Reversed roles

My computer has returned!  Happy, happy!  Headaches, headaches!

The computer technician and I had decided that the system needed a complete recovery and I brought in the recovery disk that came with my computer.  Together we went over what needed to be saved from the computer, removed and then replaced.  And yesterday my computer came home looking much like it did before it left.

But not completely...

Has anyone ever done this complete computer recovery?  I understand now what the technician did and what it means when the computer is returned to its "original" state.

Yes, everything is there but there are little things that I didn't realize I used and depended upon.  Let's see... There was a photo software I used but was gone (but which could be "easily" downloaded again.  Easily if you know what you are doing and aren't afraid of the windows that pop up asking "do you really want to open up your computer to security threats?"  I don't know... I guess I do if I want to use this software again...)

Oh, lots of other things....  I could no longer figure out how to write in Japanese on my computer which is a must for writing my crosswalk guard log daily, not to mention doing any transactions in the Japanese Internet world.  Ay-yai-yai!  The passwords I needed to get into stuff again that used to be automatic!  Where is my password book?

I panicked and sent an e-mail to Takumi (after I figured out how to get the g-mail icon back in its original place.)

In the meantime... Question to Firefox... wait no Firefox.  Install Firefox.  Question to Firefox...  How do I get my language icon on that something or other bar?  Toolbar?  Taskbar?  I was very proud of myself for getting the computer back to being able to use both languages.  A simple task for someone who knows what they are doing but an hour and a half work and a mounting headache for me.

After awhile Takumi contacted me, got into my computer and set a few things right for me again.  Such a good son!  I was so immersed in my computer set up I didn't even ask him about his own days.

Which brings me to a new realization.

A few days earlier Tetsu and I had talked with Leiya, and she let us know she had had a major problem... that she didn't tell us about and that she solved herself a month or so ago.  It was a problem that would have set her parents nailbiting, very likely we would have sent emergency support, called constantly for updates, I might have even considered flying to her side.  Instead, she dropped the bomb on us while she was eating Cup-A-Noodles,

"And everything is fine now so there are no worries."

We were speechless.  WHY hadn't she called us?  WHY hadn't she told us earlier? 

"I didn't want to worry you.  I wanted to get it all worked out before I let you know."

And it turns out that Takumi had been told. 

Tetsu and I realize that the positions have been reversed and that our children are PROTECTING US these days!

When did they become such adults?  When did I become the one to be protected?  I remember the first time I started paying for things like lunch out with my mother.  I remember becoming the driver on our outings.  I also remember deciding not to tell my mother some things "until they were worked out" because I didn't want her to worry.

So now I run to my son for help at a drop of the hat and my daughter protects me from her painful lessons.

I am very proud of the both... and a little sad at the reversal of our roles...

Today's To-do list

I wrote out a to-do list this morning. Unless I can see things crossed off I get to feeling that I haven't really gotten much done these winter days...

On my list of things to do today is put in some time hand quilting the Pine Burr quilt that sits by my living room chair. I'm happy to say that I'm past the stitch-in-the-ditch part and into the decorative border. It is a big quilt though and there is a long way around...

I also have listed the Fruitti Tutti quilt that really needs to be farther along. I am expecting another quilt to land in my lap for machine quilting next week (the hospital's log cabin) and I'd like the Fruitti Tutti to be done before that quilt makes an appearance. I have a feeling that isn't going to happen unless I cross everything else off my to-do list for the next couple of days!

Another quilt listed is the kindergarten quilt which I have begun seeing in my dreams. It needs more substance but it can't get much bigger than what it is now. What to do? What to do?

But maybe one quilt I can get crossed off for awhile is an Around the World Quilt I've been using as a teaching project. I wanted to teach two of my students the tube method of machine piecing and we pooled our fabrics for all three of us to make Around the World Quilts. I usually use this pattern for prayer quilts but these aren't being made for anyone in mind and when we get to the quilting stage we will practice some machine quilting rather than tie them. Here are my two students' quilts... Which leads to why this quilt is on my to-do list. I still haven't gotten the border on mine yet.

This one is Mrs. N's...

And this one is R-san's. Isn't it interesting how although basically the same fabrics were used, the placement of the fabrics and the different borders make for very different quilts. Too bad my quilt top isn't there too but I'll get to work on it as soon as I finish blogging.

I guess I'd better get started on my to-do list!

