Give Up Or Keep Going

 I'm talking about my Etsy Shop.

I've been putting designs up constantly for the past two months and have made only one sale!

I've watched 100s of hours of videos from people making way more than I do. I've read about styling, what's trending, how to find your niche, how to avoid having too many colours to choose from, and where to advertise. All great ideas; I've tried most, but I've had only one sale. I wasn't expecting to make a fortune straight away, but I would love to be able to cover the cost of the store. I managed to do that this month from my one sale, but I'm losing confidence.

The problem is that I don't really have another source of income. I think that the one girl I'm teaching will quit soon, she's in her last year of high school so she will have to start to study for her university entrance tests from next month. I have just 3 other students. Mikey is teaching the rest of our students, so I give him the money for the students he's teaching.

I really thought that I would be able to make some money with Etsy, but maybe I need to rethink things. 

The only other thing is to keep teaching English, but I don't want to teach at this house. It's too small, and if I'm honest, it's impossible to keep clean. In the last house, I had two rooms dedicated to teaching, and I kept the cats out most of the time! Here, I don't have space to do that. The one room that could be used for teaching has been taken over by the cats. I tried to keep them out, but they don't really have anywhere else to go. 

What's next? This is the question that stops me from sleeping. At the moment, I can survive; the kids pay for almost everything, which I know is alright, but it feels unfair. If they are going to pay for utilities, food, etc then they should have their own places, but because they are paying for everything here, they can't save to move out! Hannah is paying for all the trips we're taking! Again, I feel that is unfair because she is working and studying; I would love to help her out more.

At the moment, I'm making Halloween goods, I've come up with some really cute designs.

The model is AI-generated

These are available at JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan

Even if you don't buy, please just have a look. It helps my store if more people visit! It helps my heart as well!!!

Rain

The lovely rain I was talking about yesterday turned into an awful thunderstorm last night. It went from a nice, gentle rain to a torrential downpour in a couple of hours.

This morning I had a tornado warning on my phone! It's still raining now; that's over 24 hours of almost continuous rain. Plus, more rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Mikey had to take Hannah back today. He doesn't mind the drive; it's about 50 minutes to one hour one way. But he was worried because of the rain. All the different routes to Hannah's have underpasses. These are railway bridges; the road under the bridge dips a lot. Some are shallower, but all are hazardous when there has been heavy rain. Cars can get trapped there; it's difficult to judge how deep the floodwater is. During one of the awful rainstorms in the summer, a 60-year-old woman died because her car stalled in an underpass; she couldn't open the doors, and her car flooded. The news showed that the car was flooded up to the roof. I know that the underpasses where we live have warning signs as you approach them to be careful during heavy rain. In some areas, there is no other way into the city without using an underpass. Not the best city planning!

Hannah stayed for a few days; she enjoyed playing with the cats. She gets spoiled by her older brothers; they buy snacks and groceries for her. I've enjoyed having everyone at home the past few days; it's nice, but I know that sooner or later they will all move on. That's as it should be, but without Hisao, it is going to get lonely! For now, when we can all get together, I focus on just enjoying the banter and teasing, the laughs and deeper conversations that go on!

Hannah took this photo during the thunderstorm. Mama and Alfie found a box to curl up in!

A Rainy, Cozy Afternoon

 It's raining; it's been raining since this morning, and it looks like it will continue for a few days. Am I the only one who's happy about this weather?

It's not the dangerous, flood-inducing type of rain, just a constant, steady downpour, and it's very cool! So refreshing after the stifling heat and humidity we've had this summer. Over the past couple of weeks, it has cooled down, especially at night, but the days are still getting up to 30℃!

I feel a lot better with my back and neck problems; the painkiller is strong enough that I actually got a good night's sleep and could make a decent lunch without feeling faint because of the pain.

I made a big pot of soup. No name to this soup, no recipe, just throw in what's in the fridge and hope for the best- my favourite kind of soup.

My no-name soup.

I also put out stuff for sandwiches, including corned beef.

In England, corned beef is normal; I remember having corned beef sandwiches a few times a month. Here in Japan, it's hard to get. It usually comes in these tiny tins, about 80grams, just enough for one small sandwich. I was so happy to find a normal-sized one in a supermarket near where Hannah lives last week.

I think I'll have to go to visit Hannah more often, just to buy corned beef!

The rest of the afternoon I've been reading and dozing! I've enjoyed today, but I don't think I could spend every day not doing things. 

Tomorrow Hannah is going back to her apartment. She's been here for a few days; it's nice having her home. She loves to play with the cats; she has the energy to chase them around, which is good for them!

Next week is back to work; I've had a nice holiday. I got to go somewhere, which really helps. I don't like this house. I work so hard to keep it clean, but it never feels finished; there's always something that needs doing. 

I'm going to have a nice cup of tea and read a bit more!

