lunch diary 0926

Monday

During the three days off, Ah-chan was staying with us. On Monday it was the last day. We went to a big mall and did shopping. As soon as the restaurant opened we entered and had an early lunch to avoid congestion -- and we were already tired and Ah-chan was hungry.

Tuesday

I organized all rooms. And I also organized the refrigerator. Our younger daughter and Ah-chan's life finally started in SAITAMA. For a while we can spend usual days.

Wednesday

It was Yuki's birthday. Two of us didn't do any special thing, though I cooked his favorite SUKIYAKI for dinner. Anyway two years passed since he retired. Thanks ?? to corona pandemic, we could save money than we expected, on the other hand our mothers situation changed, and our younger daughter and Ah-chan came back. So we need to revise our saving plans. Anyway there are still two and half years until our pensions will be payed.

Thursday

It was equinox day in September. Luckily we could see a full moon at night. I showed it to my mom through ALEXA. But it didn't catch perfectly, though she could understand that it was the moon.

Friday

Fall is called "the season to enjoy meals" in Japan. The first seasonal thing we got was salmon. And this week we got KABOS citrus. We know it is suitable to fish. So we went to the supermarket to buy salmon. To tell the truth, it is said "SANMA" fish is the most suitable to KABOS, and it is also typical fall fish. BUT unfortunately these years it is continued to have poor catch of SANMA. So SANMA doesn't come to the nearby supermarket.

 

Kids talk card -6-

 

Today I want to hold a zoom meeting using this card. I'm not sure if I can get enough members. Anyway the meeting will start from 4 to 4:35 at zoom site (Japan time) If you are interested in it, please give me a comment on this site. I'll send you the zoom cord.

Well, I'm not a student. So I try to think back of my school life. Probably the most important rule was --- having handkerchief with me  and having short-nails. I have played the piano since I was little, so I had no trouble about short-nails. But I would often forget to take my handkerchief to school. It was a rule at elementary school. At junior high school, not to wear a colorful jacket. At high school, of course not smoking, but it was not my important rule, because I was not interested in smoking. Well my school life didn't seem to be so strict.

In my house, when Yuki and I were raising up my children --- what was the rule? Not to tell lies, though it is a basic rule.  Probably when they were small children, it used to be a kind of rule  -- to keep their picture diary. Or when they were elementary school children, before playing outside they had to finish their homework. I'll ask them what did they think about it when I have such an opportunity.  I think we didn't have special family rules, but we might have had our own life habits.

Well, now there are two people in my house, Yuki and I.

I "decided" a rule, that is to share  house errands. For example, On Wednesdays and Fridays (my lesson days) cleaning the upstairs toilet , hallway and stairs is Yuki's role. But it is often broken, because he often plays golf on Wednesday from early morning.

Anyway, in our retirement life, it is one issue how to share house errands. 

lunch diary 0918

Monday, 

Our younger daughter M and granddaughter Ah-chan had lunch together and left for Saitama. On Sunday M had fever because of the side effect of the vaccination. Monday she was all right.

After they left, we organized the rooms and spent lazily the rest of the day.

Tuesday,

It was the day of KARAKU for me. But I performed with my friend. But as soon as I finished our performance, I had to go back home. On the day my mother got a little bit strange or got a feeling of anxiety more than usual. So I need to chat with her.

My mother usually spend alone afternoon of weekdays, though around 3 PM someone always visits her to make sure of her safety. when I was chatting with her, her daughter in-law, and my daughter visited her. So as a result, she talked with more people and much longer than usual. 

Wednesday

We got some pieces of salmon from our neighbor. They are very delicious. To tell the truth we were looking forward to the salmon coming this fall. 

Thursday

One of my hobbies is clipping recipe from the newspaper. But clipping and cooking is different. So on the day I "decided" to cook new dish from my clippings.  I cooked and shared with our neighbor.

Friday

The weather was strange because of coming typhoon or extratropical cyclone.

I trimmed roses and some trees.

Kids talk card -5-

 

This week I talked  about this card with my friend, though unfortunately I couldn't get enough number of members so that I couldn't hold a zoom meeting.

The question is "what is the best gift you have ever given?" . Not to me, to someone. To tell the truth I don't remember what gifts I gave to people.

I usually send domestic fruit in season of Utsunomiya to my friends once or twice a year. I "believe" they like them. And not only they enjoy the fruit, we also have a good excuse to talk with them for hours. Especially under this corona pandemic, it is difficult to meet them without special reasons. But we can talk via skype or zoom. 

On the other hand, the question "what is the best gift you have got?" I can answer it. It is a hold-up umbrella which my dead father presented me when I was a junior high school student. 

To say more correctly, it is not "best", it is the most memorable present.

When I was a junior high school student, anyway I used to rebel against my father. One day, I didn't know why? Anyway he suddenly bought a hold-up umbrella for me. Unfortunately I didn't like the pattern, I thought it was for senior women. BUT anyway I accepted it. And probably I haven't used it --- or I have used it once or twice for these 50 years. But I still have kept it.

My father passed away when I was 19. At that time I was a college student. Though I didn't like my father very much, I didn't talk a lot with him. Because  he was busy? or it was difficult to find something common to talk .

Anyway on Father's day, he died of hurt attack suddenly. At that time I noticed the umbrella was still in my room. When I became a mother I understood his feeling when he bought the umbrella. Probably he bought it at his office shop. They must have not dealt with kids' umbrellas. Or he might have considered me as an adult. So he chose "womanly" pattern umbrella.

