Autumn bounty

Let's see. I'm trying to figure out what I've been doing lately... Not much sewing that's for sure and not even much time on the computer though I'm not sure why.

The wasp hive that was in the forest has been taken down... by one brave Home Owners Association chairman! He came in the night with his flashlight and two cans of bug spray and unbeknownst to us, managed to subdue the wasps (used up both bug spray cans) enough to bundle the hive into a garbage bag. I heard all this from his wife the next day. She said that she stayed home holding on to the cell phone in case her husband called and needed an ambulance. Tetsu said the Brave Chairman should have let us know he was planning to go hive hunting and then Tetsu could have helped (since we live the closest to the hive) but then again Tetsu's very glad he didn't have to prove how courageous he is (or isn't). Brave Chairman is planning to hang the wasp hive in his entryway since it is supposed to bring good luck. Let's hope the wasps have all gone to wasp heaven.

This is not a very flattering picture but usually I cheat and only chose the better pictures of me. I'm holding the camera at arm length and took a quick pic and then got out of there! I wanted to show how big this hive got before Brave Chairman took it out of the forest for us. Actually that is fear in my face because you never know what might have come buzzing out of the thing even though it had been saturated in bug spray!

What else is new? The combines are hard at work in the rice fields and the farmers and their families make it sort of a picnic day working in the fields and resting on the embankments. Combines in Japan are not really very large and it looks like a farmers co-op must loan the same machine out to different farmers because the rice fields get sheared down one after another. Makes for beautiful scenery around here with some of the fields half harvested. In some places they are burning the extra stalks and the air has a smokey haze to it and a wonderful burning smell.

This is also the season for pears and I just bought some delicious Japanese nashi from my pear farming friends. Such a sweet treat!

Oh, and chestnut sums are up to 7 bags now! I have my work cut out for me!