月末と週末が重なる

　今日の午後は柴崎町の喫茶「さんぽ道」でカフェラテを戴きつつ、１時間ほど本を読みながら、のんびり過ごしました。女性客２名のみで空いていたので、今年になって初めてピアノを弾きました。楽譜を持って行くことはなく、いつものように知ってる曲を歌うように弾きます。その方が音色に重点を置きつつ弾けるので楽しいです。

　音楽の喜びは、音色を大切に、一本調子でなく急緩や音の大きさに変化つけ、しみじみ語るように表現したいものです。

　ところで、「カッキー、また行くのか」と叱られそうです。しかし、月末で週末なのでお許しください。その代わり、自分に厳しく倉賀野からウォーキングを兼ね、高崎まで５Kをてくてく歩いて行きます。今宵、いつもの高崎田町の某所で夕食を摂ります。

Dear my Facebook friends who like relaxed conversation.

　This afternoon, I spent an hour relaxing at the cafe "Sampo-michi" at Shibasaki-town, sipping a cafe latte and reading a book of psychology. There were only two other lady customers, so I played the piano for the first time this year. I don't bring sheet music with me, I always play music I know as if I'm singing. This way, I can focus on the tone quality which is fun.

　I am of the opinion that the joy of music is to cherish the tone quality, not just play in a monotonous style, but vary the speed and volume of the sound, and express it as if speaking a heartfelt story.

　By the way, I'll suppose your saying "Kakky, are you going again?" But tonight is the end of this month and this weekend, so please forgive me. Instead, I'll be so strict with myself that I walk 5km from Kuragano to Takasaki, which will be healthy and hungry, I guess. Tonight, I'll have dinner at my usual tavern named "Baku" in Takasaki Tamachi.

１月中のアクセスに感謝です。

【画像をクリックし、拡大するとピントが合います。】

　年間で最も寒い時期に、廊下で華やかに咲いてるのはラナンキュラスです。原産地は中近東からヨーロッパ南東部、地中海沿岸地域と言われる多年草です。花の少ない真冬から早春を彩り、魅力ある黄色です。日々、一人で暮らしていても植物たちに囲まれ、水遣りや、温かな場所への移動など私に仕事を与えてます。仕事と言えば、年間を通じて、メジロなど野鳥の飛来が多く、こちらへも水遣りを毎日、午前と午後の２回行ってます。

　庭では５種類の花梅がちらほら咲き始め、あと２週間ほどで満開になるでしょう。私一人での鑑賞ではもったいないので、色とりどりの色彩と共に梅の香りを味わいにいらして下さい。梅の花の下でお茶が飲め歓談できるよう、丸いテーブルが用意してあります。

   

　光陰矢の如し。１月も今日で終わります。これは令和８年になって以来、地球が公転軌道上を３０°も反時計回りに移動しました。最も明るい恒星「シリウス」を同じ時間に観察すると、西へ移動した位置で分かります。殊のほか寒かった今年の冬でしたが、いよいよ早春です。

　一方、この早春に世の中は衆議院選挙で立候補者は命がけです。以前と異なり、現在は多党化時代となり、立候補者の主張をよく聞き、私たちはしっかり判断しなければなりません。本来、命がけは立候補者でなく、未来ある子々孫々であり、選挙する国民です。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about the House of Representatives election.

　Ranunculus blooms splendidly in the hallway during the coldest season in Japan. These perennials are said to be native to the Middle East, southeastern Europe, and the Mediterranean coastal regions. Their attractive yellow color brightens in the flower-less midwinter and early spring. Even though I live alone, I'm surrounded by plants, giving me tasks watering them and moving them to warmer spots. Speaking of work, many wild birds, including Japanese white-eyes, visit throughout the year, so I water them twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

　Five varieties of plum blossoms have begun to bloom in the garden, and they will be in full bloom in about two weeks. It would be wasteful to enjoy them alone, so please come and enjoy the colorful scenery and the fragrance of it. A round table has been set up by me, so we can enjoy tea and conversation under the blossoms of variety of plums.

　Time flies. Today marks the end of January. Since 2026 started, the Earth has moved 30 degrees counterclockwise in its orbit. If we observe the brightest star, Sirius, at the same time, we can see its position as it moves 30 degrees westward. This winter has been particularly cold, but early spring is finally here.

　Meanwhile, in this early spring, Japan is in the midst of a House of Representatives election, where candidates are risking their lives. Unlike in the past, it is in an era of multiple parties, therefore we must listen carefully to candidate's opinion and make a sound judgment. In reality, it is not the candidates who are risking their lives, but our future generations, and the citizens who vote.

南極で金環食か・・・２月１７日の春節に

　体感としては今日が最も寒い一日に感じました。それでも、夕方４時頃より用事があったので２Kほど歩きました。ただ歩くより目的地があると、早く着きたい一心で、ストライドを広げたウォーキングになります。

　帰宅する頃には、満月に近い１１日目の「上弦の月」が出ており、西高東低の気圧配置であることから、空気が澄み、現在も明るく輝いてます。この月の下で一際、明るく輝いてる星は木星です。現在の木星は、地球を挟んで太陽と反対の位置にあることから満月のような状況にあり、光度を増してます。この月と木星を囲んでる６個の一等星たちが「冬のダイアモンド」です。月明かりでちょっと見難いでしょう。

　次回の新月は２月１７日です。この日は中国などで「春節」です。つまり旧暦の正月です。尚、この日、南極では「金環食」が起こると言われてます。現在の南極は夜がなく、毎日が昼間なので、神秘的な太陽をよく観察できるでしょう。

Dear my friends as earthling

　Today I felt like the coldest day in this winter. I had some business around 4pm, so I walked about 2km. Having a destination rather than just walking, I increased my stride to get there quickly.

　By the time I got home, the waxing moon which is almost full on the 11th night, had appeared. The high pressure in the west and low pressure in the east tends to clear sky, so that the moon was still shining brightly. The brightest plant shining beneath the moon is Jupiter. Currently, Jupiter shines brightly because it's located opposite the Sun. The six first-magnitude stars are surrounding the moon and Jupiter. These stars make up the famous "Winter Diamond." It may be a little difficult to see by the moonlight.

　By the way, the next new moon will be February 17th. As you know, this is the Chinese New Year in China and elsewhere, which means the New Year according to the lunar calendar. It's said that an annular eclipse of the sun will occur in Antarctica on this day. Since there is no night in Antarctica right now, and it's daytime continues every day, therefore people there you'll be able to get a good look at the mysterious sun.

つい、忘れがちな湿度の認識

「早春を前にした今頃が特に体調を崩しやすい時季」と考えられます。寒さが一段と厳しいからです。先日、救急車の音が近づいたので驚きました。近所の人が運ばれて行きました。でも、その日のうちに家に戻れたとのことで良かったです。後日、本人に尋ねたところ、朝、目まいがして起き上がれなかったそうです。一方、子供の頃、一緒に遊んだ同級生が天に召されたと昨日知りました。

　ところで、私は今年の冬、ついにエアコンの暖房を使わずに過ごせそうです。「えぇ～、カッキー大丈夫なの？」と、ご心配の声が聞こえてきそうです。大丈夫です。その代わり、夜間はガスストーブで部屋を暖め、居間が南にあるため日中は太陽光を十分に取り入れ、部屋は暖かいです。

　一方、今年はすでに１２月と１月の二回も井戸が涸れました。日々、庭の樹木に水を与えたり、野鳥に飲み水を用意したら出なくなりました。ということは、長らく雨が降らないので地下の水位が下がってます。延いては、気づき難いことですが、空気中の湿度が低くなってます。私は部屋に湿度計を設置してるので分かります。５０～６０％が相応しいのですが、早朝の現在も４０％です。これでは体調に影響します。

　このため、ストーブの上にやかんを置き、蒸気を出して調整してます。適度な湿度を維持していれば本来の免疫力が働き、呼吸によるウイルスや細菌の侵入を防ぎ、風邪などの発症を予防し、 一方、乾燥が進むと免疫力が衰え、インフルエンザなどの発症につながると考えられます。皆さん、健康維持に湿度を適正に管理しましょう。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about moderate humidity.

　"Early spring is just around the corner in Japan, this is probably the time of year when people are especially susceptible to getting sick," Generally, this is because the cold is especially severe now. The other day, I was surprised to hear the sound of an ambulance approaching. A neighbor was taken away to hospital. Fortunately, He was able to return home the same day. When I asked him about it later, he said he felt dizzy that he couldn't get up in the morning. Meanwhile, I learned yesterday that a classmate I used to play with as a child had passed away suddenly.

　Not change the subject, but it looks like I finally do not use the air conditioner through this winter. I may hear your worrying, "Oh, Kakky, are you okay?" It's fine. Instead, I heat the room with a gas stove at night, and since the living room faces south, it gets plenty of sunlight during the daytime, so it's warm.

　On the other hand, my well has already dried up twice this year, in December and January. But, as you know, I make it a rule to water the trees in my garden and providing drinking water for the wild birds every day, the water stopped flowing recently. This means that it didn't rain for a long time, therefore the groundwater level is dropping, I guess. By extension, and although it's hard to notice, the humidity in the air is decreasing as well. I can tell because I have a hygrometer installed in my room as you notice in the photo. In general 50-60% humidity is ideal for our health, but even now in the early hours it's still at 40%. This is affecting my health.

　For this reason, I put a kettle on the stove to let out steam to adjust the humidity. Maintaining a moderate humidity level keeps our immune system active, prevents viruses and bacteria from entering through breathing, and prevents the onset of colds and other illnesses. On the other hand, if the air becomes too dry, our immune system will weaken, which is thought to lead to the onset of influenza and other illnesses. Everyone, it's important for us to properly manage humidity to stay healthy.

すべては準備で決まる・・・なるほどです、

　今日の午後、冷たい北風が吹いてましたが、運動不足解消のため、倉賀野をウォーキングしました。コースは家から桜木町の「鯉池」を周遊し、その後、下町の旧国道17号に出て、暫くぶりに仲町の喫茶「蔵人」に立ち寄りました。しかし、残念にも未だ休館中です。

　私は子供の頃、この近くに住んでたことから懐かしく、しかも、この喫茶は「音楽がいろいろ聴ける」ので楽しく、以前は週一ほどの頻度で通ってました。果たして、いつ再開するのでしょう。

　ところで、ウォーキング中に目に入った桜木町のある建築現場には、ご覧の通り、作業員のための心構えと想われる文言が掲げられてました。「凡事徹底」や「全ては準備で決まる」など、誰にでも当てはまることです。前者は勉強でも健康法でも言えることであり、後者は私がブログやフェイスブックを書くことでも当てはまります。

Dear my friends

　Despite the cold north wind is blowing this afternoon, I decided to go for a walk in Kuragano-town for blood circulation exercise. My route is from my house at Kami-cho around Carp-Pond in Sakuragi-cho, then onto the old Route 17 in downtown, stopping by the Naka-cho coffee shop Kurato after a long interval. Unfortunately, it's still closed.

　I used to live nearby as a child, so it brings back fond memories, and I used to go there about once a week because I enjoyed listening to a wide variety of music here. I wonder when it'll reopen.

　By the way, at a construction site in Sakuragi-cho that caught my eye while walking, as you can see here, there were signs posted that seemed to be intended to educate workers. Things like "do the simple things thoroughly" and "preparation is key" that apply to everyone. The former applies to both studying and staying healthy, and the latter applies to my Facebook post.

知らず知らずに父の影響を受けてる暮らし

　群馬県の平野部でも、今年の大寒は例年より寒く感じます。それでも、節分まであと５日、立春まであと６日と、暦の上で冬は終わりに近づいてます。ところが、自然界では「もう春ですよ。」と、白梅枝垂れがちらほら咲き始め、一方、室内ではついに「君子蘭」が２輪咲き始めました。君子蘭は、最初、隣の家で１鉢戴いたものが年々増え続け、今では根分けして６鉢を育て、廊下のあちこちで蕾が膨らんできました。

　これは太陽光の角度の変化に因るのでしょう。冬至では３０°と低かったですが、調べてみると最近は３６°になっており、植物はこの変化をいち早く察知してるのでしょう。因みに夏至では７７°になります。

　ところで、群馬県の夏至の太陽高度７７°から冬至の太陽高度３０°を引くと４７°です。この４７°とは北回帰線と南回帰線の緯度をプラスした数値にぴったり一致するので不思議です。同時に、地軸の傾きである２３．５°を２倍した数値とも一致します。何気ない太陽の動きも計算どおりに推移してます。

　実は今日は父の誕生日。不思議なことに、生前、人の名前を推定１００名程につけてました。本人は４０年前に他界してますが、今でも、父に名前をつけてもらった人はこの世にたくさんいます。一方、私が植物が好きなのは父の影響です。すでに花梅、花桃、牡丹、シャクナゲ、八重桜などの蕾が膨らみ始めます。満開は２月～５月です。ぜひ、鑑賞にいらして下さい。

Dear my friends who are crazy about the change of natural phenomenon

　Even in our plains of Gumma Prefecture, situated in central Japan, during this year's Daikan which means the most cold season, I feel colder than usual. Still, there are five days left until Setsubun which means the change the season, and six days until the Setusbun, beginning of spring, winter is drawing to a close according to the calendar. However, in nature, spring is almost here, with weeping white plum blossom is beginning to bloom here and there, while indoors, two Kaffir lilies have finally begun to bloom. I first was presented one pot of Kaffir lily from my neighbor Mr. Takano, and over the years, the number has grown. I've now raising six pots by dividing their roots, and buds are swelling all over the hallway.

　This is likely due to the change in the angle of sunlight, I guess. At the winter solstice, it was low at 30°, but my investigation, it has recently risen to 36°, and plants are likely quick to detect this change than humans. Incidentally, at the summer solstice, it reaches 77°.

　By the way, if we subtract the solar altitude of 30° at the winter solstice from the solar altitude of 77° at the summer solstice in Gunma Prefecture, we get 47°. It's amazing how this 47° exactly matches the sum of the latitudes of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. At the same time, it also matches twice the 23.5° tilt of the Earth's axis. Even the everyday the sun moves exactly as calculated.

　Actually, today is my deceased father's birthday. Curiously, during his lifetime, he named an estimated 100 people. He passed away 40 years ago, but there are still many people in the world who were named by my father. On the other hand, my love of plants, , is due to my father's influence. Buds of plants, such as flowering plums, flowering peaches, botan peonies, rhododendrons, and double cherry blossoms are already beginning to swell. They are in full bloom from February to May. Please come and see them with listening to my clumsy piano performance.

今宵、心を解放できるか！

　今宵は、高崎田町の某所で楽しく夕食です。ブログのコメンテーター「時計屋の隣りさん」も、おそらく参加予定で、いわば旧正月を祝います。

　毎日、一人での食事が続くと精神面で良くないので、１０日に一回ほどはここに行き、会話を楽しみつつ喉も潤します。

　今宵、たまには、ソプラノサキソフォーンを持って行こうと思います。もちろん、乾杯の前に演奏します。曲は「一月一日」F dur、「早春賦」F dur、「恋人よ」d minor を予定してます。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about tone quality of music.

　Tonight I'll have a fun dinner at the tavern named "Baku" in Takasaki Tamachi. My blog commentator "The Clock Shop Neighbor" will probably join me, so we'll be celebrating the old New Year, so to speak.

　Eating alone every day isn't good for my mental health, so I come here about once every 10 days to enjoy conversation and quench my thirst.

　Tonight, I'm thinking of bringing my soprano saxophone with me for a change. Of course, I'll play before the toast. I'm planning to play "January 1st" in F dur, "Early Spring Song" in F dur, and "Sweetheart" in d minor, of course, thinking of you!

珍しい光景に出合う

　先日、高崎市木部町の鏑川へ、ロシアから飛来してるコハクチョウを見に行くとき、いつもと異なる道を通過して行きました。そしたら、偶然にも途中で紐に繋がれた「２頭の羊らしき動物」を見かけました。そばに行ったら、彼らも私の方をずっと見てました。ご覧のように、身体はかなり大きく、柔らかそうなふさふさした毛で覆われ、真冬でも寒そうではなかったです。番かもしれません。

　普段、このような動物を目にする機会はなく、ここは殆ど人の通る道でなく、自然の中でのびのびしており、彼らも珍しそうに人間の私をずっと見てました。将来、子孫が増えれば良いと感じました。そしたら名物になるでしょう。羊を見るなど、内モンゴルの大草原で群れを見て以来です。

　実は、この辺一帯は亡き母が子供時代に過ごした木部地区で、今思うと、母が幼少期を過ごした場所を具体的にしっかり訊いておけばよかったと思います。若き日の私は母のルーツについてなど興味がなかったのでしょう。年令を重ねた今になって悔やまれます。私が２０代のとき、一度だけ母を自転車に乗せ、先祖が建立したといわれる土手近くの「長命稲荷」を訪れたことがあります。その時、この辺で遊んだことがあると話してました。

　目的地である鏑川の畔に着くと、２００羽程の各種カモ類と７羽のコハクチョウが羽を休めており、自然の中で暫しの間、平和な光景を満喫できました。一級河川であっても、ここ一帯は水の流れが穏やかで、まるで「白鳥の湖」のようです。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about seeing the animals in the nature.

