Drama at the Pond

It was borderline raw this morning when we took our walk: windy with some humidity under a sky of glowering clouds. Are you feeling it yet? 

We reached the pond and looked for wildlife. It's been pretty quiet the last few days. We spotted a stranger on the near edge. A largish, long legged white bird was looking for breakfast. Then the pair of mallards swam out of the papyrus. The lone Muscovy flew in for a landing. I didn't recognize the new white bird. It had a large straight bill and a some dark feathers on its face.

We started around on the top of the rim of the pond and heard a small commotion.  The newcomer came flying, he was being chased by a much smaller bird who squawked as he flew.  I noticed that the feathers on the ends of the white bird's wings were black. Then I realized the little, noisy bird was our Little Blue Heron!

Even though he couldn't fly as strongly as the bird he was chasing he managed to rout it. 

So maybe that's why we always see the heron on his own. 

Later in the morning I related the morning's events to my sister. She suggested our new bird might be a Wood Stork. I checked with my friend Mr Google and he concurred.

That's about as much drama as I want these days, thank you very much.

More Birds

 

Here we can see the Anhinga with his wings outspread in the background: A pair of mallards in the water.  It was a quiet morning on Thursday.

Haven't been out for a walk yet. BD objects to rising early on weekends and holidays but will consider a walk at 11am or so.

Yesterday I made the meal traditional in Pennsylvania - Pork and Sauerkraut.  This is what I grew up with It sounds odd to other Americans, let alone those in other countries.  My neighbor from Wisconsin for instance wanted an explanation, for which there is none. 

I stopped asking for the Southern tradition of eating Black Eyed Peas and Greens to be explained long ago. 

Pork, Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes, and in the case of yesterday, I made Waldorf Salad. Apples in some form often accompanies the meal. 

The Little Blue Heron

Beautiful sunshine warmed the temps up admirably. I'm sorry, but the camera on my phone is not able to pick up the beautiful color the sun shining on this bird produces. I told BD it had to do with the refraction of the the light. He smiles, knowing how often I make totally unfounded statements like that. There are also some mallards swimming in the pond. No Anhinga today.

 

My Days

 Monday morning.

Up at 6:30 to shower and dress, check emails and messages. Out the door at 7:50 to walk with my old friend, BD. 

First we exchange as many crossword puzzles cut from the newspaper as we have made progress on.  He fills in the Acrosses and I do Downs till we complete a puzzle or fill in what we can of the other's blanks or in a final move, we "Ask a Friend" named Mr. Google. I'm actually content with abandoning mostly finished puzzles for a new one, but BD wants all the answers filled in. If we finish a puzzle or get totally frustrated we start a new puzzle or two to keep things going.

We walk a circuit in our neighborhood of about 2 miles.  Occasionally we reverse or vary the route a bit but enjoy seeing several of our neighborhood dogs walking their masters and always pause to assess the birds at the pond in Capri II. Mallards, Moscovies, Little Blue Heron, Anhinga are the usual residents.  Others visit from time to time like the pair of Canada Geese we saw one morning. On the banks we may see Sand Hill Cranes, Ibis, Egrets. In the bushes might be Woodpeckers, or Red Winged Blackbirds. A flock of Bluebirds are scouting for territory after the successful nesting box was put up last year by the Audubon Society. Higher up we might see Red Shouldered Hawks and often a few Crows. There are lots of turtles in the pond and frogs live in the corner full of papyrus. 

I'm home now, having had morning coffee and a salad that would have been better had I made it into a smoothie. Tomorrow is another day.

How do your days go?  

Where have I been? I wonder.

On a whim I was looking up some old friends in the Blog World.  Some old faithfuls are still here.  Nice to see. 

But, where have I been?  

My last post was from the end of my last visit to Japan 4 1/2 years  ago. Here in Florida I have been living in a condo since then.  A little has changed, I'm 4 years older (as are we all).  I've made some new friends for which I'm grateful and what's more, I have managed to hang on to a few old ones. 

I am officially retired. On Social Security and all that. Still driving a car. No major illnesses or accidents. Exercising 5 or 6 days a week. Still looking at dropping a few pounds. Toying with Veganism due to reported health benefits. I still think of myself as someone who sews and if I don't actually sit down to the machine soon I may be declared retired there as well.

