on Dec.30, 2019

Time flies and we are at the end
of the year 2019.

Are you busily preparing
for greeting the New Year?

Tomorrow I'll go to my daughter's
house and enjoy the New Year's Eve
with her family.

I'll stay overnight at koharu's room.

I'm looking forward to talking
a lot with koharu.

May the New Year 2020
bring you HAPPINESS!

koharu's coming home

The sky is so blue and beautiful.

There is a strong wind today.

The wind is getting stronger.

I hope the airplane will fly on time.

My granddaughter, koharu,
is coming home from Hokkaido
by air.

Oh, I can't wait to see her!

a Christmas party

Yesterday we had a Christmas Party
in Friday English Class.

First, she asked us how we would
celebrate Christmas.

Most of us had no special plans
for Christmas.

Some said they would enjoy Christmas
dinner.

Others said they would buy Christmas
cake.

Then we enjoyed some word games
in English.

We presented her a potted poinsettia
and a lovely bag, which pleased her
so much.

We enjoyed talking in English
and had a good time.

The Last Leaf by O. Henry

Not a cloud is to be seen in the sky.

What a beautiful day for this time
of the year!

On my way back from my daughter's
house, I happened to see a tree
with a few leaves left.

Suddenly those leaves brought me
back to my high school days.

The leaves suddenly reminded
me of a short story The Last Leaf
written by O. Henry, an American
writer in 19th century.

The Last leaf was translated
into Japanese
and is very popular in Japan.

The story appears in many junior
high school textbooks, I hear.

It was in my high school days
that I read The Last Leaf
in the original,
I mean in English.

What a nostalgic memory!

Have you ever read The Last Leaf
by O. Henry, either in Japanese
or in English?

beautiful Sunday morning

It's a very beautiful day
here in Tokyo.

What a blue sky!

It's not so cold as yesterday.

I' ve just talked to my sister
in my hometown on the phone.

It has been raining there,
in my hometown.

The rain will change to sleet,she says.

She has all the windows boarded up
by an old acquaintance so that
snow will not break the windows.

What a relief!

It is getting harder for my elder sister
to live alone in the snow area,
I'm afraid.

========

I'll go shopping at the near supermarket.

I'll read Chicken Soup in the afternoon.