I pulled out my hexie tree quilt that I haven't worked on in a very long time. I am adding sequins and beads to be little twinkly lights.
Year five of the temperature quilt
Week 11
July 11 - 17
86, 86, 82, 79, 82, 90, 88
I am reporting the high temperature each day. My Year Five temperature/color scheme remains the same as previous years:
100+ Brown
90-99 Red
80-89 Orange
70-79 Yellow
60-69 Green
50-59 Blue
40-49 Purple
30-39 Pink
20-29 White
You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.
Japan loves cute, even with its manhole covers. This month Hokkaido announces seven new Pokemon manhole covers or Pokefuta, as they are known in Japan. They feature the fox-like fire Pokemon Vulpix and its ice-type Alolan form, representing Hokkaido's warm and cold seasons. (I'm not a follower of all things Pokemon, so I have no idea about these creatures.) The new covers an be found in Hakodate, Otaru, Nemuro, Nororibetsu, Honbetsu, Rikubetsu, Nakashibetsu, and Sapporo. You can find out more about them here.
This shrine is across the road from the Irieoka train station. I had walked by this place many times, but this was the first time I took a look around. It turned out to be more interesting than what it looked like from the street. It was another gloomy day, but not raining when I was visiting.
Many shrines have one big old tree. This one did too.
Just a few steps down from the street and you are on the shrine grounds. It is so close to the street that I think drivers have to be careful.
The door was locked but I could look in. Seems like storage.
Komainu (lion-dogs) are often seen guarding the entrance to the shrine worship hall. They are thought to protect the space around the god from evil. One has an open mouth and the other a closed mouth. I usually see one with a ball. Here, the one on the right has an open mouth and a ball under its foot.
The one on the left has a closed mouth and a small lion-dog under its foot! I don't know what that is about.
I'm glad I stopped to look around this time.
On July 12th, Mattel added a new Barbie to its collection - Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka. The new doll was designed by Carlyle Nuera, who also designed Barbies of Billie Jean King, Ella Fitzgerald, and others.
The doll comes wearing Osaka's 2020 Australian Open outfit and comes with a visor, a tennis racket, a tennis ball, a sweatband, shoes and a doll stand. It sells for $29.99 on Barbie's online shop. I read that she is already sold out.
In an Instagram post, Osaka said she hoped it reminds every child that "they can do and be anything."
When I was young, Barbie dolls were very popular. I had many versions of Barbie and lots of clothes and carrying cases. I sewed (by hand) tons of outfits and accessories for them to wear. I don't remember any famous replica dolls. Maybe they were made but were too expensive for my family to buy. When I was in High School, I gave all of my Barbies and stuff to my younger cousin. Did you play with Barbies when you were young, or are you a collector?
Here is a page with Barbie history if you are interested.
Cross Stitch and Buttons
Mola Fish
Puppy Love
Floral Bouquet
Scarf
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| New area stitched |
ペーパードライバ? Paper driver? Does that sound odd to you? I thought so the first time I heard it, but now I understand. A person who has a drivers license in Japan but doesn't drive is called a paper driver. I don't understand why someone would get a drivers license and not be a driver because it is expensive and time consuming to go to driving school and get the license. Public transportation is excellent in Japan so unless you live country side, you can get by without a car or license. (I don't drive in Japan and I admit, it's not always convenient to take public transportation, but I have been able to go and do what I want without driving.)
Drivers licenses in Japan come in three colors - green for new drivers, blue for regular drivers, and gold for drivers with no traffic violations. That means paper drivers have gold licenses! If you never drive, you never violate any driving law. (license photos from the internet)
With a quick search on the internet, I learned that driving school can cost between 240,000 and 340,000 yen, the written examination costs 1550 yen, and the actual license costs 2050 yen. And that's before you pay for a car or a parking space. That sounds like a lot of money to me, even if the license is gold.
Year five of the temperature quilt
Week 10
July 4 - 10
70, 77, 81, 86, 77, 75, 91
I am reporting the high temperature each day. My Year Five temperature/color scheme remains the same as previous years:
100+ Brown
90-99 Red
80-89 Orange
70-79 Yellow
60-69 Green
50-59 Blue
40-49 Purple
30-39 Pink
20-29 White
You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.
I was walking home and saw this shrine for the first time. I visited on a rainy day, but the rain had temporarily stopped. I thought the sign said Oshiba, but when I looked on the online map it said Koshiba Hachimangu Shrine.
This is the entrance from the street.
My town has a professional soccer team, so I wonder if this has anything to do with wishing the team good luck? Look at the Daruma in the back. Only one eye is painted. When you get the Daruma doll, both eyes are blank. You make a wish or goal and color in one one eye. When the wish comes true or the goal is met, you color the second eye in.
Do you know what a soroban 算盤, そろばん is and how to use it? The soroban is a Japanese abacus. It was developed from the ancient Chinese suanpan, which was imported to Japan in the 14th century.
The soroban has been taught in Japanese schools for over 500 years. There are also private schools and tutors. My students tell me about their children going to Soroban School to learn to use it quickly and accurately in order to pass level tests. There are six levels, starting from sixth-grade (very skilled), up to first-grade (those who have completely mastered the use of the soroban). At least a third-grade certificate is needed for some jobs. One of my students told me there are two parts to the level test - actual use and mind use. In the second part, the user imagines using the soroban and is calculating in his head.
I never learned to use a soroban or abacus. I'm not even very good with a calculator. What about you?
Yes, it is finished. It measures about six inches by eight inches.
Here are all four matching pieces, front and back. I backed the rug and carpet with felt. All four of these matching pieces were Janet Granger kits.
