金木犀=kin-mokusei is one of Mei-Shun’s most favorite flowers. It reminds her of childhood, or accurately happy school days. Festival season used to come with that sweet scent, followed by tiny yellow flowers in bloom. Her parents also love it, planted the other breed of white flowers as well called 銀木犀=gin-mokusei, meaning fragrant olive with silver flowers. Original one means golden flowers with 金, giving young Mei-Shun treasures in garden.
beauty
Rosy Sky
StandardHow beautiful! Under this miraculous phenomenon, cicadas sang, humid and hot air held us. Summer seems to postpone his departure. Fiery sunset with orange and red gradation in winter is nice, yet it makes us a bit lonely, doesn’t it? Mei-Shun, who prefers lively pink, blue and green combination, was lucky to see it on walking way to home in the evening. The lane between harvested rice paddies was tinged with scarlet of 彼岸花 here and there.
Good Friends
StandardOne year has passed since Shin brought his wife to the horse-riding club. At first, just seeing horseies satisfied her. Their kindness to let her ride on gave the happiest entertainment. Now getting used to it, she wants more: she would like to be friends with that beautiful animal. She has only admired them so far, allowed them to do as they like. However, it might not be the right attitude toward her partners. On an equal footing, a horse and a human being should combine with each other to create great performances.
Little Lovely
StandardWild flowers seem to like autumn, not only spring. They make hordes next to walking courses of Mei-Shun around 乙戸沼 Pond while along rice paddies, making her eyes deeply pleased. Her mother taught her little daughter that blue ones below are called 露草=tsuyu-kusa. Or dayflower in English, their one-day life rings a bell for morning dew, it is said. Other names include 青花=ao-bana and 月草=tsuki-kusa, meaning blue flower and moon plant respectively.
Lingering Summer
StandardToday’s highest temperature in Ibaraki was just a bit lower than 33 degrees Celsius. Yes, September is such a month these days. Most of Mei-Shun’s generation, sometimes called 昭和人=Showa-jin, people born in our previous era, remember clearer boundaries between four seasons 2 decades before. Maybe affected by global warming, recent summers appear to reside with us until winters approach just nearby. So does next-door 百日紅=saru-suberi, serving Mei-Shun a gift in eyes.
Autumn Greeting
StandardWe had 二百十日=nihyaku-toka, 210th day after 立春 on the last day of August this year. It is said to represent a time when rice harvest and typhoon landfalls often come together, a warning to farmers. And this flower called 彼岸花, higanbana in Japanese or Lycoris radiata carries three names in English including hurricane lily, red spider lily and cluster-amaryllis. Mei-Shun cannot help hoping such beauty in nature be ever resonant with peaceful repose of our lives.
Lunar August
StandardAnd Solar September starts from today. It is a nice coincidence for the first days of modern and older calendars to meet on the same date, isn’t it? That also means we have a new moon tonight, the best timing to make your wish to a god. Mei-Shun’s is good health of course, not only for herself but for her family and friends. Health in body leads to one in mind, collaborate to create beauty and happiness. She wishes she could wish for everybody including those she does not know.
Amber Protection
StandardIt is so big that Mei-Shun was nearly shocked at first. Shin, take her most profound gratitude please. They say your face oil serves for better luster on this gemstone. She therefore takes everyday care of it, anticipating an excellent debut on kimono — it is a 帯留, obi-dome accessory for obi sash. 久慈, kuji in Iwate Prefecture has one of the oldest amber-embracing strata in the world, Santonian, Late Cretaceous. How romantic it is to see Mother Earth memory of more than 85 million years ago!
Night Lotus
StandardShin and Mei-Shun visited 水郷 Park. They found that it is one of “Poké-Sta.” since there were many people walking around with their smart phones in hand. The former looked happy to play on his own while the latter was more interested in flowers around them. She had believed that they slept at night, yet some of these lotuses bloomed in lovely pink. Or mischievous monsters might ask them to provide good hiding places.
Moon Watches
StandardTyphoon VII, or Chanthu roared over Kanto area around midnight. One thing for Mei-Shun is that she tends to catch a slight cold by failure in air conditioning while typhoons go by. They bring heavy rain and sultriness which force her to be shut up indoors all day long. She knows artificially cooled bedroom is the worst for health, yet it is the best after bath. Ms. Full Moon, great to see you. Please tell her what to do when she misses you in thick clouds.
meishunkikunoe 