Tanya

 

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Hearts

I haven't been too good about blogging have I? I came down with a cold and have been dragging around for a few days. I've been finishing up a few hand projects but haven't gotten up to the sewing room recently. Too cold up there!

Last week when I went to the kindergarten I had handed the principal that bag of hearts and some background fabric and had asked her to applique hearts for awhile. Yesterday when I arrived in the kindergarten parking lot the principal happily announced that all the background fabric that I'd given her had been used and the hearts were all appliqued.

"If you have something else to be sewn, let me know!"

"What? You appliqued all the hearts?"

"No, I posted a sign in the office and asked for help. Lots of the teachers took home hearts and fabric and sewed all weekend."

So now I have a bundle of hearts for the kindergarten quilt. That was fast! The ball is thrown back into my court... I had thought I wouldn't have to think about the kindergarten quilt for a couple months while the principal was appliqueing hearts....

And though I'm a bit late, I finished making a February fabric card for my mother. This month's is sort of an elaborate Valentine card. I wanted to put my new tatting skills to work and found a couple heart patterns. And then the card needed edging... and it has become almost too large for the envelope!

Hopefully I can get a bit of machine quilting time in today.

 

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Candied Treasure

I am still without my computer... it must have been sicker than I thought.

So... with not much going on I thought I'd show you a pretty little package that Noriko-san (my friend who collects Girls' Day dolls) gave me as I was returning from visiting her.

A package... which actually came in a matching paper bag.

And it was gift wrapped this way... This is a fairly common way to gift wrap packages in Japan though it takes a bit of thinking on my part to get the box laid in the right diagonal direction to make the folds tight but asymmetrical. Department store clerks are very skilled at wrapping up all shapes and sizes of packages in very pretty ways. Department store Origami!

Here is the unwrappaged package... Let me tell you, even trying to refold on those paper creases takes a lot of brain work. (I did it just for this post. I'd unwrapped this package once and was so enthralled with the packaging that I rewrapped it... And it took quite a bit of figuring to get it back into its original shape!) Oh look! Another layer of pretty paper there!

The next layer of paper is wrapped fairly normally. Centered, folded in at the edges. My normal way of wrapping presents (when I wrap, which I rarely do anymore.) Chip wanted to play with the cording there...

And then we have a nice little box there.

And in the box, two more little boxes. Girls' Day doll boxes!

And when the lids are lifted from the little boxes... The boxes themselves flip out making pretty little dishes! The edges can be folded back in and the lids can be replaced.

And inside the boxes are small traditional Japanese candies. The pink things are called kompetto, made of sugar. The little butterfly and gourd shaped candies are made of a candied jell. And the little cherry blossoms in front and the round sushi candies are made of pressed sugar.

In the other box were white kompetto and more pressed sugar sweets. The white sugar clam shells have gold leaf on them!

It was like opening a treasure box to get to the Japanese candies! It seems a shame to eat them!

Tanya

 

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A new project

I had also planned to show you what Yuma-kun is up to but I forgot to get out the iPad and instead took pictures on my camera (which I can't get into my iPad). That project will have to be for another day.

In the meantime, here is what is on my design wall. Cute! Do I have a plan for this? No, not yet...

A couple of weeks ago the kindergarten principal asked me if I could think of a way to desguise the fire escape doors being built into the new kindergarten building.

"You know... like a nice quilt here right in the entrance... And here are two more doors that could be beautified with a couple quilts..."

This is a round about way of asking if I could make the kindergarten a couple quilts. It kind of took me unawares but I promised to think about it and in the meantime told her I had a lot of quilts that I could loan out regularly... The fire escape doors could be Tanya's gallery!

So I've thought about it. And I came up with these little children raw edge applique. These were from a pattern in a book I had (somewhat elaborated by me... Different hairstyles etc.) I made six and showed them to Noriko-san whom I'd visited and she said I needed at least 12. So I made 6 more.

From another book I found some raw edge applique trees and I've made 4 and probably will make a couple more. But beyond that I haven't got any more ideas!

The kindergarten has rabbits so I'd really like to make some rabbit blocks... preferably not raw edge applique (maybe). Paper piecing? What else?

I had some pre-cut hearts that a blog friend once sent me and I took those and some squares of neutral fabric and some embroidery thread to the kindergarten and handed them over to the kindergarten principal.

