Shin 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.
She 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.
Oh, 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.
They look so cute, don’t they? And it depends as well. They are free to choose places to bloom; some are on the leaf while others below. They accompanied the bouquet of 40 roses, gift for松風 or Mei-Shun from her prime patron Shin. We have not seen them until she dismantle the big bundle to clean. Such humble supporters are sincerely respected in Japan, called 縁の下の力持ち=en-no-shita-no-chikaramochi. One of them keeps to help the last rose for longer than a month.
It looks twins would follow these cymbidium princesses. Since flower buds put on transparent honey dew, we can distinguish them from leaf ones. Oh, Mei-Shun was so careless that she hurt a bit of the eldest. Your highness, please kindly let her stay grateful for your generosity. Younger ladies are safe, growing day by day. Mom-in-law’s crab cactus pot also holds many buds in bright pink at each top of leaves. Our Christmas might see some of them bloom as called.
Our backyard gingko put on green-yellow coat just a week before. He is so quick to turn it into all yellow by this morning — perhaps caused by warmth of these several days. Mei-Shun enjoys a seasonal carpet on the balcony. On the other hand, she keeps taking care of the gorgeous bouquet of roses from Shin for three weeks. Yes, such a long time has passed since she danced 汐汲. Her twin sister 松風 still wants to sleep. No problem, go ahead as you like it.
Mei-Shun keeps one of moms of Madoka-chan for another 6 months. Actually in summer, she had eczema in shoulder heads while losing hair in tail. We were worried about it so much that asked a veterinarian to see her. Diagnosis was that she had no pernicious bacteria on skin. Ms. I, our instructor and leader, has continued medical shampoo since then. Now we see good result of her efforts in shiny dark-fawn coat of Madoka-chan. She might have been used to new life at a riding club as well.
Our sleepy gingko finally started to change his green coat into yellow one. Please find the prominent figure recently gone greeted by the latest color. Mei-Shun meant to enjoy sunny walking with her mother today, yet she said it was too late — her younger daughter arrived at noon. They have much to talk about, including matters better to be kept confidential. Air suddenly get cold after 14:00. So they chose to stay indoors and chat over a tree which has the same name as daddy.
Called 山下紅=yamashita-beni, they are so beautiful both in taste and appearance that Mei-Shun cannot wait until she meet them at the beginning of winter. Mikan-chan, here are mini-moms you are named after. You are clever enough to know that, greet them peacefully while normal cats do not like them. One of Mei-Shun’s cat fancier friends loves oranges so much. However, he has to go to another room for this dessert since his boy always get angry at it and hit dad by paws.
Mr. Banana stands quietly in morning sunlight, with a new leaf looking half-frozen. How’s Baby Avocado? … Oh, he looks safe, upheld in snow-covered garden. It is awful that current cold wave forces Mei-Shun to arrange protector against frost for them so soon. On the other hand, she found five flower buds of Princess Cymbidium just after returning from the roof floor to watch Mr. Banana. Kindly let her show great pleasure, your highness.
meishunkikunoe 