Country Christmas Tree

I cut up lemons and dried the pieces on the kerosene heater that is in our classroom. The students helped us tie ribbons to the lemons and string popcorn. We chopped down a tree and carried it up to the cabin. And then we decorated it together.



There is no electricity in the cabin so our pine is illuminated by the almost full moon and candlelight.

It really is a country Christmas tree.

t

Cabin Completion

Here we are with a few of our friends on the very last day of completing our little cabin. We just finished painting the floor and are on the deck watching the sunset and celebrating.

It is good to be done but the feeling is bittersweet. Many weekends were spent together with friends working side by side, laughing, chatting, scratching our heads in confusion, taking coffee and lunch breaks as we built this little place.

But now it is time to spend time here listening to the crackling fire, reading books, drinking tea, sharing meals.....

Would you like to see inside?




There is a little boot room and kitchen to the left...you can't see them in this photo.



My husband is sighing with relief. After reading many books, consulting with many people, getting sore muscles, thinking of very creative ways to get recycled materials and other supplies we needed...he did it!

His hard work was all worth it because this little place is as cozy as it looks!

t

Running in the Classroom

In order to visit the old Mongolian oak, you have to travel up and down some hills.
The kids were keen to make this fun and race to a few finish lines!

Notice there is no snow here yet!


Admiring the Old Oak.


t

Life in the Fast Train

At the end of October we traveled south to a friend's wedding in Hagi City which is in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the Island of Honshu (the main Island of Japan).

We spent some time in Hiroshima visiting family and then took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Yamaguchi City.

This is a photo I took of us in the shinkansen window as we sped through a dark tunnel. These trains travel at speeds of up to 300 kilometers and hour.



It is exciting to see other parts of Japan.

But I am always happy to come home to our much slower life on the horse farm.

t

Christmas Past and Present

I spoke to my Father on the telephone today and asked him how he used to celebrate Christmas when he was a kid growing up in Croatia.

He said that his family would go out to find a tree on Christmas Eve. It would be small enough to fit on the kitchen table. Straw was put beneath it and candies, glass balls, and homemade decorations would be used to make it festive.

My Grandmother would put a pork roast, (specially selected by Grandpa - who was a butcher), into the oven and the whole family would head off to midnight mass. By the time they would come home it would be very early Christmas morning...that roast and many other fixings would be ready for eating.

A turkey was later eaten for Christmas Day dinner.

At this point in the conversation my mouth began watering. Dad was surprised when I told him that I could not buy a pork roast or a turkey in the grocery stores here. I reminded him that most Japanese people do not have ovens...where on earth would they cook them?

The popular item to eat at Christmas in Japan is Christmas cake that you buy from the convenience or grocery stores. These cakes are often topped with cream and strawberries and come with birthday candles. I have asked a few people, 'What are the birthday candles for?' So far, no one has been able to answer my question. In Hokkaido (the most northern and coldest area of Japan) these popular cakes are often made out of ice-cream!

Holy Icebergs Santa!

t

Horse Blessing

Walking in the field we came upon about 40 dosanko horses.
Some of the curious younger ones gathered around us to say hello.
It was a gentle encounter.
We were blessed.

t

Gift Of Warmth

Our landowners had a bunch of extra wood that needed a home.

Friendly hands helped us wrap it around our cabin.

Those same hands plus a few more purchased this little wood stove for our cabin warming gift.




Across the ravine, snow has fallen on the Akan Mountain.

For many reasons the fire feels so good tonight.

t

Cabin Update

There is sooo much I could write about our little mountain hut in the woods.

For now, I am just going to give you a few images.




More to come.

t

What a flu can do!

Just recovering from the flu, so, here I sit in front of the computer screen again.

Hope you are enjoying my writing frenzy!

I've been taking pottery (togei) classes in Kushiro City. This is my first creation!

This 'simple' coffee cup is HEAVY. Apparently, the more your practice, the lighter your creations get.

