The hot days of August!

Another couple of weeks gone by.  In some ways the days pass so quickly, in other ways it seems like the summer is just dragging.  Mostly we do nothing which in itself is rather a downer...  I'm not much motivated to do anything but the bare minimum though I have set myself the task of drawing everyday and having a hand sewing project available for air conditioned afternoons.  

Cooking is at a minimum, though I did get inspired to make some carrot cake when M-san's mother gave me a large bunch of home grown carrots.  The cake, by the way, was DELICIOUS!

Most days Tetsu tries to spend outdoors whacking weeds and it is a never ending project.  If it is not the weeds around our house then he goes off with the neighborhood volunteer team to tidy up some elderly neighbor's yard for them, or he visits his friend who recently had a stroke and cuts the weeds around his house.  

I finished a smallish quilt to hang by my front door.  The pattern of a welcome quilt with lettering and applique was my own idea but the applique pieces and layout were taken from one of Lynette Anderson's books... though I made the doggie's legs a bit shorter to represent John.  Two of my friends are planning to make similar quilts and this was my sample to see if I could teach them the right dimensions.  (I'm still not sure.)

My other sewing project is from a Mola book that I own and once it has been planned out and set with various layers of fabric, it is ready for just a lot of hand sewing.  The sewing doesn't give me many problems but the set up is rather a brain exercise.  This should keep me occupied for the rest of the summer.

Hiroshima Peace Dome

This past week Japan commemorated two anniverseries of the atomic bombings of 79 years ago.  Of course there were ceremonies held on the respective days in Hiroshima and Nagasaki but in my city, loudspeakers requested citizens to honor a minute of silence for prayers and remembrance. 

Nagasaki Peace Park statue

When I was a college student I visited both the Hiroshima Peace Dome and also the Nagasaki Peace Park and though the museums are heart-breaking to go through, they are necessary memorials and reminders of why the world should aim for peace. 

My memorial in my bullet journal.

John and the kitties are bearing up with the heat.  John and I are of the same mind and neither of us want to do any walking outside.  Maybe next month?

Leiya reports that Taiga-kun smiles a lot and is trying to crawl!  

It looks like Tony has his hands full!  

And that's about it from Japan on another hot day!