New Year's day is just around the corner.

Since today our winter vacation has started. This morning Yuki cleaned all windows , scrub bath tab, and change the normal tires into winter tires. Of course I supported him --- to prepare the stuff , and tidy up the stuff after cleaning. Anyway we've done winter cleaning of this year.

I put winter flower in a vase -- too simple and easy.

Tomorrow we are going to TOKYO and to take a bus tour with my mother, my daughters and us. The title of the tour is old Tokyo and recent TOKYO. My mother doesn't know these days sightseeing spot well, on the other hand my daughters don't know old Tokyo sightseeing spot. And Yuki and I are now TOCHIGI-people, so we are not familiar in TOKYO. (We are living there for more than half of our life, the other day I noticed that, and it made me very very surprised.) And on the day we are going to come back here with my mother and our younger daughter and spend New Year's eve here. On New Year's day we go to TOKYO by car again. We visit Yuki's mother and his brothers' family. And on the day we will come back here with our elder daughter. She will go back to TOKYO on 3rd. On the same time our winter vacation will be almost finished.

This week we opened a bottle of alcohol. It is RAKI, turkey alcohol. Do you know it? It is made from grapes, but it is definitely different with wine. It is clear, and being added some water, it charged into white. The smell is --- though it is my opinion, Chinese herbal medicine, and taste is --- really really strong, like vodka. Don't ask me why I explain the taste --- though I "can't" alcohol.(I can sip)

Anyway I'm looking forward to getting a noisy New Year's eve with my family.

Tow days before Christmas

Hi there, what are you doing? In Japan it is a holiday. So many family have a Christmas party today, or go shopping for Christmas.
I'm stay home and relaxing. Yuki went to work. From the evening I have usual lessons with having Christmas snacks.
Today it is really warm day, I can't believe it is in December.

For these three months I have been absent from Toast Master's meeting because of my schedule of going to TOKYO.
Without a housewife (who?) the topics seemed to be political or worldwide.

The last meeting, the topics of short speech were 、"Lay judge System","TPP（Trans Pacific Partnership）" and "Domestically bound". If I had been there, I would have not been offered to make a short speech on any topics.

Actually I'm really week at political topics, though it might mean I'm not so interested in the political even if I were a carrier woman.

So I try to think about it.

About two years passed since Lay judge System was introduced in Japan.

If I had a letter to come to a court as a citizen judge, I would accept the role.

But if I should decide whether it would be death sentence or not , what would I do???

Actually some citizen judges who decided death sentence asked some mental care after the trial.

I know Lay judge system is good, but for usual citizen who don't have enough experience, or don't know morals it is a hard task.On the other hand the closed judge system, it means the world is apart from usual common world, has to hear the usual opinions, common sense.

TPP, I know the word, and this word is really important for farmers. What I know about TPP is we can import farm products in cheap terrify, and we can export our farm products in cheap tariff. On the newspaper, the Ministry of Agriculture says, if we accepted TPP, our agriculture would have a big damage. I'm not sure it's true or not. I live in country, so I can buy domestic rice. I can buy cheap Thai rice, but seldom I can't. But probably fast-food industry use cheaper rice, so our agriculture might have a big damage, on the other hand I hear Japanese rice is really popular for its quality and taste. So if they can export in cheap tariff, our agriculture that is said to be weaken, might be active.

Domestically bound-- what does it mean? When I hear this word, I recall a woman who bounded her neighbors. She is a farmer with big farms, around her there are many big farmers, but they lived on each way. She tried to make and sell YUZU -KOSYOU as a product of their area. She made domestically bound, didn't she?

I hope these sentenses make sense.

apple ginger jam and another.

Did I tell you that my favorite way against the cold winter is taking ginger. Usually I use ginger as seasoning, this season I take ginger with sweets and tea.


So I have domestic ginger powder (it means not imported from China), ginger &brown sugar syrup, and of course fresh ginger.


And this time I got apple & ginger "jam". If you were here, you could taste it --- what a shame" You can taste ginger fiber texture so that you hear the sound "Shari, Shari (American sound is probably crunch, crunch)" when you have it.

And another one is milk & sweet beans jam. It's not paste, it's jam.
They recommend to have it with rice cakes (MOCHI), MOCHI is a typical winter food in Japan, and it is necessary for the fast of New Year's Day. Now I'm thinking New Year's Eve and New Year's Day beyond Christmas this week.

Tomorrow I have the last meeting I have to attend this year. Now my "busy" winter vacation is just around the corner.