It may be heavy, but drinking out of this cup made by my hands is wonderfully satisfying.




t

Halloween Past

Our tNt Adventures in English class celebrated Halloween by making a fire, doing fireworks, carving pumpkins into Jack 'o lanterns, and trick-or-treating.





Halloween is not a Japanese tradition. So when trying to explain how we do things back home, I really have to think about how we celebrate or celebrated these special days.

Here are some of my childhood memories of Halloween.

A few days before Halloween, Mom would take us to the store or the pumpkin patch so that we could pick out a few big ones. On Halloween morning she would help my brothers and I carve our pumpkins into a Jack ‘o lanterns. Just before dark on Halloween night, we would put our candle lit Jack ‘o lanterns in our front window. This was a sign to other children that our house was a place where they could come to trick-or-treat. The seeds that we scooped out of the pumpkins would be roasted in the oven. They were very tasty when sprinkled with salt.

Trying to decide what to wear for a costume was sometimes difficult. There were a lot of laughs when my little brothers would dress up like old ladies. They would wear wigs, high heeled shoes, dresses and even lipstick!

I was very fond of a lion costume I used to have - a mask with a lion’s face and a brown one piece jumpsuit that had a tail attached to the rear end. I think I wore that costume for three years in a row!

When we were little, Dad would take us out trick-or- treating. When we got older, we would go by ourselves and pillow cases became the candy bags of choice. The goal was to go to as many houses possible so that we could fill our cases before the neighbours ran out of treats.

I think only those mean boys who stole other kids treats came home with full ones.
Hopefully most of their teeth have fallen out by now!

At home, our parents would be sitting in front of the crackling fireplace waiting for us to return with our loot! We would dump our bags out onto our family room floor so they could check all of the candy to make sure that none of it was tampered with. Stories of poison or razor blades put in candy were on the news...possibly only urban myths? My parents eagerly accepted any rejects - In my case, they could have all of the black licorice they desired!

It would take about a week for me to eat all of my candy. I ate most of it on Halloween night!

How on earth did those seldom few I knew save their sweet morsels until Easter? This I will never know!

Happy Halloween!

t

Seeds to Sweets

Tiny seeds in the spring....



Bring delicious harvest treats for everyone!

Happy be-lated Thanksgiving!

t

Please don't leaf me.

Looking out the window this morning at the Japanese maple.

Vibrant red and yellow leaves
that have only appeared the last few days
blown off by winds just soft enough
that they fall
to the ground
like floating bubbles.

A fresh autumn carpet surrounds her now.

t

Hardy Kiwi Fruit Picking

Our tNt Adventures in English autumn semester began last week.
It was so great to see the parents and their kids again. It's as if we never had a break...little ones coming in with 'Good morning' and heading right for the book shelf to find their favourite book, puzzle or game.

This past Saturday we went for a walk in the forest to find hardy kiwi fruit (kokuwa) vines. Upon finding a tree we lay a tarp under it and I went up a ladder to shake the vine wrapped branches. Down came the grape sized hardy kiwi berries. Some even bonking us on the head.

We used upside down umbrellas to help us reach some of the high branches where the berries just would not let go!

After gathering the fruit that landed on the tarp and popping a few sweet ones in our mouths, we continued our journey down a forest path that led to a large open field. Here - green grass, blue sky, fluffy white clouds...well...

I just wanted to run!

One of our three year old girl students beat me to it. She started running and squealing with delight. Then the rest of us (12 in all) joined her. We ran clear across the field, laughing and puffing all the way!

When I told my friend Yuka this story, she looked at me, smiled and said,

'Running in the classroom'.

Now isn't that a perfect title for a book!




t

'Hollander' on the Roof

I was in Canada for a month and a half. Only a few days back in Tsurui-Mura, I returned to the Kushiro Airport, this time to welcome my friend Itamar from Holland! :)

Taking advantage of the warm fall sunshine and the extra hands, Tomohiro had us climb the cabin roof and hammer down asphalt shingles. Once we got our roof legs and completed the task, (roofing being a first for all of us), we felt quite satisfied.


