Spring Wind

No koinobori flying in our neighborhood yet. Only laundry and curtains.

This is the laundry room at a hospital. (They don't hang their laundry out to dry.)

Click on the labels below for more about koinobori.

Check this story at Kids Web Japan--Carp Streamers

Another Stray Cat!

Another stray cat has come to our garden. This one sits by Baba's window and talks to our cats. I wonder if the cat is a long lost brother or sister. I thought I rescued all the kittens that day from the neighbor's garden. I hope so.

I'm going to run/walk to the vet's to get a cage. It may be difficult to catch the cat today because I fed it this morning. This will be the fourth cat I've caught and had spayed. It's expensive, but we can't rescue any more kittens. That's a big job! And we can't turn our back on them either.

The cat is posing. She/he is lying on the shed where I found our kittens almost two years ago. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

I'll keep you posted.

Every Day is Earth Day!

Forget-me-not.

Blogoversary!

HTJ is three years old today! We're starting our fourth year with azaleas blooming. I haven't checked the wisteria yet. Read other anniversary posts by clicking on the label below.

Thanks for all the support. Especially from Amy Bodden Bowllan at School Library Journal and the bloggers at Paper Tigers.org.

Jon Agee's Workshop

Jon Agee came to Tokyo to visit international schools. He visited our SCBWI Tokyo chapter, too. Here he is with advisor, Holly Thompson, and illustrator member, Patrik Washburn. That's member illustrator Patrick Gannon looking on.

He gave a presentation showing us how ideas evolve. He talked and drew at the same time! It was amazing. His stories are great. They are funny and have surprise endings. Look at his books on his website. More of his books are available at Amazon.

Here are some of the people who attended the workshop. Most of them are holding up the work they did at the workshop. We all enjoyed it. He is very entertaining. He does school visits. To find out more click here.

BTW, that's not the moon shadow that's been following me around lately. It's Holly's arm. She was standing on a chair to take a picture of the group.

Spring Cones

Pine cones are forming on this bigger tree.

Pine Bonsai

Click on the picture to have a good look at this beautiful tree. It lives in a garden around the corner. It is matsu, pine.

Our name, Chikamatsu, means "near the pine".

The difference a day (or two) makes

This is the field of rapeseed. Compare it to this and this and this .

This is what it looked like a few days ago.

The truck farmer had pulled some of it.

Then he plowed it under to strengthen the soil. I took this picture from Little Brother's window.

What a Change!

Click on the label below to see this mystery shoot's beginnings. What will it be?

More Sakura! I Can't Help It!

Even the smallest tree is spectacular! This one is near an apartment house.

See that dot near the lamp post? It follows me around. Could be a Moonshadow (an old song), but more likely it's a piece of dust /dirt on the camera lens. I keep forgetting about it because it doesn't always show up.

Like here. That dot is lost in the tree.

It's hard to resist taking photos of sakura!

Those sakura trees are in a neighborhood park. The fields are our truck farmer's. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Full Color

When Papa left for work this morning, he said it was going to be a warm day and a good day to view the cherry blossoms. Maybe. Any day is a good day to view cherry blossoms. Even when it's raining! Yesterday was a good day. These pictures were taken yesterday. Click to enlarge.

There is other spring color. This is momokiku, peach chrysanthemum. The flowers look like chrysanthemums. They are a good shrub to put along a fence because they don't grow to be large. They are blooming now along this street. The one in our garden isn't. It might not be getting enough sun.

This shrub is called red robin. New growth is red. This shrub will grow to be very big.

Ours in our garden are doing very well. They were pruned in January and have new red growth.

Mystery Shoot At a Later Date

The Neighbor's Camellia

This potted camellia was blooming in a neighbor's garden. That yellow plastic chain is their gate, I guess. I've never seen it hooked to the other pole (outside the picture).

It seems a little late for camellias.

Totally Uncovered

The net is off the field now and look how the leaves have grown!

There are flowers as well. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

It is a field of rapeseed or canola. The leaves are edible, but they look too big and tough now. I haven't seen the farmer for a while. It's been awfully windy lately. I'll keep my eye out for him to see (ask) what he'll do. He may have planted these to keep the soil in place during this windy month! The plant is good for the soil. It looks good, too.