I'm a "great" housewife!!!

How's the weather? It has been really really cold. Especially the day before yesterday it was really really really --- really cold. According to the forecast it seemed to have been like being cold February. And on the day the northan part of Utsunomiya they had a little snow.
Well, well, in Utsumomiya this year HAKUSAI (Chinese cabbage) seems to have a good crop. I got some bunches of HAKUSAI. It is two wonderful thing, but for two of us it was too much.
I asked some friends to share them, but they said "thank you but it's enough".
So I tried to make them pickled.
I cut them into three or four pieces. And I dried them for a day.
Next I put cut and dried Chinese cabbage, some salt, some dried red pepper, some salt, some dried KONBU (kind of seaweed), and some sliced of citron in turn into the vat. And put a stone on the vat.











Four days passed, I made it (So I put the photo on this blog.)




When I was opening the lid, one of my neighbor and her friend came to see it, so "Here, it looks good". I shared some of them.
And I shared another neighbor. Tomorrow, I'll go out with my friend. So I keep some of them for her.
The left is just suitable volume for two of us.








Well, this week I had individual interview with all mothers of my students. The last mother came here in this morning. I'm really happy to talk with them. Every mother , though that's natural, dedicate to their kids, on the other hand they seem to have a calm and non-emotional eyes to their kids, or I can say, they are not grand-conscious mothers of which I used to be one.
It is really lucky to me. And they also seem to rely on me as a senior mother. Thanks of them I also keep a calm and non-emotional mother to my daughters.

Each place is different.

Last Saturday I went to JYUGAOKA to participate a workshop. Long long ago I used to live near JYUKAOKA, and I took piano lessons under a strict teacher who lived in JYUGAOKA. About 35 years passed since I went to KYUGAOKA last time. I arrived there ealier than the time the workshop started. So I tried to search her (the teacher was a woman) house. I passed the cake shop (it was still there), turned right, went up the hill --- there were many gallerias both sides of the hill though at that time there would be old "Showa"era houses.





I remembered a house, and it changed into a gallery. So I turned left --- but it was no sign of "piano classroom".
At that time the hill was really quiet, now the hill seems to be popular a hill with gallerias. Many people were browsing. The place looked very present. Among them I felt like an artistic lady.
(Well, Harajuku or Shibuya is famous as a young people's town, on the other hand in JIJYUGAOKA I didn't feel my age.)
On the other hand, here in Utsunomiya, we don't have many galleries. Instead of artistic places, there are many nature fields. Once I stand up on the rice fields or farm fields, I feel like being a human or a child.

And Jan sent me wonderful photos of the Winter Ball in her town. People and places in the photos looked present and brilliant.
Each place is different. And in each place we all have the different way to enjoy our life.

Well, well, and yesterday Yuki and I went to a wonderful Sushi restaurant that has only 8 seats. For us it was a rich night.

Christams season

Now it is in the midst of December, everybody seems to rush into the New Year Eve, or the New Year Day. Actually Yuki is packed with schedules of year-end parties,not Christmas parties. Probably the word of "Christmas party" is for kids or for "young" couples. I don't have a schedule of such parties ---- What a shame!
On the other hand, I have some reservation at nice restaurants with Yuki, my friends, and my family. The last event of this year is, as you know, a bus tour in TOKYO.

Last week we had a nice dinner with the Turkey man, Izzet, at a Italian restaurant in TOKYO.
This week Yuki and I are going to a special SUSHI restaurant.
The restaurant is open for a limited period. To tell the truth I tried to go there with my friend, but when I was organized, I heard YUKI grumbling, though he has lot of opportunities to eat out at year-end parties. He said, "quality is different, even though the price may be same".
So I decided to take him to the restaurant, though he will be a driver.

Next weekend I will go a bread tour with one of my friend, I meet once a month at work, but she is too busy to share our private time together.
And on the Christmas eve I will go out for lunch with another friend. This year both of us managed an English class at children center, it is a kind of celebration for ourselves.
And 26th, we are going to go to GINZA to have lunch at a French restaurant and to see my elder daughter's exhibition.

And final event is -- yes, a bus tour with my (touchy or wonderful) mother, my daughters, and us (Yuki and I). This time after the bus tour, my mother and younger daughter is going to come back UTSUNOMIYA with us.

