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Camera Roll
Time for another photo dump of my Instagram Stories. Here are some scenes of daily life from the past month, in reverse chronological order. It’s been a good month of early autumn weather, making color, teaching art, and noticing the small joys of each day. Also, cats. The praying mantis ran up my arm like…
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The Cool Change
It has been a brutally hot, record-breaking summer again. Our home weather station recorded a high of 38.2°C (101°F) on August 30th and a “feels like” high of 53.9°C (129°F) on August 18th. But yesterday the heat broke and we saw our first sub-20°C (68°F) overnight temperature since mid-June. Now we’ll be in a slowly…
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Camera Roll
Summer has flown by in a haze of herniated disc pain and heat exhaustion, both of which are finally subsiding. Despite being housebound for most of two months, I captured some of the beauty in my world. Let me share it with you via all the Instagram Stories I’ve posted.
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About the barn
While we were building the house, we’d set aside extra materials, our purchasing mistakes, and crazy ideas “for the barn.” It became a running joke. For example, the bathroom window I ordered that was too small? No problem, we’ll use it in the barn. A light fixture that didn’t suit the kitchen – save it…
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Surprises in the Overgrowth
This Mountain Day morning, I decided to take my coffee outside and walk around 555. We’ve had a couple days of windy rain and I wanted to pick up any fallen branches in the driveway. A small daily joy is to wander around in my nightgown and garden boots. I am definitely a member of…
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Summer Attractions
Summer in Japan is full of festivals and events. I feel like a sweaty social butterfly. Kamogawa Citizen’s Fireworks Although we’ve lived in Kamogawa for a decade, this is the first time we’ve taken in the beach fireworks. They were quite spectacular – lots of multicolored rainbow explosions reflecting on the water and waves. We…
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Cat Report
One of the hallmarks of my morning yoga class was the “cat report.” It started as a way for me to keep everyone distracted during a particular movement, and became a regular thing. I miss giving a cat report and yesterday’s activities merit some reporting. So here we are a cat report for you. Beryl…
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Camera Roll
Life is flowing along from rainy season into summer. Every day brings beautiful, memorable, and wonderful moments. Here are a few from recent weeks. There were two notable human interest articles in the local paper – a profile of me now that I’m on the Oyama Senmaida board, and an interview with Iku-chan about her…
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Getting a headboard
One of the things on my “to do” list since we moved into 555 twenty-one months ago was to find a headboard for our bed. I’d bodged together something with pillows and foamcore when we first moved in, but it started falling apart. It was time to sort out a better option. Also, Beryl loves…
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May flowers
We had some April showers and now there are flowers everywhere. Here is a roundup of interesting blossoms in my yard and garden today.
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