The end of April and 1/3 of the way through the year. Seventeen projects and only one finish so far. Something is wrong with that math!
I worked on Queen Mary. The background is taking a long time, but I haven't minded it.
I also stitched more on the kogin piece.
I finished my April cat.
To see all of my 17 in 2017 projects, check out this page. To see the progress other participants have made, check it out here.
Japan has three big holiday times - New Year's in January, Obon in mid-August, and Golden Week - essentially the first week of May. Everyone takes their vacations during these times, so everything is more expensive and crowded. I have nine consecutive days off work - one work week, plus two weekends. I don't have plans to go anywhere big, but I do plan to see some friends, do some stitching, and depending on the weather and how I feel, take a day trip or two.
Today is Showa no Hi, which is the birthday of the previous emperor. Emperor Hirohito was the reigning Emperor before, during, and after World War II.
May 3rd is Constitutional Memorial Day. It commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of Japan on May 3, 1947.
May 4th is Greenery Day or Midori no Hi. It celebrates nature.
May 5th is Children's Day, also known as Boy's Day or Kodomo no Hi.
This year I plan to stitch the calendar cats (free charts at Happiness is Cross Stitching). One small ornament per month, so this month is April. I will wait to finish them all at the same time in December so that they will be the same size and somehow coordinate.
I'm linking up with Heather, at Stitching Lotus, the hostess of this stitch a long.
I live in a great place.
There are many interesting things to see close by my apartment.
I see many friendly and interesting people and they seem to notice me more than I probably know.
My students will frequently tell me they saw me walking, wearing sunglasses. I have to laugh when they tell me that because I always wear sunglasses, not just the time they saw me.
My neighbor usually walks in the morning and I pass him on my way to work. He always has a big smile and greeting for me.
Last week I saw an elderly woman I hadn't seen in awhile. She said Yo Katta and pointed to my arm. I waved it around and said Ima ii desu. I guess I hadn't seen her since my arm was in a cast.
I think people look out for me, too. One morning I walked a different route to work to go to the convenience store to buy a drink. A woman I often see out with her dog tried to point to my usual street. Maybe she thought I was lost. I pointed to the Lawson's and she smiled and said Wakarimashita.
When I go to the hospital in the mornings, I pass by a school bus stop and see a man with his son. After awhile, he asked me where I come from and we talk a bit each time I see him. He is from Peru and has been here 20 years, married to a Japanese woman and working for a car repair place.
I feel like I belong to this little community.
It's hard to tell that I worked on this piece this week, but I did.
Saturday evening I attended a wonderful party. It was a dress up affair on the 18th floor of a nice hotel. (I wore a red and black dress I last wore ten years ago when I was thinner and blonder. Oh well! My earrings were new.)
My friend welcomed everyone, and was thoughtful to give me a copy of his welcome in English!
The food and drink were fabulous.
I was happy to see people I had met before and glad to meet many more people.
There was a quiz game, but I had no idea what it was about. I was on the B team.
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| The A Team |
After the quiz part there was an additional "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to determine the winners.
Thank you for including me in this Spring Party! I had such a good time.
I added another set of borders on the top and the right sides. I also took out all the templates from the tree and will soon be ready to start stitching it down. Maybe it'll be done by Christmas time.
Headline News on Japan Today: 600 Items of Stolen Women's Underwear Found in Suspect's Home. This is big crime news in Japan!
"Police in Mitaka, Tokyo found 600 items of stolen women's underwear in the apartment of an unemployed 39-year old man who was arrested while trying to steal lingerie from the balcony of a woman's residence last month." According to the police, the suspect has admitted to the theft and said he had stolen these items over the past three years.
While this is a strange story, I don't think that it would be crime news in the US. There are so many violent crimes to report that weird stuff like this gets printed under "News of the Weird", not the crime story page.
I feel very safe in Japan, but I still hang my underwear to dry inside.
On Fridays, my last class ends at 5 o'clock. Yesterday, I wanted to go to the Indian restaurant after work. I asked one of my friends at work to go with me, but she had to work late, so I ended up just going alone. It was too late to invite anyone else to go. I've been there with different people and I like it. The food is good, it's not expensive, and they remember I don't want butter on my naan. They have cheaper lunch sets in the middle of the day. In the evening there is a different menu, and I get the "Ladies Set".
First they bring out the salad and soup, and yes, that is corn on the salad. (Mayonaise and corn are added to everything possible here in Japan.)
I get vegetable curry - hot, along with naan (no butter), and a lassi to drink.
The restaurant staff is happy to wrap up what I don't eat to take home, so that I have room for the ice cream.
Don't ask me if men can order the Ladies' Set because I don't know.
