on March 27, 2021

What a mild spring day!

It's not cold.
It's not hot.
The wind is not blowing.
It's low humidity.

It's a very good day for going to see
the cherry blossoms.

I don't feel like going far away
under this COVID-19 crisis.

So I enjoy the cherry blossoms here
at Tamagawa-josui.

Viewing the cherry blossoms makes me happy.

Flowers have the power to heal our heart.

==============

Something was wrong with my TV set.

The engineer at the Cable TV Company
came to my apartment to fix it.

He examined my TV set carefully.

He changed the tuner into a new one.

Oh, everything is now OK! Thank you.

==============

Time flies quickly but
my everyday life goes slowly.

(boke in full bloom at my daughter's)

on March 20, 2021

It's cloudy and warm.
It's reported to rain in the late afternoon.

I opened all the windows and vacuumed
my rooms, and then went to the supermarket.
It was very crowded. Why?

================

The state of emergency is going to be cancelled
tomorrow.

I'm afraid of another new wave of infections coming.

I think only vaccines can help to stop the spread
of the virus.

When will we all get vaccinated?

Can the government prepare enough vaccines
for all of us?

Are there many people who are against vaccinations
in Japan?

=================

I miss my granddaughter koharu in Sapporo.

I'm sorry she is busy and can't come back
to Tokyo.

Stay positive
and enjoy your college life,
koharu!


(yesterday, along Tamagawa-josui)

on March 14, 2021

It’s White Day in Japan.

It's a second Valentine's Day
and men return the favor for the chocolates
they received　on Valentine's Day.

White Day brings back one of my old memories!

My old American pen pal Anne used to be
an elementary school teacher.

When I wrote to her about White Day in Japan,
she was very interested in it.

She told her class students about White Day
in Japan and her class did enjoy White Day.

In her class all the students exchanged little gifts
both on Valentine's Day and on White Day.

Anne wrote to me that her students were all
greatly excited.

============

I'm now worrying about Anne.
I haven’t heard from her since Christmas.
I'm afraid something is wrong with her.

Are you all right, Anne?
Are you enduring a bad pain?
I hope you stay in good condition.

（イチョウagainst the blue sky, this morning)

on March 7, 2021

It's a bit cold this morning.
Today's high will be 10℃.

It was a bit hot yesterday.
Yesterday's high was 21℃！

What a large difference!

Keeping ourselves in good condition is
rather difficult, isn't it?

================

Yesterday I walked to and from a bookstore.
My pedometer showed 5500 steps.
I was happy to find I was strong enough
to walk there.

I bought a book 「在宅ひとり死のススメ」
written by 上野千鶴子.

I live alone, by myself, in the apartment.
It's the time for me to think
about my last moment.

=============

Oh, I remember my husband's last two years!
He was very young, in his 30s, but very brave.
I was 31 years old.

He knew he would die in a few years.
He always said to me,

”I'm not afraid of death at all.

But I worry about how you and our daughter
will live after my death.

I'm sorry I can't live long and make you happy.”

Oh, my darling,
you are always with me!

on March 1, 2021

It's March 1 today.

There used to be a heavy snow left
there in Niigata at this time of year.

I lived there in Niigata more than 50 years.

What a lovely day here in Tokyo today!

It's warm.
The sun is shiny bright.
Yes, spring is here!

==============

Japan's vaccination program has gotten
under way.

Health-care professionals are the first
to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

I'm glad no serious side-effects
have been reported so far.

I hope the vaccine against COVID-19
will be developed in Japan too.

==============

By the way,
the Olympic Torch Relay starts this March and
the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics
will be held on July 23.

I wonder if it is possible to hold
the Olympics at Tokyo in this chaos of
COVID-19 pandemic.

（a nearby farmer's field)