My sister has recently purchased a condo more or less across the street from me. Her husband died at the end of March and her vision has declined dramatically due to severe glaucoma. So I have been working with her to settle in and get up to speed with the things she needs to do. 

Leave me a comment if you have the time and the inclination. 

   

To The Park!

Saturday's my day off.  Coming from retirement to the Guest Home this time hasn't seemed much like work because my old list of responsibilities is shared with others. However, During the week I am aware of meeting the expectations of those I work with in being certain places at certain times and of course taking responsibility for those tasks that are mine. So Saturdays I really make a conscious effort to be "off duty."

Today at the suggestion of several friends I decided not to waste the beautiful sunny breezy weather and to visit Osu-Bosai Park. This is in my old neighborhood. When I had my own apartment some years ago, I knew this to be a place to go to if there was a severe earthquake.  There are places designated around our town that are not overhung by buildings where people should gather to be out of the danger of things falling on them. To make use of the space without compromising the purpose there are some simple structures and areas made for sports, nature and information.  There is also a rose garden.  I saw one plaque near the entrance path that said something about Roseheim, Germany which I know to be one of Ichikawa City's Sister cities.

The blooms were just past their prime but the colors were still stunning.

There is also a Water Feature in the park. This wee waterfall becomes a stream that runs a little way along with the "stone" bed and rocks placed decoratively along the "banks".  I remember a young man who on a visit to Auntie Georgia's Big House was taken to this park to play in the month of January. He thought the water looked mighty inviting and decide to take a little wade.  He found it a bit chilly I'm told.

Returning to the Guest Home I took one last rose shot.  This is a Queen Elizabeth Rose that was presented to the OMF Guest Home on the occasion of the dedication of the buildings by retired OMFer, Isabel Bowman in 1999.

I took a lot more pictures with my regular camera (these I took with my tablet because I could "get" them to post them here).  There is a little hope that I might be able to get my pictures from my camera to my tablet. I posted previously that I hadn't been able to upload successfully because of the limitations of the computer I'm using in the office.  If I can find an OTG cable that will fit my Kindle fifth generation, I could attach the cable from my camera to it. I just haven't been able to locate the exact piece of stuff to fit.  Still working on it though!

Cooking For Those Who Appreciate Food

This week we are hosting a training here at JHQ. Since it is our Mission's training and our colleagues attending, some meals are provided.  Of course someone has to cook the meals. This time Rowena and I are sharing the responsibility.  Today was my turn.

I prepared some raw vegetables and dip for the fresh part of the meal and roast chicken for the protein. There was also Japanese rice and some cake.  The meal was colorful and attractive to my eye, so I took a couple photos:

As I mentioned, there was also rice - two rice cookers full.

So, when you cook for those who appreciate food, you have to expect results like the photo below. The rice is not shown in this photo either, but there were a couple of servings left.

Not all of the cake was eaten immediately, but I did notice that some folks chose to get theirs first - you know the adage, "Life is uncertain, eat your dessert first."

I've been informed by my fan that everyone is happy to see that I'm blogging again.  When I questioned who the everyone might be exactly, I was told that it was all the people and cats that matter.

Now, to cook myself something to eat.

Twas the Night Before...

(jan JAAAAAA)  Project Timothy 4.  Yeah, I don't know exactly what it is either.  But I think it's an OMF Leadership Training.  I do know that for this week things will be hotting up here at Auntie Georgia's Big House. Lots of people around, seminar sessions and meals being prepared and eaten. Afterward a general clean-up and set-up for other guests who will be arriving for the weekend and next week.

So right now I'm waiting up for two of our guests who will arrive later tonight. 

Tonight's dinner for me was a Japanese comfort food. It's called Niku Jyaga (meat and potatoes).  It is Onion, Carrot, and Potato simmered in a combination of equal parts Water, Soy Sauce, Sake and Mirin. Thin sliced beef or other meat is spread on top to cook. It's served with rice and in my case a bit of green salad.

It doesn't have to be served on an "Animals of Australia" cloth, but it does seem to make it even more interesting don't you think?