　The other day, I passed a different route than usual to Kabra River in Kibe-town, Takasaki City, to see the tundra swans that had flown from northern Russia. By chance, along the way, I spotted two sheep tied to a leash. When I went closer, they were staring at me. As you can see in the photo, they were quite large, covered in soft, fluffy fur, and didn't seem cold, even in the middle of winter. They might be a couple, I guess.

　I don't usually get the chance to see animals like this, and this is a path where humans rarely traveled, so they were free to wander in nature. They kept staring at me, a human, with a curious look on their face. I hope they will have more offspring in the future. It would be a local specialty. It's been a while since I last saw a flock of sheep on the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia.

　Actually, this area is the Kibe district, where my late mother spent her childhood. Looking back, I wish I had asked her more specifically where she spent her childhood. I guess I wasn't interested in her roots when I was younger. Now that I'm older, I regret it. When I was in my twenties, I once took my mother on a bicycle ride to visit the Longevity Shrine near the bank that is said to have been built by our ancestors. At that time, my mother mentioned that she used to play around here.

　When I arrived at my final destination, the banks of the Kabra River, I found around 200 ducks of various species and seven tundra swans resting, and I was able to enjoy the peaceful scenery in nature for a while. Even though Kabra is a first-class river, the water in this area flows gently, making it look like a swan lake.

午後は「さんぽ道」でリラックス

　午後、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」へ、本を1冊持って行き、ココアを飲んで1時間半ほど過ごしました。いつも一人で行くのですが、これは仕方ありません。この世の定めです。話の他、仲の良かった友人たちは皆、天に召されてしまったのです。

　自然環境抜群のここへ行けばママさんに会え、寂しさが少しは紛れます。偶然に居合わせた客と知り合いになれたり、フェイスブック友人にもなりました。喫茶店内にあるピアノを弾かせてもらうこともあり、ここへ行くと楽しいです。

　そうだ、過ぎ去った昔に捉われず、「人生これから」との思いで新たな友人を見つけたいです。しかし、男性は身近に本当にいないので、こうなったら異性の友達を作りたい。

Dear my friends

　In the afternoon, I went to my favorite cafe, Sampo-michi, with a book and I ordered a cup of cocoa, spending about an hour and a half there. I usually go alone, but that is reluctant. It's the fate of this world. All of my close friends have already passed away.

　This cafe is surrounded by beautiful nature, and I can meet the mama proprietress, therefore I am diverted from loneliness a little. I've made acquaintances with customers who happen to meet there, and one of them became Facebook friend. I sometimes play the piano in the cafe, so it's a fun place for me to go.

　Yes, I want to find new friends, not be tied to the past, but with the feeling that "life is just beginning." However, there aren't many men around me, so I'd like to make some friends of the opposite sex.

その名もディープインパクト

【画像をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。】

　先日、暫くぶりに埼玉県花園へ行きました。植木センターに入った途端、目に入ったのがピンクのシンビジューム「萌香」でしたが、その近くに、対照的な黄色のシンビジュームがあり、その名も「ディープインパクト」です。ご覧のように華やかに咲いており、私の眼は釘付けになりました。シンビジュームの豪華な姿に生まれて初めて驚き、結局、この日は２本とも手に入れました。

　写真の通り、「ディープインパクト」は黄色の中に口紅のような赤い筋が入っており、一層、色彩な魅力や気高さを醸し出してます。調べてみると、シンビジュームは今の季節に咲くだけあって、寒さに強く、その上、長く咲き、「和」のしめやかさと「洋」の華やかさを併せ持つことが魅力とされてます。

　昨日は、近くのホームセンターでシンビジューム用の土を購入し、それぞれ一回り大きな鉢に植え替えてやりました。普段は温室のような廊下に置いて眺め、表面の土が乾いたら水を遣り、来客がある場合には、その部屋に飾ろうと思います。きっと、その場の雰囲気が明るくなるでしょう。

　それにしても、花は人間の心を和ませ、家にいながらにして、その華やかさは「音楽のように心に響き」、生きる力を与えてくれます。私一人で見ているだけではもったいないので、お近くの方はピンクのシンビジューウム「萌香」(もえか)と黄色い「ディープインパクト」を観賞にいらして下さい。

Dear my friends who are crazy about flowers and music.

　The other day, I visited Hanazono-town in Saitama Prefecture after a long interval. As soon as I entered the shop, I was immediately drawn to the pink cymbidium named "Moeka." Nearby, I found a contrasting yellow cymbidium called "Deep Impact." As you can see, it was blooming so beautifully, it completely captivated me, too. I was amazed by the splendor of a cymbidium for the first time in my life, and as the result, ended up buying both that day.

　As you can see in the photo, "Deep Impact" has lipstick-like red streaks across its yellow color, which adds to its colorful allure and elegance. After researching, I found out that cymbidiums, which bloom at this time of year, are cold-hardy, last flowering a long time, and are said to be attractive because they combine the solemnity of Japanese culture, at the same time, the elegance of Western culture.　

　Yesterday, I bought some soil for cymbidium at a nearby hardware store in Kuragano-town and repotted each one in a slightly larger pot. I usually place them in a greenhouse-like hallway and admire them, watering them when the soil, if top dries, and when I have guests over I display them in the guest room. I'm sure guests will brighten up the atmosphere.

　Flowers soothe the human heart, and even at home, their splendor "resonates in the heart like music" and gives us the power to live. It would be a wasteful to look at them myself, so if you live nearby, please come and enjoy the pink cymbidium "Moeka" and the yellow "Deep Impact." Of course, I would play the piano for you with imaging by these flowers.

暫くぶりにコハクチョウを身近に観察

　ついに今年やっとコハクチョウに会えました。考えられないほど遠方のロシアから飛来してきたと想われます。今日、念のために、高崎市木部町の鏑川の川岸に行ったら７羽がゆったりと泳ぎ、羽を休めてました。これから暫くの間、湖のようで流れの緩やかなここで過ごし、３月中旬になって太陽の高度と気温の高めを察知すると、生まれ故郷に帰るのでしょう。この習性は先史時代から続いているのかもしれません。

　ところで、別件ですが、昨日のニュースで群馬県藤岡市日野で山林火災が起きたと伝えてました。今でも鎮火してないとのことです。たまたま、コハクチョウのいるこの鏑川の土手から日野方面を見たら、今日の正午に、ご覧の通り、山から煙が昇っており、未だ、山林火災は収まってないことが確認できました。

Dear my friends who are crazy about natural phenomenon

　This year, I finally confirmed some Tundra swans. They seem to have flown all the way from northern Russia, an incredibly faraway place. Just to make sure, I went to the bank of the Kabra River in Kybe-town, Takasaki City, today, and found seven Tundra swans swimming leisurely and resting their wings. They'll likely spend here at the gentle and like a lake until mid-March. When they sense the sun's rising high and warm temperature, and head back to their homeland. This habit may have continued since prehistoric times, I guess.

　By the way, on a different note, yesterday's news reported a forest fire in Hino, Fujioka City, Gumma Prefecture. Apparently, the fire is still not under control. By chance, I looked toward Hino from the bank of the Kabra River where the Tundra swans were resting, and as you can see in the photo, smoke was rising from the mountain at noon today, so I confirmed that the forest fire was still not under control.

楽しい食料品の買い出し

　スーパーへは毎日、新鮮な食料の買い出しに行ってるので、今宵は何を食べようかと考えつつ、買い物自体は楽しいです。その上、最後にレジの女性と必ず一言言葉を交わすので、これが私の唯一の楽しみです。最近はセルフレジも使いますが、それでも、近くにいれば必ず声掛けし、挨拶します。それをしないと一日一度も会話の無い生活に陥いることになり精神面でマイナスです。

　ところで、近年、あまり食しなかったピザですが、食べてみると本当に美味しく感じ、気持ちが豊かになり、このため、週に一度は食べるようになってます。上にいろいろの物が乗っているからでしょう。しかも、食べやすいです。本来は人と話しながらの一杯が好きな私です。しかし、その代わり、ピザは見た目に楽しく、おつまみにもなるし、メインデッシュにもなり、夕食が充実します。

　生きることとは、結局、食べる事であり、生命維持にこれほど大切なことはありません。しかし、ポイントは健康を考慮し、同じものにのみ継続せず、栄養バランスの点から、多種のものを食するようにしてます。基本は繊維類を多く、概して薄味です。焼き魚をほぼ毎日食し、最近は、昼食で美味しいサツマイモ、また、こんにゃくも摂るようにしてます。

　日常生活では、洗濯や家の掃除も大切ですが、もっとずっと大切なことは身体の中の掃除です。その点、一見栄養の少ないものでも「機能が優れるもの」はたくさんあります。私は庭に生る金柑を毎日捥いで食べてますが、減りません。捥ぎにいらして下さい。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about balanced nutrition.

　I go to nearby supermarket every day to buy fresh food, so the shopping itself is fun while I'm seeking for what I'm going to eat at dinner. Plus, I always end up exchanging a few words with the lady cashier at the end, which is my only joy in a day. Recently I've been using self-checkouts, but even so, I always make sure to stop by and say hello when she is nearby. If I don't do this, I'll end up not speaking to anyone at all day, which is mentally great dis advantage to me.

　By the way, I haven't eaten much pizza in recent years, but when I try it, I find it really delicious and makes me feel enriched, so I've started eating it at least once a week. I think it's because there are so many different things on top. It's also easy to eat. As Mr. Barry knows, I normally like to have a drink while chatting with someone. However, pizza is visually appealing, can be used as a snack or a main dish, and makes me a satisfying dinner.

　To sum up, living is all about eating, and nothing is more indispensable for maintaining life. However, the key is to consider our health, and instead of just eating the same thing over and over again, I try to eat a variety of foods for nutritional balance. My diet is basically high in fiber and generally light in flavor. I eat grilled fish almost every day, and recently I've been eating delicious sweet potatoes and konnyak that means devil's tongue for lunch.

　In our everyday life, doing laundry and cleaning the house are important, but what's far more important is cleaning the inside of our body. In this respect, there are many foods that may seem low in nutrition but have excellent functions. I pick kumquats from my garden every day and eat them, but, they never seem to run out. Please come and pick it for your longevity.

余りにも寒くて、ドリームセンターで温まる

　午後になって、暫くぶりに「吉井牛伏ドリームセンター」へ愛車で行ってきました。往復４０Ｋほどです。一人暮らしのため、冬季はなるべく家の風呂には入らないようにしてます。理由は倒れたら困りますし、数日後に発見されても恥ずかしい思いをします。

　ドリームセンターなら脱衣場も温かく、窓から牛伏山を眺めつつ、広い湯船を心行くまで満喫できます。それにしても、高崎市民で還暦を過ぎれば入浴料は２００円です。世間は何かと物価高で騒いでますが、得した感じです。このまま料金の据え置きを市会議員の方にお願いしましょう。

　ところで、愛車ＴＴは昨日の心配をよそに、冬晴れの新鏑川橋を、ご覧のようにスイスイ走ります。川面を見たらロシアからのコハクチョウが１０羽程羽を休めてました。近いうちに川岸へ行ってみます。今日は西高東低の気圧配置のため、この橋の上からいつも見える活火山・浅間山と群馬の名峰・谷川岳は望めず、寂しかったです。そのうち笑顔を見せてくれるでしょう。

Dear my friends who are crazy about bathing in the spa.

　In the afternoon, I drove ＴＴ Quattro to the "Yoshii Ushibse Dream Center" after a long time. It was about a 40km round trip from my residence. Since I live alone, I avoid bathing at home particularly in winter. The reason is that I don't want to collapse, and it would be embarrassing if I were discovered several days later.

　At the Dream Center, the changing room is heated, and I can enjoy the spacious bathtub to my heart's content while looking at Mt. Ushibse from the window. By the way, if you're a Takasaki resident over 60 years old, the bathing fee is only 200 yen. In General, people are always complaining about rising prices, but we feel a profit here. I'll ask the city council member to keep the fee the same.

　By the way, despite my worries from yesterday, my beloved TT glides smoothly over the Shin-Kabra-Bridge on a clear winter day, as you can see in the photo. When I Looked down at the river, I saw about 10 Tundra swans from Russia resting. I'll go to the riverbank in the near future. Today, due to the high pressure in the west and low pressure in the east, we were unable to see the active volcano Mt. Asama and Gumma's famous peak Mt. Tanigawa, which are usually visible from this bridge, so that it was a lonely today. I'm sure she'll smile again soon.

盗難防止装置が働く

　昨日は慌てました。普段、当たり前に動作を行う便利な「車やパソコン」は、何らかの理由でこちらの意志通りに動かないときがあるものです。昨日の朝、所用で次女の家に行こうとしたら、どうしたことでしょう。車のドア―が開きません。車のドアーは鍵についてるボタンを押すことで開きますが、昨日は開きません。仕方なく、鍵を初めて分解し、中にある手動の鍵で試したらドアが開きました。しかし、その後、エンジンのボタンを押しても「エンジンがかかりません。」さあ、困りました。

　原因は、鍵の中に内蔵されてる電池が切れていたのです。しかも、エンジンまでかからないとはどうした事かと思いましたが、実は、「盗難防止装置が働いていたのです。」もし、無理してドアが開けられても車は動かないように設計されてるのです。結局、鍵の中の電池を交換したら、すぐにエンジンがかかり、ホッとしました。ですから、エンジンがかからなかったのは故障したり、バッテリーに寿命が来たのではありません。盗難防止装置が働いていたのです。ドアが開かず、エンジンがかからず、暫く困りましたが、理由が分かり、良い体験ができました。

　ところで、運転で私が最も気をつけてるとは「車間距離の厳守」です。時間に余裕がないと、どうしても前の車に接近しがちです。ご存じの通り、前の車の大きさは、そこまでの距離の二乗に反比例します。例えば、５m先にあった車が１０m先に離れれば、前の車の大きさは２分のⅠになるのではなく、４分の１に小さくなり、運転席からの景色が十分に広がります。３倍遠くになれば、前の車の大きさは９分の１になり、前方が見やすく、運転に余裕が出ます。車間距離を十分に取っても、目的地に到着する時間は変わりません。

Dear my friends who like driving and music the same as me.

　Yesterday was a bit of a panic. Even convenient machines such as car and computer which we take for granted, sometimes don't work for some reason. Yesterday morning, I tried to head to my second daughter's house for some business, but what the matter happened? The car door didn't open. Car door usually opens by pressing a button on the lock, but yesterday it wouldn't open. I had no choice but to disassemble the lock for the first time and used the manual key inside, so I could open the door. However, even after pressing the engine button, the engine wouldn't start. I was in trouble.

　The problem was that the battery inside the lock had died. I wondered why the engine wouldn't start either, but it turns out the anti-theft device had been activated. The car is designed to prevent the car from starting even if the door is forced open. In the end, I replaced the battery in the lock, therefore the engine started immediately, much to my relief. So the reason the engine wouldn't start wasn't because of a malfunction or the battery had worn out. It was the anti-theft device. The door wouldn't open and the engine wouldn't start, which was a bit of a problem for a while, but I figured out the reason and it was a good experience for me.

　Not change the subject, but the way I pay the most attention to when driving is "strictly maintaining a safe distance between cars." When we're short on time, we tend to get too close to the car in front of us. As you know, the size of the car in front is inversely proportional to the square of the distance to it. For example, if a car that was 5m away moves 10m away, the size of the car in front will not be half, but one-quarter of its size, so that we will have a much wider view from the driver's seat. If it is three times farther away, the car in front will be one-ninth the size, making it easier to see ahead and giving us margin to drive. Even if we keep a safe distance between cars, the time it takes to arrive at our destination will not change.

