It's for the Boys

Women only give men gifts of chocolate on Valentine's Day.
They give it to their friends, co-workers and to the special guy to whom they wish to confess their love.

It is then the men's turn to return the favour on White Day....a month after Valentine's Day.

Today, I received a hand-made Valentine's Day card in the mail from my sister and Mother. It was a joint effort in which they glued photos, attached heart stickers, and wrote funny comments.

I can't begin to express the magnitude of joy I have when I open these unexpected gifts that come all the way from Canada to Japan...and on the actual day. How on earth did they manage that!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

With love,

t

Three Months to go!

We have three months left living in Hokkaido before moving back to Yukon Canada.

These days, many visitors are gracing our doorstep plus I have been busy teaching, learning pottery and now...taking Japanese cooking lessons!

For my very first lesson I made a fried omelet roll (tamagoyaki) and boiled spinach with a peanut sauce (hourensou no ohitashi pinatsudare).

Before eating we say "itadakimasu!" which literally means, "I receive".
After eating we say "gochisousamadeshita" which means "It was a real feast".

Here I am with my super talented cooking teacher, Keiko.



I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes I am learning in my homeland very soon.

t

Age really is just a number...

A few months ago I got an e-mail from my friend from Canada and in it she wrote that she and her husband took their 88 and 91 year old mothers to Mexico! They even braved taking public transit and, "like Elvis, ( ) got "all shook up"!

We recently had a guest who stayed with us a few nights at our mountain hut. She's in her 30's but equally inspiring as she is currently training for a trail race in Nagano that is 110 kilometers long. Her favourite activity while visiting us here was chopping firewood. Her energy is sure to keep us warm for at least three weeks.

Our journey to Wakkanai included an adorable 75 year old mountain climbing woman. At breakfast one morning she told us that she started climbing mountains at the age of 60, she loves traveling without her husband, and that she is "uncontrollably positive". At one point we stopped at a good photo spot. The wind was so strong and icy that my teeth hurt when I smiled. No one except for the 75 year old mountain climber wanted to get out of the warm van. Thankfully her attitude was enough to get me out the door too.

These ladies stories remind me of two years ago when I met Naomi, the 89 year old grandmother who traveled from America to Tsurui-Mura Japan on her own so she could be with her family.

Doesn't hurt to repeat the wise words she said to me:

Do what you love...life is too short to do anything else!

I love walking to our cabin under a starlit sky. So that is what I will do now.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

t