Love your neighbor

Yesterday I was shopping in the town when I noticed an older lady standing in front of me at the cash register. Ah, I know her. She lives in our neighborhood somewhere and often rides her bicycle to the local supermarket. Did she ride all the way into town? The lady noticed me too and we nodded to each other. When I was leaving, I went over and asked if she had come to town on bicycle or if she was with someone.

"No. I rode my bicycle to the bus stop and took the bus into town today."

"Well, I'm headed back home, why don't I give you a ride back if you are finished with your errands."

The lady was quite surprised especially since we didn't even know each others' names. After a few protests saying it would cause me too much trouble, she accepted my offer and the two of us drove back to the neighborhood and to where she'd left her bicycle. We had a nice conversation and I feel like I have a new friend!

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I am still plugging away at my BOM embroidery but every time I pick up the needle I realize how much finer work it is compared to quilting or piecing. I STRUGGLE to see those stitches and NOW I remember my resolution not to do any more embroidery!

My friends Mrs. Nakazawa and Rumi-san are making a New Testament sampler quilt. And for the center block I set them to embroidering their favorite Bible verse. Mrs. Nakazawa chose "Love your neighbor as yourself." And Mrs. Nakazawa is planning to make TWO New Testament quilts so that means TWO embroidery blocks. But the last time Mrs. Nakazawa came for patchwork she mentioned that she was having trouble seeing and was scheduled for cataract surgery.

Mrs. Nakazawa has put her half finished embroidery block on hold until she can see better. That's ONE block. Hey, I can see just fine and I STILL have trouble with embroidery. I doubt that fine needlework is good for Mrs. Nakazawa right now, so......


I did her second block for her. She's been working on the same verse with a different kitty (Mrs. Nakazawa is my kitty mentor) so I hope she'll be able to use this one. The embroidery design is from Red Brolly and there are so many cute kitties on the website, it was hard to pick!

5:00 am scenery

Choco and I got started early this morning again. 5:00 am.

The sun had just come up but the fog hadn't completely lifted.


The rice fields were glittering as was the stream. You can see we get a lot of water around here. So quenching to my Southern California eyes.

Choco and I checked out the forest.

"Are you coming, Mom?"


Speaking of checking out things. While I took this picture Choco heard tweeting in the wheat field and took a romp. I could hear a rustle-rustle-rustle and occasionally see a black head bounce through the stalks.

"Choco come back!!! Ding-dang-dog! The farmers don't want you in their fields!"


Flowers along the roadside and on the field edges.


Poppies are abundant!


And I was ever so pleased to capture a heron flying past the morning sun!

What time is it?

I was at the kindergarten yesterday.

In the five year old class there is one boy, T-kun, who has some social challenges but is actually an extremely bright boy. He sometimes gets focused on something else and isn't happy about coming to English time and on those days he will sit in the corner sobbing silently but usually he enjoys English and waves his hand, blurting out answers and wanting to do it all. While many of the 5 year olds sort of sit and absorb by chance whatever English I am trying to teach, T-kun most often plays an active, noisy role in my class.

This month I've been teaching numbers.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Eight, nine, ten, eleven... twelve!"

Okay, if they can count to twelve, I can bring out the wooden clock and see how far they can get with time. I realize that many of these 5 year olds can't even tell time in Japanese let alone attempt a stab at English, but since they learned to count to twelve...

"The little hand is on ONE. And the big hand is on TWELVE. It's ONE O'CLOCK. See, when the hand is on TWELVE we say O'CLOCK. That's the easy part. But you've got to remember what number the little hand is pointing at."

"This is ONE O'CLOCK. And with the little hand pointing at two, it is TWO O'CLOCK. What time is it if the little hand is pointing at THREE?"

I had a whole bunch of children waving their hands at me wanting to give the answer. Same with 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. But by 7:00, the hands started to thin. Not that many kids can count post 6. T-kun sat counting on his fingers, then frantically waving his hand. Ah, T-kun can probably answer the 12:00. I let him wave and called on other children. 8:00, 9:00, even the little autistic boy knows 10. He could answer 10:00 with help. 11:00. That's a hard one. T-kun was still waving his hand but I called on another waving child. Finally 12:00...

"T-kun. What time is it now? The little hand and the big hand are pointing at TWELVE."

And T-kun confidently answered,

"It's O'CLOCK O'CLOCK!"

It's what? The kindergarten teacher and I looked at each other puzzled.

"It's... OHHHhhh!!!"

T-kun was really thinking very logically. I DID say that when the hand is pointing at TWELVE we say O'CLOCK, so O'CLOCK O'CLOCK is a wonderful answer! I sure praised him for his thinking skills and of course taught him that in this case the time was TWELVE O'CLOCK.

I love seeing the world through children's eyes.

Scrap User's System

Although I like working on planned quilts with a designed pattern, a few years ago I found Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User System and I started cutting scraps into 2 inch squares.

Then I started cutting 2 and a half inch squares.

Then 2 inch and 2 and a half inch strips.

Then 3 and a half inch strips.

Then strings.

That ends up with a lot of baskets and bins with pre cut fabric but none of them going anywhere.

Oh I have made some quilts with my Scrap User System. A Pineapple Blossom quilt, a star quilt, a few baby quilts, a couple donation quilts, a few prayer quilts. I'm definitely happy to have a way to use my scraps. But the baskets and bins do start to overflow after a bit of time...

This week, just to keep the 2 and a half inch strip basket at bay I started one of Bonnie's Scrappy Trip Around the World quilts. Very nice! And while I'm at it I just keep putting together 2 inch squares and have a whole set of new blocks started too. Hmm. These look like I could use them together.

