小学生時代の思い出

　今年になって初めて、昼食にタルボジャを食べ昔を思い出しました。子供の頃、一人で８月の岩鼻のお祭りにバスで行きました。お祭りで売ってたタルボジャがどうしても買いたくなり、買ったのは良かったのですが、その代わり、小遣いが少なくて帰りのバス代がなくなり、８Kgほどある大きなタルボジャをそのまま両手で抱え、自宅のある倉賀野まで４Kmほど暗い夜道を歩いて帰って来たのです。一時間ほどかかりました。

　岩鼻と倉賀野の間には高崎線を跨ぐ高架橋があったり、倉賀野の町内にも長い坂があります。それらを登ったり下ったりしてやっとの思いで家に着いたとき、「よく運んで来た」と父に褒められ、家族みんなで食べた思い出があります。ところで、タルボジャとはヒンディー語でスイカのことです。

Dear my friends

  It was the first time this year that I ate watermelon for lunch, and it reminded me of the old days. When I was a child, I went alone to the festival in Iwanaka in August by bus. I really wanted to buy a watermelon that were being sold at the festival, and I was glad that I bought it, but I had little pocket money so that I didn't have enough money for the bus fare to return home, so I carried the big watermelon that was about 8 kg in weight, in both hands and walked about 4 km in a dark night road to my house in Kuragano. It took about an hour.

  Between Iwanaka-Village and Kuragano-town, there is an overpass that crosses the JR Takasaki Line, and there are long hills in Kuragano. When I finally arrived home after climbing up and down those hills, my father praised me for "carrying it well," and I remember eating it with the whole family together. By the way, tarboji means watermelon in Hindi.

脇から出てきたアマリリスの蕾・・・今度はいくつ咲くか

　今日は旧端午【旧暦５月5日】です。５月も今日で終わります。群馬県の今日の日の出は４時２６分、太陽高度は７５°、日の入りは１８時５５分です。このため、昼の長さは１４時間２９分となり、夏至と殆ど変わらないほどになってます。因みに夏至の昼の長さは１４時間３６分です。

　この長い昼の時間を、身体の健康と精神の充実ために有効に使いたいものです。昨日も、庭では樹木の観察と剪定など植物を世話しました。早いもので梅の収穫がもうすぐです。現在、すべての枝に実が生り、重そうに垂れ下がってます。自然は良く出来ており、この垂れ下がりにより、梅の実が捥ぎやすくなってます。果たして、今年は笊に何杯収穫できるでしょうか。

　一方、先日手にしたコラム集「天声人語２０２５春」は今のところ、予定通り、１日に二日分読み進んでます。先ず、日本語の文に目を通しますが、不思議なことに、漢字は恰も絵のようであり、見た瞬間にすぐ読め、意味が分かるのですから有難いものです。これは小中学生の時から積み上げたものだからでしょう。しかし、英文はそうは行きません。一字一句をよく見なくては先に進めず、辞書で意味と発音を確認しつつ、ノートに整理するので時間がかかります。新たな単語では、それに関する使えそうな例文にも目を通します。

　昨日は午後３時半頃、気分転換にお気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」へ愛車で行きました。帰路もあるので歩いては行けない距離です。「カッキー、また行ったのか」と言われそうですが、ママさんの人柄の良さと、広い自然環境下にあり、居心地がよいのです。喫茶店ですから多くの人は友人知人と行ってますが、私は常に一人です。アイス珈琲を戴きつつ、昨日は愛読書の一冊・曽野綾子著「老いの才覚」を読み返しました。この本のお陰で、高齢となってからの気持ちの持ち方について成程ということばかりで、読後に心に余裕が出てくる感じです。

Dear my friends who like iced coffee and great music.

  Today is the old Tango which means boy's festival [May 5th in the lunar calendar]. May also ends today. Today in Gumma Prefecture, sunrise is at 4:26, the solar altitude is 75°, and sunset is at 18:55. Because of this, the length of daytime is 14 hours and 29 minutes, which is almost the same as the summer solstice. Incidentally, the length of daytime on the summer solstice is 14 hours and 36 minutes.

  We should use this long day effectively to improve our physical health and mental fulfillment. Yesterday, I also took care of the plants in the garden, such as observing and pruning the trees. Time flies so that the plum harvest is almost soon. All the branches are now covered with fruit, and their branches are hanging down heavy. Nature is good, because this hanging down makes it easier to pick the plums. I wonder how many baskets I will be able to harvest this year.

  Meanwhile, I have been reading two days' worth of the column collection "Tensei Jingo 2025 Spring" that I got the other day, as planned. First, I look over Japanese sentences, and strangely enough, kanji characters are like pictures, so I can read and understand the meaning as soon as I see them, which is a blessing. This is probably because I've been learning them since I was in elementary and junior high school. However, it's not the same as English sentences. I can't read without looking carefully at every single word, and it takes time to check the meaning and pronunciation by a dictionary and organize them in a notebook. For new words, I also look over example sentences that seem useful for daily life.

  Yesterday, around 3:30 p.m., I went to my favorite coffee shop, "Sampo-michi," by my car TT to change my mood. I have to return home, so it's too far to walk. If possible, you might say, "Kakky, you're going there again," but the owner's nice personality and the location in a wide natural environment make it a comfortable place. Since it's a coffee shop, many people go with friends or acquaintances, but I'm always alone. While enjoying iced coffee, I reread one of my favorite books, "The Wisdom of Old Age," by Sono Ayako. This book has given me a lot of insight into how to maintain a positive attitude as I get older, and I feel like I have more peace of mind after reading it.

さあ、トマトがいくつあるでしょう。

　今日、スーパーでは大きなトマトをまとめて大安売りだったので、これはチャンスとばかり、毎日のデザートとしてゲットしました。値段は一般の半値です。ご存じの通り、トマトには抗酸化作用のリコピンがたくさん含まれてることから健康維持に欠かせません。

　安くても傷はなく、美味しいです。先日も、たくさん購入しましたが、自分で食べたのは半分くらいで、家に来た人にお土産に分けて上げました。今度は自分で消費することになるでしょう。ところで、この大きなトマトを食べ切るのに2週間はかかるでしょう。

Dear my freinds who likes tomato and great music.　

  Today, the supermarket had a big sale on large tomatoes, so I grasped the chance and bought them as my daily dessert. They were half the regular price. As you know, tomatoe contains a lot of lycopene as antioxidant, so they are essential for maintaining good health.

  Even though they are cheap, they are unblemished and delicious. I bought a lot of tomatoes the other day, but I only ate about half of them and gave some to people who visited my house as souvenirs. This time, I'll probably consume them myself. By the way, because these are large tomatoes, so I may be able to eat them for about two weeks. The correct answer is fifteen tomatoes.

磨きたいユーモアのセンス

　光陰矢の如し。今日、5月30日は年始から丁度150日目にあたります。また、今日は語呂合わせで「ごみゼロの日」です。昨晩は友人・時計屋の隣りさんと高崎市内の某所で食事会 のため、私は行き帰り共に電車を使いましたが、途中、多くの人で混雑してる高崎駅周辺や倉賀野駅では、どこを見ても「ゴミ箱」が見当たりません。それなのに路上にゴミが落ちてません。ゴミ箱がない方が街角がきれいになる不思議な現象です。

　ということで、昨晩は彼と高崎市内での食事会を通して、会話を十分に楽しみました。しかも、後から見えた他のお客さんたちとも楽しく交流でき、平素、一人暮らしを余儀なくされてる私にとって、この上ない充実した時間が持てました。

　実は、この日は、たまたま、彼の投稿文が上毛新聞「みんなのひろば」にタイトル「急須で味わう緑茶」として掲載された日と重なり、いつもに増して、カウンターでの会話はママさんを含め、時間の経つのを忘れるほど楽しく愉快に過ごせました。私たちは、日々の努力に一つの成果が見えると喜びにつながります。

　一方、話は変わりますが、一般論として、私を含め日本人は人と接するとき表現力やユーモアのセンスに欠ける傾向があるかもしれません。日本語そのものに人を笑わせる要素が少ないのかもしれませんが、海外では会話やスピーチで時々は人を笑わせないと話が受けないと言われます。やはり、人間同士のコミュニケーションで大切な要素の一つは楽しいユーモアなのでしょう。互いに笑顔がほころぶような会話のセンスを普段から身に付け、日々の生活に生かしたいものです。

　幸せなことに、日本はどこへ行っても日本語が通じます。しかし、多くの国では国境で外国と接しており、しかも言葉が通じません。このような状況で、友好的、平和的な関係を築くにはユーモアのセンスが必須なのでしょう。私たちも日常生活で新たな人と出会う機会は多いです。人間関係をより良いものにするためにも「ユーモアのセンスを磨くことが大切」に感じてます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about a sense of humor and great music.

  The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

................................................

　Time flies. Today, May 30th, is exactly 150 days since the beginning of the year. In Japan, today is also "zero waste day" as a pun. Last night I went to a dinner party with a friend named "next door to a watch shop" in Takasaki City, so I took the train both ways. On the way there and back, around Takasaki Station and Kuragano Station, which are crowded with people, but, I could not find a trash can anywhere. And yet there is no trash on the street. It is a strange phenomenon that the street corners are cleaner, though there are no trash cans.

　So last night I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation over a dinner party in Takasaki City at the tavern "Buku". We also had fun interacting with other customers who came later, and for me who is usually forced to live alone, it was an extremely fulfilling time.

　In fact, the day coincided with the day that his post was published in the Jomo Shimbun newspaper "Minna no Hiroba" under the title "Enjoying Green Tea in a Teapot," therefore, our conversation at the counter was more enjoyable than usual, including with the hostess, and we all forgot about the time. When we see the results of our daily efforts, we feel happy.

　On the other hand, not change the subject, but as a general rule, Japanese people, including me, may tend to lack expressiveness and a sense of humor when interacting with others. The Japanese language itself may not have elements that make people laugh, but it is said that in other countries, if person don't make people laugh sometimes in conversations or speeches, the speech will not be well received. After all, humor may be one of the important elements of communication between people. We should always acquire a sense of conversation that makes people smile, and practice it in our daily lives.

　Fortunately, we Japanese can be understood anywhere in Japan. However, in many countries, there are borders with other countries and the language cannot be understood. In such a situation, a sense of humor may be essential to build friendly and peaceful relationships. We have many opportunities to meet new people in our daily lives. I feel that it is important to develop a sense of humor in order to improve our relationships.

急須で味わう緑茶・・・今日の上毛新聞「みんなのひろば」より

　今日、ブログのコメンテーター「時計屋の隣りさん」の投稿文が群馬県の上毛新聞、読者投稿欄「みんなのひろば」に掲載されました。誠におめでとうございます。偶然にも、今宵、私は彼と高崎市内で食事会をすることになってます。何と言う偶然の一致でしょう。お祝いできます。

　　　　タイトル・・・急須で味わう緑茶・・・

　
　ペットボトルの緑茶の需要が進む中、緑茶本来の魅力である「緑」が失われつつあるように感じます。酸化防止剤の添加物の影響で鮮やかな緑が黄ばみ、風味にも変化が出ているとの話も耳にしたことがあります。急須から注がれるお茶の色さえ黄色っぽく映るＣＭを見かけることがあり、緑茶の「本物の緑」が風化してしまうのではないかと懸念しています。

　忙しい現代社会では急須でお茶を入れる機会が減少し、家庭内での緑茶文化も薄れつつあるのではないでしょうか。手間をかけて茶葉から入れる緑茶は、豊かな色、香り、そして味わいが特別です。代替品では得られないこの繊細な魅力こそ、私たちが守るべき文化の核であると感じます。

　現代の便利さと繊細な緑茶文化が揺れ動く時代。急須で入れるお茶の伝統を守る努力が、次世代に豊かな緑茶文化を伝える重要な役割を果たすことでしょう。抹茶アイスは鮮やかな緑が映えますが、茶そのものの奥深いおいしさとは異なるものです。

　新茶が旬を迎えるこの時季、「急須で入れる緑茶文化の魅力」を再認識し、その本物の美味しさを楽しみたいものです。

近隣のためになる仕事を継続し、自己研鑽も続けたい

　もう、左目が開かなくなるかと一時は失望してた私ですが、運よく完全に回復しました。このため、今後は近隣の高齢者の精神的、物理的困難さを少しでも減らせるよう私は持ってる力を使おうと決意してます。

　ところが、先日、近所で一人暮らしをしてる高齢女性Tさん宅のゴミ出しをするため、朝、彼女の家に行ったら、いつも家の前に出てあるゴミがなく、しかも、玄関の鍵が閉まっており、チャイムを鳴らしても反応がないのです。「もしや、中で困っているのではないか」と私は慌てました。実は、彼女は日中、近くのデイサービスに行ってることから、私はすぐにそこへ駆けつけたところ、Tさんがいたのでホッとしました。どなたかがゴミを出してくれたようです。

　今後も、ゴミ出しに限らず、近隣の高齢者のため、小学生の安全登下校のため、今まで通り、自らの仕事として実践するつもりです。結果的に、私の健康に繋がったり、張り合いになると思います。

　ところで、先日、私の愛読書「天声人語２０２５春」を手に入れた私は早速、読み始めてます。内容は、すでに朝日新聞で発表された３ヶ月分【１月から３月まで】のコラムを一冊にまとめたもので日本語とその英訳が載ってます。私にはこの両方が必要で、現代を取り巻く政治・社会情勢、自然現象、歴史、あるいは生き方を含め、時代の波に乗りたいものです。また、現代使われてる英文に目を通し、特に、新たな英単語の習得に力を入れてます。

　しかし、記憶力がそれほど良くない私は、試行錯誤しつつ、効果的な記憶法を身に付けたいです。その一つは、習った単語を実際にこのブログで使うことにしてます。つまり、幼児が言葉を覚えるのに近い方法かもしれません。後は、繰り返しと考えます。

　もう一つの方法は自己暗示によって「海外に一人で滞在してる」と仮定し生活します。言葉と生活は密接なので、生活で使えるように覚えなくてはなりません。天声人語を、日々、午前と午後にそれぞれ一日分ずつ読む予定なので、７月中旬の誕生日頃に読み終わる予定です。果たして継続できるでしょうか。

Dear my friends who are crazy about how to memorize English vocabulary and great music.

