Good morning 1013 & lunch diary 1011

 

by Yuki

by Mieko

A new week has started, though it’s a national holiday. We’re going to see Yuki’s friends’ big band concert. I’m not sure if I’ll go with him, as I’m a little tired.

Why am I a little tired? One reason is that last Friday was Yuki’s hospital day, which made me tired. The next day was really cold — many people were wearing winter coats, though I stayed home. And yesterday, my younger daughter and granddaughter came over like a typhoon!

Good morning 1011

 

by Yuki 

Yesterday, Yuki had his chemotherapy. Fortunately, his malignant tumors haven’t gotten worse. Next week, his treatment will be on hold because his doctor will be away, and Yuki also needs to take a break from the treatment. As we expected, it was a long day — he left home around 9 a.m. and came back at 5 p.m. I stayed there from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and finished reading two books I’d borrowed from the library.

Good morning 1010

 

by Yuki

Today is Yuki’s hospital day. We’ll leave home in an hour and a half. It’s still not certain whether he can continue with the next round of chemotherapy, but at least we’ll be able to talk with his doctor. It’s going to be a long day, I think. In the evening, I have to go to the dental clinic.

Good morning 1009

 

by Yuki

Yesterday we had lunch at Karaku Café. It was crowded, so we didn’t have enough time to talk with the owner couple.  Most of the customers were elderly women. There were many groups, and we happened to overhear one group’s conversation. They were talking about the new LDP leader, Ms. Takaichi.

Here in Japan, though this is just my opinion, women usually don’t talk about politics. Probably they don’t know much about her policies—just like me. Still, the fact that a woman has become the LDP leader for the first time is remarkable.

In the evening, I talked with a lady on Teams, which is the newer version of Skype. She was also interested in Ms. Takaichi and told me some things about her personal life—for example, that she divorced and later remarried the same person.

We don’t know yet whether she will become Prime Minister, since the other party in the ruling coalition might not agree to continue their partnership.

At dinner, Yuki and I also talked about her. He noticed that female commentators tend to be very critical of her on political TV programs. That might be true — women can be critical of other women. On the other hand, male commentators seem to choose their words very carefully, avoiding harsh or aggressive language. They used to shout insults at male politicians, but not this time.

Good morning 1008

 

by Yuki

Yesterday I visited a friend and brought her some Japanese pears that I had bought at an orchard the day before yesterday. She was very glad to receive them.

In the afternoon, Yuki and I stayed home. I opened my house library, but unfortunately, no one came. However, my elder daughter called me, and we talked for a long time.

Did I tell you? Last week, a woman who lives in an apartment near my house visited and borrowed some books from my house library. She’s in her 70s and lives alone. I told my daughter about her, and she complimented me, saying it’s wonderful that I’ve kept up my small activity—my “house library”—even though people don’t come very often.

Good morning 1007

 

by Yuki

It is cold this morning. We turned on a kerosene heater, which is probably unusual in this area. Our house is 38 years old. At that time, people used air conditioners in summer and kerosene heaters in winter.
In modern houses, people use air conditioners all year round.
In our house, although we can use the air conditioner in the living and dining room, it is not warm enough for me.
Fortunately, kerosene is still delivered, but such stores are decreasing.

Good morning 1006

 

 by Yuki

Yuki can eat noodles smoothly now. That’s a good sign.
Yesterday, when he joined the jam session, he had ramen.
I made two dishes — chestnut rice and chestnuts stirred with honey.
A new week has started.
Today, besides our usual errands like going to the clinic, we’ll stop by an orchard to buy some Japanese pears.

Good morning 1006 & lunch diary 1004

 

by Yuki

by Mieko

We got some fresh chestnuts from our neighbor.

Today’s my missions are cooking them and washing the covers we changed yesterday.

Yuki’s mission? Watching Ohtani’s game on TV, then joining a jam session.

Good morning 1004

 

by Yuki

Yesterday felt like a long day. Our appointment with the doctor was at 11:30. Yuki had a blood test and an X-ray first, so he went to the hospital at 10. I went a little later, around 11. We finally saw the doctor at 2.

Yuki was able to start his second round of chemotherapy right after the first one last week. His white blood cell count was not too bad, though we are not sure how it will be next week, since chemotherapy lowers it. He came home around 6. I came home before 4, then went to the dentist.

Today he is feeling fine so goes  to play tennis.
I will change the covers and carpets from summer to autumn.

Addditionally, this morning we even had a small discussion—maybe more like a quarrel—about foods that boost immunity. His voice is still hoarse, but when he talks in his usual theoretical way, it sometimes irritates me. I know it shows he is doing well enough to argue.

Good morning 1003

 

by Yuki

Today we go to the hospital. Yuki may start the second round of chemotherapy right after the first, or the doctor may give him a rest this week.

