Nothing big happened this week, but it’s the little moments that create a life. So here they are for this week.
Sunday, October 1: Good Start. We had lunch at Currywalla in Kimitsu. This is definitely the best Indian food within driving range; it’s 45 minutes and worth it. I caught a lovely moment with a beautiful sunset and two relax-y cats soaking up the heat from the stones. And my big accomplishment for the day was finishing up the October yoga schedule. Our theme this month is backbends.
Monday, October 2: Tidy. The bankinya-san installed the gutter and rain chain. Now we can walk into the house without getting dripped on in the rain. I weeded the front garden and yanked a bunch of left-behind boards from it, cut some paths with the mower, and also noticed that there is a septic smell coming from the masu by the barn. Our jokaso drains through here, but it should not smell. Hmm…
Tuesday, October 3: Green. I spent time outside as Monka Doken worked on the french drains and was rewarded with the scent of osmanthus blooming, a trio if kemushi (do not touch, they make you so itchy), and a handful of herbs from the garden.
Wednesday, October 4: Oops. First rainy day showed me that the rain chain needs adjustment. Oops. I spent a lot of the day on the sofa with the cats because I clocked my head on the beam when Fritter sat on my laptop during yoga. I dove out of a pose to get him off the keyboard and ran right into the big. Oops. And I decided that I’d use Inktober to work on self-portraits. This one is “Dodge.” Oops.
Thursday, October 5: Stress. Another day of resting my concussion, punctuated with anxiety thanks to hawks repeatedly circling over the house and driveway. The cats were not with me. Were they being hunted? Of course not, but my brain was in a tizzy. I fixed it a bit with physical labor when I flattened out the stones in the french drain. The guys had to go work on another job from Wednesday and left it unfinished. And, to protect my head from future concussions, I gave in to Tod’s request and bought a helmet that looks like a cap.
Friday, October 6: Catching Up. An amusing moment taking out the recycling: our bag was full of wine bottles; the neighbors’ were entirely health tonic drinks. My biggest and happiest task was to hang the ranma from the Andohs. I love the way it looks in the doma. I have some options for where to put the second one but I haven’t decided yet. In the afternoon, the cats found a snake – another tiger keelback (yamakagashi). It coiled itself up into the pussy willow to get away from Beryl. The Monaka Doken guys surprised me in the late afternoon by coming to tamp down and tidy up the ground because they know our housewarming is on Sunday. They are so good. And a Maura had quiet moment with Tod in the evening. It’s definitely turning to autumn; the cats are seeking warmth and blankets.
Saturday, October 7: Preparations. We spent the day getting ready for the housewarming party and collecting a weekend guest from Furari. I got only one photo all day, when Fritter was being cute after dinner.