  The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

................................................

  I was disappointed, thinking I would never be able to open my left eye again, but luckily I have made a full recovery. For this reason, I have resolved to use my abilities to help reduce the mental and physical difficulties of the elderly people in my neighborhood, even if only a little.

  However, the other day, when I went to the house of an elderly lady MS. T living alone in my neighborhood in the morning to take out her trash, the trash that was usually placed in front of her entrunce was gone, and the front door was locked, and there was no response when I rang the doorbell. I panicked, thinking, "Maybe she's in trouble alone inside." In fact, she was at a nearby day care center during the day, so I rushed there immediately, as the result, I was relieved to find Ms. T there. It seems that someone had taken out the trash for her.

  From now on, I intend to continue doing my job as before, not just taking out her trash, but also for the elderly people in the neighborhood and for elementary school children to go to and return from school safely in traffic. I think that this works will ultimately lead to my health and motivate me.

  Not change the subject, but I recently got my favorite book "Tensei Jingo 2025 Spring" and have started reading it right away. The contents are a compilation of three months' worth of columns published in the Asahi Shimbun Newspaper [from January to March] in one book, and it contains both Japanese and English translations. I need both, and I want to ride the wave of the times, including the political and social situation surrounding the present day, natural phenomena, history, and even ways of life. I also read through English sentences used today, and I am particularly focused on learning new English vocabularies

  However, I don't have a good memory, so I would like to learn effective memorization methods through trial and error. One of them is to actually use the words I learn in this blog. In other words, it may be a method similar to how young children memorize words. I think it is repetition.

  The other method is to use autosuggestion to live as if I were "staying alone overseas." Language and life are closely related, so I need to learn them so that I should use them in my daily life. I plan to read one day's worth of Tensei Jingo every in the morning and one day's worth in the afternoon, so I plan to finish reading it around my birthday in mid-July. I wonder if I can keep it up.

周囲を明るくする「アマリリス」に自己表現法を肖りたい

　五月下旬になり、玄関前の鉢に植わったアマリリスがこれでもかと色濃い姿で四方に向かって愛嬌を振り撒いてます。人目を惹くその姿は分け隔てなく周囲を明るくし、恰も、私に不足する愛嬌や表現法の見本を示唆しているようです。

　高齢期に入り、日々、孤軍奮闘してる私にとって今大切なことは、何はさて置き、先日まで患っていた目がよく見えるようになり幸せを感じてます。世界がしっかり見える喜びです。そのほか、足が丈夫で自らの意志通りにどこへでも歩いて行けること、手や指が独立し大好きな植物の世話が出来たり、手書きで文章が書けたり、今の時代ではキーボードが打てたり、ピアノの鍵盤に向かえることです。そして、何より大切なことはお腹が空いて食欲があり、食事が美味しく食べられることです。明晩は友人「時計屋の隣りさん」と待ちに待った食事会です。

　総じて言えば、体力と精神の両面において、いつまでも「健康」でありたいと同時に、高齢期を生きるには、安定した経済基盤、また、子供が独立した今、家に閉じこもらずに周囲との交流、チャンスを捉え近隣の会合に顔を出す社会性が大切です。

　最近は、これに加えて、趣味でも何の分野であっても自己表現できることでしょう。これにより自らの存在価値が認識でき、生きる喜びにつながると考えられます。私たちは「日々、生き生きワクワク」する生き方を見つけ出し、身体の健康と精神が充実する生活をめざしたいものです。

　It's late May, and the amaryllis planted in a pot in front of the entrance is spreading its charm in all directions with its vibrant color. Its eye-catching appearance brightens up everyone around, and it seems to suggest to me an example of the charm and expression that I lack.

　As I enter my senior years now, struggle alone every day, the most important thing for me now is that I can see well again, which was an eye problem until recently. It's the joy of being able to see the world clearly. Other things include having strong legs and being able to walk anywhere I want, having independent hands and fingers so I can take care of my favorite plants, write sentences by hand, and in this age, I can type on a keyboard and play the piano. And the most important thing is being hungry, having an appetite, and being able to eat delicious food. Tomorrow night is a long-awaited dinner party with my friend, "the friend named next door to the watch shop."

　Generally speaking, we want to continue "healthy" forever, both physically and mentally, but to live into old age, it is also important to have a stable economic foundation, and now that our children have become independent, so it is important to be sociable and not stay confined at home, interacting with those around us, and seizing the opportunity to attend local meetings.

　These days, in addition to this, we should find ways to express ourselves, whether through hobbies or in any other field. This allows us to recognize the value of our own existence and leads to the joy of living. We want to find ways to live that are "lively and exciting every day" and aim for physical health and mental fulfillment.

フェイスブックが使えず、ブログで頑張ります。

　今日は一日、忙しくあちこち車で移動しました。富岡へ自動車保険を払いに行きましたが、今度から、コンビニでの支払いに変更となり、慌てました。でも、比較的簡単に処理できました。

　そのまま、高崎の戸田書店へ「天声人語２０２５春」を買いに行きました。この本は私の教科書のようなもので、日本語と英語単語の勉強になります。最近の約９０日分が掲載されてます。一日で二日分を読む予定です。

　また、午後にはお気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」で過ごしましたので、暫くぶりに愛車に長い距離を乗りました。これも左目が回復したからです。車の運転には不自由がなくなり、今まで通り運転でき、ホッとしてます。今後も運転には細心の注意を払います。

　ところで、どうしたことか、フェイスブックにログインできなくなってしまい、このブログ１本で頑張りたいと思います。今まで、フェイスブックで繋がってた方は、ブログにおいでください。何かあったらコメントも書けますので、お使いください。

Dear my Friends 

　Today was a busy day, and I drove around a lot. I went to Tomioka to pay my car insurance, but I was surprised to find that I would have to pay at a convenience store from now on. However, it was relatively easy to process.

　Then I went to Toda Bookstore in Takasaki to buy "Tensei Jingo 2025 Spring". This book is like my textbook, and it helps me study Japanese and English vocabulary. It contains about 90 days of recent articles. I plan to read two days' worth of articles in one day.

 　Also, I spent the afternoon at my favorite cafe, "Sampomichi", so I took my car for a long drive for the first time in a while. This is also because my left eye has recovered. I am relieved that I can drive as usual and no longer have any problems driving. I will continue to be very careful when driving.

　By the way, for some reason, I was unable to log into Facebook, so I will do my best with just this blog. If you have been connected with me on Facebook, please visit my blog. If you have any questions, you can also leave a comment, so please use it.

何事も、手作りの楽しさを味わう

　昔から、俗に「桜切るバカ、梅切らぬバカ」と剪定について言い伝えられてます。実は、庭の入り口にある花梅の高さが３m以上あったことから低くしようと思い、３年前に太い幹を途中で切りました。ところが、その結果に私は驚いてます。ご覧の通り、横から細かい枝が出て来て、今春は薄いピンクの花がたくさん咲き、「人生に花が咲かない私」を笑っているかの如くです。

　しかも、丁度、人の目の高さで咲くことから見やすく観賞に値します。来春は、より見事に咲きそうな気配です。ぜひ、見にいらして下さい。個々の花が今までより若干大きくなったのは剪定に因るのでしょう。やはり、昔からの言い伝え通り、梅は剪定が大切であり、樹形のみならず、花も良くなることを実感です。私は日々、自らの手で植木の作業を行い、四方八方から眺めては「手作りで行うこと」の楽しみを見出してます。

　このため、１００本程ある庭の植木を業者に任せたことはなく、すべて自ら行ってます。それは庭木を丸坊主にすることが目的ではなく、春は多くの花で彩り、年間を通じて緑に覆われる生活環境をめざしでいるからです。延いてはこれが私の健康に繋がります。写真上は３月の開花で、下は現在の様子です。来年に向け、新芽がたくさん生まれ、勢いがいいです。今日、私は家の前の上４集会所「ふるさと」で行われる健康体操会に出席します。

Dear my friends who are crazy about pruning the plants and great music.

　There is an old saying in Japan about pruning: "A fool cuts down cherry blossoms, a fool doesn't cut down plums." In fact, the flowering plum tree at the entrance to my garden was over 3m tall, so I cut the thick trunk in the middle three years ago to make it shorter. However, I was surprised by the results. As you can see, many small branches have appeared from the side, and this spring many pale pink flowers have bloomed, as if laughing at me who doesn't bloom any flowers in life.

　What's more, she blooms at eye level, making them easy to see and worthy of admiration. It looks like they will bloom even more beautifully next spring, I guess. Please come and see her from NZ as well. The individual flowers are probably a little larger than before because of the pruning. As the old saying goes, pruning is important for plum trees, and I feel that it improves not only the shape of the tree but also the flowers. I work on the trees with my own hands every day, looking at them from all sides and finding the joy of "doing things by hand."

　For this reason, I have never entrusted the care of about 100 trees in my garden to a contractor, but do it all myself. The aim is not to shave off all the trees, but to create a living environment that is filled with color in the spring and greenery all year round, which will ultimately benefit my health. The top photo shows the trees in bloom in March, and the bottom photo shows now. There are lots of new buds appearing in preparation for next spring, and she is the epitome of health. Today, I am attending a health exercise event being held at Furusato, the Kami-4th Community Center in front of my garden.

孤食でも、想ったほど寂しくない

　今まで紹介したことはありませんでしたが、三度三度、孤食である私の今宵の夕食です。右の飲み物はウィスキーのお湯割りで気持ちよく酔えます。左は牛乳です。煮物は茄子とインゲン、そして、ゆで卵などです。今宵は少し豪勢に大好物のお刺身です。

　孤食と言っても、人間の心は自由ですから、フェイスブック友人のお顔を思い出しつつですので寂しくありません。充実してます。それでは戴きます。

Dear my FB friends who are crazy about cocking and great music.

　I've never introduced my cuisine before, but the photo is tonight's dinner, as I eat alone every meals. The drink on the right is whiskey mixed with hot water, which is pleasantly intoxicating. On the left is milk. The simmered dishes are eggplants and green beans, and a boiled egg. Tonight it is a little extravagant and having my favorite sashimi which is sliced raw fish.

　Even though I'm eating alone, as the human heart is free, so I don't feel lonely as I'm remembering the face of my Facebook lady. It's very fulfilling. Well, I will eat with you in heart.

生い茂る樹木と野鳥たち、そして音楽ある生活をめざす

　１０才位のとき、インドを舞台にした「お釈迦様と鳩」という紙芝居を姉が見せてくれたことが元となり、鳩の親子の姿と、その帰巣本能の優秀さに魅せられた私は、どうしたことでしょう。その後、半世紀以上の長きに亘り、北海道から倉賀野の我が家へ鳩が帰って来ることを目標に多くのレース鳩飼育と訓練の日々でした。

　しかし、妻の他界、2人の娘の独立により一人暮らしになってからは、朝夕、鳩に餌を与える事より、自らの健康生活を最優先に切り替えました。このため、鳩を飼育してない現在でも、拙いブログのタイトルは引き続きPersimmon Marsh loftにしてあります。この意味は柿沼鳩舎です。当初、ブログ内容はレース鳩の日々の管理や訓練について書いてました。

　ということで、趣味が鳩から植物に変わった今では、結果的に、樹木に覆われた私の庭が野鳥たちにとって安心できる隠れ家となり、居心地がよいのでしょう。朝に夕に、いろいろの野鳥で賑わってます。私が毎朝、飲み水として新鮮な井戸水を用意してるので、野鳥たちはそれを知り、飛来する習慣です。最近は三階である私の家屋の軒下でも雛が育っており、親が餌を運んでくるとピーチクパーチク日に日にその声は大きくなり、元気に育ってることが分かります。巣立つ日はもうすぐです。

　それにしても、写真の通り、大きなサルスベリの枝に止まってるキジバトの睦まじい姿は私の理想です。果たして未来はこんなことも起こり得るでしょうか。残された人生は、食事と運動を通しての健康法の研究、光合成が盛んな樹木の中での暮らし、ピアノで表現を磨きつつ、余力のすべては未来ある子供たちの安全と、近隣で困ってる一人暮らしの高齢者に寄り添いつつ生活します。

Dear my friends who are crazy about a real pleasure as human being and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

..................................................

　When I was about 10 years old, my elder sister showed me a picture-story called "Buddha and the Pigeons" set in India. I was fascinated by the image of a mother pigeon and her baby pigeon, and their excellent homing instinct from a remote place. I wonder what happened. Since then, for more than half a century, I have been raising and training many racing pigeons, with the purpose of bringing them back to my home in Kuragano-town from the most northern place Wakkanai-city in Hokkaido.

　However, after my wife passed away and my two daughters became independent, I started living alone, so that instead of feeding the pigeons in the morning and evening, I started prioritizing my own health. For this reason, even though I no longer raise pigeons, the title of my humble blog remains Persimmon Marsh loft. It stands for Kakinuma Pigeon Loft. For this reason, initially, the blog content was the way about the daily care and training of racing pigeons.

　So, now that my hobby has changed from pigeons to plants in my garden, which is covered with trees, has become a safe hideout for wild birds and is comfortable to live in. In the mornings and evenings, it is bustling with various wild birds. I prepare fresh well water for them to drink every morning, so the wild birds know about it and fly in. Recently, chicks have been growing under the eaves of my three-story house, and when the parents bring them food, their chirping gets louder each day, so the chicks are growing healthy. The day they will leave the nest is just around the corner, I guess.

　As you can see in the photo, the harmonious sight of the Oriental Turtle Doves perched on the branches of a large Crape Myrtle is my ideal. Will something like this really happen in my future? I will spend the rest of my life researching health methods through diet and training, living among trees where photosynthesis is active, and honing my expression by the piano, while devoting all my spare time to the safety of children who have a bright future and supporting elderly people living alone in my neighborhood who are in trouble.