In December, fortunately I'm busy, so I hope I could keep in a good shape, or I won't be in bad shape any more.

be packed with schedules of year-end parties

home remedy

This Tuesday my adult student and I talked about home remedy. In the text book some ways of home remedy were introduced like that chicken soup for a cold, mint tea for nausea, grinding some Valerian root for insomnia, and honey-and-lemon tea for a sore throat. Have you tried some of them or other ways?

Now I just came home from the meeting, today's meeting was a kind of my job. The teachers of our branch English classrooms have to attend the meeting. It was a long meeting. But to keep my physical strengthen, I canceled all today's lesson, so this night I will have nothing to do without playing with PC. (Or, Yuki might come back earlier than usual, because he went out of town by car.)

Anyway I'm relaxing now with sweet SAKE KASU(sake lees)-soup. SAKE KASU-soup (I think) works for a cold, and it makes our body warm.

SAKE-lees, ginger powder, and brown sugar syrup

We met "him" after 13 years interval.

Turkish handcraft, traditional sweets "lokum"and traditional Turkish alcohol "Raki", these are present to us from him. Who is he? Izzet is. He came to stay with us 13 years ago.

And last night we met him in TOKYO. My younger daughter also joined us. When we met at a station three of them seemed not to change, but my younger daughter was there. At that she was 7 years old, and now she is twenty. Apparently she changed, and it told us our real age, and our change, it can't be helped.

Now he has two kids, and in Turkey kids already started to learn English in kindergartens. It is said to be natural things to learn some foreign language because of their location. First English, and second Spanish or Russian. And in his case English means "British English". Now I or Japanese people seem to struggle to master English --- compared with his natural attitude to learn English. Though it is just my opinion, Japanese people seemed to divide ourselves into two groups, people who can speak English, and people who cannot speak English. And some people close their minds to foreign countries because of lack of ability to speak English. It's a sham.

Why we don't learn English naturally --- I thought.

let me advertise an exhibition

My elder daughter is going to participate a small exhibition.
"5 works" at GINZA gallery JOSHIBI from 12. 13 to 12. 27
Anyway she keeps creating something fortunately.

This spring she graduated from college, and she did not become a regular employee. She "declared" to become a (self-studied) artist. Yuki and I wondered if she would get by on a small wage at a restaurant. But fortunately she got a part time job of an assistant at her college. Now she seems to get by on a payment from the college though she lives next to her grandmother without paying rent (I pay it though it is not so much compared with usual rent in TOKYO)

She seems to have some stress because she is between women professors and young female students. So her skin allergy recurred. But it can't be helped. Medicine has developed since she was a child. She seems to get along with it.

Anyway she is able to create her works, so while she has some space and time to keep creating, probably she pursues her art world. As a mother I want her to get a regular job to get a stable life. On the other hand her wildness is reassuring.

December came

Now already Christmas month has started though today it is just December 2. In the sun room constantly Apple pinatas are increasing, 25 pinatas are going to be made this year. Every student(including adults) bring something small there and put them in each pinata. And the last lesson of this year they are going to come home with their own pinata as their Christmas present.

I already finished decorating for Christmas.
I hang a big sock with the toys of snowflakes, Thanks Jan.

And put some window clings on the window of our living room.

On the wall of entrance I put a picture that was drawn by my "younger" daughter when she was 6 or 7 years old.

I also put a writhe I made about 20 years ago, that was the first my"complicated" handmade for Christmas as a young mother.

And, I put some Christmas eggs that were the last "complicated" my handmade for a mother.

Anyway I don't like sawing or doing complicated handmade.

And on the other shelf, I put some toys that were increasing naturally with my daughters growth.

Today I went to a nursery school to read Christmas books, one of boos was this one.

How to use the skunk scent

Some people must be laughing, saying "Why Mieko bought such a silly stuff!".

OK, I'll show you the way.
This season I read this book to kids and some adults. "We're going on a leaf hunt". The kids in the book go on a picnic picking up colorful leaves.

And when they reach the field for lunch, suddenly a skunk shows up.

So they , of course, run away because they afraid of the stink smell.

We can imagine, but for us skunks are "cute" animals. So this scene doesn't show reality to us.

Here I use the spray. Do I spray it? Never, I know the bad smell. I put some tissue in the plastic bag, and put one or two drop on the tissue.

Everybody said "Stink" ---- this is the word I wanted.

Well, well, is my reading finished? No, I'm a "kind" teacher, I never finish with bad smell.

I make colorful trees with paper
On the paper we draw some colorful dots with crayons or put some colourful beads. And look the back of the tree.

I put some "HINOKI" that grows only Japan and Taiwan chips on the back of the tree.