高齢期の安定を考える

【画像をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。】

　いよいよ衆議院選挙です。日本は今までと異なり、急激な少子高齢化社会に突入です。このため、国政選挙とは今後の日本社会にとって最も必要なことは何かを、「私たち有権者が真剣に考える機会」です。物価高はいつの世も同じですが、農業、漁業など食料生産者や販売する側も生活が懸かってます。今回の選挙では、多くの党で消費税減額が叫ばれてます。目先では、誰でも消費税がなければ買い物が安くていいと思いがちです。

　しかし、とんでもありません。消費税の目的は、年金、医療費、介護、少子化対策といった社会保障の財源であり、国民の生命線です。このため、いわば国民のための積立金です。消費税は国の「安定した財源」として、国民の社会保障制度を支える重要な役割を担ってます。もし、消費税を減額すると苦しむのは年齢を重ねる今後の自分自身であり、大切な子供たち孫たちです。

　ところで、人生の第３～第４コーナーに差し掛かってる私は、如何にしたら健康の増進につながるか考え実践中です。一方、認知症を遅らせるには、必要なことをいろいろ記憶し、それをアウトプットすることにしてます。その一つは高齢期にありがちな家の中にだけ居ないで、外部に出て見て回り、新たな事象に「感動する心」を持ち続けたいです。結果的に、これが空腹につながります。健康の基本はお腹が空くことです。

　昨日は、暫くぶりに埼玉県花園までドライブし、植木屋さんに入った途端、ご覧のシンビジュームに目が留まり、余りの魅力に惹かれ、ゲットしようと言わば珍しく衝動買いです。安かったです。この花に相応しく、その名も「萌香」(もえか)です。今後は私の家族として毎年咲いてくれるよう「世話する仕事が一つ増えました。」未だ暫くは咲いてますから観賞にいらして下さい。

Dear my Facebook friends who are interesting in consumption tax.

　The House of Representatives election in Japan is finally upon us. Unlike in the past, Japan is entering a rapidly aging society with a declining birthrate. For this reason, national elections are an opportunity for us voters to seriously consider what is most necessary for Japanese society in the future. While prices have always been high, food producers and sellers, such as those in agriculture and fishing, also depend on it for their livelihoods. In this election, many political parties are calling for a reduction of the consumption tax. In immediate interests, if there was no consumption tax, everyone tends to think that shopping would be cheaper .

　However, this is outrageous. The purpose of the consumption tax is to fund social security such as pensions from now on, medical expenses, nursing care, and measures to combat the declining birthrate, therefore it is the lifeline of the people. For this reason, it is, in a sense, a reserve fund for the people. As a stable source of revenue for the country, the consumption tax plays an important role in supporting the social security system for the people. If the consumption tax were to be reduced, it would be suffered us who grow older, as well as our precious children and grandchildren.

　As I approach the third or fourth corner of my life, I'm currently thinking about improving my health. Meanwhile, in order to delay senile dementia, I'm trying to memorize various necessary things such as English vocabulary and output them. One way is to go out and explore, rather than just staying indoors and maintain a "spirit of being moved" by new experiences. Ultimately, this leads to hunger. Being hungry is fundamental to our good health.

　Yesterday, I took a drive to Hanazono, Saitama Prefecture, after a long interval, and as soon as I entered a shop for flowers, my eye was caught by this cymbidium as you see in the photo. I was so captivated that I decided to get it, so to speak, it is an impulse buying. It was cheap. A fitting name for this flower is "Moeka." Please enlarge the photo. From now on, I'll have one more job to take care of so that I have to raise every year as part of my family. It'll still be in bloom for a while, so please come and enjoy it.

楽しいホームステイ受け入れ

　国際交流が好きな私は、高崎市と姉妹都市であるアメリカ・バトルクリーク市からの客を数回に亘りホームステイとして我が家で受け入れました。滞在期間は1週間ほどで生活を共にしました。同様に、インド、二ュージーランド、イギリスからの来客もありました。外国の方と夕食を囲んでの交流は楽しく、また、当時の愛車１１７クーペで榛名湖や軽井沢方面を案内した思い出があります。

　外国からの客を招いて私が心掛けたことは、先ず最初に、その国の国歌をピアノで弾いて歓迎の気持ちを表わしたことです。見知らぬ日本へ来て、安心感からか涙を浮かべる人もいて、音楽の力は世界共通で偉大です。私が外国の方を受け入れるのは、２０代のときインドに暮らし、インドの人たちに親切にしていただいた思いからです。

　ホームステイを受け入れた中でも、楽しく教育面から誠に有意義であったことは、前橋高校勤務時代、インドの青年を授業に参加してもらい、インドやインド音楽について話してもらったことです。その後、生徒たちによる英語での質問や交流の機会を作ったことです。一方、草津での吹奏楽部合宿ではアメリカ女性に演奏を聴いて戴き、その感想を全部員の前で話して戴き、食事や休憩の時は部員と自由に交流する機会を作りました。

　高崎商業高校勤務時代には、アメリカからのご夫妻を吹奏楽部の校内アンサンブル大会に招待し、音楽に造詣が深い方であったことから審査員として指導をお願いしました。外国の方に演奏を聴いて戴き、講評して戴いたことは生徒たちにとって世界的な見地からの指導となり、望外の喜びだったことでしょう。

　ところで、ニュージーランドから高商に英語指導に来られていたスペンスさんとは一年間なので、公私ともに本当によく交流し、高島屋のビアガーデンに行ったり、土曜日の晩は我が家で家族と交流したり、餅つきしたりで一生の思い出です。今でもフェイスブックを通じて交流が続き、日々、私が書いてる拙い英文を毎日読んで戴いてます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about international exchange.

　I enjoy international exchange, therefore on several occasions I have hosted guests from Battle Creek, USA, which is a sister city of Takasaki-city, as homestay guests. Generally, they stayed with us for about a week, and we lived together including "Bottoms up" every night. I have also had guests from India, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. I enjoyed interacting with foreign visitors over dinner, and I have fond memories of going with them around Lake Haruna and Karuizawa in my beloved 117 Coupe.

　When hosting guests from abroad, I always made sure to start by welcoming them with a performance of their country's national anthem by the piano. Some guests were moved to tears, perhaps out of relief at coming to a strange nation. The power of music is universal and great. My motivation for hosting guests from abroad stems from my experience living at Calcutta-City in India in my 20s, as a teacher of Japanese school where I was treated with kindness by the Indian people.

　Among the homestays I have hosted, one of the most enjoyable and educationally meaningful events was while working at Maebashi High School, I invited a young Indian man to my music class and he explain about India and Indian music. After that, I created opportunities for the students to ask questions and interact with each other in English. Meanwhile, at the wind orchestra training camp in Kusatsu in Northern Gumma Prefecture, an American lady listened to our orchestra's performance and shared her thoughts with all the members, I created opportunities for members to interact freely during meals and breaks.

　When I was working at Takasaki High School of Commerce, I invited an American couple to the wind Orchestra's in-school ensemble competition. Since they have a deep knowledge of music, so I asked them to serve as judges. Having a foreigner listen to the performance and provide critiques gave the students guidance from a global perspective, which I'm sure was an unexpected joy for students, I guessed.

　By the way I spent a year with Mr. Barry Spence, who came from New Zealand to teach English at this high school, so that we had many interactions both professionally and personally. We went to the beer garden at Takashimaya, spent many Saturday nights at my home with his family, and made mochi rice cakes. These memories that will last a lifetime still now. We still keep in touch through Facebook, therefore he reads my poor English every day. I deeply appreciate him.

地球照が見えるのは夕刻、又は日の出直前の細い月

　今夕５時３０分頃、西南の空にあった三日月には、ご覧のように、地球照が見えました。日本で見える上弦の月の地球照の場合、インド洋に当たってる太陽光が月面に反射しているのではないでしょうか。これは私の推測です。

Dear my Facebook friends as earthling

　Around 5:30 this evening, the crescent moon in the southwestern sky was illuminated with earthshine, as you can see in the photo. In the case of the waxing crescent moon in the evening seen from Japan, I think that the sunlight hitting the Indian Ocean is reflecting on the surface of the moon. This is just my guess.

今朝は倉賀野小の登校時に交通指導

　

　今朝は地元・倉賀野小児童の登校時・交通指導があり、ブログの取り組みが遅くなりました。それにしても、朝４０分間の立ち通しは冷えました。

　光陰矢の如し。つい先日、令和８年を迎えたばかりなのに、もう１月下旬です。一度しかない人生を健康長寿に暮らすのは万人の願いです。昨晩は行きつけの高崎の某所で夕食を摂りました。他に客はおらず、ママさんと２時間半ほど話ができ充実です。彼女曰く「カッキーは若いよ。」と見た目の感想を言われ、私は内心しめしめと思いました。

　ママさんに褒められ嬉しさも手伝い、話しは多岐に亘り、その中でも健康に過ごすには「食事内容が関係する」と私見を述べました。味付けは薄く、食物が本来持ってる味を大切に味わい、ポイントは「人工的な味付けを可能な限り控えること」と話しました。味を濃くすると美味しく感じるもので、それに慣れてしまうとマイナスです。空腹を大切とすると、薄味でも食物本来の美味しさが味わえ、英語の諺Hunger is the best sauce.とはよく言ったものです。

　ところで、「さつまいも」というと戦後の食糧難に育った私には良い印象はなく、成人してからも殆ど食べませんでした。しかし、最近、ひょんなことから食したら、何と自然の甘みがあり、美味しいと考えが変わり、食べるようになりました。実は近所の方から戴いたのです。同様に、年末年始に長女が作った料理で、こんにゃくの美味しさを感じるようになり、先日、初めて自ら買いました。どちらも予想以上に美味しく、繊維類が多く、リンパの流れ、汗、血流、消化の良さと「体内の循環」に効果が感じられます。私は、健康の基盤は体内のスムースな循環と考えるようになってます。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about the way of longevity.

　This morning, I was late posting Facebook because I was helping the local Kuragano Elementary School children go to school and navigate the traffic. Even so, it was chilly standing for 40 minutes outside.

　Time flies. We only recently entered the new year of 2026, but it's already late January. We all hope to live a long and healthy life, as we only have one. Last night, I had dinner at a favorite tavern named "Baku" in Takasaki. There were no other customers, so I was able to chat with the proprietress for about two and a half hours, which was very fulfilling. She commented on my appearance, saying, "Kakky, you look young," and I thought to myself, "That's a great feeling."

　Happy to be complimented by her, we had a wide-ranging conversation, and I shared my personal opinion that "what we eat matters" when it comes to staying healthy. I recommended light seasonings, cherishing the natural flavors of food, and limiting artificial flavors as much as possible. Strong flavors tend to taste better, but becoming accustomed to them can be a drawback. If you value hunger, you can enjoy the natural flavor of food itself even with a light seasoning. The English proverb "Hunger is the best sauce" is aptly stated.

　Not change the subject, but, having grown up during the post-war food shortage, I didn't have a good impression of sweet potatoes, and even after becoming an adult, I hardly ate it. However, recently, I happened to eat one and was surprised by its natural sweetness. My opinion changed and I started eating it again. In fact, I received one from a neighbor. Similarly, I began to appreciate the deliciousness of Devil's tongue konnyak after eating it in a dish made by my eldest daughter over the New Year holidays. As the result, the other day I bought some for the first time. Both were more delicious than I expected, and they are high in fiber, which I feel has a positive effect on lymphatic flow, sweat, blood flow, digestion, and "circulation within the body." I have come to believe that the foundation of good health is smooth circulation within the body.

納得する音色を求める

　写真は、まるで私の青春時代のようで、君子蘭が今にも「咲きそう」です。そう言えば、私が吹く楽器は「咲きそう」フォンです。

　先日は「いきいき健幸クラブ」で地域の方々に聴いて戴きました。昔よりは音色はいいかもしれません。【ちょっと言い過ぎ？】、それでも、聴き手の心に響くビブラートがやっと納得いくものになって来ました。年の巧か。

　色彩の異なる５本の花梅が満開になる２月中旬になったら、梅の鑑賞と共にソプラノサキソフォーンを吹いてみたい。

Dear my friends who like flowers and listening to music.

　The kaffir lily is about to bloom, the photo is similar to my adolescence. Speaking of which, the instrument I play is the blooming saxophone. If you haven't heard my play the saxophone yet, please come and listen in the near future. 

　The other day, I had a opportunity to be listened to some local residents at the Ikiiki Health Club. My tone quality may be better than it used to be. [Maybe a bit of an exaggeration?] But I'm finally getting to a vibrato that resonates with listeners' hearts. Maybe it's the skill of age.

　In mid-February, when the five plum blossoms of different colors will be in full bloom, please come and enjoy the plum blossoms while listening to the sound of my soprano saxophone with sipping tea. I enjoyed dinner at my favorite tavern in Takasaki Tamachi tonight and have just returned home. Good night.

  　

自然界で、水不足が続いてます。

　ニュースによると、最近、日本中のあちこちで山火事が起こり、群馬県でも妙義山で山火事が起こりました。暫く雨が降らないからでしょう。現在、自然界はかなりの水不足と想われます。私は庭で野鳥たちに水を与えてますが、朝、容器に一杯にしておいた水が昼には空になります。気づき次第、すぐに満杯にしてやります。すると夕方には、また減ってます。野鳥にとっても水不足は深刻です。

　例年ならば、２月に井戸が涸れますが、今年はすでに先日、涸れました。このため、暫く井戸水を使わずに貯めておきました。井戸水は主として樹木に与えてます。それにしても、野鳥は喉が渇くのでしょう。観察していると、１回飲むだけでなく、数回も嘴を入れてます。その後、如何にも美味しかったという表情を見せ、容器の縁に留って安心したように休みます。時々は中に入って気持ちよさそうに水浴です。

　私は以前に半世紀に亘りレース鳩を飼育してました。レース鳩は訓練や数百キロ遠方からのレースで鳩舎に到着すると、先ず、何をすると想いますか。餌を食べるのではありません。顔まで水に入れ、ごくごくと喉を潤します。どれ程か、喉がカラカラで自らの鳩舎をめざし飛んで来るのでしょう。そして、少し落ち着いてから、ぼちぼち餌を啄みます。

　鳥類も人間も生物として同様です。蛇口を捻れば当たり前のように水が出る現代では、つい忘れがちですが、水がなくては一日も生きられません。水不足は乾燥してるので火災が起こりやすいです。十分に気をつけましょう。水は自然からの贈り物。大切に使いたいです。

Dear my friends who feel from time to time thirsty

　According to the news, forest fires have recently broken out all over Japan, including in Gunma Prefecture at Mt. Myogi. This is likely because it hasn't rained for a while. There seems to be a significant water shortage in nature now. I provide water for the wild birds in my garden, and I fill water every morning in the container, but it become empty by midday. As soon as I notice this, I immediately refill it. Then, by the evening, it's gone again. The water shortage is serious even for wild birds.

　Usually, the well would dry up in February, but this year it dried up the other day. For this reason, I have been saving the well water for a while, at that time I don't use it. I mainly give it to trees in the garden. Quite recently wild birds must get thirsty. When I watch them, they are not only one drinking, but sticking their beaks in several times. Afterwards, they look very pleased with the water, and perch on the edge of the container to rest as if they are at ease. From time to time, they go inside and bathe in the water, looking very comfortable.

　As the title of this blog indicates, I used to raise racing pigeons for half a century. When racing pigeons arrive at their loft after training or from a race hundreds of kilometers away, what do you think they do first? They don't eat food. They put their faces in water and gulp it down. They must be very thirsty when they fly to their loft. After calming down a bit, they start pecking at the food.

　Birds and humans are similar living beings. Nowadays water comes out of the tap, we tend to forget, but we cannot survive even a day without water. When water is scarce, the weather is dry and fires are more likely to break out. We must be very careful. Water is a gift from nature. I want to use it wisely.

春は間近です。

　今日から大寒というのに、紅梅の開花に続いて、今度は廊下の君子蘭が２～３日のうちに咲く気配です。他の君子蘭も９つの蕾の茎が伸びてきました。この調子では、立春前に花盛りになりそうです。私一人ではもったいないです。見にいらして春を感じて下さい。

　一方、小さな実に栄養がぎゅっと詰まった金柑は、現在、食べ頃で昼食のデザートとして毎日５コ食べてますが、余りにも生ってるので私一人では全然減りません。推定５００個ほど生ってます。

Dear my friends who want to feel spring

　Today marks the Daikan which means the coldest season of the year in Japan, but following red plum blossoms, the Kaffir lily in the hallway looks set to bloom within the next two or three days. The stems of nine buds on the other Kaffir lilies have also grown. At this rate, they will likely be in full bloom before Risshun which means the start of spring. It would be a wasteful for me to see them by myself. Come and see them and feel the spring.

　Meanwhile, the small, nutritious kumquats are ripe and I currently eat five every day as a dessert with my lunch, but it has so many fruits that I can't eat them all by myself. I estimate there are around 500 growing. Please come and pick them without hesitation.

