Discarding 10 things

How are you doing? I'm OK.
I've been continuing to discard 10 things.

The other day we went to Tokyo, and helped my mother  in-law with changing seasonable clothes. To tell the truth I thought most of her clothes should be discarded. However I never say it. We (Yuki and ) know, once I ask her whether this dress is needed or not, the chores won't be proceeded. Anyway we changed 7 big boxes of clothes.

And I know, before I mention such a thing, I should discard my clothes.
So I did it.

I did "discard", but not took them to the garbage corner, oar not a used shop.

I went to a café.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There I had lunch, and

I joined a changing clothes meeting.

 

 

 

 

Everyone who brought some clothes has a right to get any clothes.

I didn't need to change clothes, just brought some "new" clothes which are not used.

It was fun to talk with the participants.



 

a season word 0614

 

Do you know the word "water clock"?

Water clocks are one of the oldest time-measuring instruments like sun dials.

 

Or have you seen a water clock?

Though I haven't seen it, there is a modern water clock in Osaka.

 

Osaka is a very famous city as a noisy and cheerful city. Or you might have heard it, "in Osaka, every one spend all money on food."

 

Water clock, the combination with Osaka city, ridiculous

 

I also found this site in Japanese.

 

 

Handmade water clocks, enjoying with my granddaughter, brings a warm feeling

 

 

pre-cooked dishes

I'm continuing to cook pre-cooked dishes for a week.

One reason is I ordered a box of vegetables to a farmer once a week. So without my feelings a box of vegetables come once a week. I don't want them to be wasteful

I got fresh DAIKON with leaves, so I also cooked them.
And this time I got too many eggs.

So I made lots of crape, and froze some of them as our snack.




And I managed to go out to buy some organic lemons, and made lemon custard cream with the eggs.



I have cleverly used them up. What a good housewife I am!

dairly life --ironing

As I often (probably) tell you, I don't like ironing much.

I want to live carefully? or graciously not against time. And probably it is the time to be able to do it because of my age.

However I want to do something trouble.

Well, well, though it is in a rainy season, I like wearing shirt in this season which is of course, ironed.

 

Yuki usually wears a polo-shirt. So I don't need to iron his cloths often.

Sometimes he wears a Y-shirt, but they are usually permanent-press ones. (This time I learnt this word). So I don't need to iron them so often.

 

However my summer  shirt is made of cotton, and I've used them carefully. So it is very old.

To keep them good,  after I wear them, soon I wash them by hand, and iron them before dry.

Or sometimes I take them to the cleaners.

 

I'd like to change them into cotton permanent-press ones. I see ones for men's, but I don't find for women's.

So I can't discard them, and continue to use carefully while ironing.

 

The other day I saw this article in Japanese.

 

 

Currently the production is falling off, because very cheap cotton shirts go on sale.

And I know the cost of cleaning a men's Y-shirt at the cleaner is lower. (Only men's Y-shirts)

 

I don't like ironing, but I like to see senior men wearing Y-shirt neatly.

So I hope to keep the production without rising the cost.

 

my left shoulder hurts!!!

Though I'm fine, my left shoulder hurts.
It is called frozen shoulder syndrome, stiff shoulder due to age, or in Japanese 50 years old shoulder.
Of course I went to see the doctor, and he said "I'm afraid that it is stiff shoulder due to age, so it will take about one year or more to get well. It is getting well naturally."
He also recommend to take manipulative treatment.
I started to take Japanese herb medicine.
It works as a painkiller, but the main effect is to warm the body.
 

 

Of course I have to do exercise.

So I bought this "traditional" tool to make our body warm, and to strength our knees while stretching our arms.

 

 

It seems to be called bamboo stepper.

Do you know the word?

try to make a craft with dry rose petals

This year I had a lot of chance to see roses, visit rose gardens, and get many roses.
As I told you, I enjoyed making rose jam, taking a bath with fresh roses, and making dry rose flowers.
I just put some dry rose petals  with rose aroma oil as potpourri, not so bad, but I wanted to use them more effective.
So I got a glass of 100-yen candle at 100 yen shop.
And

 

I made is smaller.

And I dissolved  the wax by putting the bowl in hot water .

 

 

I put some dry rose petals around the candle.

And I poured the dissolved wax on it.

It's sometimes OK to stay home and do something like this by myself instead of going out (to workout).

Anyway, today I have to go out to do exercise at the gym. I use some money for them.

