Veggie Garden

Thought I'd include a few photos of my veggie garden. I don't know what will happen to it in the "rainy season", but for now things are growing pretty good. I've got little green tomatoes, tiny little cucumbers, peppers and a little eggplant. Can't tell what the peanuts are doing, although one of the plants has died. I also have a watermelon plant with some blooms. Hopefully everything will survive and we'll have fresh veggies this summer!

Itami Rose Garden

Took a trip with some of the ladies to Itami where we visited the rose garden and had a nice lunch out. One of the ladies invited us to her house for coffee and tea. It was my first time in a traditional Japanese home. It was very nice, open and airy. Not cluttered with a bunch of furniture and stuff. It had the sliding doors with the rice paper and everything. Gorgeous! Also pretty, was the rose garden. My pictures don't do it justice. And the smell was heavenly.<

Iga City the birthplace of Ninjutsu

A week before my Mother's Day mishap we took a day trip to Iga City, the birthplace of Ninjutsu and the Ninja. It was only about an hour and half drive by car, not bad. We learned the history of the ninja and went into a typical ninja house and saw all the tricks, traps and secret passages used to thwart intruders. We saw a museum of ninja clothing and arifacts, including weapons like daggers, sickles, and throwing stars. There was also a demonstration of ninja combat using real weapons. There was an area where they would teach you to throw a star and you could practice, but the line was too long and then it started raining, so we didn't do it. There was also a castle nearby and some good food.You could also buy a ninja suit (which alot of people were wearing) but we were to cheap. The photos include the inteior of the house, the boy trying out the shoes for walking through a swamp, a ninja fight, and juggling the sickles.

Mother's Day Mishap

Just thought I'd post this so you know I'm still the same old klutz I've always been. Coming home from a fantastic Mother's Day dinner out (Italian--excellent meal) I tripped over my own 2 feet crossing the street and went down hard. As I was falling I thought I could recover but went down hard on one knee before I managed to get my hands in front of me. Then I stopped for a split second on my hands and knees but for some reason my head (which isn't that big but must be awfully heavy) just kept ploughing on down and rammed into the cement. I popped up pretty quick, but the head wound began to bleed profusely. Hubby ran in to the Family Mart on the corner and bought tissues, I had 2 hands full of blood by this point and was walking the 9 or 10 blocks back up the mountain toward home. The kids were helpful in getting the tissues to me as the blood soaked through pretty quickly. My black jacket is covered in blood (dry clean only-how's that going to happen?) my t-shirt has drips of it down the front and one of my 2 pairs of jeans with no holes, now has a ripped knee! I'm just happy I was surrounded by my loving and helpful family (although why didn't they save me?) and not alone like my poor Aunt when she took a similar nose dive last year. Happy Mother's Day! Unfortunately we didn't think to take photos until after we got back home.

Some sort of Festival

Sorry its taken so long to get a new post. I guess it was a bit boring around here. Well now I've got 2 things to post but I guess I should spread them out a bit, so I'll wait a few days before I put up the other one. Last week was golden week. I don't know too much about it, but the schools and work shut down for a few days to celebrate. Over the week end there was a great deal of excitement and revelry in the area where we live. There were about 9 different, elaborately carved, wooden wagon type things that were pushed all around town, up and down hills etc... Older men were riding in front and younger men and boys were on top (secured by ropes) shouting something and waving fans or feathers. Along the side were some girls waving lanterns and inside was someone drumming. Along the ground were the men pushing and pulling the wagon along using only brute strength. Trailing along behind were townspeople and children wearing the particular colors of their wagon. We first noticed it Fri. afternoon and by accident saw them all later, getting lined up near the station. They carried on again all the next day and we happened on to them all lined up again at one of the shrines. Also at the shrines were food and game stalls. Whatever it was, they had a nice week end for it, the weather couldn't have been more perfect!

PS We think the 2 guys on the wagon in the last photo could be Tony Orlando and Rob Schneider. What do you think?