Thankfulness

Standard

This date is special for Shin and Mei-Shun. They’ve made it a rule to dine out dressed-up, yet share a slight cold this year. It means for her to play double roles of hostess and nurse at home — too big a responsibility. All right, she told to herself. “You were able to see a doctor, prescribed with medicine while he could not but help himself by commercially available one. Why don’t you feel happy to serve him all day long?” Yes, she does, seeing him satisfied with beef steak, chiffon cake and good sleep.

Dragonfly Kiss!

Dragonfly Kiss!

Japanese Culture@holiday

Standard

Before Happy Monday System was introduced, Health and Sports Day had been set on October 10th. In 1964, the Olympic Games held in Tokyo for the first time started on this date. They say one of the reasons for the choice is that it is a peculiar day of fair weather, called “singular day” by Japanese meteorologists. Well, if the next Tokyo Olympic hold an opening ceremony in August, would we have another holiday added onto current list?

Fragrant Memory

Standard

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.

Forward and Backward

Standard

Ms. I, an instructor at Mei-Shun’s horse riding club, offered her a promotion to the upper class. She will take a test on Friday, feeling so happy. On the other hand, she might stumble in her diet. She knows reasons well — one is that her rule to weigh regularly has been broken. She has done it on Aug. 31, Sept. 2, 9, 10 and 12 so far. Then she tried tonight, an unbelievable amount jumped into her eyes. Now she must make a rectification.

Lunar August

Standard

And 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.

Cooler Purr

Standard

Mom overslept this morning, let me out of the cage around 7:00. Meow, it is easier to breathe than yesterday, isn’t it? She keeps the shutter of dad’s reading room facing the east closed till noon in the middle of summer, saying morning sunlight burns her. However, she opened all of them today. Oh, nice wind comes through. Are you taking a nap as well? I’m so happy to stay between your legs. The footpace of our roof floor, my second favorite napping place has been too hot in these several days. Purrrrrr …

ねむねむちゃんにゃに?

Copyright © 2016 Mikan-chan All Rights Reserved.

After 1Y + 18Wks

Standard

… will be postponed to Tuesday. Mei-Shun visitied her mother staying in 草津 with a handmade birthday cake and Shin. He is always kind enough to agree with his wife’s idea — he had squeezed a vacancy out of his hard schedule, reserved bullet train seats to 軽井沢, Karuizawa with a rental car service. Just one-hour drive brought them to the cottage which Mei-Shun’s late father bought 20 years before. It is really cool and comfortable in summer there. Mom was fine, welcomed her children with fresh vegetables.

oniyuri (2)

Happy Donuts

Standard

Sometimes you really crave them, don’t you? Mei-Shun does, maybe because she resembles her late father in favorite foods. He used to bring home a box of assorted donuts after job. Little Mei-Shun was so happy to choose one as a dessert next morning. Now on low-carb diet, she has to refrain from sweets as much as possible. However, when she feels herself out of control, it seems better to eat them a little, replacing other carbohydrates. Breakfast toast for example, as the best candidate for substitution.

Shall We?

Standard

Mei-Shun started piano lesson at the age of 5. That seems why she loves music, headed by classical ones. She belonged to a brass band club in her junior high school days, playing the horn while Shin did as well by chance as a tuba player. Today, a letter from Professor K of Nihon University, one of Mei-Shun’s respectful benefactors, told her that he takes lessons for alto saxophone these days. Now, who would follow us next?

2nd Renewal

Standard

You would find below before-after contrast of our dishwasher and built-in hobs. It took almost a whole day — at 9 : 00, a contractor brought three big boxes. He first carried out our old appliances including mom-in-law’s. Secondly, he cleaned up stainless tables before setting hobs. Then he tried to fit the new dishwasher into space of Mei-Shun’s previous one. However, the former is from a different maker, a little bigger than expected. That seemed why he often murmured and groaned during 2-hour process.

before renewal (2) after renewal