"Here. I'm thinking about that quilt you were hoping for... You can help. Maybe a few hearts would be nice in this quilt, blanket stitched if possible. There's no time limit for these... As many as you want to do (there were eighty hearts in the package!) When you get tired of making them just give them back to me."

The principal isn't much of a handwork person but I figured she ought to participate a bit... I'm such a slave driver.

And what am I going to do with all these trees and hearts and children and rabbit blocks? I DON'T KNOW!

A strip border quilt? A medallian quilt? It might be nice if I got my act together and made some plans. Hmm. I think I ought to put the kindergarten name on the quilt somewhere... Wonky letters? Embroidered? More applique?

Any suggestions?

Tanya

 

 

 

 

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Back at the computer hospital

My computer is back at the computer hospital...  Sigh.  Whatever the nice technician did didn't work and yesterday I took it back after a frustrating morning with it at the kindergarten.  

So now for the next step of putting my cyber side-kick in working order...  Something about a recovery program that should have come with the computer when I purchased it.  Well, that was nearly 7 years ago...  Would I even HAVE the set of recovery CDs?  I left the computer, drove 30 minutes home, searched my CD shelves and found what I was looking for (I was so impressed with myself... for keeping the CDs and for FINDING them!) drove 30 minutes back to the computer clinic, bowed deeply to the technician and asked him to take care of my computer problems again, and then drove 30 minutes back home.  Thus no photos today.

And I informed the kindergarten and the pre-school that if and when I buy a new computer I don't want to be carrying it back and forth for teaching.  Could they respectively arrange for a computer for me to use, please?  Yes, that was easily arranged...  I don't know why I never asked before!
 

Nikko Candlelight Festival

With the cold and snow and grey skies, there is not too much to lure tourists to the Nikko area in the winter time. The hotels are somewhat empty and the bus tours are few and far between.  The city plans winter events though to entice people and one of these was a candlelight festival on a path leading to and from a couple shrines and temples.  Tetsu and I wrapped up warmly and headed north a bit to see what a candlelight festival was all about.

Well, if it is a candlelight festival it has to start after dark right?  This meant that my picture taking was somewhat hindered (good excuse).  Loads and loads of people though so the city's evening event was well attended.

Along the pathway there are hundreds of stone statues that have some significance that I don't know about...  And the rumor is if you walk towards the temple and count the statues (a couple hundred) you will come up with a different number of statues on your way back from the temple.  It was too dark to try counting any statues so I can't tell you if that is true or not. 

There were supposedly over three thousand candles lit for the evening and tourists were being encouraged to purchase a candle and a holder, write a wish on the candle holder and then place the candle along the pathway or in a park square.

I spotted a few candle holders with sentiments in different languages.

 Getting too dark for me to even know what I was shooting at...

But in the sky above, the next part of the event was a beautiful firework display...  Of the many firework photos I took, only a few look like more that colorful blobs.

I suppose if you were standing in the proper place one could make out a happy face on this firework.

 Do you think this firework was trying to be a Valentine heart?

We enjoyed piping hot vegetable soup at the outdoor booth, and some hot chocolate being served to the tourists.  On our way home we stopped at an onsen and I sat in an outside pool watching the steam rise around me and the trees as I turned lobster red. 

That's one way to spend a winter evening.

Hina Dolls

So I got to Tokyo and I met my friend Noriko-san and she drove us back to her house.

Noriko-san is a friend from when our children were in kindergarten together.  She and Mrs. Furui and I started doing machine piecing way back when and Noriko-san went on to polish her machine quilting skills and even get published in some Japanese patchwork magazines.  I've shown her pieces quite a few times on this blog.

I sort of knew but it hadn't completely registered, that Noriko-san was a Hina Ningyo collector.  Hina Ningyo are the Girls' Day dolls that are set out in this season before March 3rd, Girls' Day.  I hadn't been to Noriko-san's house in over 10 years and never this close to March, so I'd never seen her collection.  What a display she has!  It was like being at a museum exhibit!

The main Girls' Day display is one that her mother bought for her daughters when they were first born.  There are the traditional 7 tiers depicting the Emperor and Empress and their court ladies and musicians and guards.  Tea implements and miniature doll goods are all displayed along with other dolls in the home.

Against another wall was a display of the two main dolls that Noriko-san's mother bought for her first granddaughter... 

