-
Patio Approach
Well, I am back to the 555 drawing board, literally, as I design hardscaping for the patio. Unlike my garden plans which are subject to change even after implementation, putting in hardscaping requires precision and finality. I want to get the patio done before Tod’s mother and her husband visit during Golden Week towards the…
-
Figuring out the gardening
Yesterday Tod and I planted potatoes in the hatake. It’s a bit late, but I hope they will still be okay. Once they were in the ground, I started to think about the rest of the field and what I might try planting. The monkeys and boars would enjoy most of what I would prefer…
-
Flea Season
Forget spring, what we really have is flea and tick season. After yesterday’s tick bite on my leg, I went on alert and sure enough, I caught a little tiny tickling wandering on Maura’s fur in the evening. I combed him carefully and found two fleas as well. Great… Flea combing the cats is a…
-
Two Mice & a Tick
Here in Japan, spring has several heralds: Here at 555, I have additional metrics based in nature. MOUSE #1I was doing a crossword puzzle after dinner when I heard the cadence of a cat with a mission. There’s a certain pattern to Maura’s movement when he has caught a snack. Fast and steady steps, low…
-
Paths, old and new
The property around 555 is a jungle. I love it that way, yet I feel the need to tame it. I want a diversity of things growing, attracting insects, birds, and other animals but at the same time, I want to be able to enjoy the space around me without climbing through weeds. And the…
-
First snow at 555
Across the Bay, yesterday was a snowpocalypse, closing all highways heading west from the city, grounding flights, and delaying trains. But here we only had a lot of rain pouring down on us all day. Until evening when the temperature dropped and the snow began. First a dusting and then quickly accumulating to a nice…
-
555 Then and Now
50 years ago, this area was pure satoyama – mixed use farm and forest land. I have been aware of the changes that happened well before we arrived. Tod & I were fascinated by some photos of the area in a book about the history of the old elementary school, and later combed through arial…
-
Odd Things in the Barn
We have decided to delay the full renovation of the barn – saving up more money to do it right. But the 120 year old structure needs some loving attention in the interim so I have started on a new plan. I will remove everything from the inside – all the junk, the treasures, and…
-
Reuse & Salvage
As creative as I am in other areas, upcycling materials into new things is a challenge for me. I have a hard time imagining novel ways to repurpose thing beyond the original use. With a hard limit on my budget for exterior work around 555, I have to think creatively about what I can find…
-
Rearrangement
Tod was in Tokyo last week and just before he came home, I decided to rearrange the living room furniture. I am not sure why I got the fever to do this, but I did. And I am glad for it. I liked the old arrangement just fine. The sofa created an endpoint in the…
Archives