New Year's Eve

Usually I cook Osechi on New Year's Eve, though mine is so simple.

But this year I don't cook it.
No one doesn't come back here. We are going to go to see our mothers, relatives and my daughter.
We are spending quiet Eve at home.

However, we cook some pre-cooked food for this usual our week.



Marinated carrots, and I pickled sliced onion in "honey".

とりあえず、にんじんフラッペと、たまねぎの蜂蜜漬け。


I also cooked sweet potato paste, sweet beans jelly, and boiled eggs soaked with soy sauce,

Tomorrow, I will serve these with special plates to celebrate a new year.

Two days before New Year

It is raining now. Some people (mainly husbands) might be happy to "avoid" winter cleaning. And "unfortunately" I skipped washing my car. Yuki already finished washing his car early of this month.

In the morning "I" went to the gym to work out. It was the last business day of  the gym.
Then we went out to take our special feast for our new year to a restaurant. And did some shopping at a shopping mall.

This year it is the Year of the Rat according to Chinese zodiac.
I'm going to present a small candy bag when I start my class. So I'm making the bags with ORIGAMI.

Before New Year

Wow! 10 days have passed since I updated this blog.
Our "fulfilling" Christmas week was finished. Each of Yuki and I participated in a concert as a player. Yuki played the guitar, and I played the bass recorder.



Then we went to an art gallery  in Tokyo.

Some of my daughter's works were displayed and of course sold. However unfortunately we didn't see the tag of "sold out". It can't be helped.

I put away Christmas ornaments,  and put some New Year's ornaments.

And, in the morning, we went to an apple farm to buy the last apples of this year. There I got some bamboo. I made my ordinal easy "KADOMATSU" instantly.

What is "KADOMATSU"?
Many Japanese decorate the front door of shops, company buildings and houses with a pair of "Kadomatsu" during the New Year holidays. "Kado" means a gate and "Matsu" means a pine tree. "Kadomatsu" is a decoration consisting of bamboo and pine branches and symbolizes longevity and prosperity. It is said that this is the appropriate way to welcome gods. 

What is fun for me "now"?

I know that it is my custom to complain or mutter.
Well, now I'm muttering --- what is fun for me "now"? What makes me easy up "now"?
I'm really happy and thank that our retirement life has started without troubles.

On the other hand, I feel that nowadays things I do are done out of obligation or by the rule of "saving". I seem to have no room for fun in my heart.

A friend said "you enjoy playing pretend ---saving"


Actually, now we try to accumulate point coupons  effectively as much as we can.
It is fun. So I put advertisement of super coupon day on the calendar. It is OK.
However, sometimes we think "on the day we have to go to the supermarket", or "except the day we must not go to the supermarket".
We feel to be subject to restrictions.

We enjoy one-day trip with lunchbox.
It is easy to have lunch when we want to eat, and we don't need to find a restaurant nearby.
And of course we can save.
On the other hand, sometimes I think "I have to take lunchbox to save money"

Well, nowadays I feel I do all things while calculating spending tightly. I (now we) sometimes feel it is  hard life for me.

Well, well, I know, how lucky we are because we spend days freely.
So I think "we have to enjoy,  we have to thank"
I'm subjected to the way of thinking "have to".

How we feel calm, and happy naturally?
Starting from the style or obligations, it will reach to natural style???


Well, well, nowadays I present small teabags.
They are filled my homemade herb tea.






Some friends are waiting for them.
I know it is a kind of way to save ---- I might put down myself too much.

walking diary 1216

This winter pepper is still alive.
I walked  to my friend's beauty salon to get a hair cut. 5909 steps.
Toward the end of the year, finish cleaning the windows, get a hair cut

I found this plum-leaved apple tree. We call one "hime rihgo"--- princess apple.
Since Yuki retires, we have often been downtown to do errands, mainly our financial situation.
On the day we changed a credit card into other's company's credit card. I walked 5700 steps.
Christmas is coming Teabags filled with homemade tea  Decorated by bows

This is my friend's vegetable field. You see Japanese radishes and Chinese cabbages.
How great they are.
I waked there and did 5900 steps.