And in front of those were part of Noriko-san's handmade collection of Chinese horoscope dolls.  That means there are twelve sets...  There are snake dolls and horse dolls and dog dolls and mice dolls...  Well they are all there!  For twelve years Noriko-san has stuffed and sewn until she had a complete set that she can rotate each year. 

This being the year of the sheep, the sheep dolls reside in a place of honor in the entryway welcoming visitors to Noriko-san's home.

In that first picture there were hanging displays on each side of the 7 tiered doll display and those are called Tsurushi Bina, Hanging Dolls.  In some parts of Japan, that type of display is more popular and after purchasing a couple of those hangings, Noriko-san decided to make a set of her own.  Here she is sitting next to her own hand made Tsurushi Bina.  Each one of those dolls has some meaning...  Wishes for wealth or health or good luck or something.

 I thought this little bean pod so cute!  What a lot of work!!! 

 Another display was a clay flower doll set.  I think Noriko-san commissioned someone to make this for her.

Another set were these Kimekomi Dolls which are dolls with fabric inlaid into carved grooves and notches. This was another of Noriko-san's projects but she said that even with a teacher beside her she grew tired of this craft and won't do it again.  Too much sanding and gluing involved!

Here was another set of pretty little pastel dolls that sat on shelf....  Everywhere I looked, throughout the whole house, Noriko-san has Hina Dolls!

Oh, while we're here...  This pretty Japanese hanging was in the hallway.  Noriko-san has made stained glass piecing her life work and she combined her bias technique with some beautiful Japanese silk to make a Kabekake, a screen normally painted or calligraphied and hung in a Japanese room alcove.

Here is a sample of Noriko-san's stained glass work.

 I made a trip to the bathroom and even found these dolls sitting on the window sill.  I wonder if you can get an idea of the size of these...  This is a miniature pin cushion...  I've seen them made from a plastic bottle cap and then stuffed and trimmed.  That is tiny enough!  And sitting on the pin cushion were Hina Doll pins!  Noriko-san keeps her antenna tuned for unusual Hina Dolls and we laughed as I returned to the bathroom with my camera in hand to photograph these.

Ah...  Actually I have the same two sets of dolls as Noriko-san has there in the front row.  When our children were in kindergarten together each year they made a set of these dolls...  Some with origami paper glued on, some hand painted.  I wouldn't be surprised if Noriko-san treasures these the most!  I need to get my own sets out sometime this week!

A jaunt on a train

(You notice that the font color has changed.  I don't know why.  My computer is back from the computer hospital and is up and working again...  Except that I don't know how to put the blog font back to default...  I'll work on that this week.  Or leave it as is and we'll all get used to it.) 

After my successful trip to the Tokyo Quilt Festival and back, I felt like I could tackle another train trip and went off to a different prefecture to visit a long time friend.  And as you can see, I made it back too so I guess this trip was successful too!

This is from the station platform in my little town.  A lone station master checking the signals.

Absolutely no one going from the platform into the station itself.

Ah... Here comes a train, but not mine.  I travel by train so infrequently that all this seems exciting and unusual to me...

And once on the train, the trip being about an hour before a train change I set up my tatting implements and enjoyed the scenery.  (Queenie, Queenie!  Your needle case works as a scissors case too!  I was so thrilled with my discovery...  The little bead at the end slips through the scissor holes to hold them secure!)

To continue...This trip entailed me getting on a train in our town, changing trains in another prefecture and meeting my friend at the local station.  I only got a little lost...  I went the wrong direction on the train change... Though I usually live out my days nearly 100% in the Japanese language, I find myself lost near Tokyo and I immediately lapse into the helpless foreigner mode.  I tapped a young man on the shoulder who was sitting next to me (he was engrossed in his iPhone and had to untangle himself from his ear buds),

"Excuse me...  Do you know if this train goes to XXXX?"   Me, acting the part of a non-Japanese speaking foreigner.

"No, no.  The other way."  The young man shook his head.

He said this in Japanese but pointed in the other direction.  And when the train stopped at the next station he waved wildly at the platform across the tracks and repeated the name of the city I wanted to go to.  I felt a bit looked after and found the right train.  A detour of about 5 minutes (there are a lot of trains passing back and forth in Tokyo...  It doesn't really matter if you miss one because the next one is around the corner...)

And there was my friend waiting for me at the turnstiles!  A great day ahead of us!

More tomorrow.  Oooh!  The pictures I have to show you!