coming Father's Day

Now I'm stay home. This week is the fifth week in May, so I have no plans to go out in the morning. I'm preparing for next week's lesson. They (my students) are going to celebrate for Father's day making crafts.

I've kept some things for my kids' presents to their fahter. The wooden doll, the wooden tie tack were made when they were in kindergarten. The one-day free tickets for playing tennis was made when they were elementary school students. At that time their father (my husband) was into playing tennis.

Now he is into playing golf. So I have to make some one-day free tickets for playing golf.

Anyway Father's Day is coming. I let my students make such wooden dolls and cards.

I usualy read this book. It's funny, and the thinking way is really American.

He can eat like a horse. -- Probably we say "he can eat like a pig".

He can swim like a fish. --I agree with it.

He's as strong as a gorilla. --I agree with it.

He's as happy as a hippo.-- That's really an American thinking way. Probably we say "he's as serious as a ?????".

He's as big as a house. -- Probably we say "He's as big as a tree."

He's as soft as my deddy. -- Interesting.

and he's as wise as an owl. -- I know owls are descrubed as smart animals in America, but in Japan owls are not so typical. What are smart animals in Japan????

Reading picture books is fun.

Yummy!

As you know, these days I'm into herb.

Yesterday I made herb spring roll. The ingrdients are herb, parsley which are growing in my garden, and dry-tomatoes preserved in oil. I rolled them with spring roll crust, and deep fried.

Delicious!

And I also cooked string bean TENPURA. It was also delicious.

Today, I'm holding a meeting. 4 guests comes to enjoy my story telling and food.

The theme is "green". So I'm going to serve these herb spring rolls.

Don't you think it's a good idea?

homemade quick sausage

Now in my garden sages grow up. I picked some leaves and made quick sausage using aluminium foil instead of bowels. Now some herbs are growing. We(my husband and I) love to try eat them.

This time my husband mixed ground pork and spices with "his" hand.

Well, I said to you that " these days our common hobby is eating strange foods.".

One of my frined sent us these "MISO"rapped with Hoohba.

The other day we ate it with leek and Shitake mashroom, tasting good SAKE.

Last week I was worried about dizziness. Twice I got a shot. So last weekend I stayed home without doing things. --- but I was boared. So I started to cook with my husband. He mixed grand meat, and preapred these leaves. It was a good thing. But both of them didn't wash the dishes. This monring I did it. Now I'm getting better. I said to my self "Let's enjoy this week".

I have some questions. --- Mother's Day ---

Last Sunday, it was Mother's Day. Did you enjoy the day? I did. My daughers came back with flowers and presents. We had a good time.They came at noon, and came back to TOKYO at 4;30.
I rearlly thought Tokyo was far from here.

I was to happy to call my mother and my mother-in-law.
Next day I called to them. (My mother is OK, because she had late supper with my dauhgters.)
My mother-in-law ----??? It's OK. She is going to come and stay here two weeks later to play golf with "her son".

I read an intereseting picture book. The title is "Celebratint Mother's Day".
I have some questions.
One bear will give a present-box to her mother to show her love.
In the box, she puts in a teddy bear.
She said "it shows how we love to bear hug." --- I understand.
She puts in a piece of gum.
She said "it shows how we always stick together".-- I understand. And it's a good idea.
She puts in some nuts.
She said "it shows how we silly we like to be."
I don't understand. Why putting nuts means "silly" ?
Please someone tell me.

And another quesion is
Is it usual thing to present such a box fulled of gifts on Mother's Day in your country.

In Japan, usually kids present a bunch of carnation.
(BUT on this day carnations are really expencive, so many kids present "a" carnation.)

Golden week has finished.

First we went to a concert in TOKYO. Have you heard "La Folle Journée A superb festival of classical music"? It first held in 1995 in Nantes, a port town in the northwest of France. Every classical concert is inexpensive and easy to anti-classical music people like my husband.

We went there with my mother and my mother-in-law. It was held at a big place, so there are some different concerts on the same time. When my mother and I were listening to Shanghai pilharmonic, my husband and his mother were listening to YOMIURI pilharmonic, and my daughters were listening to a piano concert. Of course concerts are pay concerts, but in the square always free concerts were held. It was really fun.

And after concerts my husband and I came TOCHIGI. Then my husband real vacation started, it means he went golf three days. He left home at 5:30 and came home 4:00. ME? Unfortunately I gave up! Bad headche and dizziness attakced me. I couldn't get up. Accroding to the doctor, I'm not good of releasing stress. So when I have nothing to do and I'm not tensed, I tend to be attcaked such symptom.

Now I'm fine, because the day before yesterday I had to attend a meeing, and I was able to do, I recovered, or I'm tensed up as usual.