　

楽譜と英語は世界共通

　今までで「最も集中」できたのはピアノでもサクソフォーンでもありません。それは若き日に、先生がピアノで弾く旋律を楽譜に書き取る「聴音」でした。２～３時間、休憩なしで指導を受け、お陰で習慣となり、今でも音楽を聴くとその楽譜が浮かんできてしまいます。

　しかし、調性については正確に聞き取ることは難しく、一般的な歌や多くの旋律は変ホ長調やイ長調くらいまでのため、この範囲ならばどうにかです。音楽会では多くの場合、プログラムにその曲の調性が記されてるので、鑑賞しつつ、旋律の楽譜が心に浮んできます。しかし、これでは本当の意味で、音楽鑑賞として楽しめてないかもしれません。でも、音楽と楽譜を結び付ける聴音の訓練は誠に大切なことです。言葉とその文字のようなものです。

　という私には現役時代で反省すべき点があります。それは高校音楽教育に携わっていたにもかかわらず、「世界共通である楽譜」についてあまり時間を割いて指導せず、増してや大切な聴音を課したことは殆どなく、当時の生徒さんたちに申し訳なく思っています。私の心の中に楽譜の指導より、音楽に対する「美的感性を育てることが大切」という気持ちが強かったのでしょう。

　現在、私が若き日のように長い期間に亘り続けてることは、楽譜のように世界共通である「英単語を身に付けたい」ことです。集中できる要因は「必要は発明の母である」ことでしょう。それにしても無限の世界です。今やインターネット時代にあり、瞬時に世界と繋がることから、自らの拙い考えや感想を英語でも表現し繋がりたいのです。英作文では、高校時代に習った単語を並べる順番の法則である「五文型」が最も役に立ってます。寂しいことは、教えてくださった音楽の先生も英語の先生もすでに天に召されてます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about English composition and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

.......................................................................

　The most concentrated studying I've ever been was not on playing the piano or the soprano saxophone. It was when I was younger and would write down the melodies which my teacher played by the piano on sheet music, called "ear training." I received instruction for 2-3 hours without a break, and thanks to that, it became a habit, and still now, when I listen to music at the concert, the sheet music comes into my head.

　However, it is difficult to accurately hear the key, and most music and melodies are within the radius of E-flat major or A major, so I can only manage within that range. In many cases, the key of the music is written on the program at a concert, so the sheet music of the melody pops into my mind while I'm listening to the music. However, this habit may not be enough to truly enjoy music appreciation at a concert. However, training in ear training to connect music and sheet music is very important. It's like words and its letters.

　Therefore, there are some teachings I need to reflect on my active years. Even though I was a teacher in high school music education, I didn't spend much time teaching my students about "universal sheet music," and I hardly ever taught them the important skill of ear training, which I feel sorry for. I probably felt that it was more important to develop an aesthetic sensibility for music than to teach sheet music.

　Now, like in my younger days, I have been continuing for a long time to "learn English vocabulary," which is universal like sheet music. The reason I can concentrate is probably because from "necessity is the mother of invention." It is an infinite world. Now that we are in the Internet era, so that we can connect with the world instantly, I want to express my own humble thoughts and impressions in English and connect with my friends of the world. In English composition, the "five sentence patterns," which are the rules for arranging words in the order that I learned in high school, are the most useful. But, it is sad to say that both my music teacher and English teacher who taught me have already passed away.

　　　

2週間ぶりにラジオ体操会に参加

　2週間、休みましたが、これから倉賀野町上４公園で行われる「ラジオ体操会」に行ってきます。

　ところで、私は2週間ほど額の痛みと、それに続いて左目が閉じてしまい、もう、好きな人の顔も見られず、一時的に人生に希望を失いかけました。しかし、治療が功を奏し、視力が回復し、もう大丈夫です。ご心配をお掛けしました。

　

　実は、偶然にも、ちょうどその期間、私のお気に入り日帰り温泉「吉井ドリームセンター」も改修工事で休館中でした。それが今日から再開したので、今日は久しぶりに愛車TTで行ってきます。全身をしっかり温め、スムースな血流をめざし、健康で目の見える有難さを再認識してきます。

Dear my FB friends who are crazy about health and great music

　I've had a two-week break, but now I'll participate in the radio gymnastics event held at Kuragano-town's Kami-4th Park.

　By the way, I had a pain in my forehead, and for about two weeks, my left eye would close, so I couldn't see the face of a lady I like and temporarily lost hope in my life, However, thanks to the doctor's treatment, my eyesight gradually improved and I'm no longer suffering. I am sorry that you worried me.

　In fact, by coincidence, during that same two weeks period, my favorite day-trip spa named Yoshii Dream Center, was also closed for renovations. Today it will reopen, so I'm going to go there on my beloved Audi TT Quattro after a long interval. I'm going to thoroughly warm up my whole body, get the blood circulation smoothly, and I am reminded of how grateful I am to be healthy and to have eyesight.

今朝、パッと咲いたアマリリス

　何らかの菌が額の中にある前頭胴に侵入してしまい、その後、２週間ずっと閉じたままであった私の左目が医師による懸命の治療、及び皆さんによる励ましのお陰で、今では、視力が回復しました。片目での生活は、前方の距離感が分からず、視野が狭まり、ふらつき、歩くこともままならず、交通量が多いスーパーへの徒歩による食料調達は命がけでした。

　それが今では夢の如く、両目で見えるようなり本当に有難く嬉しいです。今後は生活により注意し、回復したこの目を大切にします。早く皆さんのお顔が見たいです。

　ところで、今朝は驚きました。時を合わせたように玄関前ではアマリリスの大きな花がパッと開き、私の目の回復を祝福しているようです。

　しかも、目が不自由であった期間に来訪され、励ましてくださった県会議員「鈴木あつこ」さんの勝負服の色彩と同じです。世の中は不思議なこともあるものです。ところで、県政に対する彼女による一般質問が今月２８日【水】午後２時３０分頃から群馬テレビで生中継されます。ぜひ、拝聴しましょう。

Dear my FB friends who are crazy about the life in Gumma Prefecture and great music.

　Some kind of bacteria invaded the Frontal sinus inside my forehead, and as the result, my left eye remained closed for two weeks. Thanks to the doctors' diligent treatment and FB friend's encouragement, my left eye has now opened wide. Living with one eye meant I couldn't judge the distance in front of me, the field of vision narrowed, and I could barely walk, so walking to the supermarket in busy traffic was a life-threatening task.

　Now, it's like a dream, and I can see with both eyes, which I am so grateful for. From now on, I will be careful in my lifestyle and take good care of my recovered eye. I can't wait to see your face.

　By the way, I was surprised this morning. Just in time, a large amaryllis flower opened up in front of the entrance, as if to celebrate the recovery of my left eye.

　What's more, there are some strange things in this world. It is the same color as the competition uniform worn by "Ms. Atsuko Suzuki," Prefectural Assembly Member who visited me and encouraged me while I was blind. By the way, her general questions regarding prefectural government will be broadcast live on Gumma Television from around 2:30 pm on Wednesday the 28th, so please tune in.

二週間ぶりに乗った愛車ＴＴ Quattro

　今日の午後、2週間ぶりに愛車を運転できました。片目が塞がってしまい、一時は売却しなければならないと考えていたほどですから、運転が出来て涙が出るほど嬉しく感じ、未来が開けた気持ちになってます。行先は家から２Kほどの、やはり、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」です。

　ママさんも暫くぶりに私を見て、ずっと私と話していてくれました。失望してた私は、もし、青いクーペを運転出来るようになったら、先ずどこへ行こうか考えましたが、やはり「さんぽ道」でした。暫くぶりのアイスコーヒーの美味しさは不変です。

　ここは、るんちゃんと出会った場所であり、周囲は稀に見る広大な田園風景で、自然が好きな私には、とても落ち着く空間です。視力はまだ完全ではありませんが、愛車の運転については無理をせず、徐々に慣れたいです。果たして、未来は大好きな群馬の自然を満喫できるドライブができるでしょうか。

Dear my FB friends who are crazy about the taste of iced coffee and great music.

　This afternoon, I was able to drive my beloved car ＴＴ for the first time in two weeks. One of my eyes was blocked, so that I thought I would have to sell it, so I was so happy beyond description to be able to drive that I cried tears of joy, and I feel that my future has opened up. The destination was my favorite coffee shop, "Sampo-michi," about 2km from my residence.

　The owner hadn't seen me in a while, therefore she kept talking to me. I was disappointed during two weeks, so I thought where I would go first if I could drive the blue coupe again, and it was "Sampo-michi." The iced coffee I hadn't had in a while was still as delicious as ever.

　This coffee shop is where I met Run-chan, and the surrounding area is a rare, vast rural landscape, and for me who loves nature, it is a very relaxing space. My eyesight is still not perfect, but I want to gradually get used to driving my beloved car without pushing myself too hard. Will I be able to drive and enjoy the nature of Gumma to the fullest in the future?

目がかなり回復です。

　今回、何らかの原因で左目に不具合が生じ、まるでボクシングの選手の試合後のような顔になり、瞼が完全に閉じてしまいました。今後の人生はどうなるのか、大好きな愛車の運転はもうできないのか、美しいものや人が見えないのかと、2週間ほど、この世の非情さを感じてしまいました。

　ところが、回復の兆しが見え、お陰様で目が開き、次第に物が見え始め、今朝の感覚では、二重に見えたりすることも殆どなくなりました。無理をせずにフェイスブックが書けるほどになりました。激励して下さった皆様に深謝です。

　今回の原因について、不祥事を起こし、妻に殴られたことはなく、当初は目でなくて、「額の左下の部分が熟睡できないほど痛かった」です。その2日後から、今度は左の眼球が膨らみ始め、やはり、激痛となり、瞼が下がって全く見えなくなりました。

　本当の原因は不明ですが、私が想像するには、もしかして、鼻洗浄のとき、０.９％の塩分濃度の液体が額の中に一対ある鼻の臓器の「前頭胴」に入った可能性も考えられます。このため、耳鼻咽喉科では昨日、鼻洗浄をしませんでした。

 

　回復には、眼圧を下げる目薬と抗生剤が効いたように感じられます。今朝は、お陰様で痛みも見た目もほぼ回復し、見えることの幸せをしみじみ感じています。おそらく水色の愛車ＴＴの運転も可能です。一度は真剣に売却まで考えたのですから、目が回復し本当に嬉しいです。皆さんのお顔が見られます。これからは近隣で困っている高齢者の役に立つことに積極的に取り組みます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about human's real joy and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

........................................................................

　This time, for some reason, something went wrong with my left eye, and my face looked like a boxer's after a match, and my eyelids closed completely. For about two weeks, I felt the cruelty of this world, wondering what would happen to my life from now on, whether I would be able to drive my beloved car again, and whether I would be able to see beautiful things and a lady.

However, there were signs of recovery, and thanks to you, I was able to open my eyes and gradually see things again, and this morning I felt that the double vision had almost completely disappeared. I was able to write on Facebook without any strain. I am deeply grateful to everyone who encouraged me.

　I guess the cause of this, I have not caused any scandal and my wife has never hit me, and at first it was not my eye, but "the lower left part of my forehead hurt so much that I could not sleep well." Two days later, my left eyeball began to swell, and again, the pain became intense, my eyelid drooped, and I could not see at all.

　The real cause is unknown, but I imagine that perhaps during nasal irrigation, a liquid with a 0.9% salt concentration entered the "frontal sinuses". As you know, a pair of nasal organs located inside the forehead. For this reason, nasal irrigation was not performed at the ENT clinic yesterday.

　It seems that the eye drops to lower intraocular pressure and antibiotics have helped my recovery. This morning, thanks to your help, both the pain and my appearance have almost completely recovered, and I am truly grateful for the happiness of being able to see this world. I will probably be able to drive my beloved light blue Audi TT Quattro. I seriously considered selling it, so I am really happy that my left eye has recovered. Above all, I will be able to see everyone's faces. From now on, I will actively work to help elderly people in need in my neighborhood.

　

「小満」に於ける・・・地球の公転上の位置

【黄道十二星座の一つ・・・さそり座】

　今日は二十四節気の「小満」です。日の出は４時３3分、太陽高度７３°、日の入り１８時４８分【群馬県】で、昼の長さは１４時間１6分です。日の出の方角は東北東より少し北で、日没の方角は西北西より少し北です。

　「小満」には、植物が青々と成長し、例えば、梅が実をつけたり、麦に穂が出て今年も収穫できそうだという「小さな満足」の季節です。このまま自然災害に遭わず穀類や野菜、果物などが豊作になることを願う頃です。

　地球から見た太陽は二十四節気ごとに東へ１５°移動し、魚座のすぐ下の春分点が０h で、１ｈとなる日が清明で、順次に２ｈ＝３０°は穀雨、３ｈ＝４５°は立夏、そして４ｈ＝６０°が今日の小満の太陽の位置です。この場所がどこかと言えば、今日の太陽の位置は真冬にたくさんの星が固まって見える「スバル星団」付近です。実は「スバル星団」は宮古島の上空を毎日１回通過します。

　小満の今日、公転軌道上を反時計回りに進んでいる私たちの地球は、黄道十二星座のうち「さそり座」【下図】の方向を進んでおり、地球人の私たちは、午前０時に真南を見れば、その事実を確認できます。「さそり座」の中心は一等星アンタレスです。

Dear earthlings

　Today is "Shoman" of 24 solar calendar. The sunrise is 4:33 and the sunset is 18:48 [Gumma Prefecture, Japan], and the length of the day is 14 hours and 18 minutes. The direction of sunrise is a little north of east-northeast, and the direction of sunset is a little north of west-northwest.

　"Shoman" literally means a season of "small satisfaction", plants grow lushly, for example, plums bear fruit and wheat ears are likely to be harvested this year as well. It is time to hope that the crops, vegetables, fruits, etc. will be abundant without suffering from natural disasters.

　Twenty-four solar terms means that the position of the sun seen from our earth in the sky corresponds to the Right Ascension 1h to 24h. The vernal equinox is 0h near "Pisces". The sun seen from the earth moves 15 ° to the east every 24 solar terms, and the day when the position of the sun becomes 1h is "Seimei", 2h = 30 ° is "Kokuu", 3h = 45 ° is "Rikka the first day of summer, and 4h = 60 ° is "Shoman" of today. Speaking of this place is, the position of the sun today is near the "Subaru cluster" which means the Pleiades where many stars can be seen solidified in midwinter. In fact, the "Pleiades" passes over Miyakojima in Japan once a day.

