encouraging new year's card

It's Sunday today.
It's cloudy in Tokyo.

I will go shopping in a faraway supermarket
in the afternoon.
Then I think I will do some patchwork.

I am now reading the new year's cards again
which I received this year.
I exchanged new year's cards with about 200 friends.

One of them was a very encouraging card to me.
It was a card from my classmate in my schooldays.

She is very good at doing patachwork quilt.
She is very good at English.

She is now reading Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series.
She has finished reading Anne of Green Gables.

She is now probably reading Anne of Avonlea.
Or Anne of the Island?

And her new year's card says:
"I will make a patchwork quilt of Green Gables."

Amazing!

Her words encouraged me to continue to do patchwork.

blue skies

Yesterday I enjoyed strolling in Ginza
with a good old friend of mine.

I saw her after an interval of 35 years!

We talked a lot.
We ate a lot.
We walked a lot.

What a lovely day!



(suzukake-no-ki)

climbing Mt. Shiroyama

Today I climbed Mt. Shiroyama with a friend of mine.

It was very cold today--especially in the morning.

The sun was shining but all the way to the top of
Mt. Shiroyama was frozen.

Some hikers were slipping. Others fell.

I wore shoes-chain. I walked very carefully.
Hikers I saw said to me, "Mind your step!"

Nature makes people gentle and warm.
Nature makes people happy.

( frozen ground )


( frost column )


( no Mt. Fuji --kobotoke toge )


( karin, today )

family concert 2009

Joy Music Family Concert 2009 was held today
at Izumi-hall in Kokubunji City.

Last year koharu played the piano.
Her brother played the drum and the trumpet.
Her mother played the alto saxophone.
Her father played the soprano saxophone.

This year her brother and mother were too busy
to have time for practicing at their musical
instruments.

Today koharu played "chiisana-konomi"on the piano,
with her father's playing it on the soprano saxophone.
They performed beautiful music.

"chiisana-konomi" is one of my favorite songs.
I used to sing it with my daughter.
Whenever I sang the song, I could not choke back my tears.
Did you notice how sad I was then, Daughter?
I know you did.

Thank you, koharu, for selecting "chiisana-konomi"
for Family Concert 2009.

Your piano and your father's saxophone moved me so deeply.

Today is my husband's birthday.
He died when he was 33 years old.





「小さな木の実」

(｢美しいパースの娘」から)
海野洋司作詞・ビゼー作曲

小さな手のひらに　ひとつ
古ぼけた木の実　にぎりしめ
小さなあしあとが　ひとつ
草原の中を　駆けてゆく

パパとふたりで　拾った
大切な木の実　にぎりしめ
ことしまた　秋の丘を
少年はひとり　駆けてゆく

小さな心に　いつでも
しあわせな秋は　あふれてる
風と良く晴れた空と
あたたかいパパの思い出と

坊や　強く生きるんだ
広いこの世界　お前のもの
ことしまた　秋がくると
木の実はささやく　パパの言葉

unusual Saturday

I stayed at home all day.

This is unusual!

What did I do today?

I carefully cleaned up my room.
I made my vacuum cleaner clean.
I did washing.

I practiced at the harmonica
a little longer than usual.

I did patchwork, listening to the radio.
I am not good at doing patchwork.

But I'm surprised to find
that I like doing patchwork.

Today I walked only 2262 steps.
But I had a good Saturday.