 

season word 0607 wheat harvest time

 

 

The kanji is called "bakusyu".

This time I learnt that "bakusyu" is a season word of early summer.

Actually "bakusyu" is translated as "wheat harvest time" in this article, it seems to be translated as "early summer" once in a while.

 

Baku means wheat, and Syu means autumn.

Usually harvest season is autumn in Japan, however, the wheat harvest time is in June, so we call this season "wheat (baku)  autumn (syu)".

 

On one day in Bakusyu, before bustle of children, full of quietness

--- Children's summer vacation is just around the corner. During summer vacation as soon as the sun rises, we are covered with bustle of children.

 

Bakusyu  contrast green rice plants with golden wheat

We see grenn rice plants and golden wheats at same fields.

 

 

The last day of a strawberry season in this year

Last Sunday I went to a strawberry farm. The farm opened for a group to pick up strawberries for free.
It was the last day of a strawberry season for this farm. They don't get the strawberries on the market .
So they clear the strawberry farm, and start to grow new seedlings for winter.
There were still lots of strawberries, which were small.
Everyone enjoyed picking them up.
I just attended to assist the event, however when I saw lots of strawberries in sight, I couldn't help picking them up automatically. And I was one of three people to pick them up the most.

The owner is a young man, who took over this job from his father.

And now he tried to make regular sweets using his strawberries.

 

 

Since this group started this event, 18 years have passed.

The organizer of this event is my friend. She wanted to encourage the seniors living in this area.  And some seniors who have own strawberry farms offered the help. And now the seniors are too old to do it, and their children continue to held this event once a year.

 

beneficial of a kind of money coupons

This year, I also got a kind of limited money coupons.
I applied 2 months prior to them with an advance payment.
And it costs 10000 yen, and its real value is 11000 yen.
However the place we get them , is a concert hall.
It means we hear a concert or talk show for free.

 

This year it was a talk show. It was held on a week day, however it was full of people (ladies) and from the young (but it seems to be in their 30's) to the senior.

 

The speaker was a familiar singer (or actress, or performer) for our generation.

 

 

I was really surprised that she is no 66.

I thought she would be about 70. Because when I knew about her name, she had already an adult lady. My mother and my mother in-law remembers her name as a singer and the most famous song.

 

And I thought she is "still" shingle, but, she said that she married when she was 59.

Did she fell in love? No, (well, of course she loved partner). The reason to get marry was to support the partner's mother.

 

Her philosophy is Ka,Ki,Ku,Ke,KO.

Ka means Kansya, thankness  We are always supported by surrounding people.

Ki means Kihin, gracious         While we accept our aging (not against), keep gracious

Ku means, Kurou, difficulty    Living  is challengeable and has some difficulty.

Ke means, Kenkou, health       Physically and mentally we keep our health.

Ko means, Koukishi curiosity  Getting old is always an unknown world, so go ahead with curiosity.

 

How overwhelming it was!

The concert was really overwhelming.

What concert?

 

 

Have you ever heard of the name Tateno Izumi?

I found the article about him in English.

 

He used to be a very famous pianist as one of able-bodied pianists.

Suddenly his right body got numb.

However he is still active and famous as a professional pianist with only left hand.

The performance was great, the sound was beautiful, however probably the most suitable word to describe the concert was "AKKAN ", probably in English overwhelming.

He was born in 1936, his right body is numb. However he is still active and continues to play as a professional pianist.

 

Yuki and I went to this concert together.

 

Additionally I was going to go to the concert in Kimono.

However because of my shoulder hurts, I was not able to have my left hand behind the back, so I was not able to wear KIMONO.

My shoulder and left upper arm hurt!

Visitng my firends' garden

This year I could visit my friends' garden again.
Her garden was beautiful as usual.

She is the first person I became friend when I came to this town.
So We've been friends for more than 30 years.
When both of us worked, we managed to try once a month to have lunch.
Though we had continued to do it, since she retired, when she was into her gardening she got very busy, and she debuted in a garden world.
So it was going to have more time together for us, we seldom talk each other.

Anyway I went to her garden and had an opportunity to talk with her.

 

 

 

 

I wanted to talk much more, however, while my staying visitors who want to see her garden drop by one after another, So I gave up and left her house.

 

I got lots of fennel. I have them in my garden, but they are not so good.

When I came home, I marinated fennel.

They suit to various foods.