　"Shoman" of today, our Earth which is moving counterclockwise in the orbit, is heading in the direction of "Scorpio" in the Zodiac constellation. If we, the Earthlings, look at due south at midnight, we can understand that fact. The center of the constellation Scorpio is the first magnitude star Antares.

何事も諦めず、前を向いて歩きたい

　まるで絵に描いたような咲き方をしているのは、いつの間にか自然に生えた芍薬で、今では植木鉢で育ててます。この親は八重の赤です。しかし、子は単衣で薄いピンクです。現在、庭全体は緑に覆われてるので色彩的にとても目を引きます。私の左目もこのようにパッと開きたいものです。

　ご心配戴いてる左目については、次第に回復してると想われます。１０日前は瞼が下がって閉じてました。しかし、眼科医による治療と投薬、及びフェイスブック友人Ｒさんによる「食事をしっかり」の励ましの言葉で、今では瞼が開き、現在、ブログを書いているのにキーボードがチラつかず、はっきり見えてます。

　一時は、もう車の運転はできないと諦め、大好きな水色の愛車【走行距離２万K】を手放すことを真剣に考えてました。しかし、どうやら「未だ手放す必要はないのでは」と昨日感じました。

　というのは、昨日、５キロも離れた眼科に行くのに電話でタクシーを呼んだら、「今のところタクシーは営業所になく、暫く戻ってくることはありません。」との返事です。「さあ、どうしよう」となり、予約の時間が迫り、考慮した挙句、もう一台の軽のバンがあり、両目が見えるのだから、これで行こうと決断しました。

　実は昨日、5キロも離れた眼科へ、自ら運転して行けたのです。途中、怖い思いは全くありませんでした。夕方はスーパーへも車で行けました。このため、昨日は、想ってもいなかった「車を１０日ぶりに運転でき」たり、トマトが大量に安く手に入ったりで、この世は、辛いことがあっても「明るい光も差し込んでくるものだ」との思いになりました。

Dear my friends who are crazy about human's real joy and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

...........................................................

　The flower that blooms like a painting by child is a shakuyaku peony that grew naturally without my noticing and is now being grown in a flowerpot. Her parent plant is double and red. However, this child is single and pale pink. Currently, the entire garden is covered with green, so the color is very eye-catching. I wish my left eye could open like this.

　As for my left eye, I think it is gradually recovering. Ten days ago, the eyelid was drooping and closed. However, with treatment and medication by the ophthalmologist, and encouraging words from my Facebook friend named Run-chan to "treat and eat well," my eyelid is now open, and I can see clearly the keyboard without flickering as I type on Facebook.

　So far, I gave up on the idea of driving again and seriously considered selling my beloved light blue coupe [mileage 20,000 km]. However, yesterday I felt that it was probably not necessary to give it up just yet.

　Yesterday, when I called for a taxi to go to the eye doctor 5km away, the officer told, "There are no taxis at the office at the moment, and they won't be back for a while." I thought, "Now what should I do?" and as my appointment time is approaching, I thought about it and decided to take another light van, because I could see with both eyes, and use that.

　In fact, yesterday I was able to drive myself to the eye doctor 5km away. I wasn't scared at all on the way. In the evening, I was also able to drive to the supermarket. Because of this, I was able to drive a car for the first time in 10 days, which I never expected, and as you know, I was able to get a lot of cheap tomatoes yesterday, which made me realize that even though there are hardships in this world, there are also bright spots.

　

平素から、がん対策にトマトを食べてます。

　倉賀野町のスーパーでいつも陳列され、気になってた「トマト」ですが、今まで傷物だったので購入しませんでした。ところが、今日のトマトは傷がなく、しかも、かなり大きいです。これで９００円台だったので一般より３～４倍安く、トマトが好きな私は購入しました。朝晩食しても、一人では一週間かかりそうです。

　１５年ほど前に「がん予防」にはトマトが最も効果的であると、がん専門医から教わった私は今までもトマト【あるいはトマトジュース】を毎日のように食べてます。

　私の年令では「前立腺がんのＰＳＡ基準値は４．０9未満が異常なし」と決められてます。ところが、検査すると、私はいつも０．５程で、極端に低い数値です。トマトに含まれるリコピンのお陰と考えてます。

Dear my FB friends who are crazy about preventing cancers and great music.

　I've always been interested in tomatoes, which are always on display at the supermarket in Kuragano-town, but I never bought them because they were damaged. However, today's tomatoes were not damaged and were quite large. They were around 900 yen, which was 3-4 times cheaper than normal. I like tomatoes, so I bought them. It will probably need to eat a week if I eat them for breakfast and dinner.

　About 15 years ago, a cancer specialist told me that tomatoes are the most effective way to prevent cancer, therefore, since then, I have been eating tomatoes (or tomato juice) almost every day.

　At my age, the PSA standard for prostate cancer is less than 4.09. However, when I get tested, my PSA is always around 0.5, which is extremely low. I think it's thanks to the lycopene in tomatoes.

左目の不具合・・・生活を反省する好機と捉える

　未明に前線が太平洋に抜け、午前4時頃、南東の空にきれいな下弦の月が出てました。拡大してご覧ください。月面の高い山脈に太陽光が当たってる様子がよく分かります。このため群馬県は今朝からよく晴れ上がり、気温も上昇する気配です。

　今朝、庭では赤いシャクヤクが開花しつつあり、生まれたばかりの色彩に私は目を奪われてます。

　「あれっ、カッキーは目の具合が悪いのに見えるのですか？」という声が聞こえて来そうですが、今まで閉じてた左目はかなり開いてきました。次第に、皆さんの素敵なお顔も見えるでしょう。普段忘れちですが、このような色彩が見られることは本当に幸せです。植物が好きな私は今まで以上に目を大切にします。今日は眼科に行く日です。しかし、車の運転は控えます。

　目が不具合である、一人暮らしである、食料調達などお遣いや医者に行くにも運転できない、費用がかかるなど、生活上の悪条件はきりがありません。

　しかし、この悪条件は、逆に無駄を省き「効率を生み出す絶好のチャンス」と捉えることもできます。順調なときには考えつかない手段や方法に気づいたりします。コンディションが悪いときこそ、すべての無駄を省略した「独創的な生き方ができる」かもしれません。頑張ります。

Dear my friends who are crazy about human's real joy and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

..................................................

　Before dawn, the weather front passed over the Pacific Ocean, and at around 4 a.m., a beautiful waning moon appeared in the southeastern sky. Please enlarge the image to see clearly. You can see the sunlight hitting the high mountain ranges on the surface of the moon. As a result, Gumma Prefecture where I live has been sunny since this morning, and the temperature will be risen.

　This morning, red shakuyaku peony is blooming in the garden, and I am fascinated by the newly born color.

　I can probably hear someone asking, "Hey, can you see even though your left eye is not working well, Kakki?" But my left eye, which was closed until now, has opened up quite a bit. Gradually, I will be able to see everyone's beautiful faces. I usually forget, but I am really happy to be able to see colors like this peony. I love plants, so I will take better care of my eyes than ever before. Today is the day to go to the eye doctor. However, I will refrain from driving Audi TT Quattro.

　Now, there are countless bad conditions in my life, such as eye problems, living alone, not being able to drive to shopping such as getting food or going to the doctor, and the costs.

　However, these adverse conditions can also be seen as a golden opportunity to eliminate waste and create efficiency. I may discover methods and methods that I would never think of when things are going well. It is precisely when conditions are bad, we can live creatively, eliminating all waste. I'll do my best.

懐かしい一枚の写真・・・私の若き日

　内モンゴル平原で馬に跨り、移動式住居のゲル周辺を散策する懐かしい一枚です。私も未だ若かったですね。ここは万里の長城の遥か北側に位置し、人々はモンゴル系です。

　しかし、現在は中国領の内モンゴル自治区です。ここへは北京駅から万里の長城の下を潜るトンネルを通過し、大陸横断鉄道で約１０時間かかって着きました。列車の中では、何と「北国の春」の音楽が流れてました。

　私の家で生まれた一羽の鳩が間違ってここまで飛んで行ってしまい、足環に書かれていた私の住所を手掛かりに現地の方から手紙を戴き、私は一人で鳩に会いに行ってきました。鳩の名前は「日中友好号」です。

Dear my friends who are interested in international exchange and great music

　This is a nostalgic photo of me riding a horse in the Inner Mongolian plains, strolling around the gers (mobile houses). I was still young wasn't it. This place is located far north of the Great Wall of China, and the people are Mongolian descents.

　However, this place is now a part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, part of China. It took about 10 hours to get there from Beijing Station, passing through a tunnel under the Great Wall by taking a transcontinental train. On the train, the Japanese song "Spring in the North" was broadcast.　　

　One of the pigeons that was born in my loft in Japan strayed all the way beyond Japan sea. An Inner Mongolian wrote a letter to me by using my address written on pigeon's leg ring as a clue, I received a letter from him named Mr. Chan who is a local resident, so I went to meet my pigeon alone. The pigeon's name is "China-Japan Friendship Pigeon."

大切に育てつつ、将来は増やします。

　この色の芍薬を外部から手に入れたことはなく、いつの間にか自然に生え、近年、咲くようになりました。私は大きめの鉢で育て、晴れの日に根元に水を与えてます。　

　両親の時代から庭に芍薬があり、植物に興味がなかった若き日の私でもその色彩は今でも脳裏にあります。もっと赤に近い濃い色をしてました。それにしても、自然に生えたこの薄いピンクも本当に美しいです。もしかして、メンデルの「分離の法則」による結果でしょうか。　

　実は、この芍薬の鉢は前の道を歩く人の目の高さに合わせて置いてあります。ところが、通過する人の様子を見ていても、時代の流れでしょう。若い人は男女を問わず、多くはスマホ歩きをし、この色彩に目もくれず通過して行きます。

　そういう私自身も、日々、身近なところで起こってる千載一遇のチャンスを見逃してるかも知れません。こうなっては、人生がもったいないです。平素から、自然環境に目をやりつつ、視覚から入る自然の創造物や、耳から入る素敵な音楽の音色に心を洗われたいものです。

　最近は左目の調子が悪いこととは別に、ピアノの練習を怠りがちです。人間に備わってるいろいろの機能、及び美に対する感性は何もしないでいると衰退です。この芍薬の表情に学び、物事に対する自らの姿勢の在り方を見直します。

　

Dear my FB friends who are crazy about natural color and great music.

　I never got a shakuyaku peony of this color from outside, it just grew naturally in my garden and has started to bloom in recent years. I raise it in a large pot and water it at the base on sunny days.

　My parents have had peonies in this gardens since their generation, and even in my younger days when I wasn't interested in plants, I still remember their color. They were a darker color, closer to red. But ,this naturally growing pale pink is really beautiful. Perhaps it may be the result of Mendel's "law of segregation."

　The peony pot is actually adjusted to eye level for passerby along the path in front. However, when I look at the people passing by, it is a sign of the times. Many young people, both men and women, walk while using their smartphones and pass by without even noticing this peony's color.

　I myself may be missing out on the rare opportunities that happen in my surroundings. If this happens, life is a waste. I would like to keep my eyes on the natural environment every day, and let my mind be cleansed by the creations of nature that I see and the beautiful sounds of music that I listen to.

　Apart from the fact that my left eye has not been working well recently, I have been neglecting my piano practice. The various functions that humans possess, as well as our sensibility to beauty, will decline if we do not do anything. I will learn from the expression of this peony and reconsider my own attitude towards things.

目標は・・・お腹が空くこと！

　午後６時から倉賀野駅の北に広がる鯉池まで往復ウォーキングをしました。夕方になると涼しくて歩きやすいです。目的はスムースな血流、及び夕食前に空腹にすることです。速度は散歩よりちょっと速めです。

　年齢を重ねたら「頑張り過ぎないこと」を肝に銘じてます。途中、出会った動植物を眺めつつ、故郷の景色を味わったり、良い空気を鼻から吸い、心身にストレスを掛けないことにしてます。

　私の家から写真の鯉池まで、およそ１．５Kほどで、今日は午前中のお遣いを含めると５Kほど歩きました。程よい疲れで、きっと良い夢が見られるでしょう。

Dear my friends who are crazy about health and great music

　At 6pm I walked to and from the carp pond situated the north of Kuragano-Station. It's cooler in the evening so easier to walk. The aim is to get the blood circulation smoothly and to make myself hungry before dinner. I walked at a speed a little faster than a stroll.

　As getting older, I've decided not to push myself too hard mentally and physically. Along the way, I enjoy the scenery of my hometown, breathe in the fresh air through the nose, and try not to put stress on my body and mind.

　It's about 1.5km, I guess, from my house to the carp pond in the photo, and including my morning shopping, I walked totally about 5km today. I'm just the ideal amount of tired, so I'm sure I'll have good dreams tonight, that means if possible you will be appeared.

庭の花は私の家族・・・まだまだ続きます。

　左目の調子は未だ回復しませんが、今朝も、玄関前に並んだ左から「白の西洋シャクナゲ」、「明るく表情豊かな芍薬」、そして「るんちゃん」こと「紫のクレマチス」が一輪よく咲いてるので写真を撮り、どうしても皆さんに見て戴きたい気持ちになりました。

　写真左下はピンクの芍薬で自然に生えたました。昨日は小雨に濡れて萎んでましたが、天気が回復した今朝は開いてます。写真をクリックすると花弁の中に蜂が寛いでます。右下は姿勢のよいユリで、開花は今月末でしょう。

　「立てば芍薬、座れば牡丹、歩く姿は百合の花」はすべて庭に咲き、赤、ピンク、紫、黄色の４種類の華やかな牡丹は終わりましたが、今後、百合や合歓の花が続きます。そして、２ヶ月後には恰も私の誕生日を祝うように巨樹サルスベリの開花へと、色彩のバトンタッチが続きます。

　変化がないのは、ここに住む私だけですが、一歩でも二歩でも今までより健康をめざし、新たな刺激を求め、良い方向に変化したいものです。目の焦点が合わないので愛車には乗りません。今日は天気が良いので、往復２Kを歩いての買い物と、午後には故郷・倉賀野町を歩いてみます。素敵な人とお会いできるでしょうか。

Dear my friends who are crazy about seeking human's joy and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

.........................................................

