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Second Jab and a Typhoon
This morning, Typhoon #10 is bucketing down outside and the cats are going crazy, all of their morning calisthenics taking place in the office instead of outside. By the time yoga starts in an hour, I think they will be crashed out and sleeping. But for now, there is a great deal of scurrying and…
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The Tile Mines
Recently, Fujii-san acquired 12 tons of tile that was going to be sent to the dump by a construction company. 8 enormous bags of it that needed to be lifted by crane. Each bag is filled with completely random odds and ends from projects. There’s all kinds of stuff in there, bathroom tiles for floor…
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Time to rest
At the end of today, it was done. The kominka is nothing more than ashes and a few piles of straw and rubble. There’s more to do, of course. Those piles of hay need to be moved and the lot flattened out and readied for the next stage. But we’re all overdue for a break. …
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Quiet on a hot tin roof
The weather today was sunny and felt more blistering than the 23C the weather apps said. Everyone at 555 seemed tired. Despite that, we all worked hard and many things happened. The yumbo lifted off the large section of totan sheeting that had blown off the roof in 2019. I have been wondering how we…
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Interpretive Sumi
Abstracted and meditational drawings I made this week based on photos of the charred beams of 555 Hiratsuka.
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Stele
There is a stele at the top of the east road at 555, right around where I think the old road branched down the hill to the next village. This stone tablet was hidden by weeds until this week, when someone in the work crew uncovered it. It’s a bit of a mystery. 大日如来 (Dainichi…
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Embers
After a day of heavy rain yesterday, we were back at the burn. I didn’t take too many photos today because around midmorning, one of the hydraulic lines on the yumbo sprung a leak. We spent a couple of hours feeding the fire manually while we waited for a repair. Fortunately for us, Komatsu had…
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Offered to the gods
This morning I sang an improvised dirge as we started to burn the broken beams of the house. I don’t think anyone heard it but me, but it was comforting to sing to the house. It was a sad moment for me, and I can only imagine how the Kawasakis felt. They were quiet. While…
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Breaking it down
This morning, I woke up feeling insecure and my anxiety was turned up to 11. I saw on Facebook that they had been working at 555 yesterday, but I’d missed it. I asked about today’s plan and Fujii-san said he thought they’d be gathering again but he didn’t have any details. I am acutely aware…
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Processing
Processing shock and loss takes many forms. For me, physicality is key. I need to be present in the charred space, exploring at the scene. I bear witness. I feel it intensely. And then I start to draw or write to release it. I went up to 555 this morning and climbed over into the…
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