the land again to visit Fairy Tale Town of the William Land Park. On the downtown we needed a restaurant for lunch and a parking ,when our car drove into the public parking building and were surprised at the scene that just a few cars parking in the wide space ,so empty with a little unsafe feelings ,we returned to the outside and wondered if the people are going?

The Fairy Tale Town with Sacramento Zoo and Funder Land Park in the William Land Park ,it's including the King Arthur's castle and Knights of the Round table ,Cinderella's pumpkin carriage ,Treehouse,Barn and Donkey,Three Pigs and steaming train.......,due to our grandsons are too little to read Andersen and kaolin 's Fairy Tale, so that they couldn't realize the meaning of the king,the queen,the prince ,the princess and the throne and didn't feel exciting like to go to San Diego's Lego Land, maybe the new generations more interesting in technology produce instead of dreaming the noble life.

A glance at Sacramento,it's a beautiful city and need more active business to carry all of the power.

沙加緬度匆匆來去 

二O一四年六月二十七日，從太浩湖返家路上，我們曾經在一個美麗的城市沙加緬度停留，它座落在加利福尼亞州中部，是加州州政府所在地。我們拜訪了這座白色壯觀的政府大廈和種滿巨樹的庭園廣場，樹林枝葉茂盛自由伸展高聳入雲，大大不同於歐洲皇宮庭園景觀修剪整齊人工化，象徵自由予人深刻印象。

二O一七年八月五日，星期六。我們再度來到此地旅遊威廉公園的童話故事城。在市區中心我們找餐廳吃中飯和找停車位，當我們的車開進公共停車場的建築時，驚訝於所見場景，這麽大的停車場祇看到極少數幾輛車，空曠的感覺讓我們感覺不安，我們退出到外頭，並奇怪人都到那兒去了?

童話故事城和動物園，遊樂園都在威廉大公園內，它包含了亞瑟王城堡和圓桌武士桌，辛德莉拉的南瓜馬車，童話故事中的樹屋，穀倉，驢子，三隻小豬和蒸氣小火車⋯，由於我們的孫子年紀太小尚未讀過安徒生童話和格林童話以致於不瞭解國王，王后，王子，公主和王位的意義，完全沒有像去聖地牙哥的樂高樂園的興奮之情，也許是新一代的兒童對於科技産品的興趣遠高於對貴族生活的憧憬夢想。

匆匆來去沙加緬度，感覺這是個美麗的城市，尚待有活力的工商業注入活水提振經濟。

The Forest Is Precious

The Forest is Precious

About thirty years ago,we were badly shaken by a forest fire on the street of Kukuan .The fire was burning all the night, they said ,the fire fighters praised that the fire was controlled in the limited area, though the nightmare always gave me a thrill.

June 23,2014 ,we made a trip to Yellowstone National Park and surprised that the hills were covered with little pine trees ,the guider said that in 1988,the forest fire in Yellowstone had damaged 26% of the park trees and the pole pine trees grow slowly. So terrible !

Watching the program " The New Silk Road."on  the CCTV ,showed about the Chinese archaeologists who found out a great graveyard of a thousand tombs over 1600 years ago on Du Land of Qinghai Province .All the tombs were built with a layer woods of Cypress tree on a layer of stones and the nobler man used the bigger and more woods,based on the fact to suspect that the palace buildings would use the more giant

woods. Due to the Cypress tree grows slowly ,the circle is 15 cm in diameter needing 200 years and 60cm in diameter needing 2500 years. We could suppose to 1600 years ago,the Tsaidam Basin was covered the plenty of thick forest instead of the wild and dry plateau now.

Don't let the history repeat itself, we are reserved and take things very seriously to protect our forest and friendly environment.

森林是珍貴的

大約三十年前，我們曾極度驚恐的站在谷關街上看熊熊烈火焚燒森林，整夜火光衝天。據說消防人員慶幸森林大火被控制在有限的區域內燃燒，雖然如此，那場夢魘常讓我一想起就不寒而慄。

西元二O一四年六月二十三日，我們到黃石國家公園旅行，非常驚訝所見山頭覆蓋的是一片小松樹林，導遊説在一九八八年黃石國家公園曽發生森林大火，燒毀了百分之二十六的森林，松柏樹長得很緩慢。好可怕！

看中國中央電視台的節目「新絲綢之路」，報導了中國考古學家在青海省都蘭發現一千六百年前古墓地，估計有千座墓葬。所有的墓穴都是一層石頭上疊一層柏木頭。層級越高的貴族堆疊的層次越多，使用的木頭越粗大。基於這事証推論宮殿巨室建築會使用更巨大的木頭。根據柏樹生長緩慢，年輪直徑十五公分的柏樹需生長二百年，直徑六十公分的柏樹需生長二千五百年。如此推論，一千六百年前，柴達木盆地應是覆蓋大量茂密的森林，而不是今日所見乾燥杳無人跡的荒野高原。

不能讓歷史重演，我們得謹慎保守嚴肅的看待森林保護和友善環境這件事。

Chasing After the Blue Tears to Matzu

Chasing after the Blue Tears To Matzu

May 15,2017.We were curious to see how beautiful the Blue Tears are,stepping on the Matzu Island again. The island is located on the entrance of Min River ,was a militarized frontier till 1999 becoming a National Scene Area to open to the tourists.

The first night ,we were chasing after the Blue Tears by boat around the seashore , the  floating blue color sparkled in the water, all passengers were cheerful and wanted to catch the moment , "Don't use the flash,because the Blue Tears are afraid of lighting."the owner of the ship spoke  loud.

We failed to take any photo in the faint light with cell phone or iPa. They said that the photographers with high classic function cameras can take the beautiful scene floating moment.