　My left eye is still not feeling better, but this morning, from the left, the white rhododendron, the bright and expressive shakuyaku peony, and a purple clematis named by "Run-chan", lined up in front of the entrance, were blooming beautifully. Therefore I took photos of them and really wanted everyone to see them.

　The pink shakuyaku peony at the bottom left of the photo has grown naturally. Yesterday it was wet from the light rain and wilted, but this morning the weather has improved, so it is open. When you click the photo, you can see a bee relaxing among the petals. At the bottom right is a lily with a good posture, which will probably bloom at the end of this month.

As the proverb says "shakuyaku peony when standing, botan peony when sitting, lily when walking shape by beautiful lady " are all in bloom in my garden, and the four gorgeous varieties of red, pink, purple, and yellow botan peonies are over, but in the near future the lilies and silk flower will continue to bloom. And in two months, just as if to celebrate my birthday, the giant crape myrtle will bloom, so that the baton of color will continue to be passed on.

　The only one who hasn't changed is me, that is the person living here, but I would like to take even one or two steps towards better health, seek new stimulation, and make changes for the better. I don't drive my car because I can't focus my eyes. The weather is nice today, so I'll walk 2km round trip to shopping, and in the afternoon I'll walk around my hometown, Kuragano-town. Maybe I'll meet a nice lady.

　

若葉茂る「合歓木」、そして最後の一輪となったクレマチス

　日没直前に夕日が出たので庭に出て身体を動かし、樹木や花を観察です。先程６時半に撮ったので眠り始めてる「ねむの木」です。不思議なことに、葉と葉が重なり合って明朝まで閉じ続けます。この「ねむの木」は以前にあった大きな「ねむの木」の孫です。種が零れて代々生えます。今では私の背より高くなってます。

　下の左は今年最後の開花となったクレマチスの「るんちゃん」で、同様に右は「あっちゃん」です。１ヶ月ほど朝に夕に、品格ある色彩と何か語りかけてるような豊かな表情で、私を孤独感から解放してくれました。有難いことです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about flowers and great music.

　Before just sunset, I went out into the garden to get some physical training and observe the trees and flowers as usual. I just took this photo at 6:30pm, so the Silk tree, which is called sleeping tree in Japan, is starting to sleep. Strangely, the leaves overlap and will remain closed until tomorrow morning. This Silk tree is the grandchild of a larger one that used to be there. Seeds are dropped and they have been growing for generations. It is now taller than me.

　Below left is the clematis "Run-chan," the last to bloom this year, and similarly on the right is "At-chan." For nearly a month, morning and evening, its dignified colors and rich expressions that seem to be speaking to me, have released me from a sense of loneliness. I am grateful for them.

一生勉強、一生青春でいたい

　今朝、小雨が降る中、庭に出て撮影した豊作の梅です。樹木が大きいので実の数は推定２０００個ほどでしょう。太陽、雨、土により毎年このように実が生るのですから自然は有難いです。写真左は雨に濡れてしまい、顔が開けられない芍薬です。右はそれとは対照的に逞しく伸びつつあるアマリリスの蕾で、数日後に開花でしょう。咲いたらアップします。

　ついに南九州地方が梅雨入りと伝えられ、私が住む群馬県高崎市も今朝は「梅雨の走り」のようにしとしと小雨が降ってます。梅雨とは「梅の雨」と書きますが、日に日に膨らむ梅は風情があり、今の季節にとても相応しい光景です。私も左目が回復して、長女が作る梅酒で乾杯したいものです。彼女も近年、腕が上がり、とても良い味です。私の母が梅酒作りが上手だったので、きっと隔世遺伝なのでしょう。

　ところで、男性である私たちはいつになっても、つまり、高齢になっても「身だしなみに気をつけること」はもちろんです。それと共に、他方、精神面に於いても、礼儀正しさや「人に対する丁寧な振舞こそ大切」に思うようになってます。特に、困っている女性に対して、高齢者に対して、手を差し伸べたり、そのようなとき「丁寧に喋るマナーこそ」身に付けたいと思います。

　昨日「人間には年をとったら、とったなりの能力がある。」と書きました。人に対する「丁寧な振舞こそ」これに当たるのではないしょうか。小雨で何かと鬱陶しい今日一日ですが、植物の旺盛な成長を見守りつつ、私も身体を動かして血行を良くしたいと思います。

Dear my friends who are interested in human's polite behavior and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

......................................

　This morning, I went out to the garden in the light rain and took a photo of the bumper plum harvest. The tree is large, so there are an estimated 2,000 fruits. By the sun, rain, and soil, this kind of fruit can grow every year, so we are grateful for nature. On the left of the photo is a shakuyaku peony that is soaked in the rain and cannot open its face. On the right, in contrast, an amaryllis bud is growing vigorously and will probably bloom in a few days. I will upload it for you when it blooms.

　Finally, it has been reported that the rainy season has started in the southern Kyushu region, and this morning in Takasaki City, Gumma Prefecture where I live, a light rain is falling as if it is the beginning of the rainy season. The rainy season is written as "plum rain" in Japanese, and the plums that swell day by day are very tasteful and are a very fitting sight for this season. I hope that my left eye will recover and I will toast with this plum wine made by my eldest daughter. Her skills have improved in recent years, and the wine tastes very good. My mother was good at making plum wine, so it must be atavism.

　Not change the subject, but as man, I should of course "pay attention to my appearance" no matter how old I get, even in old age. At the same time, on the other hand, I have come to think that politeness and "behaving politely towards others" are important on a mental level as well. In particular, I would like to acquire the "manners to speak politely" when lending a hand to ladies in need or to the elderly.

　As you know, yesterday I wrote that "As people get older, they acquire their own abilities." I think that "behaving politely towards others" corresponds to this. It's been a rather depressing all day long today with the light rain, but I would like to move my body and improve my blood circulation while watching the plants grow vigorously in the garden.

　　

果たして、運命は如何に！

　このまま目が回復しなければ、ナンバー【二人で乗ろうを意味する】2222号は未だ走行距離２万キロですが、売らなくてはなりません。果たして運命は如何に！

　左目が回復して、大好きな群馬の自然を再度、満喫できるでしょうか。今は医師の指導に従って治療を続けてます。昨日はフェイスブック友人Aさんが訪ねてくださいました。お菓子が美味しかったです。

　運良く目が回復したら、今、体験してるこの不都合をバネにして、今後は近隣で生活に不自由されてる高齢者の支援を今まで以上にやりたくなりました。

Dear my friends who are on the brink of fate the same as me.

　If my eye doesn't recover, I will have to sell my blue car, number 2222 (meaning "ride with you"), though it still has 20,000 km in milage. What will its fate be?

　If my left eye recovers, will I be able to enjoy my beloved Gumma nature once again? I am currently continuing treatment under the doctor's guidance. Yesterday, my Facebook friend Ms. A visited me. The sweets were delicious beyond description.

　If, chance comes, my eye does recover, I would like to use this current inconvenience as a springboard to help elderly people more than before who are struggling in my neighborhood.

愛鳥週間では、朝のホームルームを屋上で行い、鳩を放す

　今日で愛鳥週間が終わります。現役時代を振り返ると、榛名高や高崎商業では「今朝のホームルームは屋上でします。」と事前に黒板に書いておきました。生徒たちが屋上に行くと、そこには籠に入った「レース用の鳩」が１５羽ほどいて、あまり見たことがないのでしょう。珍しそうに見てました。そして、私はレース鳩について説明しました。

　レース鳩の能力は、最初は5Ｋｍほどの近い距離から自分の鳩舎に帰ることを覚え、次は１０Ｋから、３０Ｋから、そして、ついに１００Ｋと少しずつ距離を伸ばし、帰巣本能を磨き、同時に体力をつけ、本当のレースでは北海道の長万部で朝５時ごろ放すと、夕方４時頃には私の倉賀野に帰って来るようになりました。もちろん、誰にも頼れず、自力で津軽海峡上空を渡り、山川を超え、途中で天敵の猛禽類を避けつつです。これらのことを説明した後、一斉に我が家に向けて鳩を放しました。歓声が上がりました。

　このように鳩でさえ、繰り返しの練習により、徐々に難題に挑戦し、それを克服していくことで潜在能力が開花します。増してや人間の皆は「今、磨けば磨くほど、つまり、継続すれば自分でも考えられないほど能力は高まるものです。」などと、若き日の私は言ったりしてました。

　ところで、高齢になりつつある自分自身を今振り返ると、人間とは「いくつになろうとも決して能力はなくならない。人間には年をとったら、とったなりの能力がある」と自分に言い聞かせてます。昨日は「眼圧を英語で何と言うか」知りたくて、フェイスブックで使い、どうにか覚えられました。記憶とは、自らの生活に結びつけるようにしてます。

【写真は、今朝、小さな花が咲いたマユミ、シャクヤクの蕾、そして、日本の最北の地・稚内から私の家まで１０３９Kmを帰還した稚内モザイク号】

Dear my friends who are interested in the ability of human and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

............................................

　Today marks the end of Bird-loving Week in Japan. Looking back on my time as the active working, at Haruna High School and Takasaki High School of Commerce, I wrote on the blackboard in advance, "Today's homeroom will be held on the roof." When the students went to the roof, there were about my 15 "racing pigeons" in cages, which students probably had never seen before. They looked at pigeons curiously. Then I explained about racing pigeons.

　Racing pigeons learn to return to their lofts from a short distance at first of about 5km, then 10km, 30km, and finally 100km, gradually increasing the distance, honing their homing instinct and building up their stamina at the same time. So in a real race, if pigeons were released around 5am from Oshamanbe-city, Hokkaido, they returned to my Kuragano at around 4pm. Of course, they couldn't rely on anyone, they had to fly over the Tsugaru Strait on their own, crossing the mountains and rivers, and avoiding their natural enemies, birds of prey, on the way. After explaining these things, I released all the pigeons towards my house at once, and the students cheered.

　Even pigeons can gradually challenge themselves with difficult tasks through repeated training, and by overcoming them, their potential will bloom. This is especially true for humans, as I used to say in my younger days.

　By the way, now I'm getting older, when looking back at myself, I tell myself that humans never lose our abilities, no matter how old we get. As we get older, we have our own abilities. Yesterday, I wanted to know how to say intraocular pressure in English, so I used it on Facebook and somehow I can remember it. I try to connect memories to my own real life.

　[The photos show Mayumi flowers blooming this morning, Shakuyaku peony buds, and the "Wakkanai Mosaic" returning 1,039 km from Wakkanai-city, the northernmost place in Japan, to my home.]

コンクリートを減らし、緑豊かな生活環境に

　現在、日本列島は１０２８hPaの太平洋高気圧に覆われ、私が住む群馬県高崎市の今日の最高気温は２６°Cと予想されてます。しかし、この数値をアメリカ人が一見すると「日本は何と寒いのか。」と勘違いするかもしれません。明治生まれの父も夏の日に温度計を見て「今日は８０°もある」と言ったので、子供の私たちは「煮えちゃうよ。」と笑った記憶があります。

　温度計の読み方は時代や国によって、摂氏であったり華氏であったりします。昔住んでたカルカッタ市では華氏が使われてました。しかし、現代では世界中で次第に摂氏になりつつある傾向です。

　ところが、華氏の利点は「人間の生活を中心に考えられてる」といわれます。もう、これ以上は暑くて生活できないという高い気温を１００°とし、もう、これ以下では寒くて生活できないという低い気温を０度とし、考えようでは便利です。テストの表示法に似てます。ですから、快適な華氏の気温は６５°【摂氏１８°】ほどでしょう。

　写真は玄関まで行くのに緑のトンネルを通過して行くようになり、庭は私の考え通りになりつつあります。樹木は直射日光を遮り、日陰を作ります。また。樹木は光合成により、二酸化炭素を吸収し、酸素を生じ、人間生活を快適にします。

Dear my friends who are interested in temperature in summer and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

...............................................

　Currently, the Japanese archipelago is covered by the Pacific high pressure of 1028hPa, and the maximum temperature today in Takasaki City, Gumma Prefecture where I live, is expected to be 26°C. However, if an American sees this figure at first glance, they might mistakenly think, "How cold is Japan?" My father who was born in the Meiji era, also looked at the thermometer on a summer day and said, "It's 80°F today," and I remember laughing as a child and saying, "We will be boiled."

　Thermometers are read in either Celsius or Fahrenheit depending on the era and country. In Calcutta where I used to live, Fahrenheit was used. However, in modern times, the trend is gradually shifting to Celsius all over the world, I guess.

　However, the advantage of Fahrenheit is said to be that it is "centered on human life." It is convenient to think of it as 100°, which is the highest temperature that it is too hot to live, and 0°, which is the lowest temperature at which it is too cold to live. It is similar to the way tests in school are displayed. Therefore, a comfortable Fahrenheit temperature would be around 65° [18° Celsius].

　As you can see in the photo, I now walk through a green tunnel to get to my home entrance of the garden, and it's starting to look just like I envisioned it. Trees block direct sunlight and create shade. Also, trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. It makes human life comfortable.

　

久しぶりに見えた！・・・赤味を帯びた月

　只今、気づきましたが、南東の地平線近くに１７日目の下弦の月が出ています。ご覧の通り、かなり赤味がかかってます。画像を拡大すると月面がよく見えるでしょう。

　私たちを載せた地球も、この光景と同じで暗黒の宇宙にぽっかり浮いてます。明るい所が昼であり、欠けたところが日没です。裏は夜です。

　今回のように、地平線近くに月があるときは、月からの光が地球上の厚い大気の中を通過することになり、青い光は届きにくく、赤い光だけが私達の目に届きます。おやすみなさい。

Dear my earthlings who crazy about astronomy and great music.