In light of the fact that it will be a busy week it would be great if those of you who pray for me and especially for this trip to Japan would pray for a well organized week where I will be changing hats a bit. I'll be cooking a couple of meals and generally answering requests for PT4 while doing my regular jobs of taking reservations and keeping the accounts straight. Pray for strength and health and general calmness in the busyness.

Take care and let me know what you're up to.  There's a "comments" section below.

A Day Off!

Saturday is my day off here.  With Rowena's help I really do get to take off if I choose, or stay in bed all day.

Today I got on the train and rode out a few stops to Tsudanuma.  I've likely written about this town before.  Actually the station is in Narashino City of which Tsudanuma is a part.  The mental tie to this town is that I remember it as where I was the first time I knew, I had a Divine Appointment to meet someone.

Another great reason to visit there is the big craft store called Yuzawaya. They have stores all over the Tokyo area, and this one is the most convenient to me.  They were having the most humongous sale that it didn't take long for me to go into sensory overload. Percentages off and special pricing, all written in Japanese of course. Lots of red signs. I took some photos with my camera and maybe some day I'll be able to load them somewhere usable.

I went to the third floor where there is a very nice Daiso, 100 yen shop.  Got some things and took mental notes to come back before I head for the States.

I also visited the building across the street which is a kind of small shopping mall. By then I was tired and after checking if the rest rooms were still as nice as before, I headed back to Ichikawa.

Above is a photo of today's drink of choice - Calpis Water.  Another mildly flavored beverage. Not carbonated. The drinks I choose here are usually light and refreshing.  Not overloaded with sugar or strong flavor.  I'll have to look for another favorite, Momo Water next.

Today's Lunch

Had to go to the store a bit earlier today because I needed to stock the kitchens in preparation for a short term team arriving this evening from Canada.  So I decided to pick up some lunch as well.  I opted for a traditional quick meal.  These triangles are Onigiri.  I was in Japan several times before I learned that Japanese people often call these Musube, from the word that means "to wrap". These consist of a filling wrapped in seasoned rice in turn wrapped in a piece of nori.

Today I chose my two favorites: Ume and Tuna Mayo. Ume boshi are pickled plums. Tuna Mayo is what Americans would call Tuna Salad. They are wrapped in an ingenious Japanese manner to preserve the crispiness of the nori. Rather than reinvent the wheel, here's a link to one of many YouTube videos describing the proper way to unwrap this food.

The soft drink is Aquarius. It's a Japanese Sports Drink, but don't think "Gatorade".  This is a mildly citrus flavored drink purported to contain all kinds of beneficial minerals and aminos. I've always considered it to be pleasant. I have felt rather dry the last day or two, despite drinking water and tea and coffee, so I thought this might be good.

At the grocery store I also picked up some overripe bananas on the special rack reserved for cut price-beginning to be past their usefulness, produce items. Reduced price of course.  I'm almost ready to try a new recipe for banana bread for next week's guests who will be participating in special leadership training. If it turns out well I may just remember to post a picture. Stay tuned :)

Doing Cyber Acrobatics

Well the method is not pretty, but I figured out a way to take photos with my Kindle Fire which upload to "the Cloud". Then I can share them to Facebook from there and from FB I can download to Dropbox (a different Cloud) And from Dropbox I can upload to here.  The issue I'm skirting is that I am using a computer here that does not have a program installed that will process photo files.  So since it is not my computer but just the one in my office I don't want to bog it down with extra programs.  I got permission to install Dropbox so that I can continue to work on Japan Harvest magazine, so it's the only bit of storage that's mine.

If anyone else understands what I'm saying and can provide a less convoluted solution I'm taking suggestions.

So, the photo you can see here is of tonight's dinner at my house - Ramen. Note that I did not make it from dry noodles in a Styrofoam cup, but from fresh noodles I bought at my local supermarket.  This kit contained three servings of noodles and three packets of soup concentrate.  I added some leftover chicken and some vegetables along with a boiled egg which you can see is somewhere between "hard' and "soft" boiled and seems to be the norm here.  So much yummier that you poor folk who are stuck with Cup Noodle or other brands of petrified dried noodles.

Oh, almost forgot to tell you about the chopsticks (O Hashi). Note the grooves at the pointier end. These are for eating noodles.

