… on lunar calendar it is today. We have been able to see the moon early in the morning, becoming thinner and thinner. It was impossible to find her high in eastern sky, even with Shin’s good eyesight. We miss her a lot while Mei-Shun is a bit happy thanks to the bathroom scale: she lost one sac of sugar. Has she been paralleled with the moon in shape? Then she has to be very careful not to do so from today! Anyway, shall we have a little tea party on ささらがた and 冨貴寄?
beauty
Enjoy Ever
StandardMei-Shun has picked up some from countless flowers Shin gave her so far. Many opportunities including her performance on stage, their wedding anniversary at Christmas and her birthday replenish her blissful arms with gorgeous bouquets and arrangements. Middle-sized roses are relatively suitable to dry for preservation, with recent best following below in bright orange. Since they bowed immediately in spite of watering, Mei-Shun hung them in headstand position for a while.
3rd Snow?
StandardActually, Mei-Shun saw the second on 14th for just a moment. She found it started at just 9:00 this time. According to the weather forecast, it should have been a rainfall around here — maybe because we have 大寒=daikan, the 6th of winter while the last of 二十四節気 today. The coldest season in an year means that we have only to endure it for 2 weeks. With lunar New Year’s Eve next week, shall we enjoy this frostiness wrapped in thick coats, long boots and furs?
Waterfowls
StandardMei-Shun visited 乙戸沼 Park — long time no see. Winter mornings are too cold and dark to be there after driving Shin to the nearest station, so she has used to walk to the nearest shrine since around 大雪, the third of winter 二十四節気. Amazingly beautiful it is. A flock of wild ducks play on the pond with white dots of swans. Yuri-kamome or Larus ridibundus, great to see you here. It looks like grey herons rest on each fountain nozzle, or are you cormorants?
First Lesson
Standardof 2017, thank you so much, Master Mei-Shu. It is the best way to make Mei-Shun straighten her spine — prepare kimono, put it on with お太鼓=o-taiko, sash shaped in a square on the back. Master gave her student a new 舞扇=mai-ogi, a fan used in Japanese dance as usual. Oh, how pretty this salmon-pink is! It well encourages Mei-Shun to practice hard 京鹿子娘道成寺=kyo-kanoko-musume-dojoji. It is the set piece for our Kikunoe Ryu certificates including 段=dan, 名取=natori and 師範=shihan.
Happy Birthday
StandardIt is a bit embarrassing to say so to yourself, while so happy to have family and friends who say so to you. Mom, thanks for your simple but heartfelt message. Shin, your surprise gift won an enormous success this year as well. Mom-in-law, your お赤飯=o-sekihan, steamed rice with red bean tastes the best. Now, let’s enjoy together Galette des Rois as Mei-Shun’s birthday cake. And oh, another flower featuring sakura from her best friend! Please take her sincere gratefulness.
Step by Step
StandardSo happy to see the first full moon of this year. She looks so beautiful in clear, cold air that Mei-Shun chose moonlight scores for Ms. Piano tonight. There was a little discovery: she misread a G key, wrote E for it. Since musical notes full of lines are not friendly to her eyes, she makes it a rule to use pencils for confirmation. Now she is ready to play it precisely, while make further efforts of weight control toward the end of lunar 2016 which comes in 2 weeks.
Copyright © 2017 Professor M or Shimaneko Sensei All Rights Reserved.
Japanese Culture@holiday
StandardShin and Mei-Shun visited her mother’s home, one week later than expected. Now let’s enjoy mom’s best 黒豆=kuromame, sweet-simmered black soybean and 数の子=kazunoko, hot herring roe marinade. A tree of 蝋梅=robai or Japanese allspice welcomed them in full bloom. It was her beloved father who fell in love with this winter flower soon after its market introduction. Bright yellow petals look like art works made of wax, giving the sweetest scent around — you can recognize it at a distance of 10 feet.
Great Honor
StandardShe is blooming. How pretty her first bud is! We have been worried about her health since she was found hurt. Thanks to warmth, all buds left have shown their faces within today. Actually, Mei-Shun failed to move her into bigger pot: she stays in her first place. So severe an environment for these grown-up roots, has not nourished them enough. It is why some leaves turned into yellow, as they are called in flowers. Your highness, please keep patient a little more.
Monster Assault
StandardOh, you hurt our princess, didn’t you? Hid under leaves in daylight, worked after dark? Such a bad boy will be thrown away with a pair of chopsticks. Now, one of the triplets gave the first flower this morning while injured one takes longer time to grow her buds. It might be caused by her thinner, browned stem. That is all right, your highness. Please do not be in a hurry, just make sure and steady strides forward. Your little twin sisters would wait for you to flourish.
meishunkikunoe 