lunch diary 0913

Well, since I started to lunch for two of us (though not always), one year has passed. 

 

Monday, I wrapped the rest of souen noodle with fried eggs. It was not so bad.

Change the view, wrapped the rest with eggs, summer noodle

Tuesday, in September, suddenly the price of eggplants and cucumber got down, and I sometimes get them from my neighbors. I just boiled pasta for one person, but sauteed much vegetables. So it was enough for two of us.

Lunch again, with lots of veges, after the typhoon



Wednesday, we didn't have main, all of them were kind or appetizer.

It is getting cooler, so we don't need to put the air conditioner on all the day. But for my mother it seemed to be difficult to control the air conditioner. She said (on the phone) "I have running noise". So I suggested her to turn the air conditioner off.

I tried telling her to use the timer, but I gave up.

Tenderly , rice plants hang lowest, Koshihikari



Thursday, I bought deep fried Sanma fish at a supermarket. Sanma fish is traditional Japanese autumn fish, but these days they can't be caught. Probably this Sanma is the one which were caught last year and kept frozen.

Enjoy the taste , deep-fired frozen Sanma fish, at a sale

Friday, I made beef bowl with Shiso-plant in my garden.

Shiso has two kinds, green ones and red ones.

Red ones are still growing well, but green ones are almost finihsed.

I don't know why?

Gracefully, Holding a summer umbrella, without smile

If you are interested in our town "Utsunomiya" ----

 If you are interested in our town "Utsyunoniya", watch this video,

GYOZA facemask  from NHK world news.

well, we don't buy these face masks.

What makes us a little bit excitied?? 0911

1.Though it's not my excitement, it is Yuki's. When he was watching TV, he was really interested in a frozen food. It was GYOZA, and when it cooks, water, oil, and a lid (to steam) are not necessary. It means that he can cook without hearing my earful like "wash the dishes, tidy up the oil, not make the kitchen dirty" and so on.

And luckily he found one at a nearby supermarket.

Actually he could cook without making a mess in the kitchen.

Additionally, he went to the supermarket on the day when frozen food was sold on sale of half price, but unfortunately, this one was out of the list.

2. Finally it is getting cooler, so I started walking. At first I walked to the nearby supermarket. So probably --- I'll walk a little bit far. Did you remember? When the corona viruses appeared, I started visiting shrines in this area. When summer comes, we stopped. And one shrine where we don't visit yet is left. Probably we will visit there soon.

3, We recycled newspaper. Usually we put out a stock of newspaper on the day of children association activity. But once a month or every month, a newspaper store comes to collect with a toilet paper.  so this week I exchanged a stock of newspaper into a toilet paper. 

トイレットペーパー１つなんだけど、こちらにーーごめんね。ー

What do you eat for breakfast?

The other day when I went to the library, I borrowed this book. It was short essays written by famous writers some of whom are still alive, or around, the others already passed away.

Anyway every writers or authors have their own philosophy, even though it was just a cup of tea. 

It was really interesting.

 

When Yuki and I were young and didn't have kids, our breakfast used to be only one cup of coffee. When we had kids, we changed our mind and started having breakfast with our family.

This custom still keeps, even though there are two of us in this house. I cook pre-cooked dishes once a week, and they are mainly served for our brekafast.

This week I boiled macaroni, and dipped the rest into olive oil.

So I baked them for our breakfast.

I constantly update my breakfast photo on my instagram.

What kinds of measures are taken in your country?

Here in Japan, to recover the economy they take some measures, in each town, city, prefecture, and Japan. 

Go To EAT is one of them in Japan.

In my town, our shop district has started stamp rally. When we get five stamps in a different 5 shops, we have a chance to get new rice.

In my city, they issue TOKUTOKU ticket, it costs 5000 yen, but it corresponds 6500 yen. Yuki use one and enjoy having ramen noodle for his dinner once a week  -- of course by himself. Additionally the tickets are only used at restaurants in this city.

