to Realize

I read Kunihiko Takeda's blog and found good suggestion from his experience.
He had been suffered from insomnia for a long time and more worse he had lost his eyesight caused by detachment of retina ten years before. After the operation, he was given prescription to fall asleep and it was successful for a while.
But it brought him side effect to harm his heart beating at last.
He had to give up taking the sleeping pill which he could sleep well and give him energy for the next day.
He realized not to worry any more for insomnia nor working well for tomorrow.
He just took it for granted as his life and destiny, so made up his mind taking it easy even if he couldn't sleep, instead he laid on the bed doing something such as reading, listening and so on.
Since he made it done without worry, he could rest well and gradually getting to sleep.
Then he concluded that he gave up to sleep well but realized not to worry in the future...in my opinion.

Cuckoo

When I worked in the garden early in this morning, heard the voice of cuckoo.
Cuckoo Cuckoo Cuckoo....
It seems later than usual when I used to hear at the beginning of summer every year. I remember the earliest one was around golden weeks.
Anyway I enjoyed the voice and it reminds me of something mysterious about cuckoos.
The female cuckoos are said to lay eggs in other species of birds.
It's called 'brood parasitism'.
Since I knew it I became to hate cuckoo but I can't deny it one of the survival way of life for the developing.
The other one is the movie about ' One Flow Over the Cuckoo's Nest '.
In English it means for crazy, according to the website.


Cuckoo means ...


Whether I hate cuckoos or not they visit in every spring and singing and enjoying their summer.

Japanese version

The book on reading

I've bought an ebook and now reading.
It's easy to read on iPhone whenever I have time to spare.
I'm very interested in Health and Medical category because I've suffered from allergy and low immune system caused by menopause.
I'm learning my self control for the sustainable life without using medicine.
I hope this book will bring me a great doctor.

Early vegetables

I found the first harvest of cucumbers this morning in the garden.
It's really cute and there is another baby one behind it.
There're also coming into bearing on the tomatoes.
I'm looking forward to tasting their growing better later soon.
I'm not with green fingers just enjoying planting ever year.
They give me a good time during summer time vegetable.

WAN LOVE

Dog and cat lovers would love to go where puppies and kittens are sold.
The shop WAN LOVE newly opened in my city last month, I've visited there several times.
Today I've bought a carry bag on a sale.
Marie seems to like in the bag.
So I took a walk with her in the bag.
She was really a carried dog and a packed in a box.

Blooming and Smiling

A bunch of flowers is presented.
It spreads lots of flowery fragrance and happy aura in the class room.
A species of roses called Christian Diol is deep red and big face. The other one is called Heritage, light pink and small. I'm sorry I can't remember the other one.
Lavender and Cornflower are showing purple and blue, brilliant color.
They are good to our eyes, nose and feeling.
Flowers are short life but their impressions are forever in our memory.
Thank you for the great green fingers, Mariah!

Strange scene

I happened to see strange scenes in the morning and in the evening today.

One is a guy in the car stopped next to my car under the red signal light, who was wearing in Buddhism priest's and smoking with the driver's window open....when I was on my way to work in the morning.
I couldn't but looked at him for a moment until the signal changed to blue, felt it mismatch beyond my expectation.
He might have been on his way to give a morning service to his client house.
But I couldn't find a sacred priest from him. It's a pity.

Next is when I walked dog in the evening. I heard noisy sound of some birds crying.
It was a big heron flying and being chased by two crows.
Crows were smaller than the heron but they were too savage to attack the heron. Though it was the nature, I couldn't help getting angry with crows.
Crows are trouble makers and increase the number...what will happen with so many crows in the town?
I remember the scary film 'The Birds'.
How will we deal with the block flocks?

Super-aging society

As you know, Japan is now shrinking economy and population, it means we will have to see the difficult situation in near future.
Facing the fact and preparing for the crisis.
Referring to the article, it alarms that Japan might fall into default like Greece. I don't think so but hope strongly Japan will solve the problem to get along with the super-aging society with intelligence and great heart.

[from the article Japan Times]
One-third of the Japanese population will be visiting hospitals or staying at elderly care facilities. One estimate shows that in 2020, ¥44 trillion of GDP will derive from medical and elderly care services and that 7.3 million people will be working in that sector. In other words, about 15 percent of the working-age population will be engaged in services accounting for nearly 10 percent of GDP. That's a glimpse of how Japan's super-aging society will look in the future.
The number of workers in manufacturing and in the service sectors — other than in medical and elderly care services — will decrease. The nation's trade balance will fall into the red as the costs of maintaining the national health insurance program continue to rise and the fiscal deficits expand proportionally. Therein lies a specter of becoming like Greece.
(quoted from Japan Times)

Happy Birthday!