　I've just noticed that the 17th day waning moon is appearing near the southeastern horizon. As you can see, it has a very reddish tinge. If you enlarge the image, you can see the lunar surface better.

　If we see our earth from a remote space, it is just like this scene, floating in the dark of universe. The bright areas are day, and the crescent areas are sunset. The other side is night.

　As it is now, when the Moon is near the horizon, the light from the Moon passes through the thick atmosphere above the Earth, making it difficult for blue light to reach us, and only red light reaches our eyes. Have a nice dream tonight!

片目でも、ピアノが弾けました。

　玄関前の鉢植えの芍薬がほぼ満開なりました。私の左目もこのようにパッと開く日が来るでしょうか。蕾が一つあるので、未だ開花中で、すべて咲くと１2個です。色濃くて「頑張れと」すべてが私の方を見ています。

　片目が開きませんが、今朝、試しにピアノを弾いてみました。そしたら、何と好きな「恋人よ」がホ短調で伴奏も旋律も弾けるのです。人間の身体は良く出来ていて指の感覚は不変で、まるで指に目があるようです。また、目が不自由であると耳から入る音への感覚が「今までより、ぐっと心に迫って来る感じ」がしました。

　るんちゃんを始め、ご心配戴いてる方々に、いつの日か聴いて戴きたくなりました。

　追伸・・・今日も歩いて正午頃、スーパーへ買い物に行ってきました。昨日より交通は空いてました。普段、忘れがちな二つの目が「距離感」などで、いかに大切であるかを感じつつです。

【写真はクリックしてご覧ください。】

Dear my friends who are crazy about recovery from illness and great music.

　The potted shakuyaku peony in front of the entrance is almost in full bloom. I wonder if the day will come when my left eye will open like this. There is one bud, so it is still blooming, and when they all bloom, there will be 12 flowers. They are all deep red in color and looking at me, telling me "Do your best!

　I can't open my left eye, but this morning I tried playing the piano. I was able to play my favorite music, "Koibito yo," that means "Oh my sweetheart" in E minor, both the accompaniment and the melody. The human body is well-made, and the sensation in the fingers is constant, as if the fingers have eyes. Also, when my left eye is blind, the sound that enters my ears feels "much closer to my heart than ever before."

　I hope that some day Run-chan and those who are worried about me will be able to listen to it.

  P.S. I walked to the supermarket again around noon today. The traffic was less crowded than yesterday. I realized how important we have two eyes for "sense of distance." We tend to forget about it in our daily lives. 　

　　

[Click on the photo to see it.]

　　

買い物難民になりました。

　片目が不自由なため、ブログもやっと書いてます。夕方、食料の買い出しに片道約１Kあるスーパーまで籠を持って歩いて行きました。つまり、買い物難民になりました。夕方は交通量が多く道路を歩くのが命がけで、途中に1ヶ所大きな交差点があるので、視野が狭い私は首を左右に向け、確認しつつ、手を挙げて横断です。歩きスマホなどとても考えられません。

　行きはよいよいでも、帰りは籠に荷物があり、牛乳などかなり重たいです。籠を右手で持ったり左手に交替しつつでやっと家に辿り着きました。

　今まで、車での生活で買い物は何も苦労しませんでしたが、荷物の入った籠を手に持って１Ｋ歩くと重いものです。しかし、良いこともありました。それはお腹が空いたことです。るんちゃんのご指導の通り、しっかり食して早く健康を取り戻したい。

Dear my friends who are crazy about living in this world, and great music.

　I'm barely able to write on weblog because I'm visually impaired. In the evening, I walked to the supermarket, about 1km away, carrying a basket, to buy food for dinner. In other words, I became a shopping refugee. There was a lot of traffic and walking on the road was a life-threatening experience. There was a large intersection on the way, so I had to turn my head left and right to check and raise my hand to cross the road. So, walking while using my smartphone is out of the question.

　It was fine on the way there, but on the way back, the basket was quite heavy with my belongings and milk. I had to hold the basket in my right hand and then my left hand, then finally returned home.

　Until now, I've never had any trouble shopping because I've been using car, but walking 1km with a basket full of belongings in my hand is heavy beyond imagination. But there was one good thing. That was that I was hungry. I want to eat well and get healthy again as soon as possible, as Run-chan advised.

ブログが書けなくなりました。

皆様へ
　体調不良のため、暫くの間、ブログの発信を休みます。カッキーより

Due to poor health, I will take a break from blogging for a while. From Kakky

カシミール紛争・・・停戦合意か

　写真上と左は西洋シャクナゲです。殆どのシャクナゲは終わりましたが、品種によって開花時期に多少の違いがあり、こちらは今咲いてます。薄いピンクでとてもきれいです。右は今朝もよく咲き、いつも私を元気づけてくれるクレマチスの「るんちゃん」です。クリックし拡大してご覧ください。

　一方、ニュースによると以前より領有権を争ってるインド北部の「カシミール紛争」がインドとパキスタンの間で停戦合意したと伝えられます。このため私はホッとしてます。ここは若き日、カルカッタ日本人学校勤務時代に冬休みを利用し、湖に浮かぶホテル・ハウスボートで新年を迎えた思い出深い山岳地帯です。合意に基づき両国に平和が続くことを願ってます。

　ところで、珍しく昨夜はよく眠れませんでした。実は、額の左下の眉付近が痛くて仕方がありませんでした。おそらく前頭胴だと想います。一昨日、耳鼻科で治療を受けた際、長い中鼻鏡で鼻の奥を治療した影響かも知れません。たまたま今日は日曜日なので耳鼻科は休みです。

　

　このようなとき、運よく東隣の若き奥さんが現役の看護師さんなので、今朝、早くお邪魔し、病状を話して痛み止めを戴きました。とりあえず、痛みがなくなることを期待してます。一人暮らしはこのようなとき心細いです。このため、今朝はラジオ体操会を休みました。

Dear my friends who are interested in sinusitis, and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

..................................................................

　The top and left photos are Western rhododendrons. Most rhododendrons have finished blooming, but the flowering period varies slightly depending on the variety, and this one is blooming now. It's pale pink and very beautiful. On the right is the clematis "Run-chan," which is blooming well this morning and always cheers me up. Click to enlarge and see.

　Meanwhile, the news is reporting that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between India and Pakistan in the "Kashmir conflict" in northern India, where sovereignty has been disputed since the ancient time. This makes me feel relieved. This is a mountainous region that holds many memories for me, where I used my winter vacations to welcome the New Year on a floating hotel named houseboat on the lake when I worked at the Calcutta Japanese School as a teacher in my younger days. I hope that peace will continue between the two countries based on the agreement.

　By the way, I couldn't sleep well last night, which was unusual for me. Actually, the area around the left eyebrow on my lower forehead is really painful. I think it's probably in my frontal sinus. It may be the effect of treating the back of my nose with a middle rhinoscope when I was treated at an ENT clinic the day before yesterday. But, today is Sunday so the ENT clinic is closed.

　Luckily for me at time like these, the young lady living next door to the east is an active nurse, so I dropped by early this morning, explained my condition, that she gave some painkillers. For now, I'm hoping the pain will go away. Living alone can be lonely at these times. For this reason, I took a break from radio gymnastics this morning.

　

鑑賞者の気持ちに沿って弾きたい

　今日の午後、天候が回復したので４時頃より、愛車で本当に暫くぶりに喫茶「さんぽ道」に行き、アイスコーヒーを戴きつつ、糸川英夫著の本を読んだりして１時間ほどリラックスしてきました。

　近くの席に若き恋人風の二人ずれが静かに過ごしていたので、その後、その二人をイメージして静かにゆっくりムードを持ってピアノを弾きました。

　生涯のテーマである「ノクターン b moll」を手始めに、「愛の賛歌 e moll」、五輪真弓の「恋人よ e moll」などを、静かに、時に少々情熱をもって弾きました。１５分程ですが、弾き終わったら、恋人らしき二人から拍手を戴いたので情熱は伝わったのかなと思いました。

　これからも、チャンスがあったら鑑賞者の気持ちに沿って弾きたいと思います。

Dear my FB friends who like relaxed time and great music

　This afternoon, the weather in Gumma Prefecture cleared up, so I drove my car to my favorite cafe "Sampo-michi" after a long interval around 4 o'clock, where I relaxed for about an hour, drinking iced coffee and reading a book written by Hideo Itokawa.

　A couple who looked like young lovers were sitting quietly at a nearby table, so I played the piano quietly and slowly, with imagining their state of mind.

　I started with "Nocturne in b moll by Chopin", which is my life's theme, and then played "Hymne amore e moll" and Mayumi Itsuwa's "Oh my sweetheart e moll", quietly, sometimes with a little passion. It was about 15 minutes. When I finished, I received applause from the couple who looked like lovers, so I thought my feeling was communicated.

　From now on, if I have the chance to play the piano or soprano saxophone, I would like to play with cherishing the feelings of the audience.

ついに開花した芍薬の色彩を味わう

　写真は玄関前に置いた鉢植えの「芍薬」です。花は大きく明るい色彩で人目に付きます。しかし、夜間は花弁が閉じ、早朝もなかなか開かず、午前９時頃から開花します。そして、今か今かと来客を待ってるかの如く表情豊かに咲いてます。

　これほど多い緑の葉と、蕾を数えると今年は１３の花が咲く予定ですが、不思議なことに、球根のため冬の期間は地上に全く何も姿を見せず、すべて地中に入ったままで冬眠してます。これが早春になると小さな赤い芽を地上に出し、この世を見渡してるかのようになり、荒涼とした庭にほのかな春を感じさせる時季です。

　子供の頃から庭に芍薬がありました。早春が好きな私は小学３年ころ国語の時間に詩を書くことになり「芍薬の芽もダリアの芽も、みんな顔を出して笑ってる」と書いたことを今でも思い出します。つまり、芍薬の芽には存在感があり、私の人生は常に芍薬と共にあったと今振り返ります。この芍薬は一見に値します。お近くの方は見にいらして下さい。

　ところで、今日の群馬県は曇りや雨と予報され、植物にとってはますます成長することになります。多くの植物と共に暮らす私は毎日、四方八方からその全体像を観察し、枯れ枝など不要な枝を剪定しつつ、よい枝を伸ばすようにしてます。よく考えると、これは「人間の教育にも共通する」と思います。その子の行動のよい点を決して見逃さず、褒め、また、得意な分野をしっかり伸ばしてやる環境を作ってあげたいものです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about raising plants and human education and great music.

....................................................................

　The photo shows a potted shakuyaku peony placed in front of the entrance. The large, brightly colored flowers are eye-catching. However, the petals close at night and do not open easily even in the early morning, and they only bloom around 9:00 a.m. She blooms expressively, as if eagerly waiting for your visit.

　There are the many green leaves and buds, 13 flowers will bloom this year, but strangely, because of bulbs, she does not show anything above ground, and she was hibernating underground during the winter. In early spring, small red sprouts appeared above ground, as if looking around this world, and giving the desolate garden a faint feeling of spring.

　I have had shakuyaku peonies in my garden since I was a child. I love early spring, and I still remember when I was in the third grade of elementary school, we had to write a poem in Japanese class, and I wrote, "The shakuyaku peony sprouts and dahlia sprouts are all smiling, peeking out their faces." In other words, peony buds have a strong presence, Therefore, looking back, I can say that shakuyaku peony has always been a part of my life. This shakuyaku peony is worth a look. If you're in the area, please come and see it.

　By the way, it's forecast to be cloudy and rainy in Gumma today, which will allow the plants to grow even more. As I live with many plants, I observe the whole shape from all sides every day, pruning unnecessary branches such as dead ones, while trying to raise good ones. Thinking about it, I think this is also applicable to human education. We should never overlook the good points of a child's behavior, praise them, and we adults should create an environment where they can fully develop their areas of specialties and talents.

夕食前に、鯉池一周ウォーキング

　お腹が空いて夕食【一杯を含む】が美味しくなるよう、これから家を出発し、ご覧の倉賀野町の鯉池一周ウォーキングに出かけます。

　ラジオ体操仲間に訊いたら、鴨はもう一羽もいないとのことでシベリアへ帰ったらしいです。私も確認してきます。

　ウォーキングは鼻呼吸に心掛け、腕は力を抜いて自然に振り、ストライドを気持ち広めに遠方を見て歩きます。赤城大沼一周ができるよう鍛えます。では行ってきます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about sightseeing the nature and great music.

　I'm leaving home now aiming to get hungry and enjoy my dinner (including one drink) to go for a walk around the carp pond in Kuragano-Town, as you can see.

　I asked my radio gymnastics friend, and she said that there are no more ducks left and that they must have returned to Siberia. I'm going to go and check it out myself.

　While walking this time, I make sure to breathe through nose, relax the arms and swing them naturally, take a slightly wider stride, and look into the distance as I walk. My purpose is so as to be able to walk around Lake-Onuma in Mt. Akagi in the near future. Well, I'm off.

自然を満喫する季節・・・いよいよ到来

　クレマチスの「あっちゃん」が早朝から明るい色彩で咲いてます。そして、日々、孤独な私に力強く生きなさいと応援してるように見えます。右上の花弁は開いたばかりで赤く、次第に左のように変化していくでしょう。

　下の中央は「セーラちゃん」で、周囲の緑の中で一段と透き通るような黄色です。やはり、私を励ましてくれてます。左下は、美しさこの上ない紫の「るんちゃん」です。やはり咲き始めの花弁は濃い紫です。このように、私の環境は植物と音楽で、これらとの共存が生活です。おっと失礼、愛車・アウデーＴＴも忘れてならない家族です。

　昨日の夕方は、大きなサルスベリを「長枝ばさみ」を使って剪定しました。高い位置に手を伸ばし、真剣な私の姿をご想像ください。今年の冬は一段と寒冷だったことから南国出身のサルスベリには堪えたようです。このため、新芽が出ない枯れ枝があり、それを剪定しました。

　ところで、近いうちに体力増進をめざし赤城の大沼一周ウォーキングを計画してます。５Kほどでしょう。湖畔には私が7年間勤務してた前高の卒業生で、終戦時、その大役を果たされた内閣総理大臣「鈴木貫太郎」の大きな碑が建ってます。その前で暫し休憩し、感謝の一礼をし、同時に赤城の大自然を堪能しつつ、今後の体力増進を誓います。

Dear my friends who are crazy about buildup strength and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

.................................................