In my prefecture, they issue KENTOKU ticket, it costs 500 yen, but it corresponds 6000 yen. So I use one at a nearby supermarket.

And, our government also another measure. When we resister our identification cards  for paperless declaration, we can get 5000 yen if we put  20000 yen on a certain prepaid card. (does it make sense?)

so We did it.

。

Our mothers

Our mothers are fine. My mother is probably 85 years old, and Yuki's mother is 94 years old.

Though it might not to say such things, we don't visit them for more than 5 months. Of course we often tell with them on the phone, especially I talk on the phone with my mother every two  or three days. And sometimes I talk with her more than 30 minutes. After 30 minute talk, she seems to be very satisfied and take a nap.

My mother is fortunately not suffering from dementia. but she is easy to forget many things. So she often tells me the same thing. The interesting thing is that she remembers clearly what she wants. (Not what she has to do)

So she goes to see a doctor, even though she feel slight staggering. But she "can't go to a convenience store which is nearer than the clinic.    Additionally she can go to her familiar butcher which is a little bit far than the convenience store.

Anyway she can cook, and she thinks it is her duty, because she "feeds" her son. (well, my brothers and I think, this idea makes her active)

When I visit her, I often irritated with her saying and behaviors, and even now on the telephone, I'm sometimes irritated. Probably I can't accept her aging even now.

But I know she shows me how we get older. I know it. So when I am calm, I thank to my Mom.

Yuki's mother live in a senior nurse center.

To tell the truth, it is the time she has to move another senior nursery center which services more special treat for much elder people. This spring she was in hopstital  twice. However thanks to this corona viruses it got difficult to move to another nursery center.   So she spends days calmly in the same nursery center. To tell the truth the hospitalization seemed to be very tough for her. After she got out the hospital, she seemed to suffer a slight dementia. Now it is all right.

Yuki also talks her with on the phone. Her eye is difficult to catch what he says, even though she wears a hearing-aid. So he endure listening to her. (Additionally he says he is getting used to just listening to someone, thanks to me)

Anyway Yuki's mother also shows us how we get older.

A new week has started.

 Many unexpected things has occurred, but anyway we try to spend every day, every moment diligently. Well, it is kind of cover story, I tend to spend days lazily.

Anyway I cooked pre-cooked dishes for this week.

 

I soaked boiled macaroni into olive oil, and this morning I baked them two kinds of cheese. It was good.

I also cleaned some (not all) windows by myself. And Yuki trimmed trees.

It is getting cooler, so we can't excuse to avoid cleaning or organizing the house.

I organized my glass bottle collection, it means I discarded ten bottles.

lunch diary 0905

Anyway, it is September. It is a hot Saturday. I hope the Typhoon won't cause a big damage.

Monday, the main is marinated tongue (Of course I bought it).

And the tea is herb tea, which kinds are DOKUDAMI and mulberry, and of course grows in my garden. The taste is like Chinese tea.

Tuesday, we went out to eat lunch at a reasonable stake shop.Have you heard "IKINARI STAKE"?  They opened their branches in America, but unfortunately they didn't succeed, and they withdrew.

Considering the price, they serve reasonable stake, and the taste is not so bad. However I want to eat more higher quality stake paying a little bit more money.

Peel a pear; enjoy stake outside, dessert at home 

Wednesday, I fried pork liver with green vegetables.

Now it would be the season of NIRA-leaf. But this summer it is expensive. On the other hand CHINGENSAI-leaf is cheaper than usual summer. So I bought CHINGENSAI-leaf.

Usually I talk on the phone with my mother twice or three times a week. And usually it is 15 minute talking. But this day, we talked for an hour. She suddenly started to think about "her" tableware which are not used. Now unfortunately it is very danger for her to deal with such things. So I was inducing her not to touch her tableware.

A fall butterfly; persuading my old mom, on the phone 




Thursday, I fried TOUFU and bean sprouts with Chinese paste.

Typhoon didn't come to this place directly, but we had very unstable weather.

Today I talked with my mother again about her tableware.

