Needy Cats

 Even though we have nine cats they aren't that vocal!

The only time they make a lot of noise is when they are fighting or when they think it is feeding time!

The past couple of weeks how ever they have be meowing almost all the time, especially if there is nobody with them!

Fred seems to be the worst. If he can't see one of us he will cry until one of us goes to him!!! He loves to be petted, usually this quietens him down, for a bit!

Fred yesterday shouting at something!

The other one who has become very noisy is Alan. His noisy time is bedtime. The cats get a last feed just before we go to bed, between 10 and 11pm. We then have to separate the cats, putting Alan. Steve and Frodo it the corridor, the other cats are in the living room, it's the only way to stop them fighting! Most of the other cats settle after that but Alan sits outside my door and meows. I don't let the cats in because they have a bad habit of peeing where they shouldn't. Most nights I have to go and sit in the corridor to keep Alan quiet. 

Alan

I asked about this on a Facebook group for cats, I was told that the cats might be picking up on the stress in the household. I'm really stressed, totally stressed. I'm feeling overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. I'm trying to figure out schedules, who is free to take things to the other house, who can help with cleaning and packing up here.  Also the mixed emotions I have about all the changes!

I'm at the point now where I just want this finished!

Maybe.....

 it is time to leave this house!

Over the last few months things have started to break or fall to pieces!

It all started in August when the light in the living room stopped working. We thought it was just the bulb so we bought a new one, but that didn't work. Thinking it might have been the wrong type we bought another but it still didn't work. It looks like the light fitting itself is broken. That makes three light fittings altogether that don't work!!

Then the door to the shoe box is coming off.  This house was built by a popular company, which means that it is well built, but things like hinges for doors or other fixtures have to be bought from the company, making them more expensive and difficult to obtain. This house is over 30 years old and the stock is not readily available!!

Yesterday I found out that the water heater or at least the control panel is broken. With the system we have here the hot water starts once you turn on the hot water tap. Unless you want to change the temperature of the water you don't need to touch the control panel.  When the hot water is running the control panel shows the temperature, once you have finished it goes off. Now the panel is on all the time, if you turn it off manually you get no hot water. I have to remind everybody to turn on the hot water before having a shower. It's not the season for cold showers!

Non of this is because of us, just a house getting old and not being maintained. If we were staying here I would have to fight with the real estate agent to get things fixed, then it would be shoddy, cheap workmanship.  So maybe it better that we are moving, even if I still feel sad about it!

For me the best would be having enough money to buy this land and build something nice here but that is really a dream!

On a different note, I went shopping this morning and almost had a heart attack at the price of rice.

5kgs of rice 3180 yen

The cheapest was almost 3000 yen (about 15 pounds), last year the most expensive brand was less than 3000 yen, most just over 2000 yen. But we got lucky, one of our students is a farmer and is bringing us 5kgs of rice for 2000 yen!!

I couldn't believe that just the few things I bought, no meat or fish, just vegetables, mikans, eggs and some honey came to just over 3000 yen. I got just enough for today and tomorrow!! I usually like shopping but not at these prices!!

 

Japanese Holidays

 Yesterday was a national holiday. Culture Day, Bunka No Hi.

In Japan if a national holiday falls on a Sunday the next day is also a holiday. I planned to go to the City Hall today but it's closed!

Culture Day was inaugurated  in 1948 to commemorate the new constitution that was announced on November 3rd 1946.  The day was already a holiday from 1868 to 1912 to celebrate the birthday of the Emperor Meji. After his death it stopped being a holiday until 1927 when it was changed to Meji-Setsu.

The idea of a culture day is to celebrate arts and scholars, some areas have art exhibits, or culture festivals. A lot of schools have there culture festivals at this time.

I've never done anything on this day!  For me national holidays are a chance to not do anything! When the kids were in school it was a chance to sleep in, not stress about getting breakfast and making obento.  

I read somewhere that the reason that Japan has so many national holidays was to make workers take a holiday.  The law in Japan states that workers should have holidays in summer and winter but a lot of people don't take them.  

