Happy New Year from the Land of the Rising Sun

Happy New Year!

In Japan we send out New Year's cards rather than Christmas cards and so my friends and family in Japan are receiving this card today.  (They all are supposed to arrive on January 1st.)  For my friends in other countries, they have probably been receiving their cards throughout the past month. 

This morning Tetsu and I walked over to the fields near us to wait for the sun to come up.  Tetsu had really wanted to go to the coast to see the sunrise but as the nearest coast is about two hours away I convinced him that we did not want to go driving in the middle of the night to go stand in a parking lot waiting for the sun at the coast and then drive all the way back.

We got out to the field around 6:10 but the sun wasn't scheduled to make an appearance until 6:53...  And even then it was a bit late (because of the mountains surrounding us.)

We spent our time taking pictures of frozen grass and water puddles.

It was SOOO  cold!  Shall we give up and go home?

 Tetsu found himself a good position and waited it out.

And here it comes!

No one was around to welcome the sun with us except for all the sparrows in the tree.

Tetsu took over 100 photos once the sun had shown itself.  He had better results on his camera than I did.

 Hoping for good things full of expectations for all my blog friends.

Thank you for visiting and taking an interest in our doings!

Quilting in 2019!

Even though we are in the middle of winter vacation, it seems like days are busier than ever.  I really am going to have to set aside some sewing time in my schedule in 2020.  As it is everything else takes priority but I suppose as a housewife that is the way it is supposed to be.

Anyway, a quick post with a collage of the quilts that I finished in 2019.  Not a big turnout but then again I don't know what all I am going to do with the quilts that DO get made.

From the top left corner...

A John quilt.  I had made a larger version of this quilt for a friend a few years ago before we ever had John and thought that this small quilt over John's circle might brighten our living room.

The cat watching the falling leaves was a sample made for a friend who plans to make similar quilts for HER friends.  This got put together in a day and isn't very big.

Under those quilts is a recent Christmas McKenna quilt that matches two other Christmas quilts in the same series.

The quilt next to that is a large bed cover made for Marlene using an old sheet that she had been planning to toss out.  I think she keeps it on her guest bed.

The Faith Hope and Love quilt is a very large wall quilt that I made for Tony's mother.

The Selah Circle quilt is the quilt I made for the upcoming Quilt Festival Challenge which sounds important but is actually the challenge that Julie, Queenie and I give ourselves at the Tokyo quilt show when we meet up once a year.

The ribbon baby quilt was made for my high school's friend's granddaughter.  This is a great quilt for a little girl and I have started making another set of blocks for a patchwork friend's soon-to-be-born granddaughter.

The Signature Quilt was of course made for Leiya and Tony with signatures that we collected at the wedding (instead of a guest book) and also from friends in Japan who wanted to send wishes.  It is a fairly large wall quilt.

And the most recent finish was M-sensei's large Baltimore Bunnies quilt.  I didn't make this all by myself of course but I put a lot of hours into it and usually one or two joint quilts get into my yearly collage.

So... for a year that felt like I didn't get too much done, I guess I really got more done than I'd thought!

Here's to another good year of sewing in 2020!

John progress

A few people have asked how John is doing and note that he seems quite at home when he sits at my feet as I sew or when I sit in my armchair.  Tetsu too loves to see John sitting so protectively by my side.

But protective isn't really the word.  John likes to sit by my feet but that is basically because he doesn't like to be in his circle and the carpet is heated under my feet.  When he's let out of his circle he finds a warm place on the carpet but usually Chip and Mi are already there so he ends up sitting by me.  John and Mi will occasionally play together but Chip will have nothing to do with John and whenever John gets too close he gets whapped in the nose by a quick cat punch.

So yes, John has lived with us for over a year and yes we have all gotten used to each other.  I especially know how to read John and avoid the things that are going to set him off with snarls and lunges.  John tolerates his humans but he thinks he doesn't particularly NEED them.  We are good for snacks and food...  That's about it.

Half of the mornings that we want to take John for a walk he will ignore us completely feigning sleep or if we get too close to the circle and start making insisting noises then he will growl deep in his throat without moving, giving us the evil eye.  Usually by the time Tetsu and I have come back from our morning walk John is bouncing at his circle door saying,

"Let me out!  Let me out!  I wanna be fed!  Why did you leave me?"

It is all our fault that he has missed out but he didn't want to go for a walk anyway so he is just manipulating us.  He managed to convince his humans to give him food and he avoided a cold morning walk.