今日の地球の公転上の位置は？

 

　今日は二十四節気の一つ「大寒」です。この日に合わせたように日本列島は西高東低の気圧配置になり、群馬県でも未明から北西よりの強風が吹いてます。このように季節が変化することについて考えましょう。

　私たちを載せた地球は一周およそ９億４千万㎞の公転軌道上を地軸は約２３．５°傾いたまま、北極星の方向を向き、反時計回りに公転を続けてます。この結果、地球から見る太陽高度は季節によって上下し、四季が生じます。

　ところで、「大寒の今日、地球は公転軌道上のどの位置に来ているでしょうか。」

　そのためには恒星を観察することになります。その答えは、午前０時に真南にある黄道十二星座を観察すれば分かります。下図が示すように、現在の地球は、巨大な冬のダイアモンドの東端にある「ふたご座」の方向を離れ、その東にある「かに座」の方向に向かいつつあります。

Dear my friends as earthling

　Today is Daikan, one of the 24 solar terms in Japan. In keeping with this day, the Japanese archipelago experiences a high pressure distribution in the west and a low pressure distribution in the east, and in my Gumma Prefecture, strong northwesterly winds have been blowing since early morning. Let's think about this cause of change in seasons.

　As you know, our planet, carrying us, orbits us approximately 940 million kilometers around the sun, tilted on its axis at approximately 23.5 degrees, facing the North Star and continuing its counterclockwise orbit. As a result, the altitude of the sun as seen from Earth fluctuates a little day by day, so that resulting the four seasons occur.

　By the way, "Where is Earth positioned on its orbit today, named Daikan which means the most cold day?"

　To find out, we need to observe the fixed stars. The answer can be found by observing the zodiac constellations due south at midnight in the northern hemisphere. As shown in the diagram below, Earth is currently moving away from the direction of Gemini, the eastern edge of the giant Winter Diamond, and toward Cancer, which is located to the east of the Winter Diamond.

季節が変わるとき、人間も新たに前進を！

【画像を拡大すると臨場感が出ます。Enlarging the image will give us a more realistic feel. 】　

　皆さん、紅梅が春の到来を知らせてます。ご覧の通り、庭の入り口で情熱的に咲き始め、来客を笑顔で迎えようとしています。予報はこれから寒波の襲来と伝えてますが、そんな事お構いなしに春を先取りし、私たち人間に「希望を持って、日々、新たな活動を続けなさい」と、夢と希望ある生活の大切さを説諭しているようです。

　ところで、強い希望を持っていると、いざ、チャンス到来時に「躊躇することなしに」それに立ち向かうことができるようです。半世紀ほど昔では夢のようなことでしたが、就職で迷っていた頃のある日、学内で、インド日本人教育施設教員募集の知らせを見たとき、「これだ」と思い、迷うことなく応募したことが思い出されます。

　現在の私の希望は、万人共通ですが、健康生活をめざし、日々、「適度な運動」を継続することです。そして、内面的には柔軟な「発想力」を磨きたいです。しかし、こちらはちょっと難しいことですが、日々、目や耳を通していろいろ体験し、いろいろの人と交流することの中で、「これだ」と、生まれるものではないでしょうか。

　環境的に生活は厳しいですが、寒中でも庭の紅梅が春を先取りしてるように、私も外部に出て新鮮な刺激に触れ、いろいろ人と交流し、発想を豊かにしたいものです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about seeking eccentric idea.

　Everyone, good morning, the red plum blossoms are informing the arrival of spring in Japan. As you can see, she has begun to bloom passionately at the entrance of my garden, ready to greet visitors with a smile. The weather forecast predicts a cold wave is approaching, but she ignores it and anticipates spring, seemingly admonishing me to "have hope and continue to take on new activities every day," filling with dreams and hope.

　By the way, if we have strong hope, it seems we can seize on opportunity without hesitation when it arises. For instance, it seemed like a dream about half a century ago, but one day, when I was unsure about my future work, I saw a notice on campus advertising for a teaching position at the Indian Japanese Educational Institute. I thought, "This is it!" Therefore I applied without hesitation.

　My current purpose, like most people's, is to strive for a healthy lifestyle and continue to exercise moderately every day. And internally, I want to hone my flexible imagination. However, this is a little difficult than physical exercising, and I think "This is it" will be born from experiencing various things through our eyes and ears every day and interacting with various people.

　My life in actual environment is tough, but just as the red plum blossoms in my garden anticipate the arrival of spring even in the cold season, I would like to get outside and be exposed to fresh stimuli, interact with various people, and enrich my ideas.

還暦を過ぎたら、骨や筋肉を減らさない

　夕方、大分日が伸びてきたので、可能な限り、夕食前に足腰を鍛えるつもりです。私が取り組んでるのは、ウォーキングと共に、階段の昇り降りで鍛えると効果が感じられます。

　また、上半身では、両肩や上腕の筋肉維持に、先日お伝えしました通り、太い杉の木を利用して裏庭で1セット２０回ほど「テッポウ」してます。

　高齢期では、どうしても骨と筋肉が減少傾向と考えられるので、運動と共に、骨や筋肉の増強に相応しい食事を摂取するように努めてます。一方、体内のスムースな循環を考え、最近はサツマイモやこんにゃくを摂取してます。これが結構おいしいです。一人での生活は寂しくとも、いろいろ実践して元気を出したいです。

Dear my Facebook friends

　As the sunset became late, so day time got longer in the evening, I plan to exercise my legs and hips before dinner whenever possible. I find that walking and climbing stairs are effective for legs.

　As I mentioned the other day, I also exercise 20-set "teppou" push-Up in my backyard using a thick cedar tree, to maintain the muscles in my shoulders and upper arms, including shoulder blade.

　Generally as we age, bones and muscles inevitably tend to decrease, so in addition to exercise, I try to eat foods that are suitable for strengthening them. Meanwhile, for the sake of smooth circulation in the body, I've recently started eating sweet potatoes and devil's tongue, which are quite delicious beyond description. Living alone is lonely, but I try various things such as going day spa to cheer myself up.

これからも、時間を忘れるほど没頭できる趣味を！

 【シャクナゲの写真をクリックし、拡大すると多くの蕾が見えます。】

　夢中になれる興味関心事は、その人により異なり、多種に亘っても、基盤は健康維持につながることが大切でしょう。健康に繋がらないことや、経済的負担が高くては長続きは難しいです。最も大切なことは「楽しくて時間を忘れるほど没頭できる」ことがあれば人は幸せと言えるでしょう。

　その点、私は一人で生きていても、趣味と言えるものはピアノ、ソプラノサックスなど音楽演奏、ＴＴによるドライブ、英作文、ブログ書き、旅行なと数種類ありますが、中でも、森のような環境を作り、「毎日、植物と共に暮らす」ことです。以前は、これに半世紀の間、レース鳩飼育がありました。おっと、大切なことを一つ忘れました。それは一杯飲みつつ、人と楽しく歓談することです。

　ところで、写真の１本は紅く咲き、もう１本は白く咲く２本の西洋シャクナゲは今まで小さな植木鉢で育ててましたが、大分成長してきたので、昨日、ホームセンターで幅４０cmほどある大きな植木鉢2個と、ご覧の培養土など２種類の土を購入し、植え替える作業をしました。写真は植え替えた後に撮りました。これからは「伸び伸び根を張り」、４月には大輪を咲かせるでしょう。植え替えるポイントは今までの土を根から落とさないようにしてます。

　どうしたことか、４０代より、シャクナゲの魅力に嵌ってしまった私は、その後、平地ではあまりない貴重な日本シャクナゲ、多種の西洋シャクナゲを育てる日々となり、人生の後半はシャクナゲと共にある生活で、その姿を毎日、眺めてます。音楽演奏の目標である「美」という点で共通するのでしょう。４～５月には各種シャクナゲの開花を見にいらして下さい。お待ちしています。

Dear my friends who are crazy about raising rhododendrons.

　The interests that people become passionate are different from person to person, and they are diverse, it is important for human that the foundation should maintain good health. If it does not contribute to health or is a heavy financial burden, it will be difficult to sustain for long. The most important thing is to be enjoyable that you can immerse in it. And when you lose track of time, you are happy.

　In this respect, even though I live alone during 20 years, I have several hobbies that I would call playing music such as piano and soprano saxophone, driving in and out Gumma prefecture, English composition, writing blogs and Facebook, and traveling, but one of my hobbies is creating a forest-like environment in the garden and "living with many kinds of plants every day." Previously, this included raising racing pigeons for half a century. Oh, I forgot one important thing that is having fun and chatting with people over a drink.

　By the way, the two rhododendrons in the photo, one blooming red and the other white, had been growing in small flowerpots until now, but they have grown quite a bit, so yesterday I went to a hardware store and purchased two large flowerpots, each about 40cm wide, and two types of soil as you see in the photo, and I have repotted them. The photo was taken after repotting. From now on, they will "spread their roots," and will produce large blooms in April. The key to repotting is to be careful not to remove the old soil from the roots.

　Somehow, I became fascinated with rhododendrons since my 40s, and since then I have spent my days raising rare Japanese rhododendrons which are rare on flat land, as well as various types of rhododendrons. I have spent the second half of my life living alongside rhododendrons, gazing at their beauty every day. Perhaps they have something in common with the purpose of musical performance, that is "beauty." Please come from NZ as well to see the various rhododendrons in bloom in April and May at my garden . I look forward to seeing you after a long interval.

[If you enlarge the photo of the rhododendrons, you can see many buds.]

今年、飛来してるコハクチョウの数

　鏑川の畔では、白鳥を守る会の人が「白鳥飛来記録」を１日数回確認し、記録されてます。この数字を見ても、例年に比較し、今年はかなり少ないことが分かります。右の写真は昨年、飛来したとき私が撮影したコハクチョウたちです。

  On shore of the Kabra River, member of the Swan Protection Society is checking the "swan arrival records" several times a day. Looking at these numbers, we can see that there are significantly fewer swans this year than previous years. The photo below was taken by me when small swans arrived last year.

どうしたことか、今年は少ないコハクチョウの飛来

　例年ならば常に２０～４０羽程のコハクチョウが長閑に泳いでる鏑川の光景です。昨日、１０日振りくらいに、「今度こそシベリアからコハクチョウが飛来しているだろう」と期待し、木部町を流れる鏑川の長い土手から川岸へウォーキングに行きました。ところが、どうしたことでしょう。１羽も見当たりません。いるのは３００羽ほどの鴨たちのみです。

　１０日程前に訪れたときもコハクチョウの姿はありませんでした。それでも、１２月末に新鏑川橋を車で通過したとき数羽が川面に居たのを目にしたので、全く飛来してないと言うことではありません。実は、川岸には地元の「白鳥を守る会」の人によって「白鳥飛来記録」が掲げられてます。それによると１月には日々２～４羽と記録してあるので確かに飛来してますが、例年と比較して、その数は極端に少ないです。今年は気象や飛来ルート上で何か異変があるのでしょうか。近日中に再度、ウォーキングを兼ねて見に行ってみます。

　ところで、私が子供の頃はこの鏑川の水がとてもきれいだったことから、今では考えられないませんが、夏休みに友達と楽しく泳いだものです。肌に接する水が優しくて、快適だった記憶にあります。確かに現代のプールより自然で肌に適していると共に、大自然の中での泳ぎは心まで伸び伸びです。

　実は、私にその記憶があることから、その昔、小学生と幼稚園生だった二人の娘を鏑川に連れて行き、ワイワイ言いながら楽しく大自然の中で３人で泳いだことがあるのです。冬にはコハクチョウが来るほどですから、水の流れがゆったりしていて泳ぎやすいのです。果たして、娘たちはこのことを憶えているでしょうか。数日後に家に来るので訊いてみましょう。尚、この木部町一帯は私の母の生まれ故郷で、土手近くの森は私の先祖が建てた「長命稲荷」が祀られてます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about natural environment.

　Normally, the Kabra River flowing in Gumma prefecture is home to about 20 to 40 small swans swimming peacefully. Yesterday, for the first time in about 10 days, I went for a walk from the long bank of the Kabra River that flows through Kibe-Town to the riverbank, hoping that this time, I would finally see the small swans arriving from Siberia. But what a surprise! Not a single one to be seen. There were only about 300 ducks only.

　When I visited about 10 days ago, there were no small swans to be seen either. However, I did see several them on the river surface when I drove over the New-Kabra River Bridge last December, so that doesn't mean they're completely absent. In fact, a "Swan Migration Record" has been posted on the riverbank by the members of the local "Swan Protection Society." According to the record, 2 to 4 swans were recorded each day in January, so they are certainly arriving, but the numbers are extremely low compared to previous years. Is there something unusual reasons this year with the weather or their migration routes? I'll go back and see it again soon, combining walking.

　Not change the subject ,but when I was a child, the water of the Kabra River was so clear that, although you are hard to imagine now, I used to enjoy swimming there with my friends during summer holidays. I remember the water being gentle and comfortable against my skin. It's certainly more natural and suitable for the skin than modern swimming pools, and we were swimming in the great outdoors with relaxing to the soul.

　In fact, because I had these old memories, I once took my two daughters, who were in elementary school and kindergarten at the time, to the Kabura River, and the three of us had a great time swimming in the great outdoors, chatting and laughing. In winter, small swans even come, so the water flows slowly and makes it easy to swim. I wonder if my daughters remember this experience? They will come over in a few days, so I'll ask them. Incidentally, this Kibe-town area is my mother's hometown, and in the forest near the bank is enshrined the Longevity shrine, built by my remote ancestors.

いよいよ膨らみ始めてます。・・・紅梅

　自称「倉賀野梅林」も、ご覧のように、いよいよ蕾が膨らみ始めてます。紅、白、枝垂れ梅のピンク、薄い肌色、そして１本の梅が紅白二色に咲き分ける「思いのまま」の５本の花梅のうち、庭先の紅梅が他の群を抜いて膨らみ始めてます。殺風景の真冬にあっても、徐々に春が近づいてることが感じられ、梅が人間に与えてる希望です。

　例年、庭に出て「あっ、咲いてる」と開花した後、私は気づくのですが、可能ならば、今年は開花する瞬間を捉えたいものです。しかし、おそらく私に気づかれないうち、日の出前の未だ暗いうちにそっと開くのでしょう。２月中旬に５本とも満開になると予想します。今年は見にいらして下さい。外のテーブルでお茶が入ります。

Dear my friends

　As you can see in the photo taken by me, the buds are finally beginning to swell in myself-proclaimed "Kuragano Plum Grove." Of the five flowering plum trees, such as red, white, weeping pink, pale skin-colored, and "one tree that blooms in two colors, red and white. The red plum in the entrance of the garden is beginning to swell the most. Even in the bleak days of midwinter, I feel spring is gradually approaching, and plums offer the hope for humans.

　Every year, I noticed them after they've bloomed when I went out to the garden, but this year, I'd like to capture the exact moment she blooms. However, she'll probably open quietly, before sunrise, while it's still dark, without being noticed by me. I expect all five plum trees will be in full bloom by mid-February. Please come and see them this spring including from NZ as well. Tea will be served at the table outside.

交流が広がる「くらカフェ」の集い・・・楽しさの極み

　写真は今朝、日の出前の暗いうちに撮った月齢２８の下弦の月です。光っている月面の右側に微かに地球照が見えます。これは太陽に照らされ輝いてる地球の光が月面に反射してます。このように月が細い場合にのみ見られるので、夕方、新月直後の西の空や、今朝のように日の出前の新月直前の東の空に見える神秘的な現象です。

　ところで、自由に集まれ、おしゃべりの場である「くらカフェ」に昨日、初めて参加し、愉快に楽しく２時間があっという間に過ごせました。会を設定をされた「あんしんセンター倉賀野」のスタッフさんに感謝してます。

　参加者はすでに子育てが終わり、子供が独立した、いわば、人生の第３～第４コーナーに差し掛かってる方々で、「高齢化時代をどう生きるか」という共通の話題、共通の問題点に直面してる方々で、圧倒的に女性が多かったです。しかし、皆さん、倉賀野に住んでる共通点があることから、初対面でも楽しく会話が弾みました。その中で、群銀が近いうちに倉賀野バイパスに移転との話題のとき、皆さん、かなり不安を抱えてるようで、途中にＪＲの踏切があり、今後、そこまでは歩いてはいけないと不安の様子です。

　驚いたことに、９８才で癇癪とした男性も参加され「高齢期の生活態度は日々どうあるべきか」について、「生活のすべては人に頼らず自ら行なう強い心が必要」と朗々と話され、感銘し、勉強になりました。彼の趣味は、今まで群馬県内の山奥の河川で、例えば、みなかみの奥の奈良俣ダムの先などでも釣りをしていたそうです。しかし、近年感じることは、釣り上げたときの魚が辛そうで、「その表情を見るに堪え難く、釣りをやめました。」という言葉に、人としての優しさが漂いました。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about the way of living in aging society happily.

