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During and after the typhoon
Charging our stuff at City Hall. Power has been out since Saturday at 4:30 pm. Zan and her cats stayed with us through the storm. She and I did yoga in the living room. No cats allowed. Our cats got cozy in the bed with us. They would like to be housecats permanently! During the…
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In the paper
As Tod, Zan, and I were leaving the “refugee room” at City Hall, a reporter from the Asahi Shimbun introduced himself. He was working on collecting stories from foreign residents affected by the typhoon. He was very interested (of course) in Zan’s damaged house and after talking with us for half an hour or so,…
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Typh0on #19, Hagibis
Social media sources and the news are loudly warning about Super Typhoon 19, which looks like it might make landfall in Japan over the weekend. But where it will hit, and at what intensity, is a matter of speculation at this point. Tod & I are scheduled to go to Mie-ken to celebrate our 30th…
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Brave or stupid?
Futatsuyama models his mamushi (pit viper) bite. Futatsuyama fears nothing. He is an unstoppable force, facing down raccoons and playing with snakes. This swollen foot is likely the first of many. A couple of days ago discovered a pair of abcessed wounds on his flank. He isn’t the kind of cat who learns lessons. Does…
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Rice straw
The cats are about to get a new winter shelter and it will be padded with the lovely wara (rice straw) from my neighbors’ organic farm. All four cats were very curious about the straw, and soon curled up on top of it for a nap. I think they will enjoy it this winter.
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Warm bath for cats
The boys have decided that the cover of the bath is a nice place to relax when the bath is full of warm water.
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マザー牧場 (Mother Farm)
Today we took a day off from everything and went on an adventure to Mother’s Bokujo, a farm-theme attraction about a half hour north of us. It exceeded my expectations. For those who like wholesome fun, it’s a great day out. I thought it was nicely designed so that the experience was light and energetic…
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Happy at harvest
I didn’t take any photos today. The view from Hatanaka’s rice fields was beautiful and it always makes me happy to see the Hiratsuka valley nestled into the mountains. The images are etched in my mind: the red torii in the distance; the mined-flat top of the mountain to the west; the nearby trees and…
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Ashes to ocean
We interred most of Mom’s ashes in a pretty pottery urn inside a vault in shared plot with Dad’s at the cemetery in Ephrata, but we took a small portion to scatter. Is it grim that we saved some of Dad’s ashes all these years, just for this moment? On a hot sunny day, we…
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Fran Hill, 1940 – 2019
In Loving Memory Frances Elizabeth (Burroughs) Hill, 79, of Ephrata, PA, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 8, 2019, at Maple Farm Nursing Center. Fran was born on February 6, 1940, and graduated from Merchantville High School in 1957. She earned her R.N. from Presbyterian School of Nursing in Philadelphia in 1960. She married Phillip…
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