Two days of warmer weather - in spite of frosty mornings that have killed off the first buds of the potato plants - I am revelling in the better weather. I managed to clean the small garden where my mother-in-law insists on burying plastic scraps, bits of bamboo, shards of metal and who-knows-what. The garden always looks like a scrap heap so I decided not only to weed but to clean it up. It's not perfect (yet) but looks better. She was gone for most of the day so I was able to do things my way.
I managed to get a start on the weeds in my own yard but for some reason, that is not nearly as satisfying as the vegetable patch. The wheat on the big fields looks really good, in spite of not being plowed.
It just feels good to be outdoors again, have some mud on my shoes and dirt on my clothes.
The daisies are glowing, the calendula are bright, wild violets line the roadsides, nanohana have brightened the landscape, the yellow daffodils are in bloom and that strange tree I own with purple blossoms has bloomed - whatever it is, it's colorful.
2 comments:
My Japanese husband Tetsuro and I will be moving to Aso next year. We got married in Kumamoto in 1999. I wonder if you and I have ever met? We probably know some people in common. Anyway, I first moved to Kumamoto in 1993, so we may have crossed paths somewhere. We've been in the States now since 2003, but it has been a difficult move for me and I'm anxious to get back to Japan. We will be living behind Tetsuro's parents in Uchinomaki and hopefully operating a small juku. Any advice? I'm fascinated with your blog because, when we move back, we will stay in Japan permanently. How has it been for you?
Hi, I'm trying to figure out if we've met. Jane Karaki is still around - maybe a common link. I went back to the States for 4 years and just returned last fall and it has been a hard adjustment. I'm trying to focus on what we do here and enjoy it but I feel isolated. The city isn't far but my life is around the house so I don't get involved like I did when I was first teaching here in '87. My greatest fear is growing old here and being alone. As long as I have my husband, it's fine but as we age, new concerns come up and I just can't imagine being in hospital or alone in Japan. Our foreigner network in Kumamoto is shaky at best and smaller than before but be sure you are signed on to kumamoto-i mail to see what's happening. email me any time at familynibe@hotmail.com
Welcome back!
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