Hard at work



tNt


Celebrating a job well done. Thanks Itamar!

Fishing

Here are some of our youngest students fishing with their moms. They are using rods made from long willow branches.





The older ones seem more interested in touching the fish than in catching them. First the bucket then the frying pan. The circle of life continues.



t

Wild Berry Find

The lupin are in full bloom now so down to the river we went to enjoy their purple, pink and white glory.



One of the mothers squealed with delight when she found tonnes of ripe wild strawberries. We all immediately joined her in picking.



Tomohiro folded large bog rhubarb (fuki) leaves into cups so that we had something to hold our sweet smelling gems.



I made wild strawberry rhubarb jam with the berries. We'll all get to have a taste of this sweet/tart treat at the summer barbecue we're having this Saturday.

Finding berries, making jam, tasting and celebrating...these simple luxuries really do make us smile.



t

Cabin Building

We decided that the structure looks a bit like a visitors center, which is kind of what we want the place to be - a place where you can visit, relax and enjoy.



On June 17, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary by spending the night in the unfinished cabin. Our only light within was this little lantern. When blowing out the candle we could see how bright the stars were from our front window. : )

t

tNt in Spring

Quite a transformation. Green surrounds us and cicadas are even singing in the trees!

t




Catching and releasing tadpoles


Picking edible mountain plants


Planting the garden


A leisurely walk around the pond

I Know...Old Snow

I know...these photos are totally outdated.
But I just have to share a few we took from our tNt Adventures in English winter classes.

I planted Japanese radish (daikon), burdock (gobo), and carrot seeds in the garden today. Hard to believe winter was even here. These pics are a good reminder.

I wish you could see how cute our students are. I chose shots where you can't see their faces close up.

t


Shadow Walk



A Spin on the Snowmobile


Stomping on Snow Castles like Godzilla!



'Winter'saults



Japanese Crane Footprints

Our Mountain Retreat

We have been building a little cabin on the mountain. This is our first attempt at building something on our own, and although it can be frustrating at times, the building process is rewarding.

The wood we ordered came all the way from 100 Mile House, British Columbia, Canada.
Knowing this makes me feel that this place really is a home away from home!



Our mountain retreat will have:
- a big window with an amazing view
- a wood burning stove
- a loft

It won't have:
- electricity
- running water
- a flush toilet

The lyrics to the song, "My Blue Heaven" is what we also hope to have:

"You'll see a smiling face a fire place and a cozy room.
A little nest that nestles where the roses bloom.

....We're happy in my blue heaven."
(lyrics by George A. Whiting)


t

Ranch Update

Ten babies have been born.
Four males (osu) and six females (mesu).

This is Konatsu and her firstborn.



The name Konatsu means 'little summer'. She is half dosanko and half pony and one tough cookie who holds her own when having to share the coral with the bigger dosanko horses.

I nicknamed her baby Cafe Latte. She is so slender and tiny now but I am sure that she will grow into a beauty!

It's wonderful walking around the 'nursery' in the afternoons and watching the foals napping in their hay on these warm days.


t

Janet (Janeto)

If I could imagine what heaven feels like, it would be like embracing a real life baby pony. This little girl was born last week. Her brown and white mother (Julia) is in the background, and her father is brown. But this little cutie, to our surprise, is completely black. Our landowner, wanting foreign names for all the ponies, asked for my assistance. I suggested Janet (After Michael Jackson's sister).

If I could wish one thing for all of you today...it would be that you feel as happy as I felt as I held onto this soft and warm angel.

t

Fukujuso First to Spring

The fukujuso flower is the first flower to bloom in Hokkaido.
The sight of these beautiful yellow delights gives me hope that warmer days are ahead. Seeing my first butterfly of the year today actually brought tears to my eyes. I looked at the delicate creature as if it were an old friend who came to visit unexpectedly.

That`s the thing about experiencing a long winter...I really celebrate these spring arrivals!

Happy Easter!

t