John also still growls at one or the other of us when Tetsu and I get into each other's proximity.  I think John considers himself a one man dog but there are TWO humans in the house and he will choose me to stay near one day and Tetsu to stay near another day.  If we get into each other's space then John will give the interloper the evil eye again and growl.  At that point I will point to the circle and tell him

"HOUSE!  I'm not putting up with that nonsense from you!" 

And John will saunter moodily into his circle and stare at the wall all the time muttering to himself.

"You can't tell me what to do.  I came in because I wanted to not because you told me to." 

This was taken this morning.  Tetsu tries to pick John up ONCE A DAY just so John will get used to the idea, and he has!  Tetsu says winter time is the only time he can pick John up because with the down jacket and neck warmer and gloves there is little damage John could do if he decided to bite right then.  I do not pick John up and I don't pet him unless he comes pawing at my knees...  Ours is a very measured relationship.

John is still very bad when visitors come over and either Tetsu or I have to dog-sit him in the other room while strangers are in the house.  This is an annoying inconvenience as is John's habit of barking when we talk on the telephone.  How did his previous owner let things get to this stage?

In some ways I feel proud that we all have come so far.  Last year around this time we were wondering if we'd have to ask the vet to take John back.  I do know that things can turn around in a second though.  John still lunges at cars just when I think I've got him trained to let a car pass...  That is very dangerous habit on our narrow country roads.  And I wonder what one major bite would do to our family infrastructure...  So I stay on my toes.

I never expected to have a relationship with a dog that takes so much effort... but there are good times too.

One more quilt

One more quilt to add to 2019!

Last week our patchwork group got together for a few hours to present a quilt to our newest member (she's been in the group already five years though...)  Somehow we started the custom of making a joint quilt for each member when the person celebrated her 60th birthday.  We started with Furui-san, the group made a quilt for me, and last year we made a quilt for another member.  BUT our newest member, M-sensei, hadn't been in our group when she turned 60.  (The other five members haven't turned 60 yet.)

Earlier in the year we were all sitting around and realized we had a box of applique blocks we'd made a few years ago that never got put together into a quilt. As we no longer do a raffle quilt, as no one was turning 60, we'd lost steam on finishing this quilt.

"What if we finish it off and give it to M-sensei?!"

That sent everyone into excitement and the quilt-making started going full blast again!  Flimsy made, hand quilting done in turns, and finally bound and ready to present.  Oops!  Not bound and ready!  We realized on Friday that we actually hadn't completed the binding part of the project so four of us quickly tacked down the binding and by lunchtime the quilt was ready.

Ta-da!  This is called Baltimore Bunnies by Bunny Hill Quilts.  The patterns and fabrics had been sent to me by a blogger friend and I don't know how many months we spent doing the applique for it but it turned out beautifully!  The border actually required more applique and was much wider but for a sudden finish to the project we are all very satisfied.

 And M-sensei was hopefully the most satisfied.

"Is this really for me?"

The quilt wasn't a surprise to her but as a still rather novice quilter she was a bit overwhelmed.

We're so happy that the Bunny quilt has a nice home!

Christmas at our house

Merry Christmas to all my blog friends!  I have just come back from crosswalk duty and my winter vacation starts from tomorrow!  

I guess Japanese school children don't consider it an injustice to have to go to school on Christmas Day but I was thrilled to see the school principal come to the crosswalk wearing a Santa hat and carrying a big Santa stocking.  (We can't hope for recognizing Jesus' birth in Japan).  Yeah, Kouchou-sensei (school principal)!  He is always so good about relating to the kids and making things fun.

I'm afraid I mostly bombed out on Christmas decorations this year.  With my own kids gone, and without any school children coming to my house for English anymore I seem to make less and less of an effort...  (and all those Christmas quilts that I have stored away!)  I only put up the three McKenna quilts and made the effort to wear a red fleece shirt and green pants.

Tetsu did thumbtack all the pretty Christmas cards we received on the entry wall.  They make for such a beautiful display!  Tetsu thinks the envelopes and stamps are even Christmasy and beautiful!

And I did wear a Christmas apron all day yesterday, not even taking it off to go out to lunch with Tetsu's sister.  Tetsu went to pick her up from the hospital and before taking her home we went out for Chinese food.

And in the evening Tetsu and I had Christmas Cake, a Japanese tradition that we never adopted until I started my crosswalk job.  I stand in front of a mom and pop sweet shop on the corner in front of the school and feel as if I should be supportive during the holidays so for the past 8 years we now eat Christmas Cake every Christmas Eve.