A student said "Smell like a forest"--- this phrase is another one what I wanted.


That's it.

I planed a bus tour for this winter vacation.

Now, it is about 10:30 AM. I finished arrangement for this winter vacation.

On New Year's Day, we "have to" attend Yuki's reunion meeting. And usually before New Year's Eve, my family and my mother go somewhere. The other day she asked me, "where are we going to go out this year?" My daughters asked me, "When do I have to be free?"

So, I was thinking for these days --- her legs (My mother hurt leg this spring. It's now OK, but she doesn't walk so quickly), my health condition, and budget.

This year I planned to take a bus-tour to go sightseeing in TOKYO.

Yuki and I were born in TOKYO, but we don't sight see TOKYO very little, probably when we were elementary school students, we went sightseeing in TOKYO as a lesson of social studies.

My mother has lived in TOKYO since she was in the university. She has been to old TOKYO, but she doesn't know current TOKYO. And my daughters who live in TOKYO now, both of them they don't know historical TOKYO sites, such as emperor palace, YASUKUNI shrine, or the Diet building. So it is an appropriate time to sightseeing in TOKYO, isn't it?

Well, Well, before winter vacation, my students and I am going to do a big craft for Christmas. Before a big craft ( do you remember? it is annual apple pinata), I made a small craft with some because -- blue trees?

My students ask me"Why blue?" --- the answer is "Because I stock green sheet for you."

Housekeeping books

Do you do your household accounts? I do, though I don't know whether it is useful or not to save our money.

Anyway I do, and I usually renew the books in December, now I got two books for 2011 fiscal year.

Until few years ago, or when my daughters were here, we used cash mainly, so I kept the track of cash that went in and out. When we use credit card, usually we paid luxury things by credit card.

These days, I often use credit cards, even when I buy some grocery at a supermarket. So I need to control to use credit cards.

I bought two books, one is to keep the track of cash. It is green one. The title says "just put receipts ." Probably it will be easier for me to jot down what I bought. These days I don't need to hand out aimless money, allowance or entertainment allowance to my daughters, and stop it to YUKI. or when he needs some extra money, I always jot down the purpose.

The other is the book for credit cards. It is easy to put together the invoice and receipts.

Anyway I hope I can keep the habit.

a long-forgotten boy

The other day Yuki and I dropped by a convenience store. As soon as I got off the car, a young man in gold hair (of course he dyed his hair) with some big accessories called out me to wait, yes, he looks like an up-to-date young man (it means he doesn't seem like a businessman).

The young man "H******-san?"
Me "Who are you?"
The young man "I'm Mah-kun."
Me "Really, are you the Man-kun? Long time no see you, probably more than 15 years passed since we've met you. What do you do? Why you noticed us? How's your family?-------"
Suddenly my old memories came back in my mind with my curiosity.

He thought probably I would be Ms.H******-san, and my husband was the same of the Mr.H****** in his reminder.
----well, well, it means only I'm getting older???? Well I'll continue the main story.

Mah-kun had lived in our neighborhood until about 12 years ago. Since my daughters were born, he used to come to my house and to play or make fun with my daughters. His smile was really cute, so we couldn't dislike him even he sometimes did bad things--- yes he used to be an usual naughty child.
When he became a junior high school student, he began to become a delinquent (not real delinquent, it means he didn't dishonesty acts, looked like a delinquent but he used to be kind to our daughters.) Unfortunately his family was separated, and he moved to somewhere with his mother. Since then we didn't meet him. and of course his family.

But, he who was in front of us was a good young man. I said
"You became a nice adult, I'm really happy to see you."
Actually "we" (Yuki and I) were really happy to see Mah-kun, and We're really relieved to see him become a nice adult.
He was with his girl friend, the girl friend looked like a cute and smart lady. It made us also happy.

Now he was 27, --- we thought probably when we met him at the first we were in the same of him. We're getting order, and Mah-kun is grown-up.

I made it

Did I tell you? This summer I got homemade smoked MASU(spring salmon). They were really delicious, so I thought if I would make something smoked at home --- and I bought it after the summer, and it was on the shelf.

Finally I have used it.

I tried to make smoked TARA (cod) with SAKURA chips.

Well-Done.

After that we enjoyed the smoked-cod, and pretend to enjoy the expensive whiskey, actually both of us don't like it very much, it's too strong. But we enjoy the luxurious atmosphere.