　The photo above shows a waning moon at 28 days old, taken this morning in the dark before sunrise. We earthlings can see a faint earthshine to the right of the shining moon's surface. This is the light from the Earth which is shining by the sun. This mysterious phenomenon can only be seen when the moon is thin like this, so it can be seen in the western sky in the evening just after a new moon, or in the eastern sky just before sunrise, as it is this morning.

　Not change the subject, but yesterday I attended "Kuragano Cafe," where people can gather and chat freely, for the first time to me, and the two hours passed by in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere. I'd like to thank the staff of Kuragano Anshin Center for their arranging the event.

　The participants were people who had already finished raising their children and whose children had become independent, so they were approaching the third to fourth chapter of their lives, so to speak. They were facing the common topic and challenges of "how to live in the aging society," and the overwhelming majority were ladies there. However, since we all shared the common ground of living in Kuragano-town, we enjoyed lively conversation even though we had just met. During the discussion, when Gumma Bank's upcoming relocation to the Kuragano-Bypass came up, everyone seemed quite anxious. There is a JR railroad crossing along the way, therefore they seemed worried that they wouldn't be able to walk due to far in the near future.

　Surprisingly, a 98-year-old man with a vigorous elderly person joined the discussion. He spoke eloquently about "what daily lifestyles should be like in old age," saying, "he needs to have the courage to do everything in his life himself, without relying on others." So, I was deeply moved and learned a lot from his words. His hobby until now has been fishing in the rivers deep in the mountains of Gumma Prefecture, such as beyond Naramata-Dam deep in Minakami-town. However, in recent years, he has noticed that the fish look painful when he reels them in, and his words, "I couldn't bear to see their sufferings, so I stopped fishing" exuded a gentlemanly kindness.

楽しみな「くらカフェ」のオープン

　今朝は寝坊してしまい、下弦の月を撮ったのは６時３０分です。今朝の日の出は６時５５分なので、大空も大分明るくなってます。今日の月齢は２７。つまり、旧暦では未だ１１月２７日です。このため、今年の旧元日は２月１７日と大分遅いです。日の出時刻については、今まで遅かったですが、明日から、ほんの少しずつ早くなるのが感じられるでしょう。

　ところで、私たちは年齢を重ねると「新たな人と出会ったり、新たな人と話したりする機会」が減り、つい今までと同様の、あるいは、それより少ない付き合いなる傾向です。このように変化のない生活を続けていると「脳活動は停滞気味」になり易いと考えられます。これを打破するには、どんな小さなことでも、今までとは違う新たな事に目を向けることが必要です。その中でも「新たな人との出会い」が最も効果的であると考えられます。

　倉賀野町地区協議会「ささえあい くらがの」では、自由に集まれて、おしゃべりの場となる「くらカフェ」を最近オープンし、地域の方々と交流したい人、楽しくお茶を飲みたい人の「居場所づくり」が推進されてます。今までもお試し会が行われ、参加された方々の印象は「いろんな人と話せて楽しい」「地域にこういう場所があると良い」などの感想が寄せられ、再度、お試し開催する運びになり、実は今日がその日です。すでに長期に亘り一人暮らしの私にとって、「くらカフェ」は打ってつけであり、良い機会と捉え、参加することにしてます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about encounter with new people.

　I overslept this morning, so I took a photo the waning moon at 6:30. This morning's sunrise was at 6:55, so the sky was quite bright. Today's moon age is 27, which means it's still November 27th in the lunar calendar. For this reason, New Year's Day this year in the lunar calendar will be quite late, on February 17th. Up until now, sunrise times have been late, but starting tomorrow, you'll notice it gradually getting earlier.

　By the way, as we get older, we tend to have fewer opportunities to meet and talk to new people, and we tend to end up with the same or even fewer interactions than before. It's thought that if we continue living a life without change like this, our brain activity can easily become stagnant. To overcome this way of living, we need to focus on new and different things, no matter how small. Meeting new people is thought to be the most effective for longevity.

　The Kuragano Town District Council, "Supporting Kuragano," recently opened as "Kura Cafe", a place where people can gather and chat freely, promoting a chance creation for people who want to interact with local people and enjoy a cup of tea. Trial sessions have been held in the past, with participants leaving comments such as "It's fun to talk to all kinds of people" and "It's good to have a place like this in the community," leading to trial session being held again, and in fact today is that day. For me who has been living alone for 20 years, Kura Cafe is the ideal situation for me, and this is so good opportunity that I have decided to participate.

夕方、すでに日が伸びてることを実感

　夕方、日が伸びましたね。今日の日没は１６時５１分【群馬県】です。日没が最も早かった昨年１２月８日は１６時２８分だったので、すでに２３分も伸びてます。

　写真は日没方向の群馬県西部のテーブルマウンテン「荒船山」です。今まで、この山頂が平らな標高１４２３mの高原に４回登り、景色の素晴らしさに感銘しました。

　今日は午後、吉井町の牛伏ドリームセンターへ行ってきましたが、いつもは家に着くと暗いのですが、今日は未だ太陽が出てました。夕方は日に日に日が伸びてることを実感です。

Dear my friends

　The recent days are getting longer in the evening. Today's sunset was at 4:51 pm in Gumma Prefecture, situated in central Japan. The earliest sunset was at 4:28 pm on December 8th last year, so the days have already become longer by 23 minutes.

　The photo indicates the famous Mt. Arafune which is a table mountain in western Gumma Prefecture, facing the direction of sunset by seeing my home. I've climbed this flat-topped plateau at the altitude of 1,423 meters four times, and I'm always impressed by the breathtaking views.

　This afternoon, I went to the Ushibuse Dream Center for bathing in Yoshii Town. It's usually dark when I get home, but today the sunset was still longer. In the evenings, I really feel that the days are getting longer day by day.

昔、今宵の倉賀野は賑やかだった

　発音が倉賀野町に似てる「クロガネモチ」が私の家から見える所にあり、現在、赤い実が鈴なりです。その数、数千粒でしょう。概して、殺風景な真冬の風景の中にあって誠に情熱的な色彩です。昨年１２月上旬以来、１ヶ月以上に亘り、人間には十分に観賞されてますが、この実のすべてはいずれ野鳥の空腹を満たすのですから、自然は良く出来てます。日々、私もこの赤に力をもらってます。

　ところで、私が子供のころ、つまり、昔の倉賀野町では今宵１月１４日の晩は各地区の山車が繰り出し、街中を次々並んで行進し、町民で大賑わいでした。実は、この祭りは翌朝、烏川での「どんど焼き」の前夜祭です。この晩のメインエベントは仲町の四つ角にすべての山車が集合し、それぞれ笛太鼓や鐘を自分たちのリズムの叩き合いで対抗し、各地区が勢力を鼓舞し、当時の言葉で「しゃぎりっこ」は子供心に強い印象が残ってます。倉賀野は中山道の宿場町であったことから、これらの祭りは古き時代より続いていたと想われます。

　しかし、高崎市に合併した昭和３０年代を境に、丁度半年後の７月１４日の晩の「万灯を持った各地区の行列」など盛大だった倉賀野の祭りの殆どは廃れ、地区ごとの対抗意識は自然消滅し、今では、諏訪神社や閻魔堂の祭りが残り、そして子供の日など日中に各地区ごとに山車を引く姿が僅かに残ってます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about district's festival.

　I can see the Round Leaf Holly tree which is Kuroganemochi which sounds similar to my town named Kuragano-machi, from my house, and it is currently covered in red berries. There must be thousands of them. A truly passionate color in the bleak midwinter landscape. For over a month, since early December last year, humans have been able to enjoy the red berries, but all of these berries will eventually be eaten by wild birds due to their hunger, so nature is at its best. At the same time, I am influenced in this red every day.

　By the way, when I was a child, that is, in the old Kuragano-town, on the evening of January 14th tonight, floats from each district would be gathered and marching lined up one after another through the town, attracting great excitement from the townspeople. In fact, this festival is the eve of the Dondoyaki festival at Karasu-River the following morning. The main event of the evening is all the floats gather at the central intersection of Nakacho, competing with each other by beating drums, and flutes bells to their own rhythm, each district boast of their own rhythm, that is called "shagirikko", remains strong in my childhood mind. As Kuragano was a post town on the Nakasendo road, these festivals are thought to have been continued since ancient times, I guess.

　However, after the town was merged into Takasaki-city in the 1950s, most of the Kuragano's festivals, such as the "procession of each district carrying lanterns" on the evening of July 14th, exactly six months later, fell into disuse. The rivalry between districts naturally faded away, and now only the festivals at Suwa Shrine and Enma-do remain, along with a few scenes of each district pulling their own floats during Children's Day.

午後は喫茶「さんぽ道」で過ごす

　
　今日の午後は暫くぶりに喫茶「さんぽ道」で１時間ほど過ごします。本当はココアが飲みたいのですが、できるかどうかママに訊いてみましょう。

　ここへ行くもう一つの理由は、平素あまり乗らない愛車の調整です。本来、車の調整のためには、もっと遠方まで行くべきなので、今度は景色のよい遠い日帰り温泉に行ってみます。

Dear my friends　

  This afternoon I will spend about an hour at my favorite cafe "Sampomichi" for the first time in a while. I really want to drink cocoa, so I'll ask the "mama-san" who is a proprietress if that's available.

  Another reason I'm going there is to adjust my beloved car, because I don't drive so often. Normally, I should go further away for the engine's adjustment. So next time I'll go to a remote day spa which is a beautiful view together with a sweetheart in heart.

演奏する楽しみは室内楽に

　管楽器の演奏では、一人で二つの旋律、あるいは３つの旋律を同時に奏でることはできません。ところが、幾人かの仲間が寄れば、一方が主旋律を、他方が対旋律を演奏し、それらが互いに追いかけたり、追いかけられたりします。しかも、どの瞬間もハーモニーを保ったり、あるいはハーモニーが合わなくても次の瞬間にその濁りを解決する妙味など、演奏する側にとっても、鑑賞する側にとっても、この上なく聴き応えがあり、ワクワクするものです。これこそ音楽が時間の芸術と感じられる所以でしょう。

　昨日は群馬県藤岡市の「みかぼみらい館」に於いて、「アンサンブルパーティー２６」と銘打った室内楽の演奏会が行われ、私にとっては知人や、フェイスブック友人Ｎ子さんはサクソフォーン二重奏のピアノ伴奏、及びバイオリン演奏の二刀流で出演され、和やかで和気あいあいした雰囲気の音楽会が十分に楽しめました。室内楽は弦楽器や、管楽器など概して同族楽器で演奏されることから、演奏する方々も平素から知り合いであることが多く「共に演奏する楽しみ」であり、タイトルの如く正にパーティーと言えます。

　今回の演奏ではそれぞれの演奏に音色の個性が味わえましたが、鑑賞する側にとっては、楽器特有の響きと縦の和声、横に動きがある対位法にワクワク感がありました。中でも、それが顕著に感じられたのはクラリズムと称した「クラリネット五重奏」です。この演奏では、統一された５人の音色と共に、高低が離れた和声の混ざりあい、対位法による旋律の違った動きに感銘です。中でも正確な音程と低音から支えたバスクラリネット奏者の安定感ある音色は特に印象深く、会場いっぱいに浸透し、彼女の重厚な響きは圧巻でした。

Dear my friends who are crazy about chamber music.

　When playing wind instrument, it is impossible for one person to play two or even three melodies simultaneously. However, when several people get together, one person plays the main melody and the other the countermelody, they chase or are chased by each other. What's more, the exquisiteness of maintaining harmony at moment, or even resolving a discrepancy in the next, make this moment incredibly satisfying and exciting experience for both music performers and audiences. This is perhaps why music feels like an art of time, I guess.

　Yesterday, a chamber music concert titled "Ensemble Party 26" was held at the Mikabo Mirai Hall in Fujioka City, Gumma Prefecture. My acquaintance and Facebook friend, Ms. Naoko, performed as a piano accompaniment for a saxophone duet and as a violinist, therefore the concert had a harmonious atmosphere that was thoroughly enjoyable. Because chamber music is generally performed using similar instruments such as strings and wind instruments, the performers often know each other and enjoy the "joy of playing together," making it truly a party, as the title suggests.

　While each performance offered its own unique timbre that means tone quality, so that audiences were thrilled by the instruments' unique resonances, vertical harmonies, and horizontal counterpoint. This was particularly evident in the "clarinet quintet," titled as "clarism." In this performance, I was impressed not only by the unified tones of the five players, but also by the blending of widely differing harmonies and the different movements of the melodies through counterpoint. The bass clarinetist's stable tone, supported by precise musical interval and splendid low tones, was particularly impressive for me. Her rich sound permeated the entire hall, creating a truly stunning highlight.

身体が動き出す魔力あり

　最近、私は地区の「生き生き健幸クラブ」の会合で、ピアノでフォークダンスの音楽を弾くことが多く、踊る皆さんも若き日に戻って楽しそうですが、三曲ともピアノで音楽だけを弾いても本当に楽しく感じます。フェイズブックの皆さんも、学生時代に文化祭などで踊った青春の思い出がきっとお有りでしょう。

　これらの音楽はどれも素晴らしく、ロシア民謡「コロブチカ」C moll、アメリカ民謡「オクラホマミキサー」C dur ～A moll、イスラエル民謡「マイムマイム」A mollです。不思議なことに、このうち、「コロブチカ」と「マイムマイム」は調性は短調なのに、テンポが比較的速く快活であることと、旋律が素晴らしく心から浮き浮きしてしまう楽しさがあります。ということで、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」でも弾くことがあります。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyzF6uolqwI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trMj65wx_C4

　　　

　以前に、高崎市のピアノがある会場で弾いてみたら、そこにいた皆さんがワイワイ言いながら自然に踊り出したことがあります。これらの音楽には「体が自然と動き出してしまう魔力」があります。聴きたい方はいますか。

Dear my friends who are crazy about folk dances

　Recently, I've been playing folk dance music by the piano at meeting of the local "Ikiiki Health Club," and the dances seem to enjoy being back to our young days. However, all three music are also truly enjoyable to play by the piano alone. I'm sure many of you on Facebook have fond memories of dancing to these music at school festivals and other events.

　All of these music are wonderful such as the Russian folk song "Kolobchka" in C minor, the American folk song "Oklahoma Mixer" in C dur-A minor, and the Israeli folk song "Maim Maim" in A minor. Curiously, of these, "Kolobchka" and "Maim Maim" are in minor keys, more over relatively fast, lively tempo and wonderful melodies that are truly uplifting and joyful. For this reason, I sometimes play them at my favorite cafe, "Sampo Michi."

　I once played these dance music at a venue with a piano in Takasaki City, so that everyone there started dancing and chatting away. These folk music have the "magical power to make human's body move naturally." Is there anyone who wants to listen?

天体を観る絶好のチャンス

【画像をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。】
　

　季節柄、日本列島を取り巻く気圧配置は西高東低になり、群馬県でも、昨日は一日中、北西よりの強風が吹き荒れました。この結果、大陸からの冷たい空気に入れ替わり、今朝は寒さが一入です。しかし、その反面、良いこともあるのです。それは夜空や日の出直前に、星や月がはっきり見える時季です。

　最近はブログで天体のことのみ書いて申し訳ありません。しかし、天体を眺めてると自分自身が宇宙に浮いていることを実感します。このときこそ、天体の動きがより良く理解できると感じてます。とは言うものの、夜空を見上げるのは日々孤独な生活を余儀なくされてるためかもしれません。写真左は今朝６時前に南に浮んでいた下弦の月です。日に日に細くなってます。

　私がオリオン座や、北斗七星、カシオペア、など、初めて星座の形に興味を持ち、夜空を見るようになったのは小学３年の時です。実は、その時の担任が理科を専門とする先生だったことが大きく影響し、以来、天体に興味を持つようになりました。最初の職場が北回帰線上のカルカッタ【現・コルカタ】であったときも、夜空を見上げ、星座や月が通過する位置が日本と異なり、特に、北極星は日本で見るよりかなり低い位置に見え、地球が球体であることを実感です。

　ところで、今の季節に夜空を見上げると、日本列島を大きく覆う「冬のダイヤモンド」が主役です。この輪郭はすべて６個の一等星で形作ってます。ダイヤモンド内の右端は「おうし座」のアルデバラン、最も下はおおいぬ座」のシリウス、右下は「オリオン座」です。左上は「ふたご座」です。現在、この「ふたご座」のすぐそばに「木星」が輝いてます。皆さん、寒さ対策をしっかりして、周囲に明かりがない場所で、この絶好のチャンスを生かし、自分は地球上にいることを感じましょう。

Dear my earthlings

　Due to the midwinter in Japan, the atmospheric pressure surrounding the Japanese archipelago is high in the west and low in the east, and even in my Gumma Prefecture, strong northwesterly winds blew all day yesterday. As a result, air from the Eurasian Continent has replaced the cold, making this morning even colder then ever. However, on the other hand, there is a good thing in this season. This is the season when the stars and moon are clearly visible in the night sky and just before sunrise. This a one in a million chance.