Wishing you all the best!

Repair job

Finishing up Tetsu's vest has left me without any pertinent handwork though I can always pull out my tatting shuttles to make a few more crosses (my go to project when there is nothing else on the to-do list...  I'm always giving away tatted crosses)

I have two quilts upstairs that need to be machine quilted but I need something for downstairs at my armchair as it is just too cold to go upstairs and spend any time!  I've been looking at BOM applique patterns because they keep my hands busy and are small enough to pick up and put aside...  Embroidery BOM's are tempting but I've sworn off embroidery (how many times have I said that) as my eyes get tired...

In the meantime... my patchwork group got together on Friday to finish up a quilt for one of the members...  Before I show that, I had a light bulb go into my head when one of the members was asking about how to darn her favorite sweater that had gotten a rip.  I've actually no idea about that BUT I got to thinking about darning... or repairing things with patches.  Hey!  I'm a patchwork nut and there is something that needs patches in my wardrobe!

I have some favorite DOWN legwarmers.  They are WONDERFUL.  In the winter I wear them indoors and out.  I've loved them so much that I wanted to buy another pair (the original pair from Uniqlo) but Uniqlo doesn't make them any more and I haven't been able to find others.  Knitted leg warmers yes, down, no.

So I've worn these leg warmers for at least 5 years but last winter I accidentally tore one when I brushed up against a brick wall.  HORRORS!

Talking to my friend on Friday it occurred to me that maybe I could patchwork over down...  I could try.  The legwarmers were headed for the trashcan anyway.  Maybe they could be salvaged (I loved them so much I couldn't throw them away last winter.)

Here is the torn legwarmer.  I just tore the outer nylon, not the inner lining that holds the down inside.

And here are my patches!  I was rather afraid to go too bold and so I made black patches.  I could have stopped there but added the white flowers just because there was still white thread on my needle.

Right now I don't feel the need to make the patch match on the other side but I suppose I could.  At least I know that down can be patched!

Doctors, hospitals and medicine

There are a lot of good things about the Japanese medical system and a lot of strange things too.  This week Tetsu and I have been going in and out of the hospital for various non-serious reasons.  Some thoughts.

Tetsu's sister has been hospitalized for a hip replacement these past two weeks.  She is doing well and so far is very happy with how she can finally walk again pain free.  We were all amazed by the very small, very un-bruised scar she now wears and by the x-rays she was showing of this large metal pole now in her thigh bone and the metal hip joint.  Wow!  The medical world can do some amazing things these days!!!

For all that, Tetsu's sister shares a room with 5 other people and she is separated from them by curtains so her roommates' snoring has been annoying (and she has to tell us this in a whisper as everyone can overhear everyone else's conversations).  Each bed is equipped with a side table with a small flat screen TV bolted to it but she has to buy a minutes card from a vending machine in order to watch TV.  The same card also works for the washing machines and dryers and she is supposed to wash out her own things (though linens of course get cared for by the hospital.)  For surgery and hospitalization, Tetsu's sister is covered by the welfare system as she is considered disabled and gets welfare support.  I don't know what normal patients would pay but I'm sure it wouldn't be as much as in the States.

And then yesterday Tetsu and I went to the same general prefecture hospital to set a date for Tetsu's second eye's cataract surgery.  He had the other eye done in September at a private hospital and was very happy with the results.  (Remember, he had to wear diapers for cataract surgery?!)  HOWEVER, just getting the first surgery was scheduled a year ahead of time and with this second eye it looked like it was going to be the same slow schedule.  No matter how many times Tetsu asked to have the second cataract surgery the answer was always, "let's worry about this eye first." and he never got past that with the private doctor.  Finally the doctor suggested that he refer Tetsu to someone else and this is why we were at the general hospital.

You see... the problem with the medical system in Japan is that the doctors are flooded with patients and thus non-emergency surgeries take MONTHS before they can be done.  There are tens of patients in the waiting rooms, standing against walls, waiting in their cars etc.  So yesterday we went to the general hospital for the final details about this second cataract surgery now scheduled for February 3.

This prefecture hospital is the same one Leiya was born at 30 years ago and it was old back then!  I remember sitting on the bench in the long drab hall of a waiting room and wishing I had a rag as I could wash the walls while I waited. 

