Friday Finish - Red and Gold Ornament

Finished size is about 4"x4" on 28 count fabric, two strands of DMC 326. Twisted cording made from the same floss.

You Are Never Too Old

 

There are around 2,900 McDonald's restaurants in Japan, with employees of all ages.  Really. At the Takaoka Ekinan restaurant in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, Yoshimitsu Yabuta, age 93, works. He has the distinction of being the oldest McDonald's worker in Japan. 

He started started as a part-time employee in 2019, when he was only 90 years old. He saw an advertisement and wanted to do something with his spare time. This McDonald's is open 24 hours a day, so it was the night shift that was attractive to him.  He previously worked the night shift at an arcade, a job he took up after retiring as an electrician.  

He currenly works five hour shifts, four nights a week.  He was in charge of cleaning tables at first, but now he also makes side menu meals, like salads. His 36 year old manager publicly praised him for his work and he is an inspiration to his co-workers, the youngest of whom is 15. 

The 93 year old says he likes working and that his secret to good health is "hydration and physical activity". He hopes he can continue working for many more years to come.

Work In Progress Wednesday

The House Quilt is coming along.  I finished the braid border and put the tiny hexagons in the corners.  Next, I added a thin solid border with little feather squares in the corners. I don't have a good place to take a photo of it.  I put it up on my laundry pole.  You can't see the top border, but it is the same as the bottom border.

This was a quick stitch.  The chart is a freebie from The Drawn Thread.

My main project this week is the handquilting of the mystery quilt. I'm following the seams and I stitched an X in the middle of the big purple squares.

No Smoking at Home

Do you think people should be allowed to smoke at home?  

In order to protect the health of all workers and as a way to improve productivity, Japanese companies have been trying to discourage smoking in the workplace.  At the company where I work, smokers have to go outside to smoker huts and are not allowed to smoke inside the buildings. I totally agree with this rule.

Since the pandemic began, many companies have gone to working at home or telework, as my students call it. Now some companies are trying to ban employees from smoking at home during work hours. 

One of these companies is Japan's largest brokerage firm, Nomura Holdings, which is asking all group company employees not to smoke during working hours. This policy takes effect from October and applies to those working at home and those in the office. The Executive Managing Director Iiyama Toshiyasu says smoking affects people's health, whether they smoke at home or at the office, and banning smoking could improve workers' productivity. Other companies making the same policies include retail giant Aeon and food makers Ajinomoto and Calbee.

What do you think about this? I am a non-smoker who hates cigarette smoke. I'm happy when restaurants and public places do not allow smoking.  I agree with no smoking in the office. When it comes to the private homes of smokers though, I think they should be able to do what they want. (Whatever they want that is legal that is.)  I think this could become a slippery slope. What will people not be allowed to do at home next?

Monday Morning Star Count - Baby Hexagons and Week 17

These little blocks measure  5 inches by 5 inches.  Come back on Wednesday to see what they are for.

Year five of the temperature quilt 

Week 17

August 22 - 28 

93, 90, 88, 95, 97, 93, 93

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.

Tomei-in Temple

This seems to be a very private temple.  I walked all the way around the block and the only entrance I saw led to the cemetery part.  The door was closed with a bar across on the inside, so no one could enter.  I peeked through the crack in the door and took one photo.  This is very mysterious.  Maybe no one is allowed in because of the pandemic.

The People's Choice - Sewing

 

Every month, on the first Saturday, Jo at Serendipidous Stitching hosts a Stitch A Long, with the topics chosen by her readers. This month's topic is Sewing. 

I sew as well as stitch, sometimes both in the same project, so I have tried to post the sewing only projects. The title links will take you to the original post about the finish, with more pictures.

The Hexagon Tree Quilt

The Button Bag has some cross stitch, but mostly sewing. 

The Matching Set (drawstring bag, tissue box cover, and chopstitck carriers) use the same yukata fabric as the button bag above.  

The First Temperature Quilt 

The Scrappy Cat Quilt 

The Cathedral Windows Table Runner 

Someone Else's Temperature Quilt

The English Teacher's Bag

Autumn Leaves Table Runner

The Flat Christmas Tree 

The Yo-Yo Shawl

The Big Quilt

The Apron

Sewing Machine Cover

Travel Jewelry Holder

Hexie Bag

The Table Runner

Friday Finish - Lizzie Kate Coaster

I finished this little Lizzie Kate design into a coaster. The design is the December 2018 freebie on the Lizzie Kate website. It measures about 5"x5".

Jiun-ji Temple

 This is a tidy Buddhist temple with some large scary statues.

Each of these small statues have some little snacks that look like animal crackers.

Work In Progress Wednesday

Progress is being made on the Midnight Mystery handquilting, but it is hard to see.  So far I am quilting around the big sections, using #8 perle. I can fill in more quilting after I outline the big block sections. This is a big quilt and will probably take me a long time!

I also worked on borders for the House Quilt. I have two sides attached. I should have pressed this before I took a picture, but you get the idea.

Finally, I stitched another little ornament from Kissy Cross.