　I have to apologize for only writing about celestial bodies on Facebook lately, but when I gaze at the stars, I truly feel that I'm floating in space. By looking night sky, I can better understand their movement. That said, perhaps it's because I'm forced to live a solitary life every day, therefore I may look up at the night sky. The left photo shows the waning moon floating in the south just before 6 a.m. this morning. It's getting thinner day by day.

　I first became interested in the shapes of constellations such as Orion, the Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia, and began gazing at the night sky when I was in the third grade of Kuragano elementary school. In fact, my homeroom teacher at the time was a science teacher, which had a big influence on me, and ever since then I've become interested in celestial bodies. During my first workplace was in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in India, which is just on the Tropic of Cancer, I would look up at the night sky and see that the constellations and the moon passed through different positions than in Japan. In particular, Polaris appeared much lower than seeing in Japan, and I really felt that the earth was the sphere.

　By the way, when we look up at the night sky this season, the main attraction is the "Winter Diamond," which covers the Japanese archipelago now. Its outline is made up of six first-magnitude stars. On the far right of the diamond is Aldebaran in Taurus, at the bottom is Sirius in Canis Major, and at the bottom right is Orion. At the top left is Gemini. Currently, Jupiter is shining near Gemini. Everyone, make sure you dress well against the cold, find a place with no lights around you, and take advantage of this golden opportunity to feel you're an Earthling.

[Please enlarge the image below.]

現在、「木星」が明るい理由を考える

　今までと異なり、最近の「木星」は本当に明るいです。夕方に東の空に出て、その後、一晩中光ってます。現在の「木星」の位置は冬のダイアモンドの東端にあり、「ふたご座」の近くです。しばらくはこの位置にあるでしょう。

　ところで、何故、最近の「木星」は一際明るいのでしょう。

　これは現在の「木星」が地球を挟んで「太陽と正反対の方向にある」からと考えられます。この位置にある場合、恰も、満月のような状態となり、木星全体に太陽光が当たっているからと考えられます。寒いですが、窓を開けて見ましょう。

Dear my friends Mr. Barry Spence in New Zealand

　Unlike before, Jupiter has been really bright recently by seeing in Japan. It appears in the eastern sky the same as by looking in your state in the evening, I guess. And it shines all night. Jupiter's current position is thought on the eastern edge of the Winter Diamond, near the constellation Gemini. It will remain in this position for a while.

　However, why has Jupiter been so bright recently?

　This is thought to be because Jupiter is currently in the exact opposite direction from the Sun, across from our Earth. When it is in this position, it is just like a full moon, with sunlight shining on the entire planet. It's cold in Japan, but let's open a window and please take a look Jupiter in Southern Hemisphere.

地球の公転により変化する日の出と日の入り方向

　写真上は、イギリスの有名な遺跡ストーンヘッジで、この巨石群は紀元前2500年から紀元前2000年の間に立てられたと考えられており、驚くべきことは、「夏至の日の出」の方向が高さ6mの玄武岩と、中心にある祭壇石を結ぶ直線上に太陽が昇ることです。このため、当時の設計者は天文学の高い知識があったと考えられてます。

　この現象を見て私が感心することは、先史時代の当時と２１世紀の現代でも地軸の方向に変化がないことです。

　しかし、地球には約26,000年周期で地軸の向きが変化する「歳差運動」があり、そうなると結果的に北極星の位置が真北でなくなるということです。こうなるとストンヘッジにおいても、夏至の日の出の位置に変化が起こるかもしれません。これは私の推測です。

　ところで、下の二つの写真は私が撮影したもので、左は家の三階から撮った「日の出」で、右は荒船山に沈む「日の入り」です。

　昨日から、日の出時刻がほんの少し早くなってます。日の入り時刻は１２月９日頃から遅くなってます。このため、夕方、日が伸びてることが少々実感できるようになりました。

Dear my earthlings

　The photo above shows Stonehedge, a famous archaeological site in UK. This group of megaliths is believed to have been constructed between 2500 and 2000 BC. What's surprising is that the direction of the summer solstice sunrise appears directly between the 6-meter-tall basalt rock and the central altar stone. The original designers likely had a deep knowledge of astronomy.

　What impresses me about this phenomenon is that the direction of the Earth's axis has remained unchanged since prehistoric times, even in the 21st century.

　However, as you know, the Earth's axis undergoes as "precession," which changes direction approximately every 26,000 years. As a result, the North Star no longer aligns at due north. This may lead to changes in the location of the summer solstice sunrise at Stonehedge in the remote future, I guess.

　By the way, the two photos below were taken by me. The one on the left is a sunrise taken from the third floor of my house, and the one on the right is a sunset over Mt. Arafune situated in southwest in Gumma Prefcture.

　Since yesterday, sunrise has been rising just a little earlier. The sunset time has been getting later since around December 9th. Because of this, you can now feel the days getting longer in the evening.

「灬」の多義性・・・上毛新聞「みんなのひろば」より

　このブログのコメンテーター「時計屋の隣りさん」の投稿文が今日の群馬県・上毛新聞「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。

　つきましては、県外の方々にも彼の文章をお読みいただきたく、ここに掲載します。

・・・・タイトル「灬」の多義性・・・・

　豊泉清さんの「『灬』を書く漢字」を興味深く読んだ。「熱」「煮」「焦」に火を示す部首「灬(れんが)」が付くのは理解できるが、「燕」「烏」(からす)「無」「点」にも同じ形があると知ると戸惑う。調べると、これらの「灬」は火とは無関係で、「燕」は尾羽、「烏」は足の形、「無」は舞う人の足の動き、「点」は旧字「點」の「黒」下部に由来する墨のしずくの象形だという。成り立ちは異なるのに、下に四つ点が並ぶだけで同じ部首に分類されてしまったわけだ。

　部首は字形や意味の共通性で分類する仕組みだが、実際には大ざっぱな枠組み感は否めない。「烏」は「灬」なのに「鳥」は鳥偏、「蒸」の「灬」は火を示すのに部首は草冠である。部首索引で漢字を探しにくい理由もここにある。
　
　さらに「熊」の下部の「灬」にも思い当たった。民間語源では熊の足跡ともされるが、学術的には「灬」に分類される。アイヌの人々が熊を神聖視し、かがり火で魂を送るイヨマンテを思うと、不思議と納得がいく。

　中国の"字書"の歴史の中で、部首は編さん者の方針で取捨選択、整理統合されてきたが、今日の漢和辞典に見る部首の分類は、図書館の「十進分類法」のような整然さにほど遠い感じがする。

倉賀野上４公園で粗大ごみの収集と、トラックへ詰め込み

　今日は朝８時から１０時過ぎまで上４地区の粗大ごみを軽トラ３台で地区を回って集め、それらはご覧の通り、大きな段ボール、古雑誌、古新聞、ビールのアルミ缶など集まったものを業者のトラックに積み込む作業です。２０名程で行いましたが、年末年始後であり多量の粗大ゴミで重労働です。

　ところで、今日は驚きました。フェイスブック友人で県議の鈴木あつこさんも見え、重い作業を一緒にやってくださいました。休憩時に、彼女は分け隔てなく一人一人と親しく歓談され、地元民と共にある姿が垣間見られました。

Dear my friends

　Today, from 8am until after 10am, I went to kami-4th park to collect bulky waste with members by three light trucks. As you can see, the collected items are included large cardboard boxes, old magazines, old newspapers, and aluminum beer cans. And we loaded them onto a contractor's truck. There were about 20 of members working on this. This time, as it was after the New Year holidays, it was hard work with the large amount of bulky waste.

　By the way, I was surprised today. My Facebook friend and prefectural assembly member Ms. Suzuki Atsuko also showed up and helped with the heavy work. During the break, she chatted amiably with everyone, without discrimination, giving us a glimpse of her community-building.

今日、一つの楽しみあり

　いよいよ今日から日の出時刻が早くなります。といっても、昨日より1分程度で、今朝の日の出は６時５５分【群馬県】です。それが夏至までには今日より１５０分ほど早くなるのですから、同様に、私たち人間が行うことも「継続こそ力なり」となって、何事も少しずつコツコツ進むことが大きな成果につながるのでしょう。

　実は今日、私は「一つ楽しみにしてること」があり、初めての経験です。それは次女の長女【小５】がバスケットボールの対外試合にでるので応援に行くことになりました。彼女は２～３年前からバスケットをしてることは聞いてましたが、結構、活躍してるらしいのです。しかし、その姿を私はまだ見たことがありません。それで今日は応援に来て欲しいというのです。

　もしかして、隔世遺伝でしょうか。実は私はピアノなど音楽を始める前は、つまり、熱心な顧問教師指導の下、バスケットに明け暮れる中学時代でした。中２中３と二年連続して群馬郡代表となり、県大会に２年連続出場したことがあり、結果的に、身長が伸びました。やはり、ジャンプする競技は身長に効果があるようです。孫娘が、若き日の私と同じ競技に興じてることは嬉しいです。

　このため、ついこの間生まれたと思っていたら、彼女はすでに１５５cmほどになり、もしかして小学校卒業時には１６０cmになるかもしれません。因みに私の小学校卒業時は１５０cmでしたが、すでにそれを超えてます。身長と共に内面もすくすく成長することを願ってやみません。

深夜に起きて、下弦の月を撮影

　１０時頃に一度寝てから、深夜１２時半頃、東の空に浮かぶ下弦の月が撮れました。３８万kmと余りにも遠方でピントを合わせるのが難しく、その上、薄い雲もかかっていましたが、どうにか撮れました。昨晩撮った写真よりほんの少し小さくなってます。拡大してご覧ください。

　これが月齢２２の月です。今日は太陰太陽暦【旧暦】で１１月２２日で昔の「いい夫婦の日」です。

Dear my Facebook friends as an earthlings

　I went to sleep around 10 o'clock last night, and then around twelve-thirty I took a photo of the waning moon floating in the eastern dark sky. As you know, it was difficult to focus because it was so far away, 380,000 km, and there were thin clouds covering it, but I could get the photo. It's a little smaller than the photo I took last night. Please enlarge the photo and look.

　This is the moon at 22 days old. Therefore today is November 22nd in the lunar calendar (old calendar), which was known as Happy Couple's Day in the past.

星は点でなく球体・・・アップして撮り確認

　今宵、東の空に一際明るく光っている星をアップして撮影しました。通常、地球人の私たちには「星は点のように見えます」が、実は皆、球体なのです。確かにこの明るい星も球体に見えます。さて、この星は何でしょう。たまたま、未だ月が出てないのでよく見えます。

　ところで、今宵、月が東の空に出る時刻は午後１１時０７分です。もし、私が起きていれば、今宵も下弦の月を撮影したいと思います。もしかして眠くて寝ちゃうかな。

　実は、写真の星は惑星の「木星」です。現在、「ふたご座」の所にあり、冬のダイアモンドの東端に来ています。おそらく、これから暫くの間、つまり、半年後にも「ふたご座」の近くにあるでしょう。窓を開けて木星を見てくださいね。

Dear my earthlings

　Tonight, I took a close-up photo of a particularly bright star in the eastern sky. Normally, to us Earthlings, stars look like points, but in fact, they are all spheres. This bright star certainly looks like a sphere in the photo. So, what is this star? Coincidentally, the moon hasn't risen yet, so it's easy to see.

　By the way, tonight the moon will rise in the eastern sky at 11:07 pm, in Japan. If I'm awake, I'd like to photograph the waning shin moon again tonight. Maybe I'll get sleepy and fall asleep.

　The star in the photo is actually the planet Jupiter. It is currently near the constellation Gemini, at the eastern edge of the Winter Diamond. It will probably remain near Gemini from now on, that is, six months from now. Please open a window and take a look Jupiter.

明日から日の出が早まる

　今朝の日の出が年間で最も遅く、６時５６分【群馬県】でした。明日から１分ほど早やまり、何だか希望が湧いてきます。人間にとって希望ほどワクワクすることはありません。しかし、植物は人間よりも、もっと敏感に太陽の動きを察知しているようです。日の入りについては、最も早い１２月８日は１６時２８分でしたが、今日は１６時４６分予定で、夕方は１８分も明るい時間が伸びてます。庭の梅「品種名・思いのまま」の蕾はすでにはち切れそうです。

　ところで、肝心な私たち人間に最も大切なことは、これからの人生を「面白く、愉快に、長命をめざし」トライすることではないでしょうか。基本は長寿食といわれる食品の選択に掛かっているでしょうが、身体のみならず、同時に「脳の若さ」を維持することでしょう。それには先ず、広い分野に好奇心を磨きたいものです。

　一方、私の知る限り、在宅で自立してる長寿の方は男性・女性共に９０才代半ばで共通することは先ず明るいです。よく笑い、話し好き、よくお茶を飲む傾向で、頭の回転もスムーズで素晴らしく感じます。たまたま比較的近くに住んでおられ、日々お会いするチャンスがあり、知り合いになれて本当に良かったです。私が最も感じることは、お二人とも「性格がさっぱりして」ます。もちろん、青春は戦争の時代で大変な体験をされてます。

　ところで、長寿食ですが、これは研究し甲斐があります。身体のみならず、脳の働きと栄養分は大いに関係すると考えられ、一般には、味を濃くする「砂糖、塩分、脂肪」を可能な限り少なくし、その代わり、大豆製品、新鮮な魚、新鮮に野菜類、海藻類は必須でしょう。それほど高齢ではない私は目下研究中ですが、「ゆで卵」が意外に髪の毛の健康に功を奏してます。一昨日、近くの床屋に行ったら、「カッキー、白いものが１本もないよ」と言われました。

【長文なので英訳は二段目からです。】

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about the way of longevity.

　The most important thing for us humans is to try to live our future lives "interestingly, happily, and with the aim of longevity." The key to this will depend on choosing foods known as "longevity foods," but it will also help maintain not only the body but also the "youngness of the brain." To achieve this, we must first hone our curiosity in a wide range of fields. 

　On the other hand, as far as I know, the long-lived people who live independently at home, both man and lady are in their mid-90s and have one thing in common, they are cheerful. They laugh a lot, love to talk, tend to drink tea, and have a quick mind, which I find wonderful. They live relatively close to me each other, so I have the chance to meet them time to time and I'm really glad I got to know them. What I find most striking is that both of them have "refreshing personalities." Of course, they both experienced difficult times in their youth during the world war Ⅱ.

　By the way, the longevity diet is definitely worth researching for us. Nutrition is thought to be closely related not only to the body but also to brain function, and in general, it is best to limit as much as possible the intake of "sugar, salt, and fat," which make food taste strong. Instead of them, soy products, fresh fish, fresh vegetables including tomato, and seaweed are essential. I guess. I'm not particularly old as you think, and I'm currently researching this way, but I've found that boiled eggs have a surprisingly positive effect on the health of my hair. The day before yesterday, I went to a nearby barber and he said, "Kakki, you don't have a single white hair."

月齢２０

　今宵の東の空に昇った下弦の月です。今日は太陰太陽暦【旧暦】で１１月２０日なので月齢２０です。大きさを昨晩の下弦の月と比較してみてください。日に日に１２°程ずつ小さくなっていきます。今宵の月が西の空に沈む時間は明朝１月９日の午前９時５８分予定です。

Dear my earthlings

　This is the waning moon that rose in the eastern sky tonight in Japan. Today is November 20th in the lunisolar calendar (old calendar), so the moon is 20 days old. Please compare its size to last night's waning moon. It is getting smaller by about 12 degrees each night. Tonight's moon will be set in the western sky at 9:58 am tomorrow morning, January 9th Japan time.

今でも残る「どんど焼き」の風習

　昨日、今年になって初めて、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」に行ったところ、近くの田んぼの中にご覧の通り「どんど焼き」の準備ができてました。珍しいので近くまで行ってみたところ、本体の骨組みは竹で出来ており、入り口があり、中に入れるように出来てました。当日までに地区の人たちが家から持ってきた達磨や松飾などを中に入れられるようになってます。

　子供の頃、私の倉賀野町でも烏川の川岸で正月に使った松飾や達磨など燃し、その火で「餅」や母が作ってくれた木の枝に刺した「まい玉」を焼いたりしたことがあります。正月が済んだ後で小正月といわれる１月１５日に火祭りの行事として町内の人々で賑わった思い出が蘇ります。私が子供のときは「道祖神」と言ったり、「どんどん焼き」などと言って楽しみでした。昔、この日は成人の日で学校は休みです。

　おそらく「どんど焼き」は古い歴史を持つ日本の行事の一つであり、本来は旧暦の１月１５日に行われたことから満月の日に、神聖な火による浄化の力で、地区の人々の1年間の災いを払い、豊作や商売繁盛、家内安全、無病息災、子孫繁栄を願った行事でしょう。写真の上には達磨も見えます。これが炎に包まれるとよく燃えるのであまりそばには近寄れません。餅やまい玉を焼くときは火が一旦弱火になった後で、安全が確認出来てからです。その点は気をつけなければなりません。

Dear my friends who are crazy about Japan's traditional event.