Alas, the hospital is 30 years older and though the benches have been replaced with cheery purple seats, they still line the hallway and the walls are still scuffed by wheelchair bumps and whatever.  The same benches serve the patients waiting in the dermotology, optical and ear nose and throat centers.  There is the constant calling of patients names over the loudspeakers as patients are directed to the numbered doors along the hallway.  The nurse comes out to the waiting room and explains procedures and instructions to a patient and everyone around them hears all the details.  The doctor never moves from his chair and patients file in behind a curtain and gets seen and then another patient takes his place.  It is a regular factory!!

There is no art work on the walls, no carpeting, no wallpaper.  Notices and pamphlets hang from sticky hooks and and crooked plastic file holders...  EVERYONE, I mean EVERYONE wears a white mask while they are at the hospital.  In fact there is a greeter at the door ready to hand out a disposable white mask to anyone who hasn't remember to bring one.

Me in my mask.  I'm smiling as big as I can but you wouldn't know it would you?

After the nurse explained the procedure for the surgery she was ready to go off to other patients but Tetsu asked,

"Um...  No one has said a word yet about how much this is going to cost...  How much money do I need to bring on the day of the surgery."

The nurse seemed sort of surprised at the question but she said it would probably run about $500.  That's about what it cost at the private hospital so Tetsu figured he could just stop by the bank on the day of the surgery...  Different ways of doing things huh?  By the way, for yesterday's visit to the general hospital, Tetsu said he paid about $8.  I don't know why...

Today I had to go to my regular doctor to pick up cholesterol medication again.  I am still sore about having to take this dumb medication and I feel that it is an unnecessary monthly bill.  Actually though, by American standards, the cost of seeing a doctor and getting medication is probably pretty reasonable.

My doctor has his own private clinic.  He too just sits in his chair as I enter the examining room and he spends most of his time looking at my files on his computer.  But the room is nice, the waiting room is pleasant, the building is new and airy.  The doctor asked how I was.  I said I was fine.  He asked if I'd seen any differences since taking the cholesterol medication.  I said no.  He said good and that I could come again next month and that he would write me a prescription for this month.  I left his examining room in maybe one minute.  For that I was charged $15.

I went next door to the private pharmacy and handed over my prescription paper and also my personal medications booklet where stickers of ALL medications I've ever been given from ANY doctor the past five years has been recorded.  I was given a month's supply of cholesterol medication and a month's supply of the doctor's highly recommended fish oil supplement.  For that I paid about $65 which I balk at.  I'm a healthy person and yet I pay about $80 a month for medical services and medication!  And I'm only paying 30% of the whole bill.  Insurance pays for the rest of it.

And look at this...  Japan still doesn't have child-proof medicine bottles.

While I was at my doctor's clinic, Tetsu went to his doctor (we have different doctors because I didn't like the way Tetsu's doctor tried scare tactics to get me to take his cholesterol medication...  but I've ended up taking it anyway with my own doctor but at least he gave me 4 years of trying to lower it on my own...)  Tetsu said he made an appointment for a flu shot for Monday...  at the cost of $6 because the city of Nikko pays for flu shots of people over 65 years old.  Last month I had to pay $40 for the same shot....  I guess there are perks to getting older.

Wow!  That above post makes us sound like we are really medically dependent!  Actually I think Tetsu and I are relatively healthy and I sure hope I can keep it that way!
 

Christmas vest finished!

I am catching up on daily life since my trip to Nagasaki.  Let's see what I have in my photo files...  Hmmm...  All of them are from my phone...

Yesterday I took a day off from housework and doing errands with Tetsu and went to a coffee shop to sit and write Christmas cards/New Year's card without interruption.  I know I can do the same thing at home and just brew myself a cup of coffee but then I'd have "What should I make for lunch?" on my mind and I'd have John nosing around getting into things and I'd have to take him for a walk and Tetsu would come by asking me if I wanted stuff put away or just left to later etc. etc.  It was quite nice to spend two hours at a coffee shop with cards and pens and address-book.  I got my overseas cards all written and will work on the ones to Japanese friends this week either at home or on another trip to a coffee shop.  (But I probably need to get Tetsu involved otherwise we will duplicate our cards.)

On the way home from the coffee shop I stopped in at a craft shop to buy buttons for the vest I made for Tetsu this Christmas.  I picked out some not too interesting buttons, 5 for $3 when I noticed two very large bins filled with random buttons.  I ended up down on the floor pawing through the bins, running my fingers through them like they were sand, looking for 5 matching buttons.  And I found some!  And I noticed a sign that said "fill a cup with buttons for $3".  Well, I can get more than 5 buttons in the small cup provided though I didn't really need more than five.  I found a button I liked and went diving finally ending up with 20 buttons!  Actually I couldn't find 20 of the same button but there was the same button in two colors and so I made sure I had at least five in both colors and filled my cup.  I spent half an hour in the two bins running my hand through all the buttons.  Other shoppers must have thought I was crazy.

