It’s a cool day today, so I have the heater on. Yuki has started wearing setta as indoor slippers
Setta look like flip-flops, but they are traditional Japanese sandals, often made with tatami. They are usually worn by men with kimono or by monks.
I thought they might help keep his toes in place and give some stimulation, so we decided to try them. He’s also wearing special socks for them.
The results of the April online haiku meeting are out. I submitted three haiku though it is a rule. this time only one was chosen. Can you guess which one?
I tried translating them into English.
Mother’s back—
in open-air bath steam,
all hazy
Falling cherry blossoms—
a Hannya mask hidden
within my heart
Hannya: a traditional mask symbolizing hidden anger and sorrow
This cherry blossom—
again, the two of us
in a wheelchair now
It is sunny today, and we are glad. Yesterday, as I wrote, it was rainy and very cold. After we came back home from the hospital, neither of us felt well, so we lay down and rested, even though the hospital itself was warm.
We carefully looked at the images together with the radiologist. Thankfully, there is no metastasis this time, and the tumors in the brain are now almost undetectable. It seems we can continue living with the cancerfor a while longer. For now, it feels like we’ve managed to hold on.
Worrying every time like this is exhausting, but it can’t be helped.
A friend who lives in Tokyo suddenly sent me a message this morning and asked, “Are you watching TV?” Apparently, Utsunomiya has been ranked No. 1 as a place to relocate. I didn’t see the program, so I’m not sure whether that ranking was for people from big cities or from more rural areas.
Living costs may be lower than in big cities, but it is hard to live without a car, and it is cold here.
From my friendIt’s rainy today. It’s the kind of weather that makes going out feel like a hassle, but since we’re going by car, it’s not a problem.
I find it interesting to observe people at the hospital. It’s a large hospital for this area, so some people come from quite far away—more than an hour and a half by car or train.
Some people are dressed very casually, as if they’ve just popped out for a quick errand, while others are fully dressed up, as if they’re going somewhere special. You don’t really see anyone wearing kimono, though. There are also many family members accompanying patients, so you see a wide variety of styles.
Since it’s raining today, I’m thinking I’ll need a spring coat—even though I’ll be in the car. Of course, I’ll end up taking it off once I’m inside the hospital.
s
I haven’t posted an update on this blog for a while, but we’re doing well.
First, I’d like to tell you about Yuki’s situation. Last week, he was able to receive chemotherapy. He also had a CT scan, and fortunately, his tumors have not grown. In fact, the tumors in his brain have become remarkably smaller than we or the doctors expected.
To be honest, in the first half of April, we had a lot of concerns, as he had a slight fever and his white blood cell count was unstable.
Tomorrow, we will see a radiation oncologist, and the day after tomorrow, we will see an ENT specialist. We will be busy going to the hospital, but it also means we will have a chance—or rather, we will need—to eat lunch out. It’s enjoyable, although it does make "me" worry a bit about our budget. Still, we are simply grateful that we are able to go out at all.
Today, I went to a temple in the morning to copy sutras. I need to concentrate while copying sutras. It might be a kind of mindfulness practice. I had a good time.
In the afternoon, Yuki went to the gym to ride a stationary bike. He also used some other machines. He can’t walk smoothly, but riding a bike and using some machines are fine for him.
Today, we had all three meals at home.
According to the newspaper, TOTO announced on the 13th that it has suspended orders for unit bathrooms for homes. This is due to a shortage of solvents made from naphtha, a petroleum-derived material. The impact of the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused by military conflict involving Iran is spreading.
On the same day, TOTO notified wholesalers and other partners of the suspension. The timing for resuming orders has not yet been decided.
TOTO is a very popular company, and the materials used in our renovated bathroom are from TOTO. We feel lucky.
Do you collect reward points, like Amazon points or supermarket loyalty cards? I do, but these days I’ve simplified my system. I used to have more than five supermarket loyalty cards, and they were all prepaid cards, but now I only have one.
I still go to other supermarkets, but there I mainly use my credit card and collect reward points. I’ve given up collecting points from individual stores, and instead I mainly use my credit card to earn reward points, which I then use for other purposes.
My main credit card is issued by a telecommunications company, and I usually use the points I earn to pay my cellphone bill.
On the other hand, I’m a member of Amazon Prime, and here in Japan members can enjoy many services, such as free shipping, so the membership fee is definitely worth it.
I can also listen to Amazon Music and watch Amazon Prime Video. However, although these services are very convenient.
I once had a credit card used fraudulently—not by skimming, but in some other way—and fortunately the card company noticed it and stopped the transactions. Still, I had to get a new card and update all my payment information, which was quite a hassle.
I’ve also heard that Amazon accounts can sometimes be used without permission.
Because of this, although convenience has improved a lot, dealing with security has become stressful, and recently I’ve started to wonder whether I’ll be able to handle things properly if something like that happens again in the future.
Having store cards are safer, I think recently,
Yesterday, I joined an online meeting. The topic is "corn".