Cook Daikon; without entering the field , only wait outside

 

lunch diary 1216

Monday, I went to a building where our city social welfare council is. My husband also went there together. I wanted some advice from them ---- how our laughter yoga meeting is registered as a senior health activity supported by our city. We went around some departments which are on different floor. Each of them understood what I wanted, but --- we just got a bureaucratic runaround.
Anyway we had lunch outside. I forgot to take a photo. We really understood that it would be very difficult for such a private small activity organized by a person  to be officially licensee by city.



We had ODEN-lunch.
This is ODEN.

At city hall get a runaround ; the last month of the year



Tuesday, than I expected, Yuki went back before noon.
So I cooked one more meal for "us".
Yuki stopped working in September, but the last winter bonus was payed. It is the last working income (probably)

Last winter bonus; The retirement life has really started Get on the ball 



Wednesday, we went to our favorite fish shop. Because on the day the owner's wife cooked something special. Can you see it was in the black bin.
It was tuna-Shigureni.
Shigureni (seafood or meat that has been cooked in soy sauce and mirin) is a kind of tsukudani (small fish, shellfish, konbu (a kind of kelp used for Japanese soup stock), etc. boiled in sweetened soy sauce) cooked with ginger.

With Sigureni  Freshly cooked rice; A winter lunch



Thursday, I went out with this rice ball to do errands.
With a bow on top Tea bags filled with my handmade tea: Christmas present



Friday, it was really cold. I cooked ramen noodle for me. The day before it was warm like a day in the middle of October.  So the coldness was very tough for me.

On a cold winter, make me enjoy hot noodle, bearing the coldness

"my" wish list

Last week, I went hiking  to Mt. Ohira. Well, for many people it might not  be hiking, just walking. But for me it was enough to call it hiking. Hiking Mt. Ohira was one of my wish.


Three or four years ago, I wrote out what I want in my senior life.
Then, I was with a friend who was 10 younger than me. She wrote out what she wanted in her 50's.
She picked 100 things. I could pick 50 things.
And now I did 12 things. The number of the rest is 39.

Some things are really specific, like taking a medical bath ( a kind of hot springs) in a Japanese inn.
Probably we'll go in no distant future.
Others are abstract, like organizing our house in a cool way. What is "cool" we consider?

I want my house looks cool, looks tidy. So I continue discarding 10 things a week.
I don't know what is the goal, so discarding 10 things might have kept all my life.

Some things need physical power. I want to improve my English skill, so I need concentration. Keeping concentration needs physical power. So it might be difficult to improve it, but I try to keep my current English skill.

Some things need financial ability. When I wrote out this list, our daughters were in Japan. Now the younger one is living in Thailand. So we earmark the necessary money for visiting them instead of overseas travel.

I need reconsider this list. And I ask about Yuki's list.
The person who uses our saving first wins?? No, No, we always discus about how to use our savings while quarreling or discussing.

Well, Yuki was a businessman, so lots of things including taxes are withhold from his salary automatically. Now we are understating our real financial system.

What rules do you have in your house?

The other day, two high school students and I talked about what kind of rules of you house  we have.
It was interesting. Well, on the day the target sentences we have to learn were "must", "be forced to do", and "be supposed to"
A girl said:
We have an old dog, so we must take care of him.
My brother and I are supposed to give meals and water. From Monday to Tuesday I do,
and from Wednesday to Saturday my brother does. But we don't walk him because we go to school on weekdays. So my mother is supposed to walk him. On Sundays someoput tne who is available is supposed to walk him.

A boy said:

We are a family of three, my mother, my father and me. We have our own room. So we must clean their room by ourselves, even my father. My father and I are supposed to clean our own room on Saturdays, or Sundays, because we are not home on weekdays. My mother is strict about using a cell phone. We are forced not to use or check our cell phonse while we have meal at home.
While I was listening to them, I was thinking about our rules of our house.

Now we are a family of two, Yuki and me. And now both of us are housemakers.
So we must take care of our house and do errands autonomously.
While I'm preparing for meals, he is supposed to help me instead of doing his things. As of now he isn't able to cook well, so he is forced to set the table. After having meals, we are supposed to clean the kitchen together. We don't have a dishwasher, so while either is doing the dishes, the other one dry the dishes and put them away.

lunch diary 1209

Though it is in the middle of this week, I write my lunch diary of last week.
Monday, Yuki and I went to Tokyo. We got off at Tokyo station, but on the way home we detoured. We went to Ueno station and had a nice Chinese lunch at our favorite restaurant.

