May 2011

The first week of May here in Japan is called Golden Week.  It has a string of national holidays, so most people take a spring vacation.  One learns not to go anywhere during this week because everyone else is going there.  

There is a heron standing in this rice field.

On Mother’s Day May 8^th we had 12 people in church, no visitors.  We gave each of the moms a furoshiki (a square cloth used to carry items) made from purple or orange fabric from Senegal.  Matsumoto-sensei gave us several meters.  I received phone calls from each of the kids except Peter.  It was good to talk to them. 

Thursday, May 12, was Peter’s 24^th birthday.  I called him and he said he was doing great.  He moved to a basement apartment in a location that takes 10 miles off the commute to Virginia.  The rent is about the same that we paid back in 1995 for an entire house.  It would be nice to own something.  Be that as it may, Stephen turned 27 on the 16^th.  He is also doing fine, not much info coming forth.  The 18^th was my birthday and I spent part of the day with the quilting group making one for the tsunami victims.  It will be pretty when done.   Teresa and Matthew called and Stephen sent a short email.  

This peach or salmon iris is the only different colored one in the yard.  The rest are lavender or purple.  

 My set of ceramic sheep representing each family member.  They need a repaint job. 

 The common lavender iris in the yard.  One year recently there were over 100.  Something happened to most of them in 2010 and they rotted. Just a fraction remain, so will start the multiplication over.

 Frog friends are content to sit in the lillies.

 Ajuba is a ground cover with these beautiful purple flowers in May that last for a couple of weeks. 

This is our nightly frog song.