Sorting Out

 During my summer holiday I had great plans to sort out my walk in closet.  But plans and reality didn't meet up.  Yesterday I watched a bit of a program about hoarders.  My kids are always disgusted by these programs and they can be awful.  The reason I watch is to motivate myself to clean out and throw things away.  Most of the people on these programs are elderly and I can see how easy it can be to keep putting off cleaning out things until it becomes impossible.  I do it all the time, putting off cleaning because I'm too tired, it's too hot, cold or wet or whatever weather I don't like!  And sometimes it is just easier to ignore the problem.  This past week I was having problems finding something to wear, I pulled a T-shirt out of my draw but found that it had a stain on it, even though it had just been washed, another one was too small, some other tops are to low and my breast prosthetic can be seen when it moves in my bra.  So today I  pulled out all my clothes and dumped them on my bed, the bed was covered. The photo doesn't really show how much clothing there was.  I spent over an hour sorting and throwing out a load.  I got the pile down to two smaller piles.  I can also see what I will need to buy when the weather gets colder.  Some things that I was not sure of Hannah reminded me that I'd had the things for over 10 years but haven't worn them in the past 5!  Feels good to have that done!  Still have to do the closet!

Before pile covered my single bed

after just two piles

Side Effects

 I had my 2nd pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. I was hoping to get away with not having any side effects but that was not the case.  I didn't get very sick but Wednesday I got just before 5am, usual time, got breakfast for David and decided to spend sometime on the computer. After few minutes I had a raging headache, nausea and was extremely tired.  At first I thought the tiredness was due to the fact I haven't been sleeping very well.  My asthma has been rather bad lately, during the day I'm okay but at night I start coughing and wheezing.  The wheezing wakes me up. I slept on and off all Wednesday, by Thursday felt better but still tired.  I guess another trip to the doctors is due, see if I can get something for this asthma!

Hannah had her results from he first semester at university.  She managed to get a 3.2 GPA.  The subject that let her down was Japanese.  At least she can see where she has to focus!  I'm very happy and proud of her.  Besides her university she has a part time job and she also helps teaching here.  She has become very busy and most of the time she does everything without moaning!

Fluffy like to use interesting things as a pillow!

My Birthday

 Monday was my birthday!

59.  I have no idea how I got to that age.  I was 40, I blinked and was celebrating my 59th birthday.  I have no idea that my life would turn out like this.  It's not terrible but it's not the happy ever after I was hoping for. I never wanted to be widowed at 50 years old, I never wanted to struggle with health issues,  I never wanted to be burdened with inheriting my mother in laws land and house ( and all the taxes and debts that go with that) but this is what I'm stuck with.  Health issues I'm trying to deal with but it's hard day to day to be in constant pain.  The only advice my doctor gives is to lose weight, easy to say but difficult to do!  The other things I just deal with day by day.  My kids are great, they help me out a lot.  They say and do things that remind of Hisao.  The other week Hannah and I were talking about the covid vaccine. I stated that I was really worried about side effects.  Hannah answered "You have to have the vaccine so what's the point in worrying"  That is exactly the kind of thing Hisao would of said!

To celebrate my birthday we got pizza.  I haven't had a pizza from a real pizza store since I've lived in Japan, 30 years and it was what I fancied.  Mikey went to pick up the order, the pizza was massive, we got a smaller one as well and David did fried chicken and french fries.  I couldn't move after, talk about stuffed but as a treat it was nice.  Couldn't eat like that more than once a year!

Attacking the pizza

Massive

Two big pizzas!

Today I got my 2nd vaccine.  Finally.  Christopher has made an appointment to get his.  His company will pay him to get the vaccine.  

And of course cats.  This is what I see when I come downstairs in the night, rather scary.

Feline of the Baskervilles!

Fluffy in a headscarf

The boys were playing a game one evening.  Hannah was feeding the cats, she put a bowl of cat food in front of each lad, they all said thank you thinking it was some snacks!  

David's Birthday

 Sunday was David's birthday.  The rain actually stopped for the day so getting to the store was okay.  Decided on sashimi and yaki niku dinner, basically raw fish and grilled meat.  One problem is that his birthday is on Obon, one of the big holidays in Japan.  It' the time when ancestors come back home for a day.  It's a chance for families to get together and enjoy nice food and lots of alcohol!  I got to the local supermarket before it opened, there was already a line!  Managed to get what I wanted, plus found some lamb, which I was very happy about.  I think in 30 years here it's only the 2nd time to see lamb at a local supermarket, I usually buy it from Costco.

Took some photos and of course I look awful in them but I will post them here!  No nasty comments please!

Nobody looks good in this one

David

Mikey

Lamb, I got two packs

Yaki niku

The plates in front of Hannah are the fish.

We put the cats in the corridor while we ate, the temptation of the fish would of been too much.

Cats getting their dinner.

RAIN

 It's been raining constantly since Wednesday.  Not just drizzling but very heavy down pours.  There are five levels of warnings, from white which says to be on the alert for disasters to black which states that one must take measures to protect lives.  This morning when I checked the news our area was black.  That's scary.  Our house is okay as it is high from the road, four steps up from the road, then another two up into the house.  The yard worries me as it is higher but so far no problems.  I'm tired as I couldn't sleep well.  The emergency alarms on the cell phones go off, even in the middle of the night.  Of course I was the only awakened by it, everybody else slept through.  Things seems scarier at night, the rain sounds heavier somehow and because I can't see what is happening outside my imagination goes into over drive!

