"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)

walking diary 1118

 

We went to see colorful leaves of this year. It took about one and half hour by car to this shrine.

This shrine is very popular with owl statues. There are lots of owl statues which are big or small, funny or calm, and so son.

We patted  them as much as we could with throwing a coin into each offertory box.

Owl is "Ff-Kurou" in Japanese. "Fu" means a prefix of "un", "kurou" means difficulty or trouble. So we thanked for Yuki's calm retirement and prayed our calm life without any troubles patting them.

I walked 7010 steps.

Falling leaves, Worship at a shrine with thanks , Happy golden years

 

We went to a big mall to buy a Christmas present for our granddaughter who is now 5 years old.

I walked 6800 steps.

 

Early winter Wandering and wondering Find a present

 

This day I walked 5151 steps.
Do you know "ox knee"?
The seeds are really sticky.

Ok knee seeds; Fuzzballs embarrassed me While out for shopping

 

Books and books

This week, I recovered and wanted to read books. Last weekend I borrowed a lot of books from the library. So I have read books at home. Yesterday it was the first time to go to the gym in November.
However I don't start walking exercise, though I will walk after I update this blog.

These are novels.


And this is a kind of essay.


Now the author is in her 70, and when she published this book, she was in her 60.
The title is "Seasonal things which are in good taste; spring, summer, fall and winter"
I wanted to make me shaped up mentally. I wanted to throw away the emotion "troublesome"
After reading it, anyway I trimmed some plants in the garden, which are almost over.


I read one more book. This is also essay.

It was published three years ago, the author is also in her 70's.
I know you don't like hear negative words. On the other hand, saying too much positive words sometimes goes in circle. In this book she just write truth, like "I feel insecure today". and just write what she does on the day. She writes this book in matter-of-fact approach. It made me very relaxed.

At Japanese sweets shop

We went out to take a snack time outside.
We visited a Japanese sweet shop, there they serve coffee at very reasonable cost.
You might ask why we don't drink Japanese tea. It is difficult to answer it, anyway Japanese sweets suit to coffee.

Consumption tax system has changed in Japan.

When we eat something inside, eat-in tax is 10%, and we take them out take-away tax is 8%.

So this case we pay 10% tax on them, even though the sweets are wrapped.

 

However we like the atmosphere of the sweet shop. So I could make me really refreshed.

 

 

Do you use coupon book or ticket effectively?

I like to get moxibutsion  by myself. These days Yuki does it on my back. It is one of good things for our retirement life.

 

The yearend is approaching, so I got this letter. It is a kind of discount letter.

 

 

I collect points of  a moxibustion store. This month, it is a month that the point counts double.

So I changed my points into free boxes of moxibustion.

 

Well, the level of present style were three styles like small, medium, and large.

If I had one more point, I could reach the medium level.

And "coincidently"  I had 15%off coupon ticket at a drugstore nearby.

So I went there to buy a new box of moxibustion to get one point.

 

At the register, a casher said "sorry, you can't use the ticket on this item."

The coupon was valid on only "medical goods, beauty goods, and health food".

Well, is a box of moxibustion not included in medical goods?

 

It can't be helped. And it is not a loss to stock it. So I bought it.

 

Well, well, when we get more profit, usually we can't.

On the other hand when we are unselfish, coincidently we  sometimes get profit.

 

At home

I cooked pre-cooked dishes as usual.

 

I also baked apple-yogurt bread.

 

Our calm days have returned.

Today it is the day of Karaku, in the afternoon I hold a 30  minute concert with my friend, and have a time for long chatting there.

10 days have passed since November started.

Now it is in the middle of November.
Our usual days have returned.

 My mother had a cataract surgery. For a while she has to go to an eye clinic frequently. But this time all people around her are going to attend to her in turn when she goes there. All people mean my brothers, my brother's wife(one of my brother is single) , my elder daughter (her granddaughter), and me.

Nowadays, a cataract surgery is said to easy.  Probably it is right. But for elderly people, it is a surgery, and brings a big burden. Actually an elderly person came down when her eye patch was removed with increased blood pressure.

Well, well, anyway my mother is fine.
And I don't know how many times we quarreled, while I was staying with her.
I know "like mother, like daughter". What I can do is just to write wryly.


Autumn passing;  walk behind my mother , how aged!
One red gourd; what the elderly  can do , just one thing at once
Plants withering;   listen to the predawn radio  dozing with my mother