　Yesterday, for the first time this year, I went to my favorite cafe, Sampo-michi, and as I could see the preparations that the Dondoyaki were underway in a nearby rice field. It was unusual, so I went closer and discovered that the main frame was made of bamboo, with the entrance so people could enter. It was designed so that local residents could place the used daruma dolls and pine decorations for new year they had brought from home.

　When I was a child in my Kuragano-town, people would burn the pine decorations and used daruma dolls on the banks of the Karasu River, and use the fire to roast mochi rice cakes and maidama balls skewered on tree branches that my mother had made for me. It brought back memories after the New Year, on January 15th, this day was known as Little New Year, the town would bustle with people as a fire festival. When I was a child, I looked forward to it, calling it "Dosojin" or "Dondonyaki". In the past, this day was Coming of Age Day, so school was closed.

　Dondoyaki is probably one of Japan's oldest events, and was originally held on January 15th of the lunar calendar, of course on the day of the full moon. The sacred fire's purifying powers were used to ward off misfortune and to pray for a good harvest, prosperous business, safety for the home, good health, and prosperity of descendants, I guess. You can also see a Daruma doll at the top of the photo. This burns very quickly engulfed in flames, so we shouldn't get too close. When roasting mochi or maidama balls, you should wait until the fire has been reduced to low heat then it is safe to do so. You need to be careful due to fire.

今宵は下弦の月

　現在、東の空に出てる下弦の月です。「えぇっ！弦が上ではありませんか。」と言いたくなりますが、この月が西に沈むとき、地球の自転により弦が下になります。上弦の月は西に沈むとき弦が上になります。要するに、月が西に沈むとき弦が上か下かです。

　それにしても月面の山やクレーターの凸凹のよく分かりますね。画像を拡大すると一層際立ちます。

　Currently, the waning moon is in the eastern sky in Japan. You might be asked, "What! Isn't the top string?", but when this moon sets in the west by the rotation of earth, the string will be the bottom. A waxing moon is at the top of string when it sets in the west. To sum up, when the moon sets in the west, it is at the top or bottom of its string.

　Even so, you can clearly see the unevenness of the mountains and craters on the moon's surface. This becomes even more clear when you enlarge the photo.

水ほど大切なものはありません。

　庭に設置してある野鳥の飲み水です。ところが、私がここを通る度に水が減ってます。周囲が濡れてるので、水浴もしてるのでしょう。

　最近、雨が降らないので野鳥にとって水不足と考えられます。写真では減りが少なく見えますが、容器の水がどんどん少なくなっており、１日に３回ほど水を足してます。

　同様に私たち人間も喉が渇く前に水分補給をしましょう。人間の身体の内部は６０％ほどが水といわれ、汗や尿や話してるとき口からの蒸発により、どんどん減少します。常時６０％を維持するため、私は最近、黒豆麦茶をよく飲んでます。

Dear my friends

　This is a drinking water for wild birds set up by me in the garden. However, every time I pass by, the water level is decreasing. The surrounding area is wet, so the birds must be taking a bath.

　There wasn't any rain recently, so I think there is a water shortage for the wild birds. Although the photo looks like the water level isn't decreasing much, the water is getting lower and lower, so I'm adding water about three times a day.

　In the same way, we humans should hydrate before we get thirsty. It is said that the human body is included about 60% water. If this water gradually decreases through sweat, urine, and evaporation from the mouth when we talk, we must maintain water 60% constantly. I've been drinking a lot of black bean barley tea recently.

眺めて飽きない白銀の浅間山

　今日、１月７日の日の出は６時５６分【群馬県】で、年間で最も遅いです。１月１０日から６時５５分となり、ほんの少し早まります。今日の正午の太陽高度は３１°です。これは冬至より１°高くなります。また、今日の日の入りは１６時４４分予定で、こちらは１２月７日の１６時２８分より１６分も遅くなります。このため、夕方は日が伸びてるのが実感できるでしょう。昼の長さについては、今日は９時間４８分で、冬至の９時間４１分より７分長くなります。このため日の出のみ未だ遅いです。

　画像はウォーキング中、鏑川の土手から撮った活火山・浅間山です。標高は２５６８mです。気に入った写真なのでパソコンを開くと出て来る画面にしてあります。以前にお伝えしましたように、私にもあった１７才から２０代の若き日に、この山頂に３回も登ったので、巨大なクレーターと深さ１００mほど下から出でいる噴煙、山頂から見えた富士山の高さ、広大な関東平野に感銘したことが今でも脳裏に焼き付いてます。この写真を見る度に当時の山頂の光景が思い出され、青春に戻ります。

　ところで、子供たちは今日から３学期が始まるので、予定表に従ってパトロールや信号機の所での交通指導、及び挨拶運動を図ります。上４公園でのラジオ体操会と、集会所「ふるさと」での「いきいき健幸クラブ」は寒冷のため１～２月は休みで３月から再開です。このため、温かな日には自ら屋外での運動や、歌の伴奏のため指の感覚が鈍らないようピアノに向かいます。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about great music.

　Today, January 7th, sunrise was at 6:56am [Gumma Prefecture], the latest of the year. Since January 10th, it will be slightly earlier at 6:55am. The sun's altitude at noon today will be 31°, which is 1° higher than at the winter solstice. Sunset today will be at 4:44pm, 16 minutes later than at 4:28pm on December 7th. Because of this, you'll notice the days getting longer in the evening. The length of daylight today is 9 hours and 48 minutes, this is 7 minutes longer than the 9 hours and 41 minutes at the winter solstice. Because of this, only sunrise is still late.

　The photo is of the active volcano Mt. Asama, taken from the bank of the Kabra River while I was walking recently. Its altitude is 2,568m. I like this photo so I made it the screen that appears when I open my computer. As I mentioned before, I had climbed to the summit three times, between the ages of 17 and 20s, and the memories I am still impressed by the huge crater, the volcanic smoke rising from a depth of about 100 meters below, the height of Mt. Fuji as seen from the summit, and the vast Kanto Plain are still burned into my mind. Every time I look at this photo, I am reminded of the view from the summit at that time, so that it takes me back to my adolescence.

　Not Change the subject, but the children's third semester starts today in Takasaki-City, so they will be following the schedule for patrols, traffic guidance at traffic lights near Kuragano elementary school, and greeting campaigns. Radio Gymnastics at Kami-4th Park and the Ikiiki Health Club at the Furusato Community Center are closed for January and February due to the cold weather, but will resume in March. For this reason, on warm days, I will be exercising outdoors on myself, and the piano practice to keep the fingers sharp for accompanying for the member's singing.

春を先取りする君子蘭

　温かな廊下で育ててる６鉢の君子蘭がうちの、今日観察したら、４鉢から蕾が全部で６ヶ所も出ているのが分かり、充分に水を与えてるせいか今年は調子がいいようです。これから本格的な寒中を迎えるのに、この調子だと今月半ばには開花しそうな雰囲気で、季節を先取りしています。立春には満開になる気配です。人間もそうですが、温かくして体調の良さを保つと次へ発展するのでしょう。

Dear mu Facebook friends

　I have six pots of Kaffir lily raising in my warm hallway, and when I looked at them today, I noticed that four of pot had buds in six places. They seem to be growing well this year, probably because I'm giving them enough water. It's about to enter the depth of winter, but at this rate, they look like they'll be blooming by the middle of January, so they're ahead of the season. They will set to be in full bloom by the Risshun that means beginning of spring. Just like humans, if we stay warm and in good health, we'll develop into the next stage. Tell me your next sage this year?

鍛錬を日課に！

　先ず、下の写真を拡大してご覧ください。両方とも同じ樹木の「クロガネモチ」です。左は１１月頃撮ったもので殺風景の庭の中で目立ち、情熱そのものです。ところが、右は新年になって撮ったもので熟し、赤い実の殆どは野鳥に食べられてしまいました。餌のない時季でどれほど美味しかったことでしょう。人間の私は２ヶ月ほど赤い実を毎日見てたので十分に観賞できました。樹木としては未だ小さいですが、数年すればより成長し、実の数も数千になるでしょう。

　一方、上の写真は「杉の木」の切り株です。住宅街としては大きくなり過ぎたり、今の時代は花粉症の原因になり得るので高さ２mくらい残して大工さんに切ってもらいました。「何故この高さに残したのでしょう。」ヒント・・・ここは裏庭で、人目につかない所です。

　答えは、力士のように上半身を鍛えるため、この木に向って私が「テッポウ」する所です。ウォーキングは下半身の筋肉維持に大切です。ところが、上半身を鍛える道具はダンベル位です。肩幅を広げたり、姿勢の維持・矯正には「テッポウ」が有効と考えます。このため、ここへ行っては鍛え、両足を根元から離せば、両腕により負荷が掛かります。

　私たちの生命は「筋肉の中」にあります。ところが、年令と共に何もしないと筋肉は落ちます。学生時代に習った「ルーの法則」を思い出し実践しましょう。歌うことも含め私たちの生活のすべては筋肉によって成り立ちます。今日も黙々と「テッポウ」する私の姿をご想像ください。その後の褒美は、近くに生ってる金柑を捥いで食べます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about maintaining healthy posture

　First, please enlarge the photos below. Both are of the same tree, round Leaf Holly. The one on the left was taken by me in November and stands out in the desolate garden, it gives out passion. However, the one on the right was taken after New Year's. The fruit has ripened, and most of the red berries have been eaten by wild birds. I can imagine how delicious in a season when there is little food. As a human, I saw the red berries every day for about two months, so I was able to fully appreciate it. Although it is still small as a tree now, it will grow much more in a few years and will no doubt produce thousands of berries, I guess.

　On the other hand, the photo above is of a cedar stump. Because it would have grown too high for a residential area recently, it tends to cause hay fever, I had a carpenter cut it down, leaving it about 2 meters tall. "Why did I leave it this high?" A hint... this is the backyard, out of sight by everyone.

　The answer is that this is where I "teppo" (pushing up) to train my upper body like a sumo wrestler's training. Walking is indispensable for maintaining lower body muscles. However, the only equipment I use to train my upper body is dumbbells. I believe that teppo is more effective for widening shoulders and maintaining and correcting posture. For this reason, I often go here to train, and by moving my feet away from the roots, I put more strain on my arms.

　Our life exists "in our muscles." However, as we age, our muscles weaken if we do nothing. Remember "Lou's Law" that we learned in school and put it into practice. Everything in our lives, including singing, is made up of muscles. Imagine me silently training teppo again today. Afterwards, I'll reward myself by picking and eating a kumquats growing nearby.

時計屋の隣りさんと楽しい新年会

　今宵は友人「時計屋の隣りさん」と新年会です。高崎田町の行きつけのお店です。では、倉賀野駅から電車で行きます。二次会には行きませんので、ご安心ください。

追伸・・・只今無事に帰宅しました。ご心配をお掛けしました。３時間ほどの新年会はとても愉快で充実し、人間にとって、喜びは人といろいろの分野について話をすることと改めて感じてます。

　特に、日々の健康の実践法、人間らしい真の喜びとは、人生１００年時代における給料が来なくなってからの高齢期の経済安定法、本当に幸せな男女の在り方など、明日からのフェイスブックにも役に立つでしょう。

　フェイスブック友人の皆様、明日からまた交流をよろしくお願いいたします。それから、今年の我が家の金柑は例年より美味しいです。お近くの方は捥ぎにいらして下さい。私一人では食べ切れません。お願いします。

Dear my Facebook friends

　Tonight I'm having a New Year's party with my friend, "The next door to the watch shop." It's my favorite tavern in Takasaki Tamachi. I'll go by train from Kuragano Station. Don't worry, I won't be going to the after-party.

P　.S.・・・ I have now returned home safely. I apologize for causing you concern. The three-hour New Year's party was very enjoyable and fulfilling, and I was reminded that joy for humans comes from talking with friends about a variety of fields.

　In particular, I will use these topics on Facebook from tomorrow, such as how to practice daily health, what true human's joy is, how to stabilize the economy in old age when salaries no longer come in during the era of 100-year lifespans, and how truly happy man and lady should be.

　To all my Facebook friends, I hope to interact with you again from tomorrow. Also, the kumquats at my garden this year are more delicious than usual. If you're nearby, please come and pick some. I couldn't eat them all by myself. Thank you.

北方から飛来してる水鳥たちの数に驚く

【画像をクリックし、拡大すると岸辺にいるような臨場感が出ます。】　

　今日は二十四節気の「小寒」です。反時計回りに公転してる私たちの地球は黄道１２星座の一つ「双子座」の方向に来ています。冬のダイアモンドに含まれる「双子座」が深夜に真南に見え、いよいよ寒の入りです。

　ところで、私は日帰り温泉・吉井牛伏ドリームセンターへ行く途中、車で時々、高崎市木部町近くの新鏑川橋を通過します。すると東の水面にコハクチョウや多くの水鳥が羽を休めてる光景が目に入ります。この橋は数年前に完成し、水面からかなり高い橋で高崎市と藤岡市を繋いでます。このため、上毛三山や荒船山など群馬の名峰がよく望め、一方、水辺に目をやると冬季は水鳥の楽園になってます。

　昨日は一年ぶりに岸辺に下りてみました。コハクチョウは未だ見当たりませんでしたが、平素、見られない珍しく嘴と羽根が白い「キンクロハジロ」が多くの水鳥の中に混ざっており、口笛を吹くと反応し、こちらに注目します。ご覧の通り、冬季の今は誠に賑やかで、考えられないほど遠方の北方から温かさと餌を求めてここまでやって来てるのでしょう。昨年生まれた雛たちも親と一緒に自らの飛翔力で来ていることになります。生来の超越した方向判定能力と体力には驚きます。

　実はこの鏑川付近は私の母の生まれ故郷だったので、この近くでよく遊んだのでしょう。生前の母の話を思い出すと、子供の頃、この川の近くで「長く尾を引いたほうき星」を母【私の祖母】と一緒に見たと言うのです。それは生涯に亘り母の心に深く印象に残ったようです。調べてみると年代的に１９１１年に出現した「ハレー彗星」と想われます。私は帰路に、近くにある心洞寺に行き、生涯会ったことのない祖母と祖父の墓に立ち寄り一礼してきました。生まれて以来、４人の祖父母の誰にも会ったことのない私は、一人くらいは会いたかったと思いつつです。

Dear my Facebook friends who are interested in migratory birds.

　Today is Shohkan meant Little Cold, one of the 24 solar terms. Our Earth, which orbits counterclockwise, is located in the direction of Gemini, which is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. Gemini, part of the Winter Diamond in the sky, appears due south late at night. Today is the onset of real winter.

　By the way, sometimes, on my way to the Yoshii Ushibuse Dream Center, a day spa, I pass over the Shin-Kabura River Bridge near Kibe-town, Takasaki City. There, I can see small swans and many other waterfowl resting on the eastern waters. This bridge was constructed several years ago and connects Takasaki-City and Fujioka-City, quite high above water level. This offers excellent views of Gumma's famous peaks, including the three well-known mountings and Mt. Arafune. Meanwhile, the water's edge is a paradise for waterfowl in winter.

　Yesterday, I went down to the shore for the first time in a year. I still hadn't spotted any small swans, but among the many waterfowl I spotted a Tufted Duck, a rare bird with a white beak and feathers that is not usually seen. They responded to my whistling and drew my attention. As you can see, during winter now, the area is incredibly lively, with birds likely traveling from incredibly far north in search of warmth and food. The chicks, born last year, had also made the journey to Japan with their parents, using their own flying ability. Their naturally superior directional judgment and physical strength are truly astounding.

　In fact, this area around Kabura River was my mother's birthplace, so she likely played here often. Recalling a story from my mother, she told me that as a child, she and her mother (my grandmother) saw a "long-tailed comet" near this river. It seems to have made a lasting impression on my mother. By my research, it was Halley's Comet, which appeared in 1911. On my way home, I stopped by the nearby Shintoji Temple and paid my respects at the graves of my grandmother and grandfather, whom I never met in my life. Since I was born, I have never met any of my four grandparents, and I wish I could have met at least one of them.

[Click on the image to enlarge it and you will feel as if you are on the shore.]