No New Pics Again! (But some old ones :))

For one thing I haven't gotten used to having to carry a camera instead of just using my phone for pictures. Another thing is that today when I'm thinking of it, it's mostly raining and quite dreary. Cold too while we're at it. I don't feel like tromping about in the rain to take pictures that probably won't turn out because the light's bad.

Life goes on here at the Guest Home. Dear friends from the old days and not so old days, the Taylors were here for almost a week getting acclimated to the time zone before going off to visit and serve in some of our churches to the north.

Golden Week starts tomorrow and carries on to Monday and next Friday which are all holidays and days off for our Japanese Staff.  So some things go to a low simmer for a bit.  The week of the eighth we have a good sized training happening here so full house and some cooking as well.  The summer holiday season is fast approaching and also the time of year for teams to be coming from various other countries for short term assignments.

My replacements are on schedule to be here the first of July so things are ticking along as to plan.

These are photos from a trip to Kyoto several years ago around this time of year.

Hopefully I will get motivated to photograph something in the next few days. Watch this space!

Back "Home" Again in Ichikawa

Sunday Afternoon,Windy with Rain Showers, 70 degrees.

For a long time I thought I would just never make it back here. It was easier to think that way when I returned to the US in 2012.  But here I am back in Ichkawa at the OMF Guest Home seeing old friends and seeing all the new stuff that has cropped up while I've been away.

Jet Lag was a bear this time.  I got next to no sleep in the 24 hours before the flight and closer to none on the flight, besides that I never seem to get younger. My first day back I nearly injured a couple people by just being unreasonable.  I'm somewhat better than that now, but still waking up at 5 am everyday.

Today I was back in my old seat in the Language Impaired section at church. Remembering a lot and realizing I have forgotten even more.

I'm looking forward to meeting up with some friends in the next weeks. Visiting some new places and revisiting some old haunts.

So if you're looking for me...

News!

I have tickets to fly to Tokyo in April! I'll be volunteering as Guest Home Manager at the OMF Japan HQ Guest Home to fill the gap between the couple there now and the couple lined up to serve next.

I am excited. It's an opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues as well as to be useful, even in my retirement.

I'd appreciate prayer for strength and safety as well as assistance with living expenses. If any of you would like more information you can let me know: in the comments below, in a personal message on Facebook or an email or phone call.

I'll also be attempting to move house before I go.  A friend is moving soon, vacating their current condo. I've been offered the chance to rent it from them.  Definitely a move up and a quieter neighborhood. Lots to do.

Updates and Upgrades

I continue to be entertained by sunrises in their infinite variety. Yes, I am still getting up a couple or three times a week and taking a walk before I'm awake. This is from last week. Today it was kind of misting rain, so I kept the camera/phone in it's pocket. I only saw one other person out tramping in the damp today.

There is a new quilt block finished,(Two more to go) for the Austen Family Album Quilt, however the light is really not good at the moment.I haven't found any decent photo editing in the Windows upgrade, so will have to look further afield, I think.  I've played a little with Instagram on my phone, but haven't quite figured that out yet either. I seem to be in a private maelstrom of upgrades/changes/new programs that is taking me a little time to sort out. Maybe a trip or two to You tube or similar. I contacted my cell phone provider the other day concerning a difficulty I was having and the tech I was talking to discovered some upgrades that had never been sent to me. It's all change, I tell you.

I finally finished a Craftsy class that I got a couple years ago; Janet Pray's Jacket Express.  I have wondered about the Islander System for a very long time. I did enjoy myself with the "no pins" approach and the smaller seam allowances that mean less trimming. The jacket is finished except for redoing a button hole on one of the pocket flaps. Another day when the light was bad and I cut too close with my buttonhole chisel.

Are you are making some discernible progress in something in your life these days? I'd love to hear about it. It does help to keep engaged and moving.

Happy Birthday to my Fan!

I do have a fan. I am grateful for that. It of course it affirms my efforts. I have been gently reminded this week that it has been an awfully long time since I've posted here. So, since today is my fan's birthday, I will post a special wish for their continued good health and say that I'm looking forward to the January migration of Snow Birds.