 Okay...  I can put five of the brown buttons on the vest...

Or five of the white buttons...  Which do you like?

At about that point Tetsu walked by and said,

"Oh! you finished my vest!"

"Yes.  Do you want it with the brown buttons or the white buttons?"

I showed both versions.

"I think I want both!"

I could have guessed that.  Tetsu likes variety.  I have now sewn on BROWN AND WHITE buttons and steam blocked the vest.  Actually I think the armholes are too floppy but I won't really know until Tetsu tries it on...  If so I guess I'll have to figure out how to weave some elastic thread around the armholes...  I hope not.

This morning it was very foggy out when I went to the crosswalk.  In the distance one of the groups of school children (they walk to school in groups) were coming through the fields.  Just a few more days until winter break.  The last school day is December 25.  Christmas Day and the children still go to school!

Last day in Nagasaki

We TRIED to go to bed early the second night of our stay in Nagasaki because...  the next morning a few of us wanted to attend Mass at one of the Nagasaki churches. 

It seems that Mass is celebrated every morning at 6:00 am at the Urakami Church and so 5 of us met in the hotel hobby and took two taxis to the church.  Of course it was still dark outside!

I don't know when was the last time I've been to a Catholic mass but I stayed close Kaoru-san and Yumiko-san and tried to follow along in the readings and singing.  All I can say is that it is a very different worship service than the one I am used to with guitars and drums and raising of hands...  I don't know if Catholic services all over the world are celebrated the same way or if this mass was unique to Nagasaki.  All the women had veils, all the attendees were invited to celebrate communion or receive a blessing.  It was a wonderful, holy time in the early morning.

After the service as we watched the sky lighten and the city lights go out we noticed the priests still in their black gowns out in the courtyard doing Radio Calisthenics which are broadcast all over Japan.  Worship God, go do calisthenics.  That's a good way to start the day!

Back at the hotel we joined the others in our group for another big breakfast and watched ships come into the Nagasaki Harbor.   The hotel concierge told us that the big luxury liner just coming into the harbor was coming from China and the ship held 2000 guests.  They would spend the day sightseeing around Nagasaki and then in the evening the ship would depart for other ports in Japan.

And while we were enjoying the morning view, who should come into the restaurant but the couple that we had met on our first day at the elevator and at the Shitsu church!  We all stopped to talk even longer this time and learned that they had first met in Nagasaki (though they lived in another part of Japan) and they were interested to hear why the seven of us were visiting Nagasaki.  The couple was spending another night at this hotel and we explained that we were leaving this afternoon and wished them well.  Each time we've run into this couple we have talked longer and longer.  It is so nice that everyone is so friendly!

Our last day in Nagasaki we coordinated our schedules and then split up into different excursions.  Mari-san went to see the monument dedicated to the 26 martyrs of Nagaski, Hiroko-san went to a museum about the Industrial Revolution in Japan.  The rest of us headed for Dejima which was the entry port for trade and export when Japan first opened its doors to Western cultures.

Dejima was a man-made island of only one street where the foreign traders were kept separate from the city of Nagasaki and where only select Japanese could enter.  It seemed to be mostly western in style and custom and I was surprised at how small it was compared to the large part it played in Japanese history.

After touring the exhibits we settled down for a lunch of more Nagasaki specialties pork buns, soup and frozen ice milk. 

Heading back to our hotel we rode the cable cars to the Shofuku temple...

 and finally met up with Hiroko-san (Mari-san had found the main group at Dejima).

A final picture of the whole group in front of the hotel lobby's Christmas tree.  We said goodbye to Sachiko-san who was taking a different bus to a different airport and the rest of us boarded an airport limousine.  Not long after Sachiko-san mailed us with a message.

"On the way to the bus stop I ran into that couple again!  A very nice surprise ending!"

Such a great trip again!  Thank you Kaoru-san for planning it all!

Think I'm finished?  Nope.

On the airplane home, which wasn't a full flight, near the end of the trip the cabin attendant pointed out that we were coming up on Mt. Fuji if any of us were interested.  I am definitely interested as for all the years I've lived in Japan I've rarely seen Mt. Fuji!  I grabbed an empty window seat and snapped picture after picture.

Thank you for joining us on our photo filled trip!