I still keep it, though I don't use it. However, now it is most memorable present for me.

 

Kids talk card 0916

Today's card is this one. I want to hold a 30 minute zoom meeting Japan time today Thursday 4 PM. I'm not sure enough number of members gather or not.  

Anyway if you give some comments about this card, on this blog, I'm really happy. 

KIDS TALK card -4-

 

Last week I chose this card, but unfortunately I didn't hold a zoom meeting because there were not enough people.
However I showed this card to one of my friends, and we are from the same age.

She said

"Yes, I have a hobby.   My hobby is dancing hula.

New hobby  for me is to practice ukulele.

I think that it would be fun to play the ukulele when my friend dance hula.

But some of my  hula's friends already have been practicing the ukulele."

As far as I know, she doesn't play any musical instruments. So if she starts practicing the ukulele, it must be fun.

In my case, my hobbies are --- playing the piano, making Haiku, and so on.

Before this corona pandemic,  I played the recorder (mainly alto, or bass) with other two members. We made trio. But unfortunately, the trio is disappeared naturally.

So I would like to resume the recorder performance, though it is not a new hobby.

This card tells " an important part of a hobby is that it leads to friendship who share your interests."

I agree with it. As you know once a month my friend and I perform a 30 minute concert at KARAKU, I play the piano, and she recites  a short essay..

It is fun to do something with someone. 

Well, I think discarding 10 things a week might be one of my hobbies, but it is done by myself and my husband. Well, it is not a hobby, it is a kind of preparation of ending my life.

Anyway under this corona pandemic, I think it is still difficult to do something with someone. "Difficult" means, not only being caught by corona virus, but also being afraid of getting criticized.

I hope this corona pandemic would settle somehow.

P.S

I have to collect her comments.

She said "I had took piano lessons until I became a junior high school student. I mastered BURGGMULLER and CZERNY"

追伸・・訂正がはいります。

「ピアノは個人教室で色音符バイエルなるものから始めて年中児若い先生が結婚するので河合楽器のピアノ教室にかよい、ブルグミュラーとチェルニー―が終わったところ？でまでやりました」とのことでした。すみません

lunch diary 0911

Monday, 

Yuki and I love going to the nearby supermarket on Mondays, because, usually good quality meat which is leftover on weekends, is discounted. So we enjoyed the Japanese beef for Monday's lunch.

Tuesday,

I cooked eggplants. According to the weather report, it was going to be sunny. So I washed sheets and covers. BUT in the morning it was rainy. BUT, from the afternoon sun came up. So anyway all laundry dried.

Wednesday

It was supposed to be hot, but it was COLD or CHILLY for me. So I cooked hot (not spicy) curry noodle.

Thursday.

It was sunny. In the morning we went shopping by car. Then it was a so sunny and clear day that we did walking 5000 steps.

Friday, 

I had no excuse. We walked to the nearby supermarket, and found half discounted Japanese beef. So it was our lunch.

To tell the truth, though we are Japanese, we prefer meat to fish.

Well, my Mom is fine. These days she shows interest in AUDIBLE from ALEXA.

So I chose some nobles supported by AUDIBLE and let her listen to them.

Kid Talk card 0909

 

I 'm going to hold a 30 minute  zoom meeting this Thursday (Japan time  at 4 PM), and talk about this theme. Though the meeting has not yet been held because lack of the members. 

Under this current corona pandemic, our life style must have changed. So I'm really happy if I get short comments about theme. 

What do you think of it?

lunch diary 0904

This week we were very mentally busy.

Anyway, now our second daughter M and granddaughter A are living in a hotel in Saitama. They left here Utsunomiya. We are spending quietly this weekend.

Monday, it was still hot. In the morning we did house errands such as going to banks , a supermarket, and so on. Until June we walked to banks, but now we don't. It is too hot. Yuki is alright, because he plays tennis constantly. But I---, I know I need more exercise. What should I do?

In the afternoon, Yuki had his car checked. Here in Japan car inspection is done every two year. We think probably it would be the last to have current car checked. We use this car politely and kindly as much as possible for the next 2 years.

Tuesday

I cooked green peppers.

At supermarket green peppers are expensive, but in neighbor's ' garden there are lots of "baby" green peepers. I help the neighbor to "consume" them effectively.

Wednesday,

Our second daughter and granddaughter finally could freely go out. The first thing M had to do was updating her driver's license. We had Japanese hamburgers for lunch.  Our grand daughter A couldn't have hamburgers and first food in Thailand, because as soon as she had, she had diarrhea. She was really really impressed at Japanese hamburgers and free gadget. We bought them at a drive-through restaurant and had them in our car.  We avoided to enter restaurants with four members.

Thursday

In the morning I took every three month blood check. While I was in the hospital, they were doing shopping and had SUSHI.

The result was the same of the last one, so I avoided taking medicine --- but I also promised again to do exercise more.

My problem is high cholesterol. ( I have a little  arteriosclerosis??)

Friday,

In the morning all of three (or four) cleaned their room in the condo, and they checked out. We had pizza at home, and we saw them off at Utsunomiya station.

I slacked off the rest of the day.

Next weekend probably they will come again. Because my daughter will take the second vaccine at Narita airport. We are worried about the side effect, so she is going to stay with us for at least two days here.