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Beachy days
Our friend, Matt, had a long stopover in Japan after his flight out of Delhi and he came out to visit us over the weekend. Matt works in a think tank doing ocean policy research and was eager to see the ocean and our local beaches. We were happy to comply, hitting both the Pacific…
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A Fine Evening in May
This is one of the loveliest seasons in Japan: Rikka, the beginning of summer. Days are warm, nights still cool, and humidity low. Not too many biting insects. Perfect for outdoor activities; good weather is motivating. Here is a vignette of May 11th at 555. On this fine afternoon, Tod re-mowed paths around the property…
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Fledgling, a tragedy
I was at my desk late this afternoon working when I heard the cat door thunk, followed by loud, distressed squeaks. I ran downstairs to find Beryl skulking back outside with a bird in her mouth. It looked limp and lifeless. I tried to encourage her to drop it but she kept running away. When…
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Post-GW Garden Report
Two weeks off weeding to enjoy time with guests has put me far behind the curve of growth. We had a big rain that kept me indoors yesterday so I ventured out this morning to have a look at the situation around the property. Mist was rising out of the valley and it was beautifully…
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Week two, what did we do?
Jeanie and Tim are returning home today and I have a week’s worth of memories to journal. I tried to take more photos this time, but I still failed to capture all the moments. Tuesday, April 30: A slow morning. Laundry. It was rainy so we spent a day at home. There might have been…
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Happy 55th
Tod’s mom baked his favorite birthday cake and we invited friends over to enjoy it with us. We spent the day preparing. Tim & I hung lights in the garden while Jeanie baked. Evening came and so did the guests. Our first party on the patio was a success. Happy birthday, Tod!
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How an Artist Builds a Fence
Engineers, please do not read. In my imagination and vision, the patio still has some tasks to accomplish. One of them is putting up a fence to wall off the garden compost pile (formerly Gomi-yama #2) from the sitting area. A fence would make a visible end to the space and also provide a background…
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Stripey Tiles
The Tiles Mines have finally yielded a finished product at 555! For the last two weeks, in between rainy days, Sakaguchi-san has been coming over to lay the tiles I laid out in stripes in November. Yes, they sat there for six months before anything happened to them. My plan was creative and complicated. The…
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Hammer Knife Rotor
Feeling overwhelmed by the long grass today, I asked Kawasaki-san if I could use the hammer knife rotor. He gave me and Tod a quick tutorial and off we went. It’s been a dream for two years to try this beast! It is a powerful and complicated machine with a lot of controls. A pull-start…
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Teaching the Birds a Song
This morning I opened the window and heard loud and eager songbirds. A trio of brownish birds held a concert in a tangle of vines and trees. I listened. The cats listened. It was glorious. I tried to capture a video, but the sound quality on my phone doesn’t do it justice. Here it is…
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