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A Reflection on Sayonaras
Today I said goodbye to a friend from our neighborhood who is leaving for new adventures. She’s been a colorful character in our area for several years and as the only middle-aged white American women in this part of Chiba, we’ve become close and had each others backs for the unexpected events of country living. …
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Racism doesn’t belong in Activism.
I don’t share them often in public, but I have opinions, political views, and strong ideas about how things could be better in the world. I am anti-conspiracy, pro-science, anti-racist, feminist, pro-LGBTQ+, and anti-consumerism. I believe there’s beauty in everything. I think we should be good to each other. It’s okay with me if you…
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Did we have Covid-19?
Test result said “negative,” but the Omicron-like symptoms said yes. We will never be sure. For about a week, Tod & I had raw sore throat & congestion, cough, runny nose, exhaustion, brain fog, and digestive problems. But neither of us had fever, so no way to get an official PCR test. On the 3rd…
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Crone Day
I have been waiting for today for 40 years. Ever since my first menstrual cycle at the late age of 15, I looked forward to the end of them. I never wanted children, so the whole middle phase of the Maiden-Mother-Crone cycle was troublesome and unwelcome for me. And here I am, an official 12…
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25 Words
Go, go, go! Small steps to big plans. 12 tons of tiles, a full-time job, and fresh faces. Kominka burned, making way for different dreams. 2020: Dystopia from our safe haven. Pandemic realigned me with art, teaching, and daily yoga practice via Zoom. Deeply mourned Futatsuyama, Isabella Bird, and Foreground Cat. 2019: All shall be…
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Wonder 2022
It came to me this morning, and settled solidly as the correct word after I had tried on and discarded dozens of candidates. WONDER will guide me in 2022. I considered rise, set, learn, blossom, build, act. They are all good, but none quite felt like the right next step after 2021’s ‘observe.’ Observe was…
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Christmas 2021
I feel like I planned poorly for this holiday, though I did my best. I made an artful painted tree a couple of weeks ago and hung solar lights on the “Christmas bush” at the edge of the driveway. I did, finally, host a cookie exchange – my first in Kamogawa. I only just finished…
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Walks in the Woods
Southern Chiba’s low and rolling mountains are criss-crossed with old roads, ancient cow trails, and other overgrown signs of past habitation. Walking them together is our happy time on weekends. Tod is very good at spotting interesting little mountain turnoffs that lead to a beautiful drive and/or a lovely hike. Many of the trails are…
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On getting older but not yet Old
For past while, I have been suffering a minor personal drama of aging. At 55, I’m past the middle of my life (unless I live to 110) and starting to feel the lack of years in my future. When Tod toasted our 32nd anniversary in October “to the next 32,” I cried inside. Who can…
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100,000 km
Today, Tilly Good Car’s odometer rolled over to 100,000 km. Tod planned a route to the grocery store that would get us to a picturesque spot on Tilly’s favorite road, the Lindo along the ridge, so we could stop and take some photos. Tilly is 22 years old and has been all over Japan with…
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