She finished blooming, made up a fluffy seed ball. Mei-Shun admires this little and strong life, hopes to see her surrounded by children next year. Such idea reminds her of the BGM aired in a beauty salon. Mr. H, her hairdresser who often puts on nice T-shirts, hinted Charlie Puth whose hit tune has been used by a lovely figure skater, yet she could not recognize his voice in another song.
You live under the balcony tap, drink a little when Mei-Shun use water to wipe fence surface before hanging futon mats. She waters your family in smaller pots enough, leaving you alone. Please let her say a million thanks to your excellent survival in lovely flowers. And the same to you, Ms. Fragrant. She never recognizes your blossom until she visits backyard shed to replenish Mr. Aladdin’s stomach.
Here is our grapefruit pots. Interestingly, each leaf keeps a little “spare” nearer to the stalk. When bigger parts seem to get sick, Mei-Shun cut them out as follows expecting smaller ones to work. The latter do not grow themselves while facilitate birth of another bud. And the former still stay perfumed in that sweet fruit, currently dried to go back home soon.
Please call him Fuku-chan. Drew Mei-Shun into his round eyes the other day, he sits on a 座布団=zabuton, Japanese cushion handmade by mom-in-law from her son’s Aloha shirt. It has become not only too big for Shin but also out of his summer trend. Yet as a textile, it is very smooth in 100% silk while with lovely goldfish and flower in nice coloring. Why don’t we make the most of it?
It seems they started harvest from this weekend. The easternmost ears all stopped listening to us, bundled and dried on bamboo hangers. Mei-Shun felt somehow warm when she walked passing by them — do they emit heat while fermented? Under sunlight and rainfall one after another, they might be naturally cooked before peeled and steamed into shining white.
二条城 has vast space in the center of this ancient capital. This garden accommodates a spacious pond where a heron takes a rest, a lovely little fall twinkles. You can enjoy feeding big carps as well. 本丸=hon-maru, main building of Japanese castle, was lost by fire only with a firm foundation left. Going up stairs, you would have a nice view on mountain silhouette and lightning rods on roofs.
御中元=ochugen, summer gifts are ready. Mei-Shun ordered special packages to 風流堂 as usual, asking a minor change in products. She had wondered why they never post English version for online shopping, emailed on this matter this time. Their reply was in a letter attached to the box for Master Mei-Shu: it seems they keep the job for their smart granddaughter who lived in the U.S. till recently, a WASEDA Univ. student.
One of Mei-Shun’s favorite shops there is 陶柿園. They sell a lot of tableware including these chopsticks rests. Could you see cute fishes swimming in clear glass water? Real sight of them is available in a garden of 5-floor building where various restaurants serve you. Actually, it is not so easy to find such places along narrow, winding lanes. Why don’t you therefore enjoy no-map promenade?
Today we see 芒種=boshu, the 3rd of summer 二十四節気. “芒” sounds rare for Mei-Shun who searched this Chinese character read nogi. It expresses spikes in chaffs of rice, wheat, etc., which wait for 芒種 to be sown in fields. Not only to prepare for hot and humid season, she asked Shin to have lunch at a restaurant where tasty grilled eels are served.
Mei-Shun met Shin at one of their favorite restaurants in Shinagawa for lunch after hair treatment. Served dishes did not feature seasonal ingredients like 初鰹=hatsu-gatsuo, year’s first bonito while desserts were changed from normal 善哉=zenzai, sweetened red bean soup with rice cake to 餡蜜=anmitsu, agar jelly with fruits, syrup and red bean paste.
meishunkikunoe 