Happy Birthday BD on the dawning of your Sixty-Eighth year.

Feeling Homesick for My Second Home

I received an email today from my dear Quilting Sensei in Japan. Her news was part good and part not so good and part just sad. I was left feeling quite nostalgic for my heart's home in Japan.

As a result of the email, my fond thoughts of town and friends and food brought me to cooking a batch of American Koshihikari Rice and trying to remember how to properly make a couple of onigiri. I had some lovely umeboshi - made by a classmate in that quilting class and mailed to me earlier this year. (I asked a Japanese person one time how long you could keep umeboshi. She looked confused, trying to imagine having some left over when this year's batch was being made.)

Putting it all together with some salad for dinner I got out the chopsticks, the little cat hashioki to rest them on, then realized - I have no cups for ocha. How in the world did I return to America from Japan four times with out an ocha cup?

Ah well, I'm finishing up a bit of yokan and feeling a bit better. Japan will always hold on to a part of me.

Before I'm Awake

I tell people that some mornings I literally roll out of bed before 7 and after abbreviated ablutions, dress in drab sometimes slightly smelly clothes. I put my house key in one pocket, my cell phone in the other and pull on my walking shoes. I'm on my way down the sidewalk before I'm fully awake.This precludes any real objection to the very thought of exercise.

I was aware that sometimes when struck by some scene in my view I pull out the phone and take a photo. When I return home, my phone reconnects to my wi fi and automatically and silently uploads the photos to a file in Dropbox. Easy, almost too easy. 

Today I looked at my little collection and edited a bit. Here are some examples of what I see and snap before I'm awake.

A mama Muscovy with three chicks

Some Sand Hill Cranes

Some flowers I can't name. They are growing in a small pond of water in the abandoned golf course

Some mornings are quite hazy

Some are overcast

Clouds attempting to obscure the imminent sunrise

Gradually being tinged with color

Or left drab and monochrome

Highland Games in the Gulf Coast Flatlands

Today's weather was glorious for our plans. We were going to this years Dunedin Highland Games. Just to clarify for my friends in the UK and in New Zealand, there is a small city in Florida called Dunedin. Google it, honest, it's really there.

The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing and the expected high temperature was in the low 70's. Lovely. Our group comprised a Kennedy, a son of a Kennedy and me. It had been nearly 20 years since I had visited this Celtic Festival. It has grown and improved. We had a great time.





We saw some dancing.









We visited the Clan village.















Saw lots of cute dogs.

And a well turned out sheep or two.











Some bales were tossed over very high bars.














Some cabers were cast (but very few were turned!)



















Even the fry cook at the Chippie's was well dressed.







I was also introduced to Utility Kilts that you can see here. I keep trying to make this concept make sense, but have failed so far. I guess I thought that the main reason for kilts was to display your tartan. I looked for an explanation from a shopkeeper who sported a nice twill kilt in kind of a pismuckledun shade. He said, "Well look if you wear one to the pub and spill beer on it you don't have a big dry cleaning bill." His kilt had a loop for his IPhone case and another for a neat tool pouch. Still thinking here. Maybe there are men out there who, if given a practical alternative, would opt for a Utility Kilt rather than a clan tartan (or trousers.)  What do you think?

Thank you for your patience

Those of you who have stuck with me through the Austen Family Album Quilt project so far, Thanks. It's been more than two months since I posted anything about any thing. So here I am. I have finished another block today.

Block #32 (of #36) is Ladies' Wreath in honor of Jane's sister-in-law Elizabeth. Please visit Barbara Brackman's blog here to get the story of her life and a discussion of female mortality during the Austen's time. Elizabeth died at age 35 after the birth of her 11th child.

The block which is to represent a mourning wreath for a woman like Elizabeth. Because of the solemnity of the subject I chose a dark fabric with just a touch of green in the center to accompany the basic taupe theme fabric.

You might also like to scroll through some of the more recent blog entries to see some examples submitted by people who didn't stall near the end and have actually managed to set the quilt top.

In reading through these it appears that if the sashing is kept fairly narrow (finishing at around 1.5 inches) the quilt will be Queen Size. I think I can live with that. So on I go, four more blocks to make and then I can look at further steps.