FUKUSOKU-DOBUTUS

Do you know the word of "gastropod"? In Japanese FUKUSOKU-DOBUTSU.
These words (Japanese and English) are the first words for me.

The other day a woman come to our study meeting.
Most of conversaiton is of course done in Japnaese, I try to write it down in English.

Mieko "This book is also useful and fun to introduce numbers to kids"
-- I read a English picture book.
How many legs on an octupus? -- eight legs on an octupus.
How many legs on a bug?---------six legs on a bug.
------ continue, and finish
But no legs on a slug!

Ms. H " In English slugs have no legs, don't they?".
Mieko "What? "
Ms.H " Slugs have a leg they have muscle in their belly, so they belong to "FUKU(belly)-SOKU(leg) Dobutsu(animal) "
Mieko "Really? How about snakes?"
Ms.H "No, they don't have legs."
Mieko "Why do you know creatures very well?"
Ms. H "My major was biology."
Mieko "I see, so you don't mind that you daughter pick up lots of worms in the garden."

When I came home, I look for the word in my dictionary, it was "gastropod".
The origin of the word is Greek. gastro meas belly and pod means leg.
Did you know that??

harvest season

Now, lettuce is occupied in the small garden. So every another day we eat lettuce.

we get some beans, we get some kinds of herb leaves. Now it is a green-leaf harvest season in the garden.

Well, yesterday, my elder daughter fail a company's final exam. (though she passed through the fourth exam). --- It can't be helped.

In her life, probably it is the first hardest time and it is the time she becomes independent.

Well, well, well---

The other day one of my friend bought a new electric gadget. Do you know "MV Pen"? And immediately I thought I wanted one too. It costs about 10000yen. The cheapest way to buy is net shopping by Amazon. I sat at the computer, and open the Amazon page. First I clicked some books I needed. Next--- anyway I stopped just put it in my cart.

Yesterday, it was of course Sunday. Suddenly my husband started to put his closet in order with me. Why? The reason is clear. He wants to buy new clothes for summer, especially tennis and golf wears.

"We" rechecked the clothes, "he" casted some clothes he "never" wear away. "I" changed loosen rubber bands of three training pants. And we went out shopping. he bought some clothes with family budget. And we bought a little bit good quality beef, and wine for our dinner.
They cost over 10000yen.

Now I'm going to buy the new gadget, it is not so necessary, though it is in the cart.

How are you doing?

About ten days have passed since I updated this site. I'm so-so. Last week I had a slight fever. My husband was afraid I could have caught by "Swin Flu", no, just a cold. And last week swin flu wasn't not confirmed in Kantou yet, just only KOBE, though this week in TOKYO swin flu was confirmed. Here and there gauze (recently instead of gauze, three layers nonwoven is used) masks are sold out. How about your city? or country?

Since this month I started to go to TOKYO once a week to attend a meeting again. The meeting is fun, but it makes me really tired physically. But the meeting and the members get me a lot of energy, and from this power I can manage my English picture book meeting here. It's difficult to get such energy here, on the other hand it's difficult to manage such family-like meeting here in Tokyo. Last week I hold a English story-telling in the public liberally, many people came. I was really happy. Of course I'm not a native English speaker, but showing the attitude to enjoy English probably get people (not only kids) stimulus. There are many people who have a English allergy.

Well, in Japan swin flu comes, and we are in recession. My daughter's workplace is not decided, she is a senior. I'm not sure she can share her 4 year's experience in the college at work. And she doesn't pursue her art course, she wants to work in general. Now it is her life, it is her choice, my husband and I are just watching. If she were in a good booming period, it would have been easy to get job. It cannot helped.

It is the time for students coming. I'll update again soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

How are you doing on this day? Me? It's an usual "free" Sunday.

I sent some presents for my mother and my mother-in-law. And this morning I got a present from my elder daughter by mail. From my younger daughter?? I don't know.

The other day I told her "it' OK to send nothing on Mother's day".

She said : The word of NO you said means usually "yes", so I "should" send something for you.

Do I get something from her today??? I'm not sure. Anyway I always thing she is the same as I.

On the other hand, in my elder daughter's case, she called to me yesterday from a my favorite import food shop and said "I am here, what do I need to buy for you?". I told her some thing that I just have out of stock. And at 9 o'clock this morning they were delivered as a present of Mother's day.

Well, today it is "hot", like a day in early summer. Every plant is fine. Red-leaf lettuces are growing big and enough than we can eat. Rhubarbs are also fine, we can take some good stalks sooner.

Last week in my lesson, everystudent make their own picture books to their mother.

Happy Mother's Day!

The long vacation was finished

Now the newest type of flu is becoming a big issue, are you OK?

Well, my vacation was finished, usual days has also started.

Last Thursday some friends came to my house, as I already wrote.

And

my mother came to stay with us. My husband and I took her to a hot spring and farmer's shops.

She said "I can buy as much as I want" --- yes, all vegetables and homemade sweets are very inexpensive, and she will go home by car with us, so she doesn't worry about the "big", "heavy" baggage, and she has many friends around her house, so she can give presents as many as she wants.

The next day we went to TOKYO with my mother and lot of baggage "by car".

My husband and our younger daughter went shopping to buy a "windows" computer. Our elder daughter uses Mac computer because she goes to a art college.

My elder daughter and I went to see a candle exhibition and had a good lunch.

(Well, my mother was busy in delivering her presents to her neighbors.)

The next day we met my mother-in-law.

My husband and I came back here.

In TOKYO many intereseting exhibions are held, "city life " is fun and exciting --but a little bit expensive, especailly with "young " girls.

Well, Well,

I got an intereseting spicy salt from a friend, as soon as I got, I baked potatoes with it. "Yummy".

In this area strawberries are famous, and these days liquire of strawberries is on the market. The alcohol content is just 8 percent, not strong.

And at a farmer's shop we "finaly" found "URUKA". It is a kind of fermentation food made from fish; usally AYU. They are not so populer, some domestic people love, and at some domestic shops it is sold.

Anywayit was a busy and good vacation.

a seven-day straint holiday have started.

GOLDEN WEEK (in Japan we call this long vacation) has started.

Until last year during the week I had been busy in doing house chores as a mother, as a daughter-in-law, and as a daughter.

This vacation, it is not for my family, for me.

On 29th my husband and I went to see a movie "Red Wall". I'm not familiar in Chinese history, but it was fun, all male characters were "cool".

Yesterday, some of my friends came here from "TOKYO". I talked about some seasonable English picture books --the theme was "strawberries". And I baked brownie for them. Main dish is "GYOZA". ( This area, it is famous for GYOZA, there are many inexpensive GYOZA-restaurants, they went "GYOZA restaurant" -hopping, among 4 restaurants.

Today two guests come to take my lesson.

Tomorrow, my mother will come to stay and next day we (my husband , my mother and I) will to go TOKYO with lots of vegetables (my mother will come to buy these things).

My husband and my younger daughter are going to go PC-shop, my elder daughter and I are going to listen to English RAKUGO(Japanese sit-down comedy???).

Next day I'm going to go to see an exhibition in YOKOHAMA, and come back here. ]

On fifth, it is a gardening day -- probably.

On sixth, it is even a holiday on the calender, but my lesson starts.

Have a nice vacation!