And from today my usual day has started. I cooked breakfast. Now my husband and my favorite dish is sauted cabbage with caraway.

And from today my lesson has started. This week my young students make cards for their mothers. Because this Sunday is "Mother's Day".

It is the first time to spend "Mother's day" without kids.

Golden Week

Now I'm in Golden Week, it means I have 1-week-dayoff. And my husband also has 1-week-dayoff. So we can have dinner together. (Usualy he has dinner at his office, and I have it at home alone--- since April)

So we enjoy "foods".

This Monday I had a meeting. The theme was "strawberry".

A friend of mine brought a big straberry plant pot. While we were seeing it, we reading books, listening to music, discussing, and "eating". I prepared some dishes and sweets for this meeting.

Strawberry dumplihgs, Strawberry madeleine, Strawberry gratin, and Straberry noodle. and I baked Strawberry bread.

The other day my neighbor brought bamboo shoots. My husband I love them. It is really seasonal food. Some of them I cooked, and the others I sent to my daughters and my mother with other spring vegetables produced in this area.

And, do you remember what is our (my husband and my) new hobby. "eating strange food".

This time I got this brown thing. Can you guess what it is? It is a pupa of silkworm. Of corse it is a strange food". IT is boiled down with soy sauce ( We call the food cooked by this way "tsukudani"Taste? strange. I'm sorry it is enough for a bite. And my husband is too,Fortunately my neigor loves them, he ate them --munch, munch.

The day after tomorrow we'll go to TOKYO to meet our daughters and our mothers.

go driving

Yesterday my husband and I went out to drive almost all the day.

We left home at 8:40, and at first we went to the dentist.

(We go to the dentist once a month to keep our tooth healthy.)

And -- start our driving for--

looking for seasonal food, and searching golf park (recently my husband started playing golf, and this area seems to be one of them that have most numbers of golf parks in Japan.)

We went northward, we found a small local vegetable stall, and I bouhgt FUKINOTOU (butterbur scapes.) At night I made TEMPURA and this FUKI-paste. TEMPURA was of course yummy, and eating hog rice topping with FUKI-paste, was also yummy.

We went southward to dropp by his favorite golf shop. While he was browsing in the shop, I was in a rice-craker shop. They served coffee free, so I was waiting for him drinking coffee & eating a rice crakker. There I bouhgt this WASABI-crackers. At night these crackers got a good snack.

Next we went eastward to my favorite big local vegetable shop. There I bouhgt fresh SHITAKI mashroom. At night we grilled them on the "heater". (Yesterday and also today, it is cold and windy) And I found the strange brown things. Can you guess what it is.

They are kind of grasshopeers. In Japan this thing which is roasted and seasoned with soy sauce and suger is said to be a delicacy. So we bought it, though it is mainly sold from fall to winter.

Looks bad, but the taste was not so bad. "much" is a suitable word when we eat them.

He searched 3 golf parks, and we bouhgt lots of intereseting ingredients.

make, cook, and eat

Last Saturday and Sunday, I really enjoyed "my " time.

Do you remember I made marquetry of SAKURA last month? Last month I knew one craft small school, and I'm a little bit into marquetry. So this month I went to make another thing again. This time I made hand mirror of turlip. Do you see a wood turlip in the photo? There is small mirror on the back. And I also made a small turip charm.

Well, as I told you, strawberries are now in the season. And this area it is famous for planintg strawberris. Probably the output is the higest in Japan. I often make strawberry jam. And yesterday I put some jam into the dough of bread directly and I baked. Looks is a little bit pink. and the taste is a little bit sour, sweet and great. I gave half of them to my friend who visited me yesterday.

And when I went to a library, I found an intreseting book. In the book about 70 strange foods (most are Japanese food) are introduced. To be surrprised I knew of most of them. My father didn't drink, but he loved food. So I have seen them. (BUT I don't remember the taste, probably most of them were expensive, so he didn't give me, or if I have had it, it must have been bad for the young MIEKO.) I showed the book to my husband. He really showed interest. And we decided to taste all of them in this year for our common plaesure.

What we tried first was "smoked and oiled oyster with flakes of SAKURA tree". He was really saitsfied. Me? It was strange.

But we enjoyed with SAKE. What shall we try next?

My new recipe

Do you know GOBOU? It is burdock. Now burdock is in season.
The other day a friend sent a bag of spcie as a suvenior of her trip to Indonesia. So I tried to use them. Today I used whole clove. Usualy I use clove powder for pork dishes, but it is the first time to use whole clove. I quick sauted them with olive oil and simmered chiken and burdock pouring red wine.. Adding balsamico vinegar made them really soft. And I seasoned them with whole clove, salt &pepper and more olive oil. I wanted to add some garic, but the smell seems to cause trouble for others to eat them for breakfast, so I didn't add it. To make the color clear I added some leek.
Tastes "great".