A cicada sing; Showa-songs on the radio, over the phone

Friday, the two of bowls were the rest of yesterday's dish.

Until the last week, we only heard the news about corona viruses, this week we only hear the news about the big typhoons.

Big typhoon; check the rest of batteries, while tidy up rooms.

What made you a little bit excited ? 0904

I try to confirm little things which make me excited a little in my daily life.

Well, it is easy to miss out such a little enjoyment.

First, it was a weird  excitement.

In my town there is a small shopping district, which consists of less than 10 shops. They have started "stamp rally". The idea is not bad, but can I collect 5 stamps from different 5 shops?

I'll be able to get stamps at two supermarkets.

I'll be able to get another stamp at our familiar oil shop, which owner is the Chief of our shopping district and where we are delivered kerosene.

I'll be able to get a stamp at a coffee beans shop.

Well, one more stamp is needed.

Our familiar Chinese restaurant and Japanese sweet shop don't join the rally.

The other Japanese Chinese restaurant joins. Do we go there? Yuki is looking forward to going there.

Another excitement.

Though a big typhoon is approaching Kyusyu, ( I hope it won't cause big damage), it is getting cooler. So I want to eat raw tsuna. --- It means we have an excuse to go to a good quality fish shop downtown.The other excitement.To have raw fish, it is necessary to prepare good soy sauce. I keep a 1.8 litter bottle of soy sauce, which my friend's husband bothers to go to buy; at a soy sauce brewery directly. The bottle of soy sauce is running out. I could ask my friends when he would go there. But this spring he retired. And Yuki loves the soy sauce. Probably "we" will go to the brewery. It seems to take one and a half hour by car. Little by little we feel motivated to go out "by car" to a little bit far way places.;Well, all things are connected with shopping and foods. --- it seems to be a little bit difficult to find something exciting without spending money.

one of my Haiku poems appeared.

 I'm a member of Haiku International Association .  This month, one of my Haiku poems　appeared in their journal.

The Haiku is that

Mt. Fuji 
at the back of plain field
while basking in the sun

Well, well, this English is translated by a professional translator of HIA.

I posted my Haiku in Japanese, and fortunately it was chosen, so it was translated in English. And the Japanese version and the English version were appeared.

Well, well, the seasonal word is "basking in the sun". It is seasonal word for spring.

When we went to a temple in the south region of this prefecture, we could see Mt.Fuji.

And, my Japanese version is that

HINATABOKO 

HEIYA NO OKU NI

FUJI WO MIRU

When I made it, I translated it by myself.

Basking in the sun
Back of the extensive field
seeing Mt.Fuji

herb in my garden

Today I'll tell you how to use herb in my garden. I hate weeding as you know, on the other hand some herb grow well, tough and strong against weed. Unfortunately others lost and have gone away.

I baked rosemary loaf. There are many recipes in English.

I used bitter gourd (Goya) instead of zucchini. Goya is easier to get than zucchini, and some friends grow them in their garden.

I used rhubarb in my garden instead of lemon.   And of course I used rosemary in my garden.

I just added one teaspoon of sugar, so it was not sweet. But it was delicious, and Yuki seemed to like it.

Goya is really bitter as the name, but the bitterness brings tasty of this loaf.

I take my original herb tea. I seem to suffer light cystitis. So I need to take something as diuretic.

In my garden, fennel, mulberry are there. And I also have dry doku-dami which were growing in spring. All of them are a diuretic. It seems to make me better.

Additionally mulberry tea is good for Yuki. After Yuki eats oily ramen noodle, he drinks it.

The circumstances of my health in August

September has come. According to the weather report the hot day seems to be kept, but anyway today it is really cool. So I'm wearing a three quarter shirt.

I'm not sure whether the title makes sense, or not. Anyway this time I'll write about the circumstances of clinics where I regularly? go.

Yuki and my close friends say, going to clinics is one of my hobby.
I get it. Though it depends on Japanese health insurance, but I take Japanese herb to keep my keep in fit. To tell the truth it costs the same of monthly Yuki's golf fee.