　The clematis "Acchan" has been blooming in bright colors since early morning. It seems to be encouraging me who is lonely days live strong. The petals on the top right have just opened red, and will gradually change to the left.

　The bottom center is "Sarah-chan", a yellow that stands out even more transparently among the surrounding greenery. It is encouraging me as well. On the bottom left is "Run-chan", an extremely beautiful purple flower. The petals are also a deep purple as she begins to bloom. In this way, my environment is plants and music, and coexistence with these is my life. Oh, excuse me, but I can't forget my beloved Audi TT, which is also a member of my family who is encouraging me .

　Yesterday evening, I pruned a large crape myrtle using "pruning shears". You can imagine me reaching up high and looking serious. As you noticed, this winter was particularly cold, which seems to have been difficult for the crape myrtle, which comes from a tropical country. Because of this, there were dead branches that did not produce new shoots, so I pruned them.

　Not change the subject, but I'm planning to walk around Lake Onuma in Mt. Akagi in the near future to improve my physical strength. It will be about 5km. I'm looking for someone to walk with me. On the lakeside there is a large monument of Suzuki Kantaro, who is a graduate of Maebashi High School where I worked for seven years and who played a major role at the end of the World War Ⅱ as a Prime Minister of Japan. I will take a short break in front of his monument, bowed in gratitude, and at the same time enjoy the great outdoors of Mt. Akagi, vow to improve my physical strength in the future.

　　

世界赤十字デー

　クレマチス「るんちゃん」は今朝も良く咲いてます。５月８日、今日の日の出は４時４３分、太陽高度７０°、日の入りは１８時３８分予定【群馬県】です。また、今日は世界赤十字デーです。第１回ノーベル平和賞受賞者アンリー・デュナンの誕生日にちなんで５月８日が「世界赤十字デー」と定められてます。連日、小さな子供まで犠牲になってるウクライナ危機、アフリカ食糧危機、依然と続くガザでの戦闘状態、感染症の蔓延、気候変動など様々な人道課題があります。

　若き日、カルカッタ日本人学校勤務時代に冬休みを利用し、インド北部ヒマラヤ山脈の西北に位置し、雪に覆われた世界の屋根の美しさの中、湖に浮かぶ大きなハウスボートのホテル内で現地時間１２月３１日午後８時３０分に日本の新年に合わせて乾杯したことは今でも脳裏に焼き付いてます。日本との時差が３時間半だからです。ここカシミールはシルクロードに近く、インドでも雪が降ることを知りました。

　湖に浮かぶホテルのハウスボートはロマンチックで、室内を歩くと少々揺れます。ここは東洋の水の都「スリナガル」です。ところが、現在、隣国パキスタンと一触即発の状態にあると伝えられてます。しかし、この戦争は今に始まったことではありません。

　当時でも飛行場は軍事基地を利用していたので、機内からの写真撮影は厳しく禁止されてました。しかし、いつになっても飛行機が出発しなかったのです。その理由は乗客の中に窓から軍事施設を撮影してしまった人がいたからです。結局、乗客はフィルムを没収されました。楽しい旅行であっても厳しい現実を目の当たりにしました。

Dear my friends who are crazy about world peace and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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　As you see, the clematis "Run-chan" named by me is blooming well this morning as well. May 8th, today's sunrise is at 4:43, the sun is at 70° in altitude, and the sun is scheduled to set at 18:38 [Gumma Prefecture] in Japan. Today is also World Red Cross Day. May 8th is designated as "World Red Cross Day" in honor of the birthday of the first Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry Dunant. There are various humanitarian issues such as the Ukraine crisis, where even small children are sacrificed, the food crisis in Africa, the ongoing fighting in Gaza, the spread of infectious diseases, and global climate change.

　When I was young, I used my winter vacation while working as a teacher at Calcutta Japanese School, and I went to the beauty of the snow-covered roof of the world, located northwest of the Himalayas in northern India. In a large houseboat hotel floating on a lake, I toasted to the Japanese New Year at 8:30 pm local time on December 31st. This is still burned into my mind. This is because the time difference with Japan is three and a half hours. I learned that Kashmir is close to the Silk Road, so that it snows in India too.

　The floating hotel houseboat on the lake is romantic, and it sways a little when I walk inside. Here is Srinagar which is called the water city of the Orient. However, it is reported that there is currently a tense situation with neighboring Pakistan. However, this war hasn't just started now.

　At that time, the airport was used as a military base, so taking photo from inside the plane was strictly prohibited. However, the plane never took off. The reason was that one of the passengers had taken photos of the military facilities from the window. In the end, the passengers had their film confiscated. I witnessed the harsh reality of even a fun trip.

　

捨てる神あれば、拾う神あり

　主夫として食料品の買い出しに、毎日、スーパーへ行ってます。私の小さな喜びはレジの女性と暫し話すことです。もちろん他の客に配慮しつつです。ところが、日に日に急激な値上がりです。４～５品を購入すると今までより合計額が５００円ほど増えてる感じです。トランプ大統領の関税をきっかけに、波状的に厳しくなった物価高に多くの年金生活者は逼迫してます。

　それでも生きていくために、そして、特に高齢者に大切なことは「痩せないこと」です。このため、栄養バランスを考慮し、食料だけは必要量を確保しなくてはなりません。

　ところが、捨てる神あれば拾う神ありです。嬉しいことに昨日と打って変わり、空が晴れ上がった今朝、庭の果物をカメラに収めました。未明に降った雨で未だ濡れてる「サクランボ」です。いよいよ赤くなり始め、美味しそうです。この生き生きした光景に世の物価高とは逆に何か希望が湧いてきました。

　私としては、サクランボは今年初めての挑戦です。他の植物で知り得た知識で、よい土、時々水遣り、そして、風通しを良くし虫が付かないよう工夫してます。食べ物ですから農薬は絶対に使いません。未だ、木が小さくても１００個ほど生ってます。食べ頃は今月中旬です。近くの方は味見にいらして下さい。

　左下は１２月から毎日のように昼食時のデザートとして５～６個を食した金柑です。１月には鈴なりでしたが、いよいよ食べ終わります。含まれてるクエン酸やビタミンは身体の疲れが取れると考えられます。その右は梅の実です。そして、枇杷はかなり生ってます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about raising fruits and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

.............................................................

　As a househusband, I go to the supermarket every day to buy groceries. My little joy is to talk to the lady cashier for a while. Of course, I am considerate of other customers. However, prices are rising rapidly day by day. If I buy 4-5 items, the total amount is about 500 yen more than before. I guess that many pensioners are struggling with rising prices, which have become severe in waves due to President Trump's tariffs.

　Still, in order to survive, and especially for the elderly, it is important to "not lose weight." For this reason, we must consider nutritional balance and secure the necessary amount of food.

　However, old saying that there is a god who throws things away, there is a god who picks things up. I was happy to take a picture of the fruits in the garden this morning, when the sky cleared up, entirely different from yesterday. These are cherries that are still wet by the rain that fell before dawn. They are finally starting to turn red and look delicious. This lively sight gave me a sense of hope, contrary to the rising prices in the world.

　For me, this is my first attempt to raise cherries this year. Using knowledge I have gained from raising other plants, I use good soil, water occasionally, and keep the soil well ventilated to keep bugs out. Because they are food, I never use pesticides. Even though the tree is still small, there are still about 100 fruits growing. They will be ripe to eat in the middle of this month, I guess. If you are in the area, please come and have a taste without hesitation.

　On the bottom left are kumquats which I have eaten five or six every day since December as a dessert with my lunch. In last January they were hanging in clusters, but I'm finally finished eating them. The citric acid and vitamins are contained to relieve physical fatigue. To the right of them are plums. And there are quite a few loquats growing.

雨の中で咲いてる日本シャクナゲ

　今朝、雨の中で咲いてた気品に満ちた日本シャクナゲです。花言葉は「荘厳」と言われてます。西洋シャクナゲは概して派手ですが、どちらかというと私は日本シャクナゲに凝ってます。それは色彩が自然で品位に魅せられるからです。左下は、まだ小さな西洋シャクナゲです。しかし、それほど派手さはなく透き通るような美しさです。

　右下は数ある芍薬の中でも我が家の真打で２～３日で咲くでしょう。花は大きく真っ赤で情熱的。観賞に値します。咲いたらアップします。ピアノを日本シャクナゲの色彩に結び付けて弾きたいです。写真をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。

Dear my friends who are crazy about the beauty of rhododendron and great music.

　This morning, in the rain, I saw a Japanese rhododendron which is full of elegance, blooming. Its flower language is said to be "majesty." Generally, western rhododendrons are flashy, but I am rather partial to Japanese rhododendrons. This is because their colors are natural and elegant, and I am fascinated by them. The one on the bottom left is a small Western rhododendron. However, it is not too flashy and has a translucent beauty.

　The one on the bottom right is the best of the many shakuyaku peonies in my garden, and will bloom in 2-3 days. The flowers are large, bright red and passionate. She is worth admiring. I will upload a picture when it blooms. I would like to play the piano in conjunction with Japanese rhododendron's colors. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

ポイントは貯まらないのか医者通い

　倉賀野町上四地区長寿会「お知らせ版」に掲載されたシルバー川柳です。私の家の前の上四集会所「ふるさと」の掲示板より

　This is a "Silver Senryu" that was published in the "Notice Edition" of the Kam-4th District Longevity Association of Kuragano-Town. It was taken from the bulletin board of the Kami-4th Community Center named "Furusato" in front of my house.

　

　Senryu means Japanese witty epigrammatic poem containing 5-7-5 total seventeen syllables. This time as follows.

〇 Why don't we get points even if going to the hospital?

〇 In Japan they say, fall down seven times, stand up eight times, but if I fall down so many times, I can't stand any more.

　

〇 I'm lonely, so I make long phone calls with bank transfer criminal.

　

〇 I can lie fluently, so I don't have senile dementia.

　

〇 I take my dog ​​for a walk, but I forgot the dog on the way.

旧灌仏は毎年必ず大安、そして今日は「立夏」

　写真は、実った梅の重さで枝が垂れ下がった白梅です。収穫は今月末頃です。今後、ますます低く垂れ下がり、枝が折れそうになります。どうやら今年も豊作で梅酒が楽しみです。

　ところで、今日は「子供の日」です。しかし、その前に旧・灌仏ですから、釈迦の誕生日【旧暦4月8日】です。旧灌仏は毎年必ず大安だす。釈迦はネパールで生まれインドのブダガヤで悟りを開いたと伝えられてます。ここブダガヤには大河ガンジス川が流れ、インドの人たちが沐浴することでも有名です。私は若き日に訪れたことがあり、その光景は未だ脳裏に残ってます。

　一方、今日は二十四節気の一つ「立夏」です。私たちを載せ、一周９億４千万㎞ほどの公転軌道を北極星側から見て反時計回りに進んでいる地球は、今日の「立夏」では、一体、公転軌道上のどの辺に達しているでしょうか。この答えは午前０時に真南を見れば分かります。

　その前に、公転してる地球から見る太陽の背景は【牡羊座】です。もちろん眩しくて見えません。一方、現在の地球はその１８０°反対側に浮かんでるので、「立夏」の今日、私たちの地球は黄道十二星座の「天秤座」の方向に来ています。

Dear my friends who are crazy about constellations and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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　The photo shows white plum tree with branches drooping due to the weight of the ripe plums. They will be harvested around the end of this month, I guess. From now on, the plums will hang lower and lower, and the branches will look like to break. It seems that this year will be a good harvest, so I am looking forward to making plum wine by my eldest daughter.

　By the way, today is Children's Day in Japan. However, before that is Buddha's birthday [April 8th on the lunar calendar]. In the lunar calendar, the birth of Buddha is always Taian a lucky day every year. It is said that Buddha was born in Nepal and attained enlightenment in Buddh Gaya, India. Buddh Gaya is situated near the great Ganges River, and is also famous for Indians bathing there. I visited there in my 20's, and the scene is still fresh in my mind.

　On the other hand, today is "Rikka" that means the beginning of summer in Japan, which is one of the 24 solar terms. The Earth, which carries us on its orbit of about 940 million km, proceeds counterclockwise when viewed from the North Star side. Where on earth, will it reach on its orbit today at the beginning of summer? The answer can be found by looking due south at midnight.

　Before that, the background to the Sun as seen from our Earth is Aries, of course, it is too bright to confirm. Meanwhile, the Earth currently floats 180° opposite side, so today, the beginning of summer, our Earth is in the direction of Libra, which is one of the 12 zodiac constellations.

　

「みどりの日」・・・緑の中で心の豊かさを涵養したい。

 

  　庭中が緑に覆われてるの中、私が命名した左「あっちゃん」、右「るんちゃん」のクレマチスが色彩的にバランスよく咲き、私の心に日々充実感と安らぎを与えてくれてます。写真下左は東側から玄関ヘの道です。赤い花は今が盛りの西洋シャクナゲです。右下は西側から玄関への飛び石の道です。写真をクリックすると臨場感が出ます。

　今日は、一年で私が最も好きな祝日「みどりの日」です。戦後の食糧難を体験した私たちの親の時代に比較すると、現在、私たちの生活は、物質的にはほぼ満足し得る水準に達したものと考えられ、誠に幸せです。しかし、未来はこれまでにも増して「精神面での潤いや、ゆとりなど、心の豊かさを涵養する」ことが求められてます。

　日本列島は温帯に属するため、石垣島、宮古島の北緯２４°から稚内市の北緯４５°に至るまで「緑豊かな自然」を持ってます。この自然に親しむとともに、その恩恵に感謝し、豊かな心を育むことを願う「みどりの日」です。

　つい忘れがちなことですが、植物による「光合成や抗酸化作用」という私たち人間の健康長寿に直接結びつく環境や生活の在り方を子々孫々に伝えていく役目が現代に生きる私たちに課せられてる責務です。

Dear my friends who are crazy about learning from plants and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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　In the garden, the clematis which I named "Acchan" (left) and "Runchan" (right) bloom in perfect color balance, giving me a sense of fulfillment and peace of mind every day. The photo below left shows the path to the entrance from the east side. The red flowers are western rhododendrons, which are in full bloom now. The photo below right shows the stepping stone path to the entrance from the west side. Click on the photo, you will get a more realistic feel.