Well, Tarrah some window clings are still on a window between the living room and sun room, they were made when , I forgot, probably my daughters were 5 or 6 old years.

Sunday is almost over

Today, it was a really warm day in the daytime, now --- it's getting cold.
Well, this afternoon, I went to the library nearby to read some picture books to people. After tan announcement about 25 people came to a marrow reading room. I introduced Thanks giving day through this book.


BUT, unfortunately I forgot an important thing. Yuki went back from America with a toy turkey and sweets. (though I wanted a turkey shaped wreath)

In Japan we seldom see real turkeys, I heard they are in Ueno-Zoo in Tokyo.

And one thing didn't make it in time, though in the first I ordered it too late. What is "it". It is ----skunk scent. My friend founded where I would get it, and I ordered a bottle of skunk scent, and a bottle of acorn skunk. The last book I read today was "we're going on a leave haunt". The ending is everybody runs away as soon as they see skunk. Of course I wouldn't spray this scent, just I would put one drop on a tissue, and pass the tissue among the audience.
When I got home, a postman delivered them. What a shame!

On the other hand I took HINOKI chips, the tree of Hinoki is said to grow in Japan and Taiwan, the scent is very familiar as wonderful scent.

Well, now I have to prepare today's supper, Yuki bought WASABI-leaves. They are not leaves of WASABI, probably Wasbi-taste-grass. I'll make salad, and today's main is spaghetti with home made meat sauce.

See you tomorrow.

P.S

To tarra

This is the last item of Kitty -chan, it is now a bag for my "lunch box".

An Apple Bread

This morning I baked Apple bread for my adult lesson of today and for my breakfast. A few minutes ago, my student called me to cancel this lesson. What a shame!

Today I also get a new book for her, the title is abc teatime story book.

On the a page, there is a short message in English, and an interesting issue is written in Japanese.

"An apple girl has a teatime. Her friends four ants bring some muffins."

The author is not only a illustrated book writer but also a owner of a tea room.

Sounds wonderful, it is one of my dreams to open a cafe with playing the piano and reading picture books. --- though it is one of my dreams, it includes all of my hopes.

And Additionally I got this binned ginger tea syrup.

So today's lesson appetizer would have been perfect -- What a shame!

It's OK, tomorrow morning Yuki is here. So we will share them with us, though it is MOTAAINAI. (Some one must know this meaning.)

a blog about disposal

First let me start a little bit long preface, --if you are not Japanese, you wouldn't like it though.
I know some people call our usual size of Japanese houses "rabbit houses". I agree with you, and many stuff are crammed into them, some houses are not though.
And now most of Japanese family are nuclear families, and they are becoming senior nuclear family. So after their passing away, their young families have often trouble to put away their parents house. The young families have their own houses, so they don't need most of their parents stuff. --- Actually it is the last job as children to do their parents.

Well, well, so some young families started to think, it is too late to start tiny up the rooms when they become senior. So now "disposal" is getting popular little by little. Actually Yuki and I started, and I noticed the current popular wave of disposal. In the newspaper, or magazines we often see the word of disposal, not "tiny up", not "not to buy", not "recycle". --"disposal".

Yesterday, now main diary has started, I saw an interesting topic on a Japanese blog-net. Of course the topic is "disposal". And on net, the blogger write the items they disposed on the day.
A blogger said
Today's item 1 clear file, 3 catalog books, and 1 big cardboard box.

Isn't it interesting?

Today's conclusion is like that
4 cans op food that my mother-in-law gave us a few years ago,
3 photo albums (I chose some photos, and add them to another photo album.)

quiet weekdays and weekend

I feel like on the wave, though I haven't surfboarded. I ran a little bit high fever. Now I'm OK, but I'm at home quietly.
I'm not a good teacher, I always say "My dear students, if you sneeze more than tree times, please be absent from the class. I don't catch your cold."

On the other hand when I catch a cold without sneezing, or running nose, I do my lessons. Until now, fortunately or fortunately no one has been absent from the class.
Anyway the prescribed medicine worked quite well, but I didn't have a confidence to go out by bullet train. So I'm afraid that I had to cancel to see a Japanese dance recital that my important friend took part in, I prepared KIMONO for this day. Why KIMONO? I just thought wearing KIMONO at the recital , even though I'm one of audience, it's really appropriate attire.

Well, apple season has come. The first kind of apple is KOUGYOKU. One of my friends brought them. First I thought I would make jam, but it's troublesome or I'm week, so I eat a whole of apple, it's sour but really tasty. Did you already make this year apple jam?