Well, at first, Yuki also goes to clinics such as a dental clinic to keep his teeth and the gums clean, and skin clinic to get skin cream.  He has allergic skin.

I ----

Dentist, now I' am treated and an  artificial  tooth is going to be inserted by bridge way (I' m not sure what is a correct word) by my health insurance. It seems to take more than 3 months or more.

Internal medicine --- nearby clinic, there I get two kinds of Japanese herb. One is to easy my dullness and the other is to easy my allergy.

Psychosomatic medicine --- to tell the truth, this corona virus made me depressed in June. The doctor of my internal medicine suggested me to take some medicine, so I went to one more clinic. I took antidepressant pills for three months. The other day I went to see the doctor of psychosomatic medicine, and he said to me "you are all right, don't take this medicine". So I don't need to go this clinic more.

However, yesterday I felt bad ache in my upper back, "upper back strain". So I went to the osteopathic clinic. Last fall I got frozen shoulder. This pain is the "second wave" of such symptom. For a while I should go to the osteopathic clinic.

Well, additionally, I might go to eye clinic again. In may I fell down and hit my face.My eyes themselves were all right, but I still feel my right eye heavy. The doctor said it might take half of year to feel it normal.

Under this corona virus situation, I don't go to Tokyo, I don't go to lunch with my friends, I don't join any volunteer activities, but I can go to clinics. 

Lunch diary 0831

It is the last day in August. We hear both cicada singing and crickets singing.

We are still in hot summer, we are still in the corona virus pandemic, and worry about our unstable government is added. On the other hand our daily life is calm.

 

Monday I fried Soumen-noodle with vegetables and meet. Soumen is usually eaten in summer as cold noodle. But since my stomach got bad the week before last, I avoid eating something cold. So I fried Soumen noodle tasted Chinese sauce.

Leave the scorching heat; gardening shears are waiting, for the user

Tusesday, I fried beef with Chinese paste called "tenjanmen". I put too much, so the taste got thick. Yuki went fishing from the early morning without doing his house chores of the day, which was to take the garbage out.

Get sweaty; while kneading and stirring Natto, with a bitter smile

Wednesday, we bought pork with good quality, so I only sauteed them and added some drops of soy sauce.

This morning "I" broke my glass flame. Luckily the lenses were no problem. We went downtown and changed the flame. And we dropped by a butcher.

Summer ginger; the thickness of the meat, easy to accept

Thursday, it is GOYA.This summer vegetables are more expensive than usual. However the price of GOYA is stable in Tochigi. And some people grow them, so I get them for free.

Goya; take cover from the sun, little after noon

Friday, I fried Soumen noodel again.

Anyway this week I cooked one dish with one pan.

Summer curtain (Noren); forget the chore, to get the window clean

Our bags of disaster kits

Finally, we bought our bags of disaster kits.
Do you have such ones?

Fortunately this area is less in danger by flood. And we don't know if we had severe earthquake, we should evacuate to somewhere. (Staying our house would be safer.) 

First I tried to make such bags by myself, but I gave up. It was too troublesome. Or to tell the truth, I couldn't make the suitable list of the items by myself. 

,

It took more than one month after I ordered.

I put all items in the bags.




We also revised the list, and talked about what else we need.

This talking led us to minimize our house, and organize our products.

We would constantly discard 10 things a week.

Feel relaxed or excited a little bit 0827

 Many people must feel not so happy. It seems to be difficult to see our lives positive. So in many articles, we always see that "let's find something little which makes you relaxed, excited, or happy, you might miss out such things in your daily life." Or, in another article, I see " if it is difficult to find something which makes you positive, let's try to imagine something which makes you laugh". --- actually many kids especially infants are good at pretending games.

I got a pot of small sunflower. After I enjoyed its blooming, I moved it to a bigger pot. And it has more two flowers.  And I also planted St. John's wort in spring. It is growing well. This herb tea is said to make us feel better.

Actually to take this photo, I weeded in this pot.