Toward the end of the year:
Enjoy more than 10000 steps
At Imperial Palace



Tuesday, we had Chinese lunch at home.
On the day before, we bought special spice called "ganraa".
It is Yuki's favorite.
So I cooked Chinese lunch for him. Of course he sprinkled it on the meal as much as he wanted.

At a warm winter noon:
A taste reminds him of
Business trips




Wednesday, I ate the rest of yesterday's Chinese meal and fried vegetables.
I talked with my mother on the phone. She seemed to go shopping with me???
Year-end sale;
Mom waits with excitement
Though old enough



Thursday we went out to "climb" a mountain with our lunch box.
We were going to "walk" up a hill, but it was a real mountain for me.
On a warm winter day;
As soon as going through a shrine gate
Begin climbing




Friday, I got deep-fried tofu from our neighbor. They were sold at a famous tofu shop.
So I cooked Oden.

Stew Oden;
Share it with two of us
Three meals a day

walking diary 1209

Do you know these fruits? They are called "OHITABI" in Japanese. They seem to be called creeping figs.
Have you seen them? It was the first time for me to see them. Are the fruit editable?
We went to listen to a concert in which my friend performed. Before the concert we walked around, and walked 6218 steps.
OOITABI is not a seasonal word of autumn. I chose Camellia sasanqua (not camellia)

SAZANAK (camellia sasanquai);
Reflected their thick green
The pink shining more

 

 

As I wrote the last blog, we went to Imperial Palace to see Daijyokyu which is opened to the  public for a limited period.

Coming the end of the year ;

At Imperial Palace

14000 steps

 

We happened to have the other opportunity to see colorful leaves.  It was the real last time to enjoy colorful leaves this year.  We went to Mt. Ohhira.

Actually we was not going to Mt. Ohhira. We went to Ohhira shrine. But it was a mountain.

We walked 7004 steps.

A good winter day;

Going through the shrine gate

Begin climbing

 

Go to Tokyo

Until this week "dakjyoukyu" is open to general people.

Our retirement life has already started, and we might have lots of free days, but, than we expected we are luckily busy in our own things.
We happened to have a all-free day, so we went out to Tokyo to see DAIJOKYU. The period general people can see is only two weeks, after that the facilities (or buildings) are going to be removed.

We went on a weekday, but as we expected there were lots of people who were not only the senior, in their various generation.

This time we didn't have our water bottles, because bringing drinks were prohibited. And when we entered we had to take a security check. So we went there with just one small bag.

 

Anyway around Tokyo station, there were lots of people such as tourists, businessmen, and walkers.

We also enjoyed Christmas decoration.

 

This doll is "chiko-chan", Yuki's faviorite TV character.

 

A lady made a speech about Chiko-chan, she is a member of Toast Master club (well, I don't know her.)

 

lunch diary 1202

Monday, these are fresh TSUNA-bowls. I put fresh TSUNA dipped with soy sauce, Nori seaweed, and half boiled eggs. Of course I put WASABI.

Winter gourd, With a little extra effort Though only one bowl lunch



Tuesday, it was not a good weather though it didn't rain. Yuki was staying home while I held a laughter yoga meeting at home.
Early winter; No one call themselves the old While laughing


Wednesday, it was very called. I talked with my mother on a phone. While talking with mother I often felt irritated. Anyway she is busy in going to doctors. Thanks to doctors, she has to walk by herself. It is lucky to her.
Early winter, Mother watching a hot pot Stick in the house



Thursday, we went out downtown to do lots of errands. At noon, we had still errands to do, so we bought bread  With a sigh on the bench Still leaving errands



Friday, all cooked prepared meal finished eating.
Winter rain, avoid walking exercise, doing errands home

walking diary 1202

I was late for updating a record of the last week.

On this day, I did 7200 steps.
We went to listen to a concert, before concert we walked around the hall.

Early winter, walk with light steps, enough to make us sweat

 

Can you see big DAIKONs? It is a season of DAIKON. I did 5809 steps walking around my house.
DAIKON; Avoid having far to go  Having leaden feet

 

How magnificent a pair of Sazanka!
We went out for shopping, but the number of my steps didn't reach 5000 steps. So on the way home I got out of the car and walked home. I did 5871 steps.

