Good morning 0428

 It is sunny today, and we are glad. Yesterday, as I wrote, it was rainy and very cold. After we came back home from the hospital, neither of us felt well, so we lay down and rested, even though the hospital itself was warm.

We carefully looked at the images together with the radiologist. Thankfully, there is no metastasis this time, and the tumors in the brain are now almost undetectable. It seems we can continue living with the cancerfor a while longer. For now, it feels like we’ve managed to hold on.

Worrying every time like this is exhausting, but it can’t be helped.

A friend who lives in Tokyo suddenly sent me a message this morning and asked, “Are you watching TV?” Apparently, Utsunomiya has been ranked No. 1 as a place to relocate. I didn’t see the program, so I’m not sure whether that ranking was for people from big cities or from more rural areas.

Living costs may be lower than in big cities, but it is hard to live without a car, and it is cold here.

From my friend

Good morning 0427

 It’s rainy today. It’s the kind of weather that makes going out feel like a hassle, but since we’re going by car, it’s not a problem.

I find it interesting to observe people at the hospital. It’s a large hospital for this area, so some people come from quite far away—more than an hour and a half by car or train.

Some people are dressed very casually, as if they’ve just popped out for a quick errand, while others are fully dressed up, as if they’re going somewhere special. You don’t really see anyone wearing kimono, though. There are also many family members accompanying patients, so you see a wide variety of styles.

Since it’s raining today, I’m thinking I’ll need a spring coat—even though I’ll be in the car. Of course, I’ll end up taking it off once I’m inside the hospital.

by Yuki

s

Good evening 0426

 I haven’t posted an update on this blog for a while, but we’re doing well.

First, I’d like to tell you about Yuki’s situation. Last week, he was able to receive chemotherapy. He also had a CT scan, and fortunately, his tumors have not grown. In fact, the tumors in his brain have become remarkably smaller than we or the doctors expected.

To be honest, in the first half of April, we had a lot of concerns, as he had a slight fever and his white blood cell count was unstable.

Tomorrow, we will see a radiation oncologist, and the day after tomorrow, we will see an ENT specialist. We will be busy going to the hospital, but it also means we will have a chance—or rather, we will need—to eat lunch out. It’s enjoyable, although it does make "me" worry a bit about our budget. Still, we are simply grateful that we are able to go out at all.

Today, I went to a temple in the morning to copy sutras. I need to concentrate while copying sutras. It might be a kind of mindfulness practice. I had a good time.

In the afternoon, Yuki went to the gym to ride a stationary bike. He also used some other machines. He can’t walk smoothly, but riding a bike and using some machines are fine for him.

Today, we had all three meals at home.

Good morning 0414

According to the newspaper, TOTO announced on the 13th that it has suspended orders for unit bathrooms for homes. This is due to a shortage of solvents made from naphtha, a petroleum-derived material. The impact of the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused by military conflict involving Iran is spreading.

On the same day, TOTO notified wholesalers and other partners of the suspension. The timing for resuming orders has not yet been decided.

TOTO is a very popular company, and the materials used in our renovated bathroom are from TOTO. We feel lucky.

Good morning 0413

 

by Mieko

Haiku

Warm spring heat— weeding is still a joy, for now

Tulip bouquet—what joy it brings me at this age

New screen　a green feather pin on the MC’s chest

*a green feather pin used in a Japanese fundraising campaign for forest conservation in spring

by Yuki

collecting reward points

 Do you collect reward points, like Amazon points or supermarket loyalty cards? I do, but these days I’ve simplified my system. I used to have more than five supermarket loyalty cards, and they were all prepaid cards, but now I only have one.

 I still go to other supermarkets, but there I mainly use my credit card and collect reward points.  I’ve given up collecting points from individual stores, and instead I mainly use my credit card to earn reward points, which I then use for other purposes.

 My main credit card is issued by a telecommunications company, and I usually use the points I earn to pay my cellphone bill.

 On the other hand, I’m a member of Amazon Prime, and here in Japan members can enjoy many services, such as free shipping, so the membership fee is definitely worth it.

 I can also listen to Amazon Music and watch Amazon Prime Video. However, although these services are very convenient.

 I once had a credit card used fraudulently—not by skimming, but in some other way—and fortunately the card company noticed it and stopped the transactions. Still, I had to get a new card and update all my payment information, which was quite a hassle.

 I’ve also heard that Amazon accounts can sometimes be used without permission. 

Because of this, although convenience has improved a lot, dealing with security has become stressful, and recently I’ve started to wonder whether I’ll be able to handle things properly if something like that happens again in the future.

Having store cards are safer, I think recently,

online meeting

 Yesterday, I joined an online meeting. The topic is "corn".

I'll introduce my opinion.

corn

◆Do you like to eat corn or corn products? When was the last time that you ate corn?

Yes, I do. The last time I ate corn was last month—more precisely, on March 28. I had coleslaw with corn at KFC, and I took it home. Of course we got a KFC box. It has a reason. The 28th is called “Niwa no Hi.” “Niwa” means chicken, so KFC offers a box at a discounted price on that day.

◆What is your favorite meal that has corn as one of the ingredients? Can you cook it?

Actually, I like steamed corn on the cob. But for meals that include corn as an ingredient, I like coleslaw or rice with corn.

◆Have you ever made popcorn? Do you prefer your popcorn to taste sweet or salty?

Yes, of course. When my daughters were in elementary school, I was in charge of making popcorn at their school summer festival. So I still keep a big pot for it. When I make it, I like to make it salty, but when I buy it, I prefer caramel-flavored popcorn.

◆What spices or sauces do you like to put on corn? Have you ever eaten raw corn?

As I mentioned, I like caramel-flavored corn. I have also eaten raw corn. Recently, corn that can be eaten raw has become more common in Japan. 

◆Besides being a food that we eat, how else is corn useful to the human race?

I think some companies, like Starbucks, use compostable cups made from corn.

◆What do you think it would be like to be a corn farmer in your country?

Here in Utsunomiya, I know that some rice farmers and vegetable farmers grow corn as a side crop. Anyway, the occupation of a farmer would be quite hard work, but also rewarding.