　In Japan, today is Greenery Day which is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Compared to the time of our parents, who experienced food shortages after the world war Ⅱ, our current lives have reached a level that is almost satisfactory materially, and we are very happy about that. However, in the future, we will be required more than ever to "cultivate spiritual abundance, such as spiritual nourishment and leisure", I think.

　As you know, the Japanese archipelago belongs to the temperate zone, so there is "lush green nature" from 24° north latitude in Ishigaki Island and Miyako Island to 45° north latitude in Wakkanai-City in Hokkaido. Greenery Day is a day when we become familiar with nature, give thanks for its blessings, and hope to cultivate rich hearts.

　It's easy to forget, but we who live in the modern age have a responsibility to hand down to our future generations the environment and lifestyles that plants provide, such as photosynthesis and antioxidant effects, which are directly linked to our health and longevity.

天気も良く、午後、一人黙々と剪定

　昨日、雨がたくさん降り、庭は私の好きな緑、緑、緑です。写真の手前でよく膨らんだ樹木は花がピンクの花梅です。庭の入り口なので、来春は目立つでしょう。見にいらして下さい。

　その上に、丸く少し見えるのが大きなサルスベリです。今日はこのサルスベリの不要な枝を剪定しましたが、私の背よりずっと高い枝をどのように剪定したと思いますか。枝が細いので折れると転落する危険性があり、梯子を掛けられません。

　実は、柄の長いアサカキで下から枝を引っ張り、近づけて剪定しました。一人黙々と剪定してる私の姿をぜひご想像ください。こんなことでも安全な方法について工夫します。今日は日本が世界に誇る憲法記念日です。日本に生まれた幸せを胸に今宵は大好きなお刺身と日本酒一合で祝います。

【日本文と英文に少々の差異があります。】

Dear my friends who are crazy about photosynthesis and great music.

　It rained a lot yesterday beyond expectation, and the garden became my favorite green, green, green. The bulging tree in the foreground of the photo is a plum with pink flowers. It's the entrance to the garden, so it will be very noticeable next spring. Please come and see it.

　Above that, the slightly rounded tree is a large crepe myrtle. Today I pruned its unnecessary branches of this crepe myrtle, but how do you think I pruned a branch that is much taller than me? The branches are thin, so it is possible to break due to a risk of falling that I can't use a ladder.

　Actually, I used a long-handled asakaki that means weeding tool to pull the branch closer from below. Please imagine me pruning alone in silence. I will devise a safe method for even such pruning. Today is Constitution Memorial Day, which Japan is proud of around the world. With the happiness of being born in Japan in my heart, I will celebrate tonight with my favorite sashimi sliced raw fish and a cup of Japanese sake with thinking of you.

果たして回復するかアメリカ経済・・・植物は雨のち急成長

　ブログは朝書くことが多いです。早朝に窓を開けたら未だ空は真っ暗でしたが、半年ぶりに南の空に一等星アンタレスを中心にＳ字状の「さそり座」が見え、その輝きにホッとしました。夜明け前から天気はすっかり回復してます。

　回復と言えば、こちらはネットを見てですが、円高から円安傾向です。併せて、トランプ大統領の関税に関わる発言により、ここ２か月以上に亘り低迷を続けていたアメリカ株価「ダウ及びナスダック」がここ数日連続して回復傾向です。アメリカ経済は世界はもとより、日本経済に直に影響を与えるため果たしてこのまま良い方向に行くでしょうか。その答えは連休明けが目安になります。

　ところで、昨日の群馬県は台風の如く雲が低く垂れ込め、強い雨が一日中降り続きました。夕方、私は傘をさして植物たちを見回ったところ、どれも生き生き伸び伸びしてました。新緑の今、どれほど雨が必要であるか分かりました。私たち人間が本当に喉が渇いたとき水を飲むのと同じに見えました。

　特に驚いたのは、梅の木の新たな枝は一日でかなり伸びた感じです。写真は琵琶の実(左下)、そして梅の実です。上の写真は昨年、裏庭に幼木を植えた「イチジク」です。半年でずいぶん成長し、これからが楽しみです。私としては土が乾いたら防火用水の雨水を与えてます。近未来、イチジクの実が生ったら味見にいらして下さい。

Dear my friends who are crazy about the world economy and great music.

　I often write on weblog in the early morning. When I opened the window in the morning, the sky was still pitch black, but since six months ago, I could see the S-shaped constellation "Scorpio" with the first magnitude star Antares at the center in the southern sky, and I was relieved by seeing its brilliance. The weather had completely recovered before dawn in Japan at kanto-plain.

　Speaking of recovery, I saw on the Internet that the yen was trending from a strong to a weaker yen. In addition, the US stock "Dow and Nasdaq", which had been sluggish for more than two months due to President Trump's remarks regarding tariffs, have been recovering for the past few days. The US economy has a direct impact on our Japanese economy as well as the world, so will it continue to move in a good direction? The answer will be available after the consecutive holidays named "Golden Week" in Japan.

　Not change the subject, but yesterday in Gumma Prefecture, the clouds hung low like a typhoon, so that heavy rain continued to fall all day. In the evening, I looked around at the plants under an umbrella, and they were all alive and well. I realized how much rain is needed for the new green leaves. It looked just like we humans drink water when we are really thirsty.

　What particularly surprised me was how much the new branches on the plum tree grew in just one day. The photos show loquat fruit (bottom left) and plum fruit. The photo above is of a young fig tree that I planted in my backyard last year. It has grown quite a bit in six months, and I'm looking forward to seeing the near future. When the soil dries out, I give it rainwater used for fire prevention. Please come and taste the figs when they ripen in the near future.

珍しく一日中、家で過ごす・・・雨の一日

　今日の群馬県は一日中雨で、時々ものすごい降り方です。皆さんの地方は如何でしょう。このため、私はいつものように植物との触れ合いができず、家の中から時々シャクナゲやクレマチスなど眺めてます。明日は回復と予報されてます。今宵、暫くぶりに「時計屋の隣りさん」と高崎で食事会【一杯会】を予定してましたが、雨のため来週に延期です。

　ところで、私は半世紀以上に亘り、ソプラノサックスを吹いてますが、こちらは肺活量を使うことと、近年、演奏する場面がなく、余り練習することがなくなりました。ギターも同様です。その点、ピアノは毎日弾いてますが、こちらも聴いてくれる人がいてこそ成り立つものです。

　国際交流が好きな私はウクライナを初めとして「世界の国歌」を練習してます。外国の方が見えた場合、最初にその方の国歌を弾くようにしてます。これで、ぐ～んと親密になれます。以前に中国の女性が見えたとき、彼女は涙ぐんでいたように見えました。

Dear my friends who are crazy about listening to the national anthems all over the world

　It's been raining all day in Gumma Prefecture today, sometimes really hard. I wonder how it is in your district. Because of this, I haven't been able to interact with plants as usual, so that I've been looking at rhododendrons and clematis from inside the room from time to time. Tomorrow is forecast to be fine. I had planned to have a dinner party with Mr. Next to the watch shop in downtown of Takasaki, but it is postponed until next week due to the rain.

　By the way, I've been playing the classical soprano saxophone for over half a century, but I don't practice it much anymore because it requires vital capacity and I haven't had a chance to play in recent years, the same as playing the guitar. On the other hand, I play the piano every day, but it's only possible if there are people who listen to it. I like international exchange, so I'm practicing "national anthems of the world," such as Ukraine for praying peace.

　I like international exchange, so I'm practicing "national anthems of the world," such as Ukraine for praying peace. When I meet a foreigner at my home, I start by playing their national anthem. This helps us become closer beyond description. When a Chinese lady visited previously, she appeared to be in tears.

昼の時間は、冬至に比べ４時間も長くなってる

【画像をクリックすると、私の庭で眺めているようです。】

　今日の日の出は４時５０分、正午の太陽高度は６９°【冬至は３０°】、日の入りは１８時３２分【いずれも群馬県】ですから、昼の長さは１３時間４２分となり、冬至の９時間４１分と比較すると４時間も長くなってます。この長い昼の時間を、健康のため、精神のため有効に使うには、屋外に出て十分に活動し、自然に触れ、新たな感性を磨きたいものです。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4So4tJc4Dw

　「夏も近づく八十八夜、野にも山にも若葉が茂る」と歌われる八十八夜は例年ならば今日５月２日です。しかし、昨年が閏年だったことから１日早まり今年は５月１日です。来年からは５月２日に戻るでしょう。数え方は、春がスタートする立春（2025年は2月3日）から数えて８８日目で、初夏の風が心地よい時季になりました。

　ところで、写真は上は、今がピークの西洋シャクナゲです。この色彩は私に対し「日々もっと情熱的に生きなさい」と背中を押してるように思えます。一方、左下の日本シャクナゲは、カッキーはもっと落ち着いて「日々、沈着冷静に振舞いなさい」と忠告してるようにも感じます。

　写真右下は、大きくなりつつあり、ほのかに色づいて来た「サクランボの実」です。一人で寂しかったり、判断に迷ったら「私を食べてゆっくり考えなさい」と身内のような温かを感じさせてます。サクランボの木は未だ小さいですが、１００個ほど実が生ってます。食べ頃になったら、お近くの方は味見にいらして下さい。

Dear my friends who are crazy about learning from plants and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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　Today's sunrise is at 4:50, the solar altitude at noon is 69° [30° at the winter solstice], and sunset will be at 18:32 [both in Gumma Prefecture], so the length of day is 13 hours 42 minutes which is 4 hours longer than the the winter solstice of 9 hours 41 minutes. To make effective use of this long day for our health and mental health, we should go outside, be active, get in touch with nature, and hone our new sensibilities.

　The 88th night, which is sung about as "Summer is approaching, and young leaves grow in the fields and mountains," is usually on May 2nd. However, as you know, last year was a leap year, so it became a day early this year, on May 1st. From next year, it will return to May 2nd, I guess. It is counted as the 88th day from the start of spring (February 3rd in 2025), and it is now the season when the early summer breeze is pleasant.

　By the way, the photo above shows the Western rhododendron, which is at her peak now. I feel like this color is pushing me to live each day with more passion. Meanwhile, the Japanese rhododendron at the bottom left seems to be advising me Kakki to "behave calmly and coolly each day."

　The cherry fruit at the bottom right of the photo is growing and starting to turn a faint color. It gives off a warm feeling like family, telling me to "eat me and think carefully" if I'm feeling lonely or unsure of what to judge. The cherry fruit tree is still small, but there are about 100 cherry fruits on it. When they are ripe, please come and try some if you're nearby.

　

サルスベリの幼木を育てつつ、自らも変化したい

　満開のサルスベリは昨年に撮った写真です。枝の端から端まで７mほどあります。ぜひ、クリックし、臨場感を味わってください。ご存じの通り、開花期間は７月上旬～１０上旬までの約１００日間、紅く咲き続けるので百日紅とも書きます。私は７月中旬に生まれたので、毎年、誕生日を祝福するように咲いてくれます。

　これだけ大きい樹木になるとキジバトがよく来て休憩してます。もちろん、この木の下に水飲み場があるので居心地がいいのでしょう。まるで、私の未来の姿を想像させるようです。

　自然とはよく出来ていて、いつの間にか、このサルスベリの子供があちこちで生えます。１週間ほど前にも私は幼木を発見し、早速、植木鉢に移植して大切に育ててます。サルスベリの幼木はこれ以外にも２本を育ててます。同様に、種が零れて生える植物には源平枝垂れがあり、こちらはすでに今春３本が咲きました。人間は一緒に住む家族がいないのに、花が咲く樹木は子沢山です。私は毎日水を遣りつつ、寂しい中にも夢中で育ててます。

　ところで、高齢となったら、この「夢中でやることがある」ことが必須でしょう。その対象は「好きなこと」です。誰でも、いつかは意外と早く高齢となり、その時は取り巻く環境も変化します。子供の頃の私は８人家族の末っ子で賑やかで楽しかったのに皆どこへ行ってしまったのでしょう。この世は誠に不思議です。今日から年間で最も活動できる５月です。日々、筋肉を増強し、あちこちへ出かけ、いろんな人にお会いして見聞を広めたいです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about creativity in daily life, and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for your understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

.............................................................

　This photo of the full-bloomed Crape Myrtle was taken by me last year. It is about 7m from one end of the branch to the other. Please click on it to get a sense of reality. As you know, it blooms for about 100 days from early July to early October, and continues to bloom red, so it is also written as 100-day crape myrtle. I was born in mid-July, so it blooms every year to celebrate my birthday.

　Because the tree grows this big, the Japanese turtle dove often comes and takes a rest. Of course, it is comfortable because there is a drinking water under this tree. It is like my future self.

　Nature is great, before I knew it, baby Crape Myrtle trees had sprouted here and there. About a week ago, I found a young tree so that immediately transplanted it into a flowerpot to raise it carefully. I am raising two other Crape Myrtle young trees. Similarly, a plant that grew from a seed spill is the bicolored peach named Genpeishidare, and three of these children have already bloomed this spring. Although human that means me do not have families to live with, this flowering tree has many children. I water them every day and, in spite of my loneliness, I am passionate about nurturing them.

　Not change the subject, but when everyone get older, it is essential to have something to do that you are passionate about. This should be something you love. Everyone will eventually grow old surprisingly quickly, and when that happens, the environment around us will change without our prediction. As a child, I was the youngest child in a family of eight, therefore my childhood was lively and fun, but where have everyone gone? This world is truly strange. Today marks the start of May 2025, the most active month of the year. I want to build up my muscles every day, go out here and there, meet many people, and broaden my horizons.