Changes since Covid

For being very busy this past week I can't say that there is much interesting that has been going on...

I went to the pre-school on Monday.  The principal and I are talking about when I am going to retire from teaching there.  I suggested retiring in April but it looks like I may stay on another year.  I felt very bad when I disrupted the pre-school's schedule when I had to cancel with a slipped disc in October I've also not seen the children so much this year because Covid19 resulted in almost of 4 months of no English...  I really don't want to come down with something and suddenly have to call it quits but realistically as I get older, health issues hit me harder than before (but I still consider myself VERY healthy!)  Anyway, that topic is still up for discussion.

I also saw a patchwork friend on Monday who was in town just for a few days and "needed" a lot of patchwork projects to keep her busy during the winter months.  She is living in the countryside Northern Japan now to get away from Corona that is creeping into the cities and she doesn't plan to be back near me til April.  I sent her away with a basted quilt for hand quilting and lots of fabric and a pattern so that she can do hand piecing while she is housebound.

On Tuesday I had two English classes with my friends.  Again, everyone is getting older and for those heading into their eighties Covid is really scary and family members are worried about any gatherings going on.  Also my older friends are less confident about driving these days so we are considering moving one class closer into the city where it is possible to take a bus or a train and then carpool.  In the meantime we all wear face masks and one friend always wears a face shield over her mask.

On Wednesday I went to the church for the first time in 6 months!  There are 6 services offered during the week in hopes that people won't congregate too densely, but Tetsu and I have opted for attending online these past months. I went on Wednesday and attended that service and then met with a Bible study group that also has had to resort to online sharing.  We met for about 15 minutes to decide how to continue being "together" while staying "apart".  For some of us, technology is a challenge, for others the written language is the challenge (ME!)  Covid has changed the way we worship and fellowship.

I also went to the dentist on Wednesday but I couldn't detect any changes in procedure from before...  The reception desk has plastic screens up now but that was the only difference I could see.

Thursday I finally spent some time at home and Tetsu and I decorated for Christmas.  The house looks pretty festive now!  Though I used to do a lot of decorating when the kids were little and when I had children coming for English in the evenings, the past couple of years I've slacked off and maybe put up two or three quilts.  And I've got so many!!!  Why do I keep making Christmas quilts?!!!  With Tetsu's help he was willing to put up anything and everything (even things I'd planned to throw out) and so Christmas has arrived at the Watanabe house.  Except for a Christmas tree.  It has never been any use to try to put up a tree (only artificial table top trees in Japan) because the cats knock the ornaments off or pull the whole thing down.  

And yesterday I suddenly participated in a "Walk-a-long" with the group that had been doing water aerobics at the pool.  That group disbanded in March because of Covid but I noticed a poster on the pool locker wall (I've gone back to the pool since November) saying there was going to be a walking day this week with the former aerobics teacher.  It was very nice to do stretch exercises and walk the hills and chat with acquaintances I haven't seen in months.  Of course we all wore our masks...  

On our walk I noticed a big circus tent that is off in the fields and learned that a European circus troupe had been slotted to hold a mini-circus in town back in February.  Well, they never were able to put on the circus because of Covid and now the whole troupe is stuck here in the field as they can't get back to their country.  I forget about all the displaced people who are trying to cope in a foreign country because they can't return to their own...

After the walk I helped out at an English class for an elderly group but the community center is concerned about the rising numbers of Covid cases in the city and it looks like there won't be another class for a couple of months...

I also talked with both Takumi and Leiya.

Leiya has less than three weeks until her due date and she is very happy but also stressing out about all the stuff they have bought and received that is piling up in all the rooms of their house.  "Who knew a baby needs so much stuff!!!"  She has virtual meetings with her mid-wife and they are all counting down the days...  Tony is very tired from the intensity of the hospital and I don't think he is going to be able to be spending too much time caring for a new baby in the coming months...

Takumi is good and working from home but Julieta has started a job now and I guess suits up daily in mask, face shield, gloves etc.  I'm not so sure this was a good time to step back into Los Angeles society for work but she has been 6 months without a job and so was grateful for this opportunity.  For the first time ever, Takumi admitted feeling the threat of living in Los Angeles County during this pandemic.  He says that there are now people he knows who have contracted the virus and who are hospitalized...  

You can imagine how much my prayers have increased for these four children of mine...

Oh dear.... One final piece of news is that I was on Japanese television on Monday.  Remember that television crew that ambushed me at the crosswalk and then came home with me?  Well, the program was aired (but no one ever contacted me!).  It was a short 3 minute cut of me doing my crosswalk job and I looked very professional!  Actually because I wore my mask the whole time at the crosswalk my face was never fully shown nor was my name given, so probably very few people recognized me unless they knew for certain that that is where I work every morning...   

It looks like if you persevere with pushing the video buttons and get through the first blur of the video, that you can see the whole three minutes...  of course all in Japanese!

 Isn't this a funny picture of the Nikko crosswalk guards?  We had a meeting but because of Covid it had to be held outside...  Tetsu says we look like a strange religious cult!  I'm amongst the standing...  Can you find me?