This tidy pot makes me relaxed, and satisfied.

Additionally I can weed this amount.

How do you do --- about garbage bags.

Here in Japan, plastic bags have started to be charged since July.

Probably it might be good for us to think about eco-system.

However---

I used them as garbage bags in the house. And I need some plastic bags to separate garbage, or threw away garbage containing moisture. But when I use them like before, it means every day, I feel that I throw 3 yen away directly. So I try to reduce to use them as much as I can. So probably I do eco-friendly life. 

However, newspaper is week for garbage containing moisture. So I use smaller plastic bags which are free at supermarkets. I put such garbage into a small plastic bags, and put them into a trash box. We need one more process than before.

And another house chore is added, to fold news paper.

Yuki changes the paper garbage bags and put them into a big trash cans outside constatnly. But he seems not to think of folding daily newspaper by himself.

lunch diary 0824

 We had really hot days for about two weeks. Though today it is still hot, I feel it is a usual summer day. 

I'm afraid that last week my stomach couldn't catch up with the heat.

To be more correct, the Sunday before the last, at first Yuki  got an upset stomach. But he got all right in the day. At night I almost got an upset stomach, but I was all right. However my stomach didn't recover soon. so most of the last week I had rice porridge.

Monday, it was a simple bowl of rice porridge with pickled UMEBOSHI (Japanese plum). The pickled UMEBOSHI is made by my firend.

Plain rice porridge, with my friend's Umeboshi; taste kind.

Tuesday, I had still rice porridge, but, this time I added some vegetables.

 No change, staring at the mercury; Mulukhiya porridge

Wednesday; I felt better, but I chose to have rice porridge again.

Finally the Japanese pear orchard opened. I went there and send some boxes of pears to my friends and our mothers. 

I also gave some pears to the member of the laughter yoga club.

Currently it is difficult to chat with them without purposes. So giving pears was a good excuse. I talked to each at the entrance, though it was a few minute-talk.

Pickled eggplants; sharing gift with friends, while three-minute talking

Thursday; on the day it was really busy. Because the friends I sent the box of pears gave me a call. So I was busy in talking on the phone.

I've started having usual food since Thursday.

Noisy cicada;  chatting with grand-daughter, anytime by online

I cooked liver.

I went to see a dentist. My friend says it will take for a year to make artificial tooth by bridge. (does it make sense?)

The scorching hot day, it might be the last, I'll endure

lunch diary 0817

Obon vacation finished. Since today usual retirement life has started.

It was the first time to spend such a quiet (and boring) Obon vacation.

Quiet and calm are good words, and I know "busy" is also a good word. 

We didn't go to Tokyo to visit our mothers. And my daughter didn't come back here.

So for us it was like a usual 4-day weekend. However usually during this season there are lots of events in this town or area. But this year any events were not hold.

So we stayed home (though Yuki went fishing as the sun rose up, and came home when I finished morning house chores)

Monday, I fried  julienne cucumbers, beans sprouts and meat with Chinese sauce.

This day an electrician came to clean an air conditioner in Yuki's room.

Air conditioner, washed by water, wipe sweat

Tuesday I sauteed sausages and bean sprouts. The egg plant in the photo is grilled  and dipped into say sauce. 

Yuki went fishing earlier. It was all right. However I asked him to take the garbage out. He "forgot" to take recycled bottles away. I was really surprised he didn't understand what kinds of garbage he could take away Tuesday, that made me "angry". 

Househusband's morning, takes long time to adjust; Grilled eggplants

 

Wednesday; I steamed Chinese dumplings.

At noon we had thunder and heavy rain. 

Sticky rice crackers, sprinkled coarse sugar; Thunder and heavy rain

Thursday, we went out to eat cold Chinese noodle.

Now we avoid The 3 Cs, so only three "couples" can eat there.

 

How happy, to see jiggly shrimps, on Cold Chinese noodle

Friday, I sauteed pork with SHISO-leaves growing in the garden.