Before winter rain (SHIGURE-cloud) Go to the city hall Without a title

 

Additionally, another day I went around my house by bike. The distance was about 4km. But my pedometer showed only 1600steps.
I joined our city health activity project. My walking steps is registered as Utsunomiya health point through their app. However their app doesn't count the point by bike correctly.
 

 

"househusband's" sense?

These days there are two housemakers in my house, one is an almost professional and the other is a beginner.
The other day we happened to have lunch at a hamburger shop. We didn't remember when was the last time we went there.




Each one ordered the season specials without considering the price.
I ordered a **** special ( I forgot the name ) and a coffee. Probably ordering set was more reasonable, but I didn't need fried potatoes. Yuki ordered another **** special in a set with fried chicken.

And he was surprised at the price, it means it cost than he expected. Well, well, he didn't carunculate how much they were before ordering.
And he asked me "how much the daily set of our lunch at YOSHIKEI?"
YOSHIKEI is a delivering food company, I order daily ingredients to them.
Why do I order them?
First  to take variety food ---- it is difficult to buy good fish at reasonable cost around here.
Second to avoid quarreling with dinner menu. --- What we want to eat  is one troubles of our daily life.
Third to avoid troublesome which I have to think about dinner menu.

Well, well, and the dairy ingredients cost around 1500 yen for two of us.
It cost less than these hamburger lunch. 

Probably he thought the quality  of our meal.
It made me really surprised he asked the cost, and compared those quality.

After morning meetings ---

These days I am eating lunch outside with friends  less and less.
Not because of Yuki.  Yuki and I have lunch together about twice  on weekdays. He comes back home from playing tennis around 2, so usually my lunch is finished.
I miss lunchtime with friends.

I asked Yuki, "Do you want to have lunch with your tennis friends?"
He said, "Playing tennis finishes past 1 PM, and no one won't have lunch as soon as they finish playing tennis. I think most members don't have lunch at home, they have snack  and wait for their dinner. Some regular members chat after playing tennis. So far I'm not counted as a regular member or regular member (he thinks), so I leave there with just saying thanks, see you next time, though I feel a little bit alienation"

Well, when he used the word "alienation", I understood.

When I was busy as a mother, I often went to school in the morning as a mother volunteer, and after my volunteering I often had lunch at my house or my friend's house  to chat with other mothers. But only 50 minutes lunch. Because our children would come back. Instead of having lunch alone, we would have lunch with talking as adults.
As our children grew up, we had enough time to have lunch because our children would come back after 3 or 4 PM, so we went out for lunch.

At that time, some members won't join such a lunch chatting but they joined, because they were afraid to become out of the groups. Some members were not asked to join it or not.  So we would have always trouble for making groups. Since I learnt such a trouble, I often have lunch alone  after morning meetings(for business, hobby) to avoid such a problem.

I know the purpose was volunteering or attending a meeting, not having lunch together.

Well, well, now I miss such a bounded group activity. It is all right that after morning meetings I go home or have lunch alone, but sometimes I feel "alienation".
After meetings, most of all leave the room hurry. Actually most of them must be busy. But I have 50 minutes free time for my lunch. I want to have lunch with someone and chat.

What kinds of frozen foods do you keep?

I found an interesting article on the newspaper.
According statistics, each family spends about 2465 yen  a month for their frozen foods and keep them.
And the top five of them are GYOZA(kind of dumplings, pot-stickers), fried chicken, hamburger steak, fried rice, and croquettes  .
Well, I don't know how much I spend for our frozen foods.
But, I always keep fried rice and GYOZA.
Frozen fried rice is really easy. When cooked rice is left, I always make small rice balls without any seasoning and freeze them. When I eat one of the balls, I add frozen fried rice, and my original fried rice.
What kinds of frozen foods do you keep?


ちなみに、母のお気に入りは、具も一緒になっている、冷凍牛肉うどん、と カツ丼の具。あ、餃子も常備品です。

walking diary 1125

Do you know this flower?

When we went out to a shrine in a small mountain, I found themt. 5812steps.

Gentians in mountain  Without being seen solidly  Like mother

 

 

 

I went out to the city hall to do errands. I walked around --but it didn't reach 5000 steps. So I walked in the city hall park, and had quick lunch at the observation room on the top floor.

A calm winter day, In the observation room How warm it is! 5612 steps.

 

I went out to get massage using my health insurance. The place is not so far. So I went there by bike. But on the way back home, it started raining. 5406 steps.