No great plans but I AM sewing.

Thing-a-ma-bob

The other day I got a surprise package in the mail from Lorraine!

"From Lorraine? But this package was sent from Japan."

How I laughed when I opened it! This is a patchwork piecing board. You know...

For my first few years of doing patchwork I traced my template patterns on a piece of sandpaper from Tetsu's tool box. (The sandpaper keeps the fabric from slipping, right?) Somewhere along the line I saw a sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob in a quilt store but since Tetsu's sandpaper served the purpose I passed over that purchase. Tetsu knew I really wanted a pretty sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob so he designed and constructed one for me! A fancy two sided board connected by hinges! I could open it up to trace templates and close it up and use it as a mini-ironing board WITHOUT scratching my table. My sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob has served me well for probably 20 years.

A couple of years ago my sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob broke at the hinges and that meant I now had a HALF of a sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob by my chair downstairs and another HALF upstairs in the sewing room. (I had to be careful about scratching the table though). But when a person has TWO things (or thing-a-ma-bobs) a person is less likely to keep track of where she has laid down the first thing. (I am forever losing my glasses because I have more than one pair.) So I am often running upstairs and back downstairs looking for one of my sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bobs.

While Lorraine was visiting she offered to piece a couple small stars for my close-to-being-finished Star Within a Star quilt.

"Great! Let me get one of my sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bobs for you."

That's right! I couldn't find either one. I ran up and down those stairs looking in various places while Lorraine patiently waited. I finally gave up my search and Lorraine traced around templates with the fabric slipping every which way. But thanks to her last two stars, my Star Within a Star quilt has been made into a flimsy!

Obviously Lorraine felt that as a quilter doing hand piecing now and then, I REALLY needed a new sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob and she had her daughter-in-law send me one! It is a beauty! Big, soft grey flannel on one side, sandpaper on the other, and a mole grip on the sandpaper side so that it won't slip while I'm ironing. And I have heard that the grip can also be used to mark applique pieces so that will be a new technique I am wanting to try out.

My new sandpaper/ironing board thing-a-ma-bob is big enough that it will be hard to lose and because I have only ONE it will be treasured!

Thank you Lorraine!

Tsuruga Castle

More of the weekend.

Driving along... not really having a plan in mind... Tetsu and I came across the Fukushima (Aizuwakamatsu) Tsuruga Castle. That sounds interesting. Let's go see what that's all about.

In Japanese history there were samurai lords and clans that built castles and ruled the countryside engaging in battles, directing the peasants and farmers. In many cities, the stone castle walls can still be seen, usually turned into city parks and cultural areas. A few cities have rebuilt the castles and allow people inside and up to the top battlements.


Like many castles, Tsurugajo (castle) is surrounded by a moat.

Moat and me.

My samurai.

The castle has been turned into a very well cared for museum filled with artifacts and implements, explanations (in English...) and things for people to enjoy. Here is Tetsu sitting at a lord's place overseeing his castle.


Oh my! I want to be a lady in waiting! The kimono was just set in the alcove with an invitation for anyone to try it on. I felt a little silly posing while people passed by on all sides but if was fun for me and fun for people bowing to me and playing along with the scenario.

From the top of the castle looking down on the city.

And the castle itself.

As we were leaving a samurai warrior recruited me. Do I make a better warrior or lady in waiting?

Day trip to Fukushima, part one

More local traveling...

Tetsu and I headed NORTH this weekend. To Fukushima which you probably remember as where the tsunami destroyed most of the coast and the nuclear plant. Fukushima's tourist industry is struggling to make a comeback so we decided to head up that way. As usual, no concrete plans.

Throughout most of Japan, the traditional houses and villages used to be made of wood and thatched roofs but most of the buildings have fallen down or been replaced by modern arciteture. However there are places in Fukushima that are trying to preserve the historical buildings. This small park was not yet really open for tourists this morning (still 8:00) but we wandered around anyway.

Another old house with a traditional public mailbox out in front.

Driving a little further we came to a whole traditional village that has been opened to tourists. Years ago our family visited here and the streets were SWARMING with tourists! So much that it was hard to walk! It sort of lost its charm then but yesterday, though people were THERE, it wasn't nearly so crowded. Whether that is good or bad for the village I don't know, but it was nice for the tourists.


The houses are still lived in but the front rooms facing the street have all been turned into little shops. Here is an obaachan watching her wares of woven baskets while people stroll by.


One shop was selling hand made pillows stuffed with buckwheat hulls.


A truly colorful shop selling little fabric stuffed goods depicting vegetables and fruits. Persimmons in the foreground, red peppers and gourds etc. in the background. Japanese will often dry their fruits or vegetables out on tiers for later use in the winter so this is fairly realistic. The price was pretty high too... and I couldn't see what I'd do with a rack of "dried" peppers. If I was industrious I might want to try to make some myself.... I don't think I'm that industrious. But these were lovely to look at.

Noodle shops...

Well, some tourists.


A shop owner in a traditional happi coat. Tetsu pointed out to me that under the table was the ojiichan's Crocs.

We climbed up a ways on the hill to get an overall view of the village.

And someone offered to take our picture so we posed.

After that mini hike we refreshed ourselves with shaved ice with sweet beans, omochi and maccha syrup.

Tetsu bought me a hand made cat mug! A good excuse to help the Fukushima economy and I always need mugs to serve coffee to friends.

More tomorrow...