Today was another round of shopping, cleaning, packing and sneezing, lots of sneezing. We are all down with seasonal allergies and with moving out furniture we are stirring up a lot of dust!

Almost done! Somebody came to today to see about moving air conditioners and the fridge, the only things we can't move ourselves!  That's going to cost a lot, never mind it has to be done!

This morning I called Mikey from the room I was in, I needed help moving something. He answered and said he couldn't help! I got rather upset until I saw why!

The cats piled on Mikey!

Am I Just Making Excuses?

Yesterdays plan was for David, Christopher and me to go to the other house.

But we woke up to typhoon like weather.  It had been stormy all night, heavy rain, thunder and strong winds. We even had a tornado advisory for this area!  I was hoping that the storm would pass by morning but at 7am it was really bad. I thought about going but decided against it.

I could of pushed to go but I really didn't want to. Maybe I was using the weather as an excuse, I don't know. I know when the weather is like that I ask my kids not to go to work, I don't feel it's worth risking your life for 900 yen an hour (about 5 pounds). 

This week is the big push to get most things over to the other house. I think we take almost everything in David's car. The large items like the fridge, copy machines and one very large heavy chest of drawers will have to go in a hired truck. I hope that doesn't cost too much.  Also I need to find somebody to remove the bee hive from under the house. The bees are still active. Where they are going in and out of the hive needs to be cut down but it's rather dangerous. I'm surprised that the bees are so active at this time of year!

This time next week Hannah will be in her apartment. I know it's good, it's the right thing for her but I'll miss her a lot. She's my baby! 

I'll still have the cats!  They are sensing something is going on, they aren't settled at all. Usually they have breakfast, spend time grooming, then sleep. But the past week I've noticed that they aren't sleeping in the morning but wondering around the house, especially where we have taken things away.  Getting them to the other house is going to be interesting!

Why?

They have so many places to sleep but both of these cats wanted the same place!!!

The Begining Of The End

 In the middle of October Hannah and I went to see about getting her apartment.  She quickly decided on the one she wants and started the process of getting it, lots of forms to fill out, lots of phone calls, and lots of decisions to be made. At that time Hannah said that she would do what she had to do but most of it she wanted to wait until after her teacher training at a special needs school.  I agreed to that as the training is very intense and exhausting, also it felt a long way away, the last thing to do before getting ready for Hannah to move out and us to move to the other house.

Today is the last day of her training! 

Last night I was looking at the calendar and trying to figure out schedules, when we can take things to Hannah's apartment and when we can move stuff to the other house.  I realized that in a week's time Hannah will get her key, then she can start to move in.

I just sat and cried. It really is the end of an era.

In about 10 days we will be out of this house. 

And I still don't want to move. It just feels wrong on so many levels!

Yesterday a friend stopped by the other house to pick up some books for her kids.  I gave her a house tour.  She said that she really liked the house, that it was so Japanese and had all the things in the house that she would like! I tried to see the house through her eyes and felt that the house is okay and has potential and could be very nice with a lot of money invested in it!  I then realized that one of the reasons I don't want to move there is to do with the awful memories of that place.  

About 15 years ago we lived there with my mother-in-law. Just one year, the kids called it the year from hell. I think I cried every single day. She became more verbally and emotionally abusive. If it was just toward me or Hisao I think I could have dealt with that but she had a go at my kids as well.  She spent time putting us down. One of the worst incidents was when Christopher, who was 10 at the time, was being bullied at school. We decided to keep him home for a few days until we could talk with the school and get things sorted out. Hisao explained this to my mother-in-law, her response was to tell Christopher that he was being bullied because he was stupid.  Not just once but every time she saw him!  That broke my heart. Christopher was a very sensitive child and didn't deserve that kind of treatment!  

When we go to the other house I'm constantly reminded of the heartache I suffered there. It's also the place where Hisao's health took a turn for the worse. He had high blood pressure and I feel the constant nagging and whining from his mother made it higher.  He ended up in hospital for a month with kidney failure and fluid around his heart.

When we moved out I vowed that I would never live there again, I was finished with that place.