What I am doing while I'm at home quietly, browsing websites or taking a nap.

Among a group, they discussed or morned about Japanese young people. "Why recent Japanese young people don't have any ambitious aim!" (CNN news;Twin Tale: Rising China, Japan's　setting sun)
Partly it might be true, but not all of them. Some young people try to do something even though they will not be able to escape foreign countries. These days I think to let them be ambitious or to keep their ambitious aim, senior people show their active life through working and enjoying hobby, not only earning money. So I wouldn't have missed today's lecture in the morning --- but I'M still at home quietly.

Active weekend

Though I'm suffering coughing and cracking voice, I'm getting back my active power.
Last Saturday, it was very warm day, so in the morning Yuki and I went to go "the" bagel shop that takes about 30 minutes from here by car. After that we looked for a restaurant that was in more remote country area. Unfortunately we didn't make a lunch reservation, so just we confirmed the place. (All tables at the restaurant was booked.)
While I was taking nap in the afternoon Yuki went to practice tennis, and in the evening we went to a classical concert.
We heard a top full orchestra in Japan. It is a rare opportunity for "the first class" and "full" orchestra to come to such a city. And for the first time in years, or for the first time for Yuki, we heard Pictures at an Exhibition composed by Mussorgsky.

It was wonderful. Even for Yuki who usually starts to take a nap as classical music starts was impressed their performance. After that we dropped by a domestic restaurant nearby, and had late dinner talking with the master at the restaurant.

Yesterday, last Sunday, Yuki went golfing, on the other hand I went to a jam factory in the countryside with my neighborhood by car and had a wonderful tea time there.







And today, I had a meeting in the day time. When I came home at about 4, Yuki already came home. A big meeting was canceled so he came back. It was an usual thing, and very lucky thing for us. Because We (or I) had wanted to go a Jazz tea room on Monday, because we heard that on Monday evenings customer could play there. So we went there, and of course we played.

On the way home we dropped a "department store" and bought some delicatessen on sale because it was almost close. And we had good and easy dinner at home.

Good night.

A new sign

Today, it is a holiday in Japan, but Yuki went to work as usual, his holiday is usual weekends.
It is really "warm", it means for some people it is "hot". As Yuki goes to work, so it is a usual day for me. It means I have lessons. But some students don't come because of their family event.
This morning, I "weeded" and "cleaned" my garden, and I put this new sign in front of my house.

The sign says "Today, it is a day to open my English books and English picture books. If you are interested in them, please feel free to drop. charge 500 yen for coffee

It was just my first adventure, my first trial. I don't count on coming people, because I didn't advance it anywhere.

But -- one woman came, she was the neighbor. "What have you started this time, Mieko-san?" And she came with her home made sweets and a pot of coffee for guests we don't count on.
Anyway we spend a wonderful day together with tasty sweets & coffee and chatting. Unfortunately she is not interested in English books. BUT it's OK. She said "When someone come to your house to see your books, I will be in charge of kitchen."

Well, I'm not sure whether I put this sign on some regular basis, but I want to do use my English books "effectively" without using my power.

Of course I want to improve my English skill, so it is necessary to keep insatiable desire inside of me. (Does it make sense??? "insatiable" is a new word for me."
On the other hand, without voluntary spilt or financial things, I want to enjoy something through "English" with ease.

Anyway today I had a good daytime. Well, my students come!

SAMGETAN

I don't know what do you call this dish, it is one of famous Korean dish.

A pot food of whole of chicken, did I cook it? Absolutely "no".

It is a retort food, Yuki went to a "special" shop to buy it.

In America and Canada, you celebrate Thanksgiving with "huge" turkeys. This food lead me to a night of Thanksgiving dinner.

Now November is waiting.

Did you enjoy Halloween? The last pumpkin cake was made for us -- Yuki and me. We ate it for our breakfast and the leftover was frozen.

I put away all decoration of Halloween. Before Christmas we enjoy autumn leaves. To tell the truth because of my bad condition this week I was not able to see the beautiful autumn leaves in Nikko.

But we still enjoy having Japanese pears. These are the last Japanese pears in this season. This kind of pears is called NIKKORI, they are very huge.

Yesterday, I was able to go to a concert that my friend organized though I was not so good. Because of the bad weather my chauffeur was at home, so I was able to go.

( This time I had no confidence to go there, so I couldn't ask to anyone to go there with me.)

Next month I want to go other two concerts --- I hope my strength will recover as usual.