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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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Wedding party
Jeannie McQuillin married Tim Enright today. I have a second father-in-law and a whole new set of relatives. Tod walked his mother down the aisle and later danced with her at the reception. It was a joyful evening for everyone – with lots of food and drink, a DJ who played a wide range of…
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Happy 2019
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25 Words
Every year since 2001, I’ve summarised my year in exactly 25 words. Here is how I saw 2018:A contented year at home with Tod. Got fat, got happy. Played with friends in the beauty of nature. Earned enough, laughed enough. Pleasingly present. And all the 25 Word entries I’ve written since 2001:2017Be careful what you…
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Light 2019
Since 2009, I’ve selected a theme to guide my year. Sometime, these words come straight to me like a shot. Other years I’ve dug around in lexical books to find the right one. This year I’m not sure why, but I selected LIGHT. To be honest, I was a little bit fearful about choosing a…
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