The next morning,we came to the magic shore again ,the big waves were breaking against the shore  and hitting out white-blue bubbles rolling over the rocks. The local fisher said,when a school of Ding Xiang Fish find out the food of plenty of the  Night Light Bugs ,they will gather to the area. So ,it is a fishing information of catching for Ding Xiang Fish time. Recently, the artists took the romantic pictures and caught the international eyes and burst into the Internet named Blue Tears. In every May, crowded tourists come to the rough calm island and figure out the beauty of slow-paced live. People from average Joes to celebrities are engaging in this infectious trend.

Being a battlefield in the past, the military facilities were digging into underground or through the Rocky Mountains .Today ,we were shipping through the water tunnels or walked through the holes with the wine store-rooms which the trenches faced the tremendous battles in the past. It's a hard time to the whole generation and we wish to live in peace  never a cruel war.

追藍眼淚追到馬祖

二〇一七年五月十五日。我們因為對美麗的藍眼淚充滿好奇和熱情，再度踏上馬祖島。它座落於閩江口，過去是前線的戰地，直到一九九九年劃為國家風景區開放遊客觀光。

第一個晩上，我們坐船繞著海岸去追尋藍眼淚，看到流動的藍光在海面上閃閃爍爍，所有的乘客都歡呼並急欲捕捉這美麗的剎那，船主大叫：「不要用閃光，因為藍眼淚怕光。」在微弱的光暈下，我們用手機或iPa都拍不到任何一張照片。據說必須是有髙級效能的專業攝影機的拍攝者才能抓住那美麗的流動的瞬間。

第二天早晨，我們再次來到這個魔幻海岸，看到大浪拍打衝擊著海岸，激出藍白色的泡泡在岩石週圍滾動。當地的漁民說，當丁香魚群發現大量的食物一夜光藻蟲，會集結到這片海域覓食。所以藍光海面是個魚汛，告知我們捕撈丁香魚的時節到了。近年來，藝術家拍攝了羅曼蒂克的影像，引發國際關注，並在網路上以藍眼淚之名發燒。每年五月，觀光人潮湧進這純樸寧靜的漁村，並發現步調緩慢生活的美好。從普羅大眾到名人雅士都感染了這股慢活的風潮。

作為一個過去的戰地，所有的軍事設施都挖掘到地下或挖穿花崗岩山脈。今天我們坐船穿梭水道，或走進酒窖的坑道。當年那是面對可怕的戰爭用的戰壕坑道。對整個世代的人來說，這是個艱困的年代，我們衷心期盼生活在和平中，不再有殘酷戰爭的恐懼。

Hiking in the Foggy Forest, on the Flowery Path

，Hiking In the Foggy Forest,On the Flowery Path

May 9,2017,Tuesday ,cloudy.We were hiking from Nanzhuang Townshiip of Miaoli County,through Nan- Tian ancient path ,the heights 570m ,the length 8.3km,to Siangtian Lake.

To Saisiyat Native people ,Nan-Tian ancient path is an important line to connect with outside world,currently it expands enough to run traffic.During the period of Japanese ruled, surrounding the mountains planted plenty of wood-oil trees,named You Tong Tree,used in making lacquer to paint .Until chemical material instead of lacquer, they were abandoned in the wild .Someday the photographers were pleasing to the eye to show the beautiful scene of the You Tong Flowers, blooming over the hills looks like cover the white snow, so amazing !

Hiking on the way ,the small white flowers danced with the wind and covered with the pure color blanket like on the wedding ceremony field. We were cheerful and excited in the scenery. Up and up and up ,we entered the foggy forest as if flying into a fairyland ,the air around the secret atmosphere,all the people and near things were imaginary. 

Finally, we arrived a high elevation lake , 738meters above sea level , named Siangtian lake,which means "Look up to the sky". It's the place where the Saisiyat Native People hold the most important ceremonies to worship. Due to the foggy weather ,Our sight unclear ,just walked along the lake not only carefully,but also lightly breathed in and out. We were afraid to wake up the spirits.

Thanks for the Guider Wei ,we enjoyed the experience to explore a wonderland.

健行於迷霧森林中，走在落英繽紛的花道上

二〇一七年五月九日，星期二，陰天。我們從苗栗縣南庒鄉，經過高度570公尺，總長8.3公里的南天古道，到向天湖。

對賽夏族原住民來說，南天古道是一條很重要的與外界聯絡溝通的管道，近年來，它擴展成足夠車行的道路。在日本統治期間，滿山遍野種植大量的油桐樹，用於生產桐油製造油漆塗料。直到化學物質完全取代桐油，它們因此被遺棄於荒野。某一天，一些攝影者拍下了賞心悅目的美麗桐花鋪天蓋地綻放山頭，彷彿五月雪，多麽神奇的白雪紛飛的雪景。

健行在南天古道上祇見小小的白色桐花隨風飛舞，走在覆蓋純白花毯上，好像走在結婚典禮的場地上。我們歡呼激動於這美麗的場景。不斷的向上爬升，我們走進迷霧森林，山在虛無縹緲間，彷彿飛進一個童話世界，空氣中感染了神秘的氣氛，所有的人和周邊的景物都如真似幻。

終於，我們到達了一個高山湖泊，海拔738公尺的向天湖，意思是面向天空的湖泊。它是賽夏族原住民舉行祭祀典禮活動的重要地點。由於霧濛濛的氣候，我們的視線糢糊，僅僅沿著湖邊小心且屏息靜氣的走，猶恐吵醒了神靈。

感謝魏領隊，讓我們享受了探索夢幻世界的經驗。