Today is Sadako's 92th birthday.
She was born in 1920, May 22.
Her zodiac sign is Gemini and her Chinese year is monkey, just the same as mine.

Her favorite perfume is Murasaki, mine is Bulgali.
She is joyful and cheerful full of entertainment to friends but she sometimes complains that friends has been fewer because of having passed away. That's why all of her friends are younger than her. Though the close friend of her is almost 80 years old, she seldom visits her recently.
She saw many friends off, so she feels like to be left alone.
I try to encourage her to live happier and longer instead of them who are gone.

She often tells that life is once nothing will be left after the death. "Almost of all rules and customs are made by people not by nature. I'm forgetting and getting weak to be back a baby at last."
She is really a pure and genuine lady with brave heart.
Wishing you happy birthday and live longer and better life day by day, Sadako!

Good news yesterday, today and tomorrow

I feel like blessed by good news.
Yesterday the sumo wrestler Kyokutenho won the championship at the summer title yesterday.
He was the oldest who won the championship at the regular battle stage. He has been devoted a sumo wrestler from Mongol for 20 years.
He didn't give up his sumo life and now on. His effort encourages not only his mates but also many audiences and me.
Next the Annular Solar Eclipse was seen clearly from almost in Japan.
Though I didn't prepared for it I fortunately could see it with my neighbors. I will never see it as long as being in Japan in the end of my life. Thanks for the great show time.

The third topic is about the opening of Tokyo Sky Tree tomorrow. The Annular Solar Eclipse was seen on the top of the Sky Tree. They say it seems like blessing the opening tomorrow,

I think Solar, the Rising Sun (Kyokutenho) and the Sky Tree are the good symbols for Japan.
I can expect good sign will bring us happy era.

Annular solar eclipse

Tomorrow morning will be the day of Annular solar eclipse, observed in Japan for the first time in 25 years since the last occurrence which was seen in Okinawa Prefecture in September 1987.
In Tokyo, it will be viewed for the first time in 173 years, while in Osaka and Nagoya it will be spotted after a long interval of 282 and 932 years, respectively.
I'm not sure we could see it from here in Toyama. It seems impossible because of the high mountains, shutting up the view.
Anyway it will be a rare occasion for Japan.

The horse rescued

Along the coast of Central California, it's famous for seeing fascinating sea creatures large and small off its shore—but an Arabian horse.
The horse was 6-year-old Arabian, whose full name is Heir of Temptation swimming on the shore more than three hours.
Rescue crews managed to corral the horse a mile offshore around sunset.
Veterinarian Dr. Lisa Teske credits his breeding.
"Being an Arabian, I think, has a lot to do with his endurance level. He's pretty fit."

The horse swam 2 miles

Beautiful words today

Yoko Ono tweeted those which enlightened and eased me in harmony with nature.
I will let them share with you here.

Let the sun rise in your mind exactly how you observed it to rise in the horizon - to give you a good day.
Let the sun set in your mind exactly how you observed it to go down in the horizon - to give you a peaceful rest.

As I sing that song 'Sunrise, sunset', the Sun is always with me and makes my day as long as I have the Sun in my mind.

Flowers today

I walked and found flowers here and there in the green leaves.
They were so colorful and vivid in my eyes.
I got energy from their beauty and natural masterpieces.
Thanks for their great works!

'Nadeshiko' in my garden is now blooming in shocking pink color and it welcomes me in front of the door.
I made it plant last year after the Nadeshiko Japan's victory of the championship. It's come out since last year. I'm sure that it symbolizes Nadeshiko Japan's Victory on the Olympic game in London.

Rain check

Hello, everyone at TCFL basic course.
Today we have rainy day. I knew it thanks to the weather forecast earlier.

By the way, I need to talk about the topic 'rain check' , we studied yesterday.
We had the dialogue on step 2 below;


Doug : Do you want a ride?
It's a Harley.
Sachs : May be....some other time.
Doug : You can have a rain check.

Doug invited Sachi to ride his Harley on a date.
But she didn't accept at once and postponed it later.
Then Doug gave her a rain check for the other chance.
It means Sachi has still a ticket to ride the Harley if she wants.
Here is the definition and origin for the rain check from the dictionary.
I'm very happy to know it and share it with you....thanks.


The meaning of 'rain check'

1. a ticket for future use given to spectators at an outdoor event, as a baseball game or concert, that has been postponed or interrupted by rain.

2. an offered or requested postponement of an invitation until a more convenient, usually unspecified time: Since you can't join us for dinner, we'll give you a rain check.

3. a ticket, coupon, or the like, entitling a customer to purchase at a later date and for the same amount a sale item that is temporarily out of stock.
[web dictionary]

Well aging

He' aged well over the years.

I think it's the most praise worthy if I were he...but it can be 'she'.

Life should be more graceful and glorious as getting old.
I'd love to age and get wise day by day and year by year.
I hope to be said aged well and happy life.
Let's get old well together.

