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Color journey with freesia
This did not turn out how I imagined – every step was a revelation. Several weeks ago, I bought a bouquet of freesia to brighten up the house. They were cheerful colors – red, fuchsia, and pink as well as the classic yellow. As the blossoms faded, I decided to see what color I might…
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Cormorants & Commemoration
Today is the 20th anniversary of my father’s death. It is mind-bending to realise that so much time has passed. Dad’s energy, wisdom, and memory is always with me. He was a sailor who loved the sea, so we scattered his ashes in oceans around the world. When I want to visit with him, I…
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Sayonara, Aloha
Aloha Gardens Tateyama is a local fixture; almost everyone in the Awa area has been at least once with family or on a school trip. After a decade living here, we finally made time to visit. Just in time… Opened in 1970 as “Nambo Paradise”, the botanical garden features a long stretch of hothouses, a…
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It’s Fluffernutter
It seems that the Cat Distribution System has selected a new resident for us. On February 11th, I spied a fluffy orange and white cat over by the old shed. A new face. He returned a few times in the next week. He was skittish, meowing loudly for attention, then running away to a safe…
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Project 2025 Bingo, day 50(ish)
We’ve reached the halfway point of this Bingo game. Time for an update. Not much has changed on the card in the past few weeks. There’s legal pushback with numerous lawsuits, so maybe we will unstamp some of the squares. The “big beautiful bill” budget (H.Con.Res.14) passed in the House and is currently under consideration…
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Closing holes
Before planting, rice fields are prepared to hold water for the early growing season. In the case of Oyama Senmaida, which uses rainwater and no pumped irrigation, the timing is especially important. We’re coming out of an exceptionally dry winter and rains are finally starting, so this week we worked on drainage channels. We’re almost…
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Painting and thinking
This morning I was feeling unsettled. American government is transforming into something unrecognisable as the democracy that I am comfortable with. The Constitution is being cherry-picked just like the Bible. Whatever supports the narrative is mentioned and everything else is ignored. Checks and balances of power in Articles I-III are out the door in favor…
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Hobby is a Terrible Word
I despise the word hobby. It raises my hackles every time I hear it. Doubly so when it is applied to me. Unfortunately, thanks to cultural perceptions, I hear it often from my Japanese friends especially when they see inside the shed or my studio in the loft. “Oh, what a great hobby space!” They…
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Planning the Color Garden
Energised by spring’s return, I’m starting to plan the hatake for 2025 and beyond. Having been told that monkeys, boars, and deer are likely to eat any vegetables I might plant, I am pivoting to my interest in botanical color. I will create a color garden that produces plants I can turn into dyes and…
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Camera roll
It’s time for some random photos of things around here over the past little few weeks. None are worthy of posts in themselves, but I’m hoping to keep the memories. First, some cats. Two new strays have been visiting. I think grey tabby is from next door, but “orange fluff” is a complete unknown. He…
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