Fresh pages

I've been wanting something positive to read.  I have been trying to read "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, but a story about a woman trapped in a world that she doesn't want any part of and yearns with all her being to be back to "normal" isn't my idea of a good story right now.

I tend to read pretty depressing books.  I'm fascinated with personal, historical stories, both fiction and non-fiction.  Stories of survival and overcoming adversity fill my shelves.  I also read a lot of "how to" books that allow me to learn new skills or dream of creating.

Oh, how I miss the library!  I might have a limited time to read the book, which can be tricky when one has a young child.  But the Hikarigaoka library has a huge selection of English books for adults and kids!  But, alas, they are closed until who knows when.

I didn't have a certain title in mind, just something that might make me laugh a bit and is a good story.  Instead of turning to Amazon (or another online vendor), I biked over to the used bookstore Book Off.  I've always had great success there finding random titles in English.  It has the best selection around.  If other shops even have English titles, the section is usually only a single shelf.

With my mask firmly in place, I sprayed my hands with sanitizer and walked into the store.  I went right to the English section and found a bunch of Japanese books.  Having no idea where they would move the section to, I walked up and down two other aisles, looking for English text on the bindings.

Not finding what I was looking for, I asked an employee for help.  Where were all the English books?  She informed me, they no longer sell English books (except textbooks to prepare for English exams) at that location.  But she could not tell me which locations still sold English books.

I was immediately frustrated beyond belief.  While I did not take it out on her, I wanted to scream.  There is something so soothing about perusing a bookshelf, imagining the stories I could dive into, worlds I could discover.  Searching online just doesn't do it for me!  It doesn't have the same satisfaction.  It isn't even about new versus used, it is about the experience of finding a book on a shelf that intrigues me enough to take it home with me.

Now I don't know where to turn to.  The other Book Off near me has never had more than 20 English titles at a time, usually less.  I'm not willing to get on a train.  It is too high risk for me.  I guess that leaves me with ordering online.  But what?  What will I get?

Will I ever finish "The Handmaid's Tale"?  Will I ever know what happens to Offred?  Who knows.  But before that can happen, I need a good laugh and an escape into a more positive world.

Fresh air

Ever since our little incident with our neighbor, my son hasn't wanted to play outside.  He comes up with all sorts of excuses.  But today, I wasn't hearing any of it.  We are expecting a big rain storm to come though on Saturday, so we need to get as much vitamin D before staying inside all day (yet again).

After he finished his schoolwork, I grabbed a thermos of water and some snacks and we headed to the park.  It has been forever since we spent the afternoon at the park.

We found a quiet patch of grass and laid a mat down to sit on.  My son found a decaying tree stump to investigate.  I relaxed and enjoyed the breeze.

The two of us played a bit, read "Ramona and her Mother", and talked about all sorts of things.  It was such a wonderful afternoon.  Just what he needed to reignite his love for the outdoors.

I'm so glad I was able to take him out and let him just play and be a kid for a while.  It is what all kids need right now - a little dose of their normal.  And for us that is playing outside.

More work on the forest

Besides school work, I'm running out of new activities to do in our home.  We are spending almost no time outside right now.  It can be tedious at times.

So, when my son is resistant to any of my suggestions, we work on the forest.  Today, we painted with sponges.  He was delighted.

He gets such a kick out of art projects.  I just have to have all the supplies ready!  Luckily, the art teacher has various activities for the kids as part of the school curriculum.  Today, my son cut along a squiggly line on a worksheet.  He was so impressed with himself.  And it was something that I would never think to have him do.

Back to school for a minute

My son went to school today - for ten minutes.  We received an email last week letting us know that he (and a parent, if desired) needed to come to school today any time between 9 am and 10 am to drop off homework and pick up new materials.

We had received a small packet of Japanese writing exercises and fun with numbers worksheets when we attended his welcome ceremony, but had not received any new work since.  I've been doing lots of English and math, plus a bit of Japanese, art, and science with him each day.  However, I didn't have a plan of any kind.  It was just whatever I could find or think up on my own.

Upon entering the school, we were directed upstairs to his classroom.  Since we didn't arrive right at 9 am, his classroom had cleared out of the first round of students (which was intentional).  He washed his hands at a sink in the hallway and then used alcohol spray before entering the room and finding his desk.  Then he listed to a very short welcome speech by his sensei (teacher).

I loved peeking through the open door at him sitting at attention in his desk.  He is so eager for elementary school to officially start for him.  When the sensei asked a question, my son spoke clearly and projected so everyone could hear.  My mushy heart just melts because I think it is adorable to see him being such a big boy.

The school sent home a huge packet of work, including a schedule for the kids to adhere to.  I'm thankful for the direction, even if it means trying to follow someone else's agenda.  For 2 and a half hours each day, we will follow a schedule that will introduce my son to his textbooks and doing various activities related to school.  The person or people who put everything together obviously worked hard and were very thorough.

So tonight, my husband and I have homework!  My husband will translate the schedule while I make sure I understand everything that needs to be accomplished.  Wish us luck as we embark on this new adventure - officially homeschooling!

Starting rice from seed

My husband and son received a small packet of rice "seed" (meaning totally unprocessed) from a shrine.  It came with instructions in how to grow it in a bucket.  We had to purchase the bucket and three types of soil.  Always looking for new things to try, we decided to try to grow some rice.  We're entering into this knowing that we won't be growing any measurable quantity of it.  It is more just a fun experiment to show our son all the stages that this vital crop goes through in order to get to the table.

We started with two steps - soaking the rice until it sprouted and drying out the soil.  Both of these steps were perfect for including our son.  He loved checking on the rice for hints of change.  Of course, mixing the soil (6 scoops of black soil, 3 scoops of medium grain soil, and 1 of small grain soil) was even more exciting.

A couple days later, when the rice was ready, we turned the dirt into mud.  Getting to mix the water with the dirt was what many kids dreams are made of, so my son was super keen to stir it all together.  He needed a bit of help towards the end because it is rather thick!

Once properly mixed, he dropped the sprouted rice with at least a 1 inch space between each grain.  Then he poked each one down so it disappeared under the mud (about a 1/4 inch).

Now the waiting game begins.  This is normal for gardening of any kind.  The anticipation.  The wonder if we will be successful.  The hope.  It is all there.