Today's menus is that;
black:simmered sea weed with vegetables seasoned by say souce.
brown;quick sauted and simmered chicken and burdock seasoned with clove
orange; marinated lettcue and carrots.

I'm looking forward to using other spice.

Spring meals

These days there are lots of spring meals around me. I'm really happy.

My friend sent homemade Japanese apricot jam. So I baked cookies with it. It tastes a little bit sour, I love the taste and smell.

And yesterday I went to the cafe "KARAKU" to play the piano. They served horsetail quiche, and I took it. It is the brown round thing in the middle photo. Do you know or remember what horsetails are. They are sort of field grass. They come out in this season. The master and his wife picked them up and baked them. They really bring "spring" on the table.

And now I'm making oragne peels using Chinese oragnes (in Japanese we called them NATSU MIKAN--summer orange), which were sent from another my friend.

I'm really happy surrounding such spring meals, and having good friends.

What spring foods are you enjoying now?

Rhubarb

This is the Rhubarb.

Did you remember? Last year when I visited my friend, I was into Rhubarb. And she gave me some seedlings.

Now they came out.

Can I get some good stalks of them?

I heard, to get good stalks we should wait for 2 years.

Anwway, though I'm a lazy person I'm beging into gardening little by little.

Today it is raining badly, but not so cold.

This afternoon I'l go to a usual cafe to play the piano. Today I'm a pianist.

cherry blossoms

Now we are in spring, we enjoy cherry blossoms, here and there this weekend cherry blossom festivals are held.

Last night I went to a park near here with my young friend. We enjoyed seeing illuminated cherry blossomes. Can you see somthing pink? It's a tower. There is a small tower in the park. The power is also illuminated by light, and I heard the color changes everyday. Last night it was pink.

This morning my husand and I went to another park. Before opeing stand stalls there were not many people. We enjoyed cherry blossomes having coffee ( I bought a thermos with coffee.)

We used to go there every spring since our daughters were born. Today many kids were playing with equipments my daughters loved. When my younger daughter was little, she was too scared of them to play with them, and cried. --- We talked about our kids' memory. --- We are really a senior couple.

Anyway we couled enjoy short-lived cherry blossoms. Probably next week they will get into green leaves.

I'll introduce a Japanese typcil song about cherry blossoms (SAKURA), though it is a part of it.

Sakura, Sakura

have you seen the old cherry tree blossoming so breathtakingly?

It's a very glorious thing

fragrant flowers seem to sing

Come and see, come and see

see what joy they bring

Itarian pickles???

The other day I was taught specail "Japanese" pickle sauce, using soy sauce MIRIN, vineger and Japanese sugar. As soon as I wanted try, but some seasonings lacked. though there is a fresh big Japanese radish (Daikoy) in front of me.

So I used balsamco-vineger instead of usual Japanese rice vineger,

I used wine instead of MIRIN.

I made Itarian Japanese pickles.

Tastes? not bad.

cherry blossoms cookies

Yesterday I baked these cherry blossoms cookies. It is easy, just I put cherry blossoms preserved with wine for a while, and ressons as topping.

Today I have a lesson with some adults. It is the first lesson of this term. The theme of this year is "enjoying and eating English", though I just decided it.

So at first we'll listen to SAKURA (it is a really typical Japanese song) and tranlate them into English, and eat them.

If you know some "easy" English picture book or song or just book related with some sweets , please tell me with the recipe.

April first

Today , yes , it is April first. It is April Fool's Day. Unfortunately I don't have any kids I enjoy the day with. Well, I may delights in teasing my students who come today.

BUT, suddenly a few minutes ago I got a bouquet of flower. From where? From my husband's company.

He has worked at the company for "25" years in this term. (In Japan April is also the first term for office workers.) So they sent it to me with a message "Thank you for your helping for 25 years. Thanks of you Mr.**** (my husband) is able to work with us."

Is it a Japanese thinking way? I don't know single people who has also worked for 25 years got this present. Anyway 25 years passed.

This year is a turnining point for me and my husband.

Well, can you guess what it is.

This morning I sent a photo of today's breakfast to my daughters, and my younger daughter sent back this photo to me. Today she made this breakfast. The menu ( I didn't know the menu from the photo, so I called her) is pancake and boiled spinich seasoned with sesame. They have only a few spring vacaion days, but they seem to relax "together".

My new term has started!

Today it is the last day in March, but it is MONDAY, so my new term has started.