Before seeing the doctor, he needs a blood test and an X-ray. While he is doing that, I will go to the station building to do 25 exercises with my AI program.

Yesterday I had lunch with a gym friend for the first time in four months. We used to meet outside once a month, but maybe that time has ended. Yesterday we had a good time, but both of us felt a little hesitant. Yuki’s condition has changed, and her situation also changed a little. Anyway, at the gym we are still good friends.

Good morning 1002

 

by Yuki

Yesterday our laughter yoga meeting was fun. There were three members. We shared what we had done, what made us cheerful, and what we were thankful for.
Two women, one in her late 70s and the other in her early 80s, had trimmed trees and weeded their gardens. Yuki and I have already given up on doing that ourselves. This month our gardener will come instead. Of course, their husbands gave them just a hand, but according to the women, it wasn’t much.

Good morning 1001

 

by Yuki

October has begun. Today I hold our laughter yoga meeting—for the first time  in three months. The hottest season is finally over. Recently I sometimes felt like stopping some of my activities, but now I want to continue them. So I decided to keep my usual activities as much as possible.

Unfortunately, it is raining this morning, so Yuki’s tennis is canceled. He changes his routine and goes to the clinic instead. On the way, he plans to stop by a department store, since it is the last day of the Hokkaido cuisine festival.

Good morning 0930

 

 by Yuki

Yesterday we went to the library, and we saw ginkgo nuts falling from the trees.
Some people were picking them up with thick gloves, because the orange outer layer can cause a rash.

When I was in high school, the ginkgo tree-lined road from the front gate to the back gate was famous. At the autumn school festival, we students sold dried ginkgo nuts. We picked them up with their outer layer still on, buried them in the ground, and waited until it rotted. Then we dug them up, washed them, and dried them.

It is a good memory.

Good morning 0929

 

 by Yuki

A new week has begun. The first mission is for me to visit the orthopedic doctor. The second is Yuki’s clinic visit to ease his side effects. The third, in the evening, is my dentist appointment.
If I still have energy in the afternoon, I’d like to visit a library a little farther away, since the nearby one is closed today.

Good morning 0928 & lunch diary 0927

by MIeko

I’ll be leaving in an hour to join today’s sutra-copying session.

Thankfully, we got lots of persimmons from Yuki’s tennis mate. I’ll take some to share with the members. In the afternoon, Yuki will go to tennis practice with a different group from Saturday’s. He’ll also bring some persimmons for his mates. So, hopefully, we’ll be able to eat all the persimmons without wasting any.

by Yuki

Good morning 0927

 

by Yuki

Yesterday he was able to have his third chemotherapy session, so the first course is now finished. Whether he can start the second course next week without a break will be decided by a blood test on Friday.
The good news is that his tumors are shrinking, but the bad news is that his white blood cell count is going down.
Still, on the surface he looks fine and only has a little coughing.

I went to see my dentist yesterday evening because my chipped front tooth seemed to be getting worse again. About a year ago I had a bad fall and badly damaged that tooth. The doctor said it didn’t need to be pulled out, but unfortunately the root canal treatment hasn’t improved it as much as we hoped.

Good morning 0926

 

by Yuki

Yesterday Yuki bought sake, sweets, bread, and broiled miso-marinated black cod at Costco. It was our first time buying fish there other than salmon. Of course, we grilled it for dinner.
There were five pieces, and they weren’t frozen. So we stopped by a friend’s house and offered to share some. They were happy to accept.

Good morning 0925

 

by Yuki

Today is our Costco day, which also means it’s my cognitive behavioral therapy day. While I see the doctor, Yuki goes shopping at Costco.
I visit the doctor once a month.
To be honest, we somehow managed to get through this past month.

Yuki’s illness and inheritance matters are still stressful. But the severe scorching summer, which was worse than we expected, brought us even more stress. Fortunately, it seems to be over now.

Yuki looks so happy to buy good-quality shochu (a kind of sake) at Costco Today.

Good morning 0924

by Yuki

Yesterday, a woman visited my home library. It was fun. At night, I joined a Zoom meeting with two other members, all of whom were family members of cancer patients. It was also fulfilling.
Yuki went to his band practice. For dinner, he ate tsukemen (a type of ramen with the soup and noodles served separately) outside. He said, “I carefully ate tsukemen without slurping.”

Good morning 0923

by Yuki

It’s Tuesday and a national holiday, so Yuki has no tennis and I have no gym.
Yesterday, the ban on eating noodles was lifted. The ENT doctor told Yuki he could eat carefully and little by little, but not to slurp—slurping noodles is such a Japanese way.
So, we celebrated his birthday with ramen.
As for me, I still feel heavy in my stomach this morning.