I'll introduce my opinion.
corn
◆Do you like to eat corn or corn products? When was the last time that you ate corn?
Yes, I do. The last time I ate corn was last month—more precisely, on March 28. I had coleslaw with corn at KFC, and I took it home. Of course we got a KFC box. It has a reason. The 28th is called “Niwa no Hi.” “Niwa” means chicken, so KFC offers a box at a discounted price on that day.
◆What is your favorite meal that has corn as one of the ingredients? Can you cook it?
Actually, I like steamed corn on the cob. But for meals that include corn as an ingredient, I like coleslaw or rice with corn.
◆Have you ever made popcorn? Do you prefer your popcorn to taste sweet or salty?
Yes, of course. When my daughters were in elementary school, I was in charge of making popcorn at their school summer festival. So I still keep a big pot for it. When I make it, I like to make it salty, but when I buy it, I prefer caramel-flavored popcorn.
◆What spices or sauces do you like to put on corn? Have you ever eaten raw corn?
As I mentioned, I like caramel-flavored corn. I have also eaten raw corn. Recently, corn that can be eaten raw has become more common in Japan.
◆Besides being a food that we eat, how else is corn useful to the human race?
I think some companies, like Starbucks, use compostable cups made from corn.
◆What do you think it would be like to be a corn farmer in your country?
Here in Utsunomiya, I know that some rice farmers and vegetable farmers grow corn as a side crop. Anyway, the occupation of a farmer would be quite hard work, but also rewarding.
It’s cloudy and looks like it’s going to rain any minute. This weekend is the best time for cherry blossom viewing around here, so it’s kind of a shame.
We still got to see some cherry blossoms though—one at a temple and another along a popular street. We couldn’t see them from the hill, unfortunately. Yuki couldn’t make it up because of the numbness he’s been having. He said it feels like he’s wearing iron clogs, but I’ve never worn anything like that, so I can’t really imagine it.
Anyway, we were still able to enjoy the cherry blossoms this year, so that was nice.
Lately, one of his hobbies has been watching TV. He’s finally gotten into TV shopping and even bought a foot massage gadget. We’ll pay cash when it arrives, which is probably the safest way. We don’t have to sign up for anything, and even though we have to give our address, we don’t need to use a credit card.
I just hope we don’t start buying more stuff from TV shopping. I’m always tempted by supplements and beauty products, though…
It’s Saturday and it’s raining. After visiting the clinic in the morning, we had lunch at home, and now we’re spending a quiet, calm time. I put up a sign in front of the house saying “Open – My Home Library,” but probably no one will come.
Yesterday, Yuki was able to receive chemotherapy. Anyway, for the time being, he’s been able to extend his life. Of course, we haven’t been told any specific prognosis yet. Still, we see chemotherapy as a way to prolong life. That’s why we really hope he won’t suffer from severe side effects.
Well, I feel like I made it sound a bit dramatic.
Tomorrow, a carpenter is coming to install a few more handrails. Meanwhile, Yuki is planning to go to a jazz café and perform.
As for the house, in the end, everything is left to me. Well… it is what it is.
It’s raining, but we’re going to drive to a particular place to see the cherry blossoms. Since it’s raining, we’ll just look at the cherry trees along the street from inside the car.
It looks like tomorrow will be perfect weather for cherry blossom viewing, but we have to spend the whole day at the hospital.
For now, we’ll go out today and probably eat out again. Lately, we have been a bit too loose with my spending.
Additionally, yesterday I cooked three meals.
Although I haven’t updated my blog for a while, we are both doing fine.
As for Yuki’s situation, he has started his final course of chemotherapy. According to the schedule, he is supposed to receive it three times a month, with one week of rest. However, unfortunately, his white blood cell count has been too low, so he has had to skip two treatments in a row.
He has strong numbness, so he cannot walk long distances, but other than that, he doesn’t have any serious side effects. We are hoping the numbness will improve even a little. He has started getting foot reflexology once a week, but so far, it hasn’t shown much effect. At home, I regularly give him moxibustion treatments.
Since we don’t have any relatives or children here, we decided to use public long-term care services.
Yuki has already been approved. At the moment, he doesn’t need much support, except for bed rails. Using the long-term care insurance system, we are planning to install a few more handrails in our home.
With long-term care insurance, we can install or rent assistive equipment at a low cost.
In my case, it is not yet certain whether I will be approved. However, if I am, I am thinking of having a home nursing consultation once a month.
In any case, our nursing care manager visits us once a month, which is a good thing. It gives us a nice distraction.
At the end of March, we decided to take the plunge and went to Tokyo to visit Yuki’s mother’s grave. We no longer have any regrets, but it was very tiring for both of us. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that we will travel to Tokyo again.
After that, our children came to visit us in Utsunomiya. In a different way, it was also tiring, but we were happy to see them. There is a saying in Japanese, “It is good when they come, and it is good when they leave.” It really feels true.