One good thing is that nobody has work.  But poor Christopher got called in this morning, his co workers car had broken down so he was asked to cover.

The cats aren't that bothered by the rain, thunderstorms are another thing!  

Yesterday I fell over my own shadow.  Early morning I was racing to get to the toilet.  Having two black cats I'm careful where I step when it's dark.  I saw something black out the corner of my eye, thinking it was one of the cats I tried to step over but miscalculated how close the other cat was, tried to miss that and fell over. I then realized that it was my shadow I had seen!

Summer Holidays

 The typhoon passed us by.  The centre was south of us so we caught the edge, lots of rain and a bit of wind.  Some places got hit rather bad but we were lucky.

This week is my summer holiday and I'm spending it cleaning.....again.  I know clutter can't be organized and I have thrown out a lot of stuff but there is still too much.  Hannah and I share a bedroom, which is okay but she has so much stuff now, her textbooks, computer and printer take up a lot of room, also she has so many clothes.  I decided to see if I could make more space in the walk in closet (which we can't walk in at the moment).  I have a lot of big photo albums, which I love but don't look at that often.  Most of the photos are from when the kids were little so looking at them is bitter sweet.  Lots of lovely memories but also photos of Hisao and my Mom which still break my heart!  I decided to move these albums out of the walk in closet and put them in storage boxes under Hannah's bed.  Great idea but the albums are very large and I can only get three in one box so I would need six or seven boxes!  I was thinking of choosing the best photos and putting the rest in storage in mother in laws house.  But that seems like a big project.  Another thing is all my journals.  I've kept some sort of journal since I was 18, so lots of books.  Again I don't read them but like having them.  But they take up space.  David suggest typing them out, especially since my handwriting is bad.   Another big project but maybe something I should do!

Other than cleaning I am trying to think about what to teach the young students I have.  I feel very limited because I can't explain a lot and feel very inadequate in my teaching.  I need to make some worksheets and reading sheets. I hope I can get some things done and not waste this holiday!

We have a little visitor that keeps coming.  Looks like a stray cat, Hannah puts food out for him.  I would take him in but I don't have the money for vets!  I'm going to make a shelter for him so in the cooler months he will have somewhere to stay warm.

Our visitor

Fluffy using David's book as a pillow

Preparing for a Typhoon

 Every year the kids and I have the same conversation.  I check the Japanese Meteorological Agency if there is news of a typhoon.  The news coverage is good but goes to fast for me.  Last week I heard that we might get a typhoon on Monday so I went into preparation mode.  There's a lot of things in our yard that could fly around and could possibly hit the neighbours cars or houses.  It doesn't take long to pack up and take the stuff to my mother in laws house, there are large storage places there.  Also I like to make sure we have basics in, bread, milk and water.  So I'm trying to get the kids to help and all I get is "Mom it isn't  going to be bad here."  Which maybe true but I prefer to be ready, just in case.  I've experienced a few typhoons and if they are bad it can get really scary.  Anyway this time we managed to get planks of wood moved from the yard and I did some shopping, so we should be okay.  I'm a bit worried about the cats, they freak out if we have a thunderstorm so I'm not sure how they will react to the sound of the wind!  Because of running around of Friday neither David or I felt up to cooking dinner, also we hadn't taken anything out of the freezer.  So dinner ended up being pancakes and ice cream with some fruit.  Not really healthy but nice!

Interesting dinner!

Hannah had her second vaccine but she got really sick from it.  She had the shot Thursday afternoon, went to work in the evening, came back okay but Friday morning she woke up with a 39C fever and joint pain.  She said it felt the same as when she had the flu! By Saturday lunch time she was okay but very tired!

So now waiting to see if this typhoon is coming.  The weather should start to get bad from this afternoon.  One good thing is that it will be a bit cooler!

First Jab

 I got my first corona virus vaccine today. No big deal I know but I was really nervous about getting it.  When the vaccine first came out I was so happy.  I felt that this is the only way forward.  Every time I or one of the kids go out I worry that we could get covid 19, especially with the new variants.  I was upset that it seemed to take so long to get things going with the vaccine, also so many people refusing the vaccine.  But when I got my letter to get the vaccine I started to really worry about it.  Is it safe? What are the side effects?  Will I get sick?  I realized that the idea of the vaccine and the reality were very different.  I know that whatever we put in our bodies effects us, whether food, drink, medicines or vaccines.  For myself too much sugar makes me tired and lethargic, coffee has me climbing the walls.  Medicines seem to be okay but once I was given something for constipation and I couldn't leave the toilet, I think it was a bit too strong! So having a vaccine which has reported side effects is a risk but so is not having the vaccine.  I feel I would rather risk the side effects than get covid!  I went to my local doctor, a place I felt comfortable, I've been using this doctors for over 10 years, so the staff know me and use easier Japanese that I can follow okay.

It went well, didn't have to wait long.  After the shot I had to wait for 15 minutes but I was fine so came home.  Next one is in 3 weeks time.  From what I've heard more people get sick after the second shot.  Hannah is having her second one on Thursday, hope she's okay.

Life goes on.  It's really hot and humid, 32C at the moment, 5:20 in the afternoon.  I feel so sorry for the athletes in the Olympics.  Tokyo is a heat island and the humidity is really high.  At least not having spectators means less people getting heat stroke!  When the games were first announced I wonder how they would deal with thousands of people packed into stadiums in the Tokyo heat!

This is what was left of David's cup noodle, he managed to knock the whole lot over himself!