I know in my mind that the house is just a building.  That the house didn't hurt me, that a person, who has since passed away was the cause of all the pain I experienced there.  But it is still so hard. Life here has been comfortable, there have been a few bumps, some very rocky times, especially Hisao's death and dealing with the grief and the time I had cancer but overall I've enjoyed being here.  I've enjoyed being with my kids and watching them grow to young adults.

This move is the end of an era.  Two of my kids will be moving out, Hannah first, then next year Mikey. I have no real vision of what life will be like for the next few years.

I'm sad about this move, I know I will cry a lot the next few weeks. I know I have no choice.  

Today it is very cool. The cats are snuggling up together. That is always a sign of how cool it is!

Just a photo of the cats snuggled up this morning!

Snuggled on the sofa!

October

 Another month done and dusted!

The other house is almost ready. I did more in the bathroom, need to get a long brush to reach the top of the walls and the ceiling (or ask David). I started on the toilets, totally disgusting! The dust was so thick it was more like soil than dust. I need a few toilet brushes to do the bowls, there are two toilets and I still don't understand why!

The upstairs storage has been done, a couple of boxes of old clothes to be burnt, downstairs is almost done as well. 

That leaves moving stuff from here. David is pushing himself to go almost every day to drop off stuff, I'm really worried about him. He has lost weight again, he looks gaunt!  He has very low blood pressure, so after we move he has to go to the doctor to get a check up.  Christopher and I have the opposite problem!!

As this house get emptier the sadder I feel! I really don't want to move! I know no choice but I wish we had one.  I know that not paying rent will save money but not having a way to make money doesn't help. I can't teach from the other house, it's too small and remote. I don't drive so even if we could get students at a nearby community center it would be impossible for me to go there. I'm looking at sites that connect teachers to students online but the sites either have too many English teachers or they ask for a university degree, which I don't have.

I'm looking to make a web page to get students online and maybe make some materials to sell. I'm not looking to get rich but just to be able to pay bills, travel a bit and help my family when I can!  Surely I can do that!

We will be out before the end of November.  Not happy but I'll deal with it somehow!

I was saying to Christopher how unhappy I am, his answer was that Costco is opening in November, just 20 minutes drive from the other house. I guess that is something to look forward to!!

One thing we need to do is take down some of the trees in the yard!  A lot have died and are a bit dangerous!  Christopher managed to cut one down and take out the stump!

An old tree stump

completely dried out

what was left after it was taken out

The weather is finally a bit cooler, todays high will be 22C.  I'm the only one who is happy!

I know it's getting cool when the cats start to cuddle up together!

Toast and Steve snuggle buddies

Mom's Birthday

 Mom would have been 85 today!

Maybe because it's her birthday or because I'm getting older but she has been on my mind a lot recently.

I was talking to one of my students who has two young children, I was asking how they are entertained when the parents are busy. He told me about a cartoon that his oldest son loves watch.  I told him how my Mom entertained me when she was cooking and it was raining and I couldn't play outside. 

The house that we lived in had large french windows, looking out over the back garden. In front of the windows was concrete, when it rained 3 puddles would form. As the rain fell it would make ripples in the puddles, Mom told me that the ripples were fairies dancing and if I was quiet and looked hard enough I would be able to see them. I can remember sitting there for ages, Mom asking every now and then if I could see them yet!  I was about 4 years old at that time but I still remember the rain and the quiet time looking for fairies! Maybe that is why I still like the rain.

Another memory from that time was when my Dad hurt his back!  I remember Mom rubbing this ointment in Dad's back. I can still see Dad hanging onto the kitchen sink, Mom rubbing this smelly stuff in, and Dad making a lot of noise. I couldn't figure out why Dad was shouting so much as there was no cut. As a child I equated pain with cuts and scratches!

I don't have any photos from that time. I don't know if any exist! I have one photo of Mom when she was very young.

Young Mom

The ones I like are from the last visit, a year before she died. She had chance to spend time with her grandkids, I hope she felt some joy from that!

Mom and Hannah

Mom watching the boys play

with Christopher

Happy Birthday, Mom.