榛名富士を見ましょう。

　高崎市や前橋市など群馬県南部の皆さん、榛名富士を見てください。山頂のロープウェイ駅付近にかなり明るい光が見えます。今までにはなかったことです。何のためでしょう。

注・・・午後６時に消えました。 　

　

　それにしても、日没時刻が大分伸びてきました。日没が最も早かったのは１２月５日の１６時２８分【群馬県】でしたが、それから１ヶ月経った本日１月４日の日没時刻は１６時４２分です。このため、すでに１４分も日没時刻が遅くなってます。従って、本当に暗くなるのは５時過ぎになりました。

Dear my Facebook friends

　To everyone in southern Gumma Prefecture, such as Takasaki-City and Maebashi-City, please look at Haruna Fuji. You can see a very bright light near the ropeway station at the summit. I've never seen such a light before. I wonder what it's for?

Note: It disappeared at 6pm.
　　　

　Even so, sunset times have gotten much later. The earliest sunset was on December 5th at 4:28pm [Gumma Prefecture], but one month later, today, January 4th, the sunset time is 4:42pm. This means that sunset has already become 14 minutes later. As a result, it doesn't really get dark until after 5pm.

初乗りは日帰り温泉へ

　Audi TT Quattroの今年の初乗りは、吉井牛伏ドリームセンターへ片道２５分ほどの距離でした。往復の道路はすべて見通しの良い広い道を選択です。路面が良いと、２４５－３５－１９のタイヤはカーブで更に安定感が増し、振動も少ないです。この日は珍しく施設をバックに記念撮影。

　今年も安全運転を基本に、時々は多少の遠出を行い、エンジンの調子維持、及び私の運転技術の維持にも努め、生活の行動範囲が狭まらないよう配慮します。近くへの用事や日々のスーパーへの買い出しにはホンダ・アクティーバンを使います。ＴＴは車体の側面が膨らんでるので駐車場所は遠くでも必ず安全な場所を選びます

　気をつけてる運転法は、現役時代とは異なり、通勤・通学時間帯は運転せず、道が空いてる時間で狭い道は通過せず、広い道を走り、信号機のある交差点を通過します。特に注意を要する所は信号機のない横断歩道です。歩行者がいる時は必ず停止します。中でも「対向車が渋滞してる所にある横断歩道」は互いに見え難く、人の飛び出しが起こり得ます。

　この車は近年、生産中止となり、その直前に購入したので最後のＴＴです。助手席に人を乗せることは殆どないです。乗る人がいないからです。次第に日が伸びるので、これからは群馬県内外の名所旧跡や温泉巡りです。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about driving for sightseeing

　My first ride of the Audi TT Quattro this year was yesterday, a 25-minute one-way trip to the Yoshii Ushibuse Dream Center for bathing. I chose wide roads with good visibility for both going and returning. On good road surfaces, the 245-35-19 tires feel even more stable on curves with minimal vibration. On this day, I rarely took a commemorative photo with the facility in the background.

　This year, I'll continue to focus on safe driving, occasionally taking longer trips to maintain engine condition and my driving skills, for the sake of not to limit my range of activities. I use the Honda Acty Van for local errands and daily going to supermarket. Because the TT has bulging sides, I always choose a safe parking spot, even if it's far away.

　Unlike when I was an active era, I avoid driving during rush hour and narrow roads. I drive on wide roads and pass intersections with traffic lights. I'm especially careful at zebra crossing without traffic light. I always stop for pedestrians. In particular, zebra crossing where oncoming vehicles are congested make it difficult to see each other, and people especially children may run out into the zebra crossing.

　This Audi TT Quattro was discontinued in recent years, and I purchased it just before that, so this is a last TT. I rarely have anyone in the passenger seat, because there's no lady to ride with. As the days get longer, I'd like to visit famous historical sites and hot springs in and around Gumma Prefecture.

今宵は、今年初めての満月

　今宵は十五夜です。申し訳ございません。途中で【一人寂しく】夕食を摂っていたので続きが書けませんでした。今宵の月を見た方はお気づきでしょうが、月のすぐ下に明るく光っている星がありますね。あの星は何でしょう。

　それは木星です。木星は惑星のため自ら光を発してないので、つまり、太陽の光を反射しているのでキラキラしてません。

　今宵８時頃の満月は冬のダイアモンド内の東端の「ふたご座」近くにあります。一方、月は一日におよそ１２°東に移動します。これは月自身の公転によるものですから、明日の晩に月を見ると、木星からも「ふたご座」からも離れて、今宵よりもっと東になります。

　これは丁度、娘たち家族が来て大賑わいだった大晦日から元日にかけての私のようで、再び暗黒の宇宙で孤独な下弦の月になります。再度、恒星のように自ら光を放ってる方が来訪される日を待ってます。

Dear my Facebook friends

　Tonight is the fifteenth night of the moon, Full moon. I'm sorry. I had dinner [alone] in the middle, so I couldn't continue writing. Those of you who saw the moon tonight will have noticed a bright star just below the moon. What is that star?

　It's Jupiter. Because Jupiter is a planet, it doesn't emit its own light; it doesn't sparkle because it reflects the light of the sun.

Tonight's full moon at around 8 p.m. will be near the eastern edge of the Winter Diamond, in the constellation Gemini.

　Meanwhile, as you know, the moon moves about 12 degrees east each day. This is due to the moon's own revolution around the earth. So if you look at the moon tomorrow night, it will be farther east than tonight, away from both Jupiter and Gemini.

　"This is just like me from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, when my daughter's families came over and it was a very lively time". Once again it will be a lonely waning moon in the dark universe, the same as my heart. I am looking forward to the day when someone who shines with light like a fixed star will visit me again.

初笑い・・・令和８年

　私の家の前の倉賀野町上四集会所「ふるさと」の掲示板に発表されてる「長寿会お知らせ版の一月号」に楽しい「シルバー川柳」が掲載されてます。

　私たちは日常生活に於いて、時々は笑顔になることが必要といわれてます。川柳は楽しく、延いては血流も良くなると考えられます。楽しくて健康に繋がるのであればユーモアある生活は一石二鳥です。

　つきましては、皆様にも「シルバー川柳」をお知らせし、日常生活で起こり得る人々のちょっとした感情や社会の出来事を口語で表現した自由な発想のユーモアや風刺を共に味わい、令和８年の初笑いにしましょう。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about humor in daily life.

　A fun "Silver Senryu" (Japanese traditional humorous poem) is featured in the "Chojukai Longevity Announcement Edition, January Issue," which is posted on the bulletin board at "Furusato," which is the Kami-4th Community Center in Kuragano-town, in front of my house.

　It is said that we need to smile from time to time in our daily lives. Senryu is fun, and it is thought to improve our blood circulation. If fun and good health lead to a humorous life, then living a life of humor kills two birds with one stone, I guess.

　So, I would like to introduce "Silver Senryu" to all young people like you, and let's enjoy the free-spirited humor together and satire that express in colloquial language the small emotions and social events that people may experience in their daily lives. Therefore, shall we have our first laugh of 2026 ?

　The next is my clumsy interpretations

〇I waited in the hospital waiting room for three hours, but the doctor said the disease was due to aging.

〇At a sports day, a father says, "Don't pass that kid, he's a boy of my manager's son."

〇When children are young, they love their daddy, but as they get older, they eventually start to realize they don't need their daddy anymore.

〇He nods to me, and I smile as he passes by, wondering who that person was.

〇It seems contradictory to drive to the gym and then cycle there.

外気温が下がってます。

　おっと、この写真は数年前に撮ったもので驚かないでください。日本シャクナゲと庭が雪を被ったものです。ところが、先程スーパーまで歩いて買い物に行ったら、今までとは異なり外気温がかなり低く、おまけに風花が散ってました。

　私は群馬県平野部の倉賀野町に住んでますが、現在、気温がかなり低くく、空は雪雲が接近してます。皆様、温かくしてお過ごしください。今宵、私は清酒「谷川岳」と焼き鳥で温まろうと思います。

Dear friends

　Oh, don't be surprised, this photo was taken a few years ago. It shows Japanese rhododendrons and the garden covered in snow before. However, when I walked to the supermarket earlier, I noticed that the outside temperature was quite low, unlike usual, and there were snowflakes falling.

  I live in Kuragano-Town in the plain of Gumma Prefecture, in any case, the outside temperature is quite low at the moment, and snow clouds are approaching the sky. Everyone, please stay warm. Tonight, I'm warming up with Japanese sake named Tanigawadake with chicken kebab. 

希望と実践を生活の柱に

　これから冬本番を迎えるというのに植物は春を先取りしてます。紅梅は年末のうちに蕾が膨らんでましたが、昨日の元日に君子蘭も「もう蕾が出てる」と気づきました。生育が順調なのでしょう。日当たりの良い廊下で育ててる６鉢のうち２鉢に、まるで赤ん坊が笑ってるかの如くの蕾を確認です。私の仕事は、表面の土が乾いたら鉢の底から水が出るほどたっぷり水を与えてるのみです。蕾を見ると今後に希望が湧いてきます。

　ところで、昨日・元日の朝食では娘たちの作ってくれた「お雑煮」を久々に６人の大家族でワイワイ言いながら美味しく食べました。「何もしなくても食事が出て来るっていいものだ」「家族のおしゃべりはいいものだ」と感じつつです。果たして「今後、私にこんな環境の日々来るだろうか」と内心思いつつです。

　ところが、娘たちが帰った後、どうしたことでしょう。１１時過ぎに、今まで経験した事がないほど物凄くお腹が空いた状態になり辛くなりました。急遽、昼食のご飯を早めに作り、やっと落ち着きました。よく考えたら、雑煮の中の餅とは「消化が良く」いつもより早く空腹になったのです。

　一方、バランスのとれた食事【ゆで卵はほぼ毎日】と適度な筋トレ【ウォーキングとダンベル、テッポウ】を心掛ける私は、今年も早朝の空腹時に抗酸化作用の強いリコピンやβ―カロチンを含むトマトジュースか、ニンジンジュース、あるいはグレープフルーツジュースをコップ一杯を飲みます。そして令和８年も、新たな事象、新たな人との出会いを通じ、脳に新鮮な刺激を与えたいです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about new encounters

　Even though a cold winter is approaching in Japan, plants are already anticipating spring. The buds of red plum had already begun to swell at the end of last year. On the other hand, yesterday, on New Year's Day, I noticed that my kaffir lilies were already budding. They must be growing well. Of the six pots I have growing in the sunny hallway, and two pot's buds that look like smiling babies have appeared . My only job is to water the pots thoroughly when the top layer of soil dries, water seeps out from the bottom. Seeing the buds gives me hope for the future.

　By the way, for breakfast yesterday, New Year's Day, my daughters made "ozōni," which is Japanese new year's traditional cuisine, after a long interval, our big family of six enjoyed a hearty meal together, chatting and enjoying it. I thought, "It's nice for me to have a meal without cooking anything," and "It's nice to chat with family." I wondered to myself, "Will I have days like this in the future?"

　But what happened after my daughters left? Just after 11 a.m., I found myself incredibly hungry, more than usual, and it was unbearable. I quickly made lunch early and finally calmed down. Thinking about it, the mochi which is Japanese rice cake in the zoni soup is "easily digestible," which is why I felt hungry earlier than usual.

　Meanwhile, I strive to eat a balanced diet (boiled eggs almost every day) and do moderate strength training (walking, dumbbells, and teppo which is one of pushing ups by sumo wrestler ). This year, too, I'm drinking a glass of tomato juice, carrot juice, or grapefruit juice early in the morning on an empty stomach, which contains powerful antioxidants like lycopene and beta-carotene which is effective against cancers. In 2026, I hope to continue stimulating my brain through new experiences and encounters with new people.

娘たちが帰った後、静かにピアノを弾く

　昨晩の大晦日から今日・元日の午前中にかけ、二人の娘とその家族、更に犬3頭(２頭の秋田犬とダックスフンド)も含め、実家である我が家に宿泊したので、私も名酒「倉賀野」などを振舞い、久々に大賑わいになりました。このように大勢になるのは盆暮れの二回ほどで、比較的広い畳の部屋もある我が家は充分にその機能を発揮しました。

　私が子供の頃、犬は外で飼ったものですが、現在は家族として家の中で飼う風習に変わってます。そのため、核家族の現代は旅行でも犬は家で留守番とはいかないようです。娘たちは常に純粋に犬に話しかけ、私も以前に四国犬や柴犬を娘たちと飼育してたので、その気持ちはよく分かります。

　ところで、全員が帰宅すると、家は元通り私一人になり、火が消えたようです。音のない世界は寂しく、静かになった部屋で暫くピアノを弾いたら、改めてピアノの音色の良さが感じられ、急に思い立ち、そうだ！今年は、ピアノで静かな曲を「音色に拘りながら」弾くことにしようと今年の目標ができました。お茶と共に、拙い演奏を聴きたい方はいらして下さい。

Dear friends who are crazy about the pleasure in New Year's holiday

　Since last night's New Year's Eve through the morning of New Year's Day, my two daughters and their husbands, their families, and their three dogs (two Akitas and a Dachshund) stayed at my home, so I treated them to some fine sake named "Kuragano," so that it was a very lively gathering after a long interval. I only have this many guests twice a year, around the Obon in August and New Year's holidays, therefore relatively large tatami mat rooms were fully utilized.

　When I was a child, we kept dogs outside, but now the custom has shifted to keeping them inside the home as part of the family. As a result, in today's world of nuclear families, it seems that dogs can't be left alone at home when traveling. My daughters are always talking to their dogs with such kindness. I used to raise Shikoku dogs and Shiba dogs with my daughters, so I understand their feelings very well.

　By the way, when everyone went home, I was left alone again, and the pleasant time seemed to have gone out. It was lonely in the silent world. After that I was playing the piano for a while in the quiet room, I once again appreciated the beauty of the piano's tone quality. Then, a sudden thought occurred to me: "That's right!" This year, I have set a purpose to play quiet pieces of the piano while "paying attention to the tone quality." If you would like to listen to my clumsy playing over tea, please come along.

謹賀新年！

　１０数年前の１月１日、友人は暗い時間に家を出て、群馬県の榛名山系・水沢山山頂をめざし暗い中を一人で急勾配を登り、山頂で撮った地平線から昇る「初日の出」の写真を私に送ってくれました。この写真をよく見ると右下に微かに太陽に反射し光ってるものが見えます。これは群馬県北部を水源とする利根川です。時間帯は、太陽が赤城山南面の裾野からすっぽり顔を出してるので午前７時頃と推測されます。

　皆様、明けましておめでとうございます。昨年中はフェイスブックやブログを通じて、交流していただき心より感謝しております。特に群馬県にお住いの多くの方々、一方、遠く北海道や九州から、また、海外ではニュージーランドから毎日のようにアクセス戴き、若き日には、このような時代になるとは考えられなかったことで、夢のような文明の機器に不思議さを感じてます。

　私はフェイスブックやブログを起床してすぐに書いてきましたが、今年も継続したいです。それには健康管理を徹底し、どこへでも行ける体力と探究心の維持、何事も自らの目による確認を第一とし、新たな体験を通じて感想を持てるようにします。また、地球を含め天体の動き、音楽演奏【ピアノ、ソプラノサクソフォーン】の楽しさ、年を重ねても生活に結びついた英単語の習得などは今年も継続です。皆様、今年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。カッキー

Dear my Facebook friends in Northern and Southern Hemisphere

　On January 1st, over 10 years ago, a late friend Mr. Todokoro of mine left his home in the dark and climbed alone up the steep slope to the summit of Mt. Mizusawa in central Gumma Prefecture's Haruna mountain range. He sent me a photo of the first sunrise of the year, rising from the horizon. If you look closely at this photo, you can see a faint glint in the lower right. This is the Tone River, which originates in northern Gumma Prefecture. The time of day is estimated to be around 7:00 AM, as the sun rose completely from the foot of Mt. Akagi's southern slope.

　Happy New Year, everyone! I'm truly grateful for your communication I received through Facebook and my blog last year. I've received daily access from many people, especially those living in Gumma Prefecture, as well as from as far away as Hokkaido and Kyushu, and even from as far away as New Zealand at Auckland. In my younger days, I couldn't have imagined we'd live in such an age, and I find these dreamlike devices of modern civilization truly fascinating.

　I've been writing on Facebook and my blog as soon as I wake up, and I hope to continue doing this year as well. To achieve this, I will thoroughly manage my health, maintain the physical strength to go anywhere and research, and prioritize seeing things with my own eyes, so that I can form impressions through new experiences. I will also continue to learn about the movement of celestial bodies, including the Earth, the joy of playing music (piano and soprano saxophone), and learn English vocabulary that is relevant to daily life as I get older. Thank you all for your continued support this year. from Kakky