I'm a Japanese housewife living in Japan. I'm in my 60's. I want to know daily lives in the world, so at first I'll tell my daily. What is your daily life?
In the morning I am going to a public pension office to get some advice. From next year I will start receiving pension.
Today it is actual Halloween, though it is a weekday.
In the evening my friend and I will online live talk event. I hope someone will join us. But if anyone doesn’t join, it is all right. Because for us we will hold the event. At least Yuki has to watch it as a checker of our video. So tonight three of us will have dinner outside.
I was cooking a block of pork with pressure cooker. I simmered apples and onions together as its sauce. I learnt this recipe on the newspaper.
However, I heated it a little too long, and it burned. The meat was fine, but washing the burnt pot was a little difficult.
Recently, We've been looking for some parts to repair my husband's gadget .We've been going around second-hand stores.
Tuesday
The expiration date of the Thai souvenir "Massan curry" is approaching.
It's sweet potato season. Sweet potatoes are necessary to cook it. I bought coconut milk and made it. But was coconut milk so expensive? I really understood the current increasing prices.
I didn't have coriander, so I used Mitsuba instead.
Wednesday
I had lunch at café Karaku alone. I read the magazine to relax myself. Yuki played golf. I had an invitation ticket, so I went to the art museum.
Thursday
We had autumn salmon. They are expensive to buy for ourselves. Lucky us!
On this day, I deep-fried horse mackerel at night, So we could take the standard value of "saturated fatty acids".
Friday
We got lots of Taro yam from my neighbor. So I asked her to cook taro dumplings together. We were still cooking while wearing a mask, but when we go in and out of each other's house, we are finally not afraid of the eyes around us.
We constantly organize our house and put away 10 things e eyewear. Nowadays Yuki also works on. And suddenly he took out old speakers from the closet, and instead of discarding tried to regenerate it. On our schedule the speakers will be too heavy to move when we get much older, so they will be going to be discarded when we part with this house.
The speakers were my late father’s. When we dropped by at an old cafe, the same one was working. So he started a project to reverse our speakers. And we (sometimes only Yuki) often went to used shops to correct some parts.
Finally the speakers have started to work in his room.
He bought old audio products to let trueness work. And he discarded many things and organized his room to put the speakers in his room.
Well, for a while the fun of visiting used stores is put aside.
Monday, we went to the library and went to a Chinese restaurant that is popular for "MABO Tofu" . but I had "Sour and Hot Soup Noodles. I hadn't had it for a long time. It was delicious. I got some energy. In the evening, I went to the hospital to take my medicine.
Tuesday, though it is in fall, but it was very cold like winter.
I called the city's "Mental Counseling Room". Because I got a little bit depressed. I wanted someone to listen to me. For me the department in the city is very helpful. Of course it is free.
Wednesday, I tried making the applesauce of ruby apples looking at the recipe in the newspaper. I used Red Onion. However, On the recipe the ingredient was purple cabbage. I didn't mind. I also grilled the thick loin and put it in a pressure cooker.
Thursday, in a single pat, both main and side dishes were cooked. Did I cut corners?
Pen calligraphy, which I continued to do while taking a break, finished the second workbook, and then proceeded to the next one. I wonder if my writing would get better.
Friday, I put a bunch of green peppers in a pan, and cooked them with pork.
I joined a Haiku meeting in the morning. I lost my confidence. But it was all right. I got everyone to fix my Haikus.
I am the youngest of the members. The seniors are kind, but very strict. Well now, I wonder if I would continue the activity.
I have a Haiku meeting in the morning today. Yesterday I was at desk and was reconsidering my Haikus.
At the meeting I am the youngest. And members come in a little better clothes ( I think).
It means their outfits are different from ones when they go to supermarkets.
These days I don’t care about my outfits except going toperform at Karaku cafe. So it is a good opportunity to make me a little bit sophisticated lady.
It is sunny again. When I went to the gym yesterday, I found it was the second time to go there this month. It was a lucky day. A gym friend was there, and she had waited for my coming. And finally we met, she had wanted to give me sweets. I got it. On the other hand Yuki got lots of vegetables his tennis mates grew.
The sky is bright. It seems to be sunny. Appearing such sky might be for the first time in a week.
Yesterday I hold a zoom meeting. The members who joined were only two including me. Unfortunately the other member stopped to join it. Before corona pandemic the members of our picture club were five. Now there are two. And she can join a zoom meeting but she can’t do volunteer activity at the library because of her family situation. It is difficult to be out half of the day for her.
Anyway, today I will go to the gym. It is for the first time in 10 days.
Yesterday we went to a library. There I met a old man. Naturally he asked me “what author’s book a will you borrow?”
I answered “nothing special, today I will borrow some books which are published in last few years from these books of this aisle.”
It is difficult to find out the latest books from the shelves. They are constantly borrowed by someone. When we want to borrow such one, we need to book it.
He says his favorite authors.
Coincidentally, one of them was also my favorite. So, I said “if you like her, probably this book is interesting to you. It is published in 2019. In the library world, it is included in the later published books”.