Nowadays green leaves vegetables are little bit expensive than usual, so i constantly pick up SHISO-leaves in the garden.

SHISO-leaves; fly, boil, saute, actual daily life

English Haiku 0812

I continue learning English Haiku. Unfortunately I have no members to study together. But anyway I keeping making English Haiku alone while I keep learning Japanese Haiku by receiving corrections by mail  once a month. 

This month my three Haiku poems got  grade A.

Through the window, dazzlingly  green rice plants, waiting for seeing a doctor
lingering rainy season; ironing sportswear of my husbands
In  rainy season, temporary sunny day seats occupies , laundry poles

Today's drill is using onomatopoeia.

In Japanese we have lots of onomatopoeia, but in English ----. I don't know about them.

Anyway I tried to making some Haiku using kind of onomatopoeia.

If someone gets some advice, I'm really happy.

From the tap, trickling  little by little, after summer shower
Against sweltering heat, twist the cork out, swooshing
IN the Corona pandemic  hear the sea sound in the head, with glittering

lunch diary 0810

Now we are in Obon vacation. Usually during this season we were busy. We were going to take my mother and my mother in-law here to Utsunomiya or somewhere.

We are not able to go to Tokyo because our visiting is not necessary. So talking on the phone is kind of our everyday job.(Well, to tell the truth, not every day).

On TV, they announce constantly how many people are infected or get positive by PCR test. The number is increasing, but it seems that most people have no symptoms or light symptoms.  

Anyway Yuki and I spend days calmly as much as we can.

Monday; in the morning we went to some stores to do errands. On the way home we dropped by KFC. 

Since Monday real sweltering summer has started. Suddenly cicadas started singing.

Hanging out at the same time hear; cicadas sining

 

Tuesday; in the morning Yuki went to play tennis, I went to the gym.

In the afternoon, we went shopping, and dropped by a friend's house to give a birthday present to her.  My friend and I want to have a teatime at cafe, but we can't in this situation. And she is suffering from chronic illness, so that she avoids to go tout with others.

In the pandemic, seeing each other at entrance; forgetting the summer heat

   

Wednesday, it was really hot. I didn't want to stand at kitchen. So I bought delicatessen.

Sudden real summer; Update my wardrobe, in a hurry

Thursday; you might notice that the main was the same of yesterday's. I pickled the rest of yesterday's main with onion.

UCHIMIZU (water sprinkling); our garden looks happy against, the strong sunshine

Friday, I  bought these things for our lunch and dinner. They are cold Soumen noodle and cold Soba noodle,.

Finally the stitch of my tooth was extracted. The second stage on my tooth treatment starts --- make a false tooth with dental bridge.

with cold noodles, three days sweltering summer, tired of it already

 

lunch diary 0803

 

 

Monday, this menu was almost the same of the breakfast on the day.

It was cloudy. Yuki went to go fishing. I went to the gym to do 30 minutes workout.

And in the afternoon I went to a dentist to have my bad tooth pulled.

 

Lingering rainy season; current my job is, doing exercise

 

 

Tuesday, I cooked fried noodle. Not fried pasta. It is called YAKISOBA.

 

 

 

 I was troubled by a pain after my tooth extracted. So I often took painkiller.

Lingering rainy season, even though in coronavirus pandemic,

 

 Wednesday, I had still the tooth pain. But the I could control the pain with painkillers.

This lingering rainy season is gibing an influence on summer vegetables. But luckily I got lots of eggplants from the neighbor. So I made summer vegetables curry.

Cloudy rainy season ; an aching pain in the mouth, with downturning of the corners

 

Thursday, of course I ate the curry again. The taste got more mild.

It was really cold morning, so I put on the heater in early morning.

Still lingering rainy season, the taste is better and mature, yesterday's curry

 

 

Friday, do you cook "Molokheiya"? They are a really sticky vegetable. And I cooked them. And I also had NATTO, which stickiness is well-known.

 

 

 

Summer Molokheiya; the stickiness gives more power, conquer coronavirus