Annually

The wintersweet flowers, which were already in bloom on January 26th last year, are still in bud this year and are enduring the cold wind.

Although the flowers may look the same every year, they never bloom the same as last year. Just like people, the appearance of flowers is always changing.

Impermanence, constant change, and constant change are the nature of living things.

This year the wintersweets are in bud form. So how am I living now, and how do I appear in the great mirror that reflects life?

いまひとたびのみゆきまたなむ(拾遺集　雑秋1128 藤原忠平)

This winter...

This winter was harsh. Outside, there were repeated cold waves and snow, while inside, it was unclear whether the chicken or the egg came first, and the body felt cold and mentally chilled due to the coldness of the internal organs that comes with age, etc. It was the first time in my life that I experienced the cold and harshness of a winter.

Many of our elders have said that once you turn 70, your body and mind become different from before, and with the harshness of this winter, I find myself agreeing.

It's the day after tomorrow and March is fast approaching, but I'm still not feeling well. But I'm getting ready to welcome a new spring full of hope with renewed spirit.

The day of our return is still a long way off.

Let's prepare our minds and bodies and move forward.

Room temperature: 10 degrees

2/26, it's still not warm. Maybe it's my aging body that makes me feel this way, but this year's snow and winter cold are so cold that I'm enduring it by sticking seven heat packs on the soles of my feet, back, tanden, and back.

It looks like the temperature will rise this weekend, like the cherry blossom viewing season in April, but then the cold will return. The cold will come back... as you can imagine. Will we be able to bear it?

As the harsh cold weather changes to the warm spring season, the yearning for spring grows stronger as we grow older and endure the harsh cold. I can't wait for the warm spring.

Crocus 4 years ago

It's a frosty morning today, but it's sunny.

After two days of heavy snowfall, today is a frosty morning with clear skies.

My eye was caught by a photo of the first bloom of a crocus that I had potted four years ago.

So cute, the weather forecast for this weekend is calling for early April weather.

Due to global warming, spring and autumn are disappearing and we are moving to just two seasons, summer and winter, but there needs to be gentle intervals between fluctuations in temperature and between seasons.

Snowfall again

When I woke up in the morning, it was all white.

When I went out to get the newspaper, I stomped hard into the garden to find 20cm of snow piled up to my ankles.

With so much snow, the roads are frozen and it's impossible to move. I'll be spending the whole day inside today.

On rainy days, we find fun in the rain, and on snowy days, we find fun in the snow.

I am truly grateful to God for reminding me of something important today.