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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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Bad or Good?
A week ago in a meeting, I shared a story to illustrate that business setbacks or successes can be reframed with a single word. Alan Watts delivered the Story of the Chinese Farmer with his usual panache: And here I am, wrapping my head around the events of this weekend. It really feel like this…
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Fire Investigation
We got a call this morning requesting us to go to 555 for questions from the fire investigators. After the quickest of breakfasts, we headed out the door. We ended up spending the majority of the day there. The questions were mainly for me as I was the last person in the house, on Tuesday…
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Gone, gone, gone
At about 12:30 this afternoon, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: 大山地区。建物火災。平塚５５１。 (Oyama area house fire. Hiratsuka 551.) 551 is the old house next to our kominka – the one with the big gate. Oh! But the announcement was wrong. It wasn’t 551. It was 555. Our kominka, “Go-Go-Go” is gone, gone gone. To be…
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Floor planning
This is the current floor plan, more or less, of the kominka. It’s 120 years old and has had a lot of adjustments over the generations. The last renovation was about 6 years back, when the owner’s daughter and her family lived there; they updated the kitchen and bath. I really don’t like the layout…
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Go-go-go!
Tod & I (mostly me) have been looking for a new place to live since we arrived here in rural Chiba more than five years ago. The house we landed in is comfortable and easy to live in, but it’s on a busy road and we are renting, so we can’t really fix it up…
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Fritter belly
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In memory of Gord
Yesterday afternoon, two hunting dogs invaded our space and chased the cats. Fritter and Maura got away, but the beasts caught Gord and killed him. I am furious, sad, and in shock even now. As our neighbor and the police searched for the marauding dogs, we buried Gord next to Isabella Bird, near Futatsuyama and…
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