But unfortunately, this term I don't have any new students. on the other hand every student in the last term keeps my lesson this year. So It's OK.

As a last lesson in March, I invited a famous English-drama teacher, and my students and she made an English drama for 2 hours in a hall, after the lesson their parents came to see the drama. Everybody (students and parents) look excited. I believe they really enjoyed using live English there. I love seeing their exciting and delightful faces. This year I'll enjoy "English" with them, though sometimes I must scold or encourage them.

This term, I decieded to hold my concert with my friends in summer. The title is "Collaboration with JAZZ and English picture book". Piano and English&Japanese story teller is me, song and other story tellers are my friends. AND of course bass is my husband.

The master of the tea room (I play the piano once a month there) assist us.

It is one of events for my "second" life.

Yes my second life has also started.

Today my husband I had breakfast without kids. So I sent the photo to them using my"cell phone" . Actaully I bought my own cell phone, because from April the telephone fares with family is "free".

woodworking "cherry blossoms"

What's this? It's a set of wooden cherry blossoms chopstic holder. Each petal of a cherry blossom is a holder.

Who made it? I made it.

I cut lots of wooden plate with jigsaw. I needed to practice using a jigsaw, so before makig it I made some wooden plates; a carrot, a maple, a cat.

When I practiced, I cut zelkova tree plates. After that I cut 5 kinds of tree plates. (I'm afraid I forgot the names). So the five colors are natural colors in the trees themselves. I applyed natrual pure oil to bring out their color clealier.

If the oil begins to peel away, applying olive oil make them recovered.

Now I'm in my spring vacation. I'm realy enjoying my vacation.

I did the work at a studio. It took about 1 hour from here by car. My friend drove me there.

We had a good time there from 10 to 3 including homemade lunch.

Usually I feel that I'm always run after by time. But today I realy spent calm day.

convenient kitchen tools

These days I bought two kitchen tools. They are really convenient.

Now there are two members in this house, I'm still a house wife. And even if I were single, I would be a house wife. Though some (Japanese ) men enjoy cooking, most women enjoy cooking. On the other hand most (except my husband) enjoy do-it-yourself, probably. (I hear "what an old-fashion thinking!")

Anyway these tools are really convenient.

This one I bought at a 100-yen shop (kind of 1$ shop, or one coin shop).

We can cut leek really thinly like a hair. In Japanese the way of cut "SHIRAGA-NEGI" (SHIRAGA means white hair).

Now it is the season of UDO, I cut it thinly.

Another one is a glass bowl to make pickles for one meal. It's not so expencive.

Last night I put some cabbage and carrots, and this morning "here you are".

Did you find some intereseting or convenient kitchen tools these days?

Did you update it?

What is "it"? Here! This is a present from my daughter's father to my daughter.

The day before yesterday, it was "White day".

Do you know "White day"? On the day in Japan men "have to " presentg something to ladies who presented Valentine chocolate to the men.

Do you have such a custom in your country?

Anyway my husband did. And he asked me whether I updated it in my blog. He says "it's not fair, if you updated only her Valentine chocolate.

So I did it.

BUT where is the present for me?

Nothing. It can't be helped.

Actually he had forgot the day until I told him.

On the day my dauhther mumbled "though I know it, anyway it was white day, and I gave Valentine cholate to him, it was not leftover"

So I told to him. And yesterday he asked me where the good sweet shop was.

So we (my husband and I) dropped by at "my" favorite sweets shop.

He bought it by himself, and I bought sweets for my family.

Actaully the chocolate I boungt on the Valentine's day, was shared with these three members.

So the sweets I bought was also shared with us.

all lessons in this term are finished.

Yesterday it was the last lesson in this term. From today my spring vacation has begun.

In the last adult's lesson, we enjoyed having a light snack: sour daugh bread, homemade jam and margarine through this book written by that Eric Cale.

In this book he introduced an origin of pretzel.

Until I read this book, I didn't know that pretzel was bread.

Lately pretzel crackers seem to be common in Japan. It was the first time for me to know pretzel cracters when we went to America about 10 years ago. We (my daughters and I) ate them in the plane for the first time. At that time for us they were strange taste. But during our staying in America, here and there we "met" pretzel crackers. So We brought them to Japan as one of souvenirs.

And now I knew, pretzel bread was made without milk.

So I baked sour daught bread again, because it is also baked without milk.

These days I'm really into picture books especaily about "food".

From next term, I'm going to held a small workshop "enjoy English picture books through reading and eating by aunt Mieko's way" with some charge (not volunteer work).

As soon as I finished all lessons in this term, I started to think about next step not to be caught by empty syndrome. (Unfortunately I've been caught with by a pollen allergy.)