A winter day Rain trickles  on a saddle Wheelthe bike

 

We went out for shopping together, And on the way back home I decided to walk without holding my bag. Some elementary school children also walked with carrying their backpack on their back. 5616steps.

10000 steps Kids walking back with their backpack Without portable warmer (KAIRO)

 

lunch diary 1125

Monday, we went out the last colorful leaves. The place was FURUMINE shrine. Since we went there with my parents in-law, more than 30 years have passed.

 

Falling leaves  With rice balls Without his father

 

Tuesday, I forgot to take a photo.

In the morning I did volunteer reading at the library, then I had one-coin lunch(500 yen plus tax) at a café with my friends.

Waving a fan  Fluttering  down at the library Paper colorful leaves


Wednesday, it was very cold, though the day before it was warm than usually.
An art exhibition is nearing an end. "Art exhibition" is a seasonal word for fall.
Nearing an end The art exhibition Leap to the next



Thursday, I had a meeting in the morning. After the meeting I decided to walk around the place. But the number of steps didn't reach 5000 steps. So I walked in the city hall park. At the city hall, I bought bread for my light lunch, and ate it on the top floor seeing the town scenery
A calm winter day; In the observation room How warm it is


Friday, before the noon, it started rain. So Yuki's came back earlier than usual. I shared my grilled fish for him.
In November Share my grilled fish Impromptu lunch
 

English haiku 1122

 

 

Frost is a seasonal word for winter. We haven't had frost yet this year.  It is almost the end of November, so probably we will have frost soon. On the other hand, dew and fog are seasonal words for autumn.

This weekend, we (not only me) are going to pick all plants like begonia and organize the garden.
 

Tame the soil Pick up perennial plants Without waiting frost

In Japanese Haiku world, there are basically two ways. One is to use a literally language like Shakespearean English.  It is said this style makes Haiku high-toned.This style is too difficult for me.  Additionally I wish I would spent days in a   high-toned atmosphere. The other one is  to use a spoken language.
I'll show some modern Haiku.

My favorite Oden at a convivence store Beautiful stars

Oden is a seasonal word for winter.

Yuki's lunch

Since our retirement life started, basically we have lunch at home, together or by ourselves.
When I have lunch at home, I cook by myself. When Yuki stays home we share them, when Yuki is outside, I make a kind of lunch box for him. When I have lunch outside ---, it is a good reason for him to have ramen-noodle outside. But to save money, he usually has lunch at home by himself.
In Japan it is easy to have lunch at home if we have cooked rice.
So "we" try not to forget to set a timer of the rice cooker.

He seems to be satisfied with having fresh cooked rice with something, which are called "friends of rice"

 

Nowadays one thing is added to his hobby. To find such "friends of rice".

The right one is "the most bitter hot peeper tsukudani" Tsukudani is a kind of boiled food in soy sauce.

The left one is bitter meat paste.

When he goes out, sometimes he drop by a farmers store and find such things.

lunch diary 1118

Monday, I forgot to take a photo. I had lunch at a restaurant with a friend.
Early morning, she asked me to have lunch together outside. Of course I said "I'd like to do it".
We had a good time.  On the day Yuki stayed at home, and he also went out to eat ramen noodle alone.
I don't like ramen noodle --- the cost, the health valance, etc.
For him it was a good reason to eat ramen noodle outside, because I also had lunch outside.
My lunch was 1500 yen; it was a pasta lunch with appetizer, coffee and dessert.
His lunch cost him 1000 yen; it was just one big bowl.

Oh, Takuwan (yellow pickled Japanese radish): like a mirror to the color Of today's outfit


Tuesday, it was regular fried vegetables with pork.
This morning we had fog. "Fog" is a seasonal word for autumn.
Morning fog;  Push away a gloomy mood Today is here



Wednesday, the day before the day  it was really warm, but this day it was really cold.
The difference of temperature was really sever. We often see seeds of ox knees. Do you know them? they are really sticky.
Seeds of ox knees; Temperature differs every day Make me gloomy



Thursday, fired rice with the rest of vegetables.
Getting cold, Hot soup with vegetables  Gets dairy meal



Friday, it is one pot meal. It is really easy to steam all things with one pot.
Winter approaches, Fuzzballs embarrassed me, While out for shopping
( I've already showed this haiku)