He borrowed it. I was really happy to have such conversation time.
A busy week has finished. Probably until winter we will spend usual days, though Yuki is going to join a concert in two weeks.
Today’s mission is to go to the library. Our nearby library is closed today. So we are going to go to a little bit far library. The street in front of the library is famous for ginkgo trees. But they don’t change the color yet, probably.
I like to pick some ginkgo fruits there, though the smell is bad.
Monday; both two of us stayed home all the day. The lunch was Stir-fried lettuce and beef. My husband was organizing his room, and I was rewriting my Haiku.
Tuesday, the lunch was Neapolitan; Ketchup-based spaghetti . I seldom cook it. As a matter of fact, I won a lottery at the supermarket. One of them was Neapolitan sauce.
On Wednesday, I went to the head office that had been taking care of my business. Finally went through the non-renewal procedures. On my way home I bought a lunch box. I thought I did my best for 20 years. The lunch box was "KATSU DON"
Though Katsu is pork cutlet, the sound KATSU means "win".
Thursday; What about this stiff?・Yuzu buns which I failed to cook a little. The taste was good. The volume was enough and they were very useful for us. These were the end of stock. I'm going to make ones again when I can get yuzu citron. Nest time I won't make a mistake in the amount.
Friday; We left here for visiting our mothers at 6:30 in the morning. It was a long day and we got home before 10:00 PM, but we were satisfied because we met our mothers for the first time in a half of year.
Yesterday it was the day of Karaku; my performance day. Regular customers came. We had a good time.
Today I go to the head office of my branch English school not to renew contract of my class. Probably it is the last day to go officially there, (I will go there again next spring to say thanks and bye )
It is Monday. A new week has started. However today it is holiday.
It is raining, we have no schedule. So we are going to stay home all the day.
Yesterday we went to orchards, and got Japanese pears and appease at each place. We are really familiar with them, so other things like flowers, vegetables were shared from each orchard.
Probably Yuki will organize his room.
I reconsider my Haiku to submit to online Haiku club, and a magazine.
Using pre-cooked SUKIYAKI-bowl I added plenty of Chinese leek and adjusted the taste.
In the afternoon, we went to a bookstore & café. It is a "bookstore", so we are not allowed to drink while browsing books. Obviously it is all right to read a book, if we buy it.
Tuesday
We went to Mt.Shirane on Gunma prefecture side.
At lunch time , We went back to Utsunomiya and had fresh seafood rice bowl. It was a hot day, so the lunch suited the temperature.
Wednesday
Suddenly it got cold, colder than we expected. There would be only warm udon then.
It was a gardener's day, but it start raining in the afternoon and he canceled his work halfway.
Thursday
Early in the morning, the gardener came again. He also repaired the parking lot. The three of us were busy, so we had Bentou (delicatessen) for lunch.
There was no such thing as "Sundubu" in the past. Oh, and there was even no Korean style grilled meat.
Friday
In the morning, this time we went to another " private library." Cold. And our lunch is beef udon at Marugame Seimen restaurant.
Having a bowl of this easily exceeds our salt intake for the day.
Today it is very cold. Th weather forecast was right. Them temperature is like in November. Of corse the heater is on, though kerosene price worries us. We use kerosene heaters.
I seem to twist my back. My back sore. I go and get a massage at a chiropractic.
Unfortunately yesterday it got rain, so the gardener couldn’t finish his work. It is almost the time he comes again.
Yesterday, it was a half-day trip day. We left here before 7 AM, and about 2 PM came home.
Then, I spent lazy evening. Yuki went his band practicing at night.
Today according to the weather report it is cloudy. Our regular gardener has already come and he is working. y. However the clouds are thick. I hope not to come rain.
In the morning, We went downtown to do some errands, and had lunch outside. Coincidently a friend joined us. I forgot to take the photo of our lunch.
A melon which is time to eat arrived. Each of us ate 1/4 each luxuriously . The leftover was our breakfast the next day.
Tuesday
I stir-fired meat and vegetables. The taste is by commercial sauce for grilled meat. I also made grated daikon radish.
I went to the gym and Yuki went to play tennis in the morning as usual. In the afternoon we were relaxing as usual. I bought the stored water for emergency online.
Wednesday
I often make Chinese-style marinated cucumber and chicken recently.
I bought new lace curtains. Some old ones were disposed but the others were washed and replaced.
Thursday
It was hot and I felt a little sluggish. Each of us went to exercise, but I bought lunchboxes on the way home. We shared them with two of us.
After sorting out our shoes, we went to ABC Mart shoe store to buy new shoes for the fall. My old ones already had holes in the soles.
Friday
After sorting out our shoes, we went to ABC Mart shoe store to buy new shoes for the fall. My old ones already had holes in the soles.
There were so many. So after I steamed them, wrapped them one by one and froze them. I ran out of frozen yuzu.
My husband Yuki and I live in a regional city. Our retirement life has state since 2020. Though Something good, exciting, worried or bad often happens, we try to focus the current situation and spend enjoyable days while living offf our savings little by little carefully.