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Timeline of a rescue
2:30 am. I wake to strange sounds. A bird in distress? A really large cicada? I don’t recognise the noise. I’m half asleep but can tell something’s wrong. Sounds like it’s coming from outside. I get up and pierce the dark with a flashlight. Maura and Beryl come running towards me from the fishtern. Do…
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Unpacking a dream
My sleep is usually broken by cats taking over my space in the bed, or cats coming in from a hunt announcing their triumphs, or cats jumping on my chest and requesting access to the under covers. Let’s face it, cats mess up my nights. Thanks to a lot of cat activity last night, I…
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Carnage
Cats are apex predators and mine are at the top of that apex. I will spare you images of the discoveries I have made in the last couple of days, but let me list them because this is way more than usual: Anyway this morning’s trash had a lot of dead animals and their parts.…
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Light-up delight up
Sounds from Oyama Senmaida carry straight over to 555. So yesterday afternoon, when I heard a muffled welcome speech, loud applause and then shouted instructions, I was intrigued enough to take a break and walk over to see what was going on. Aha! A clue. It wasn’t long before 200 high school students came trooping…
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555: Things I Love
There might be ten things I’d like to change, but there are so many more things that I love about this house. That takes us to ten, matching the number of things I’d change. But there are so many more things that I like. I will continue… I could go on. The house is a…
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Anniversary 34
It’s Friday, October 13th. Our wedding anniversary. It’s been thirty four years since we eloped, wow. How does the special day pass for a couple of our longevity? It’s pretty much a journey, like most days, but with higher stakes. Everything should be “right” on a big day, right? From my perspective, anyway. I got…
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Housewarming
The 555 construction chapter closed out with a housewarming party on Sunday. Forty five people attended over the course of 6 hours. Our landowners, architect, contractor, several subcontractors and their families celebrated. And then there were neighbors and local friends who stopped by for a look and a chat. Tod’s Mom and her husband in…
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Early October Pictorial
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…
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555: 10 things I would change
The number one most often asked question about the house so far has been “What would you change?” It’s a shitty question. Thanks for making me think about the negatives and things I probably can’t change. But since you asked, here are my answers. Each one is a cautionary tale for when you build your…
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The 555 Underground
This house is new but the grounds have been inhabited for generations. And every time we dig, we reveal some new and confusing aspect of plumbing and drainage from the distant (or recent) past. This week, we’re putting in a French drain (ankyo in Japanese) on the east side of the house, and preparing to…
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