Lovely fine Mother's day in May

It was lovely fine weather on Mother's Day! I feel like blessed by the Sun to all of mothers.
I worked in the garden to clear grasses and trimmed trees in the day time.
It was clear fine but cool in the air.
I was very comfortable to work outside and enjoyed cleaning the ground.
I hate to use weed killer so I'd better pull weeds by myself.
I don't want my dog walks around poisoned ground.
I also love the smell of the grasses after the removed.

Research for the birds dead

The Peruvian National Center for the Study of El Nino said that since February, the Peruvian coast has had an abundance of warm water as a result of marine currents throughout the world's oceans. The warm water has altered the marine ecosystem, it said.

The warm water has led fish such as anchovies and other species that live in surface waters to migrate to deeper water toward the south. As a result, pelicans and other birds that feed from the surface of the water died of starvation.(CNN NEWS)

A Global Poll

10 May 2012 - Positive views of the European Union and European nations have declined sharply over the last year—so much so that Germany has been overtaken by Japan as the world’s most positively viewed major nation, a new 22-country global poll for BBC World Service suggests.

A Global Poll for BBC

What is happiness part 2

"Smiling makes you ease from throat, lungs to heart in the depth of the body like a yawn."

It also means that people smile not because being happy but they could be happy because of smiling.

It's the point that we can make us happy by ourselves.
So giving smile will pay back and decorate your life.
Let's start from smile and make happy around you.

Departure

Golden week is over.
My daughter had visited us for three weeks and left yesterday.
I feel like somehow empty without annoying me....my time had been killed by her and busy with her for three weeks.
She departed for her home and I'm free from her but left behind.
It happens to me that a song comes out in my memory. I hummed it for a while.

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days...

It healed me enough to recover to be ordinary life.
I'm fine now.
I can live for now and looking forward to seeing her next year.
What I can do is just living for tomorrow not yesterday.

Tornado attack

What's a hell !
It was strong twister that destroyed the north Kanto area yesterday.
It's incredible and terrible disaster as the same as Tsunami.
The houses, lifeline such as electricity, gas and water are damaged. Inconvenient life is forced for them for some time.

How can't we avoid such disasters?
Who knows what will happen?
We are safe but they are not safe now.
But we are on the same boat.
We need to prepare for the unexpected disaster, don't we?
Better safe than sorry...

Tornado wreaks havoc Japan

TV tonight

Information about tv program tonight.
"Jonetsu Tairiku" from 11:00pm, Arata Fujiwara who won the entry of Lobdon Olympic marathon will appear.
There will be a lot about his history to have made himself a successful runner.
I'm very looking forward to watching this program at the end of the golden week.
I like to see those who always fights against difficulties. Thought I'm not that tough nor strong....that's why I want to cheer such different type of people.
I'd like to write about review later on.

What is happiness?

I've been thinking about happiness tightly but hard to say in one word.
What I can say for the answer now is;

Happiness lives with the heart who can feel happy to see other people happy.

When I see the little girls or boys have grown up with socialized and balanced mind I get impressed and great emotion of joy.
I found that good heart or positive impression inspire me great and strong.
If you bless someone you will be blessed instead...I think it natural.

Seeking for the happiness of the bluebird is to cultivate your own heart if you can feel easy with others including the environment.

Today is the Day of Children in Japan.
Wishing all children be happy.
I will give my good heart to them.

Today's dog special

Today's dog special on TV program was about the School Dog.
The dog is 9 months old black labrador retriever which was trained to work at school.
It's amazing plan to have such a special full time teacher at school.
Students at Kawahigashi junior high school take care of 'Kuroko' every day.
They will absolutely learn how important life is and enjoy school life together.
I think it one of the great programs to educate students.
Boys, be strong and gentle!

Mystery deaths

According to the CNN news report, there were mysterious pelicans and other birds deaths along the coast of Peruvian sea. It's very strange that before those birds dolphins had been found to be dead along the shore more than 800 and still being found on going.

Quotation
Authorities in Peru are investigating the death of over 538 pelicans, along with other birds, on the northern coast of the country, the Peruvian ministry of production said Sunday.
The new environmental investigation comes on the heels of an incident earlier in April when 877 dolphins washed up dead on the same stretch of coast.
It was not immediately clear if the deaths were connected. End


Mystery CNN news

Gardening week

I went to the market for gardening and bought some young plants.
Planted petit tomatoes, cucumber as usual and some herb such as parsley and Japanese honewort.

I also wanted to buy Mitsubatsutsuji and Hanazuoh which bloom pink purple blossoms this season very pretty but couln't find. But I bought a kind of small cherry tree instead.
I hope it will bloom next spring in my garden.

Working in the garden made me hot and sweat.
I think they are giving me joy of energy.