Thank you so much, Dr. A, who gave Mei-Shun a “Yes” phone call during this o-bon vacation. That became the happiest お盆玉 for the latter. She celebrated it with a glass of tasty 月の桂=tsuki-no-katsura, a cloudy and sparkling sake made in Kyoto. Scotch whiskey, 芋焼酎=imo-shochu and 泡盛=awamori are normally preferred, it has never brought her a hangover.
Mei-Shun sees many colorful envelopes of おぼんだま=o-bon-dama at post offices, supermarkets and convenience stores these days. Written all in ひらがな=hiragana, it took a time for her to recognize that it means お盆玉, obviously derived from お年玉=o-toshi-dama, new-year allowance. Summer vacation is equivalent to family reunion: giraffe-necked grandparents are ready to use them.
Mr. Avocado, we are so happy to see you again. Since you moved onto our garden last year, conditions have been harder. However, you survived growing greener, stood tightly on the ground. Even in winter, you looked all right putting off browned leaves one by one. And it stopped there — nothing seen on your stalk until yesterday, when mom-in-law found your second baby.
… to you, mom, now on vacation at her cottage in Kusatsu. It rains hard with respites for a while all day long today unlike normal years. Mei-Shun would like to e-mail her, yet communication between Ibaraki and Gunma Prefectures really depends. Mom has been surprised by messages from her younger daughter delivered at midnight. Their voice on line never sound comfortable …
Mikan-chan always knows how Mei-Shun feels. When the latter takes rest on a futon mat with a fever, the former immediately joins while relaxes at her best place, looking indifferent when her mom is in better condition. All the same occurs between her parents — when Shin and Mei-Shun are in a bad mood after quarrel, their fluffy daughter rushes toward them with her tail upheld, turns on her back purring.
We are so happy to see you two in the garden. And it was lucky for Mei-Shun who found you standing straight up in green before Shin used the lawn mower. Ah, that might be why she often saw butterfly couples these days. They were messengers sent by you to let us know today’s festival, weren’t they? All right, let’s wish 織姫 and 彦星 would be able to meet tonight crossing a bridge made by magpies over the galaxy.
Mei-Shun made it: she finally found piano scores which she had been looking for at a musical instruments shop! “A Maiden’s Prayer” by T. Badarzewska reminds her of long-forgotten tune by her mother who sometimes played this and Beethoven’s “For Elise”. Others include “Le Cygne” by C. C. Saint-Saëns and a best album featuring Studio Ghibli‘s animation films by J. Hisaishi.
It is from me and mom, though daddy Shin is still in the plane to the U. S. right now. That means he sees two birthdays this year, doesn’t it? Mom practices Japanese dance after taking care of me. All right, go ahead. I’ll stay here not to make you panicked at losing me, while to keep quiet.
Meow, are you going to take a nap? Let me join on your futon mat. Purrrr …
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Thank you so much, Dr. A, for giving Mei-Shun a “Yes” phone call yesterday. It was recorded by her fixed device, not by portable one. The latter was in a bullet train returning from奈良 via 新大阪, moving too fast to catch such a faint radio wave. Next appointment is set on July 25th. She hopes her current method would safely pass the halfway of losing weight till then.
Willow, gingko and persimmon. It is so nice to see you become greener and greener day by day. Oh, regarding progress, Mei-Shun and Madoka-chan share happy promotion: the former would go up to gallop classes while the latter graduate from training program. Senior instructors gave formal approval to Madoka-chan, yet they did not for Mei-Shun who feels a bit worried about the next lesson …
meishunkikunoe 