Doctors......Again

 I seem to be spending a lot of time going to the doctor this year!

This time, it was because of the severe pain in my back.

I have a herniated disc in my neck. Most of the time, it's uncomfortable, especially when using the computer for a long time. For the past 10 days, however, it's been so painful that I can't sit or move my neck. The pain is in my neck and down my left shoulder. 

Then, to add to my misery, my lower back started to hurt, especially after standing for a while; even washing a few dishes has been hard this week. 

The clinic I went to today opened recently; it was my first time going there. Everything is very new; somehow, that was nice.

They recommended a bone density test. The test was simple: I just lay on a bed while a machine scanned my body. The results were surprisingly good. Compared to people the same age, my bone density is 120% better. 

That was the good news. My X-rays showed a very deformed neck structure. It's curved to the right. I was prescribed some painkillers. I hope they work, as the next step is an injection.

I was offered electrical stimulation therapy to help with the pain. The two young therapists were trying to figure out how to explain to me what they were going to do; they didn't realise that I could understand them until I started laughing at their attempts to find the right English words! Actually, I was surprised at how much English some of the staff had; they weren't fluent, but they tried. I never expect people to speak English; this is Japan, and I should use Japanese, but it's always a nice feeling when people try!

I have to find some kind of exercise to help my neck and lower back. I'm tired of being in pain. Some gentle stretches to start with; then, as I feel better, I can do more. I want to be healthy!

While I was at the clinic, Mikey had a magic show for one of the nurseries he teaches at. Hannah went with him to take photos, so now I have loads of photos of Mikey!

The slippers don't really match his costume!!

Yutoku Inari Shrine Part 2

 After we wandered around the part of the shrine, we were planning on going up to the main part, by elevator, but when I looked up, I realised that even with the elevator, there were a lot more stairs and walking than I could handle.

Instead, we found a lovely, quiet Japanese garden to wander around; there weren't many people there, so it was very quiet. There were a lot of beautiful plants and flowers, but I think the best season would be in the spring for the cherry blossoms.

At the entrance of the garden.

Hannah looks very grown up.

We then left the shrine complex and had a walk down the shopping street. We were hoping to find a restaurant, but there were only souvenir shops.

Hannah did a quick search for local restaurants; we like teishoku, set-meal restaurants. The set meal is a main dish, rice, soup, salad and pickles. Hannah found one that had good reviews just a few minutes' drive from the shrine.

Small, friendly restaurant.

It was already one o'clock by the time we got there. I didn't think it would be busy, but it was almost full.

We were seated in a small room, off the main dining room. It was nice and private and a bit quieter than the main dining area. 

There was a choice of main dishes, all very tempting!

I had a hamburger; Mikey had deep-fried pork cutlet, tonkatsu; Christopher had mixed fry; and Hannah had a donburi dish- I think it was eel!

My meal.

Mikey's meal.

Hannah's meal.

 

I didn't get a photo from Christopher!

On Mikey's tray, there is an orange dish that was almost raw chicken, called Toriashi in Japanese. It was offered with our meals as well, but we changed it for a drink. I can eat raw fish, but the idea of raw meat or chicken makes me ill!

We all enjoyed our lunch, but it was very filling. I was so stuffed I didn't eat again until after 10 o'clock.

The fortune that I bought at the shrine was very interesting. It said that the time is right for business people to start a new business, and that I'll be blessed with money luck. I hope so!

Today is the last day of Silver Week, unfortunately my back is very painful; just making breakfast and obento this morning was hard. I always judge how bad my back is by how long I can stand. If I can stand for over an hour before the pain starts then I'm okay. This morning, however, I was in pain after just 10 minutes; by 20 minutes, I had to sit down. I guess tomorrow I'm back to the doctor!

Yutoku Inari Shrine....Kashima Saga

 We have a few days' holiday this week, Silver Week. Usually, I don't go out during these holidays as everywhere is so busy, but I really wanted to see something different. I think I wanted to refresh myself, reset my thinking, and have a chance to relax away from the stress of this house.

Mikey, Christopher and Hannah went with me to this shrine; David had to work!

We picked up Hannah, then drove about an hour to the shrine. Most of the drive was through beautiful countryside, small towns and villages. Very laid-back feeling.

I don't know the name of these birds, but I see them a lot.

Japan is a country of real contrasts: massive cities with incredible services, open plains of farmland and then mountains, everywhere! Japan is 70% mountains, so seeing these massive open areas is always amazing. 

It was a bit windy; I loved watching the rice ripple as the breeze went over it!

We were stuck at traffic lights.

Just before the intersection was a level crossing, which came down. I thought it would be a normal commuter train, but it was a special sightseeing train. These are very popular here in Kyushu, and maybe in other parts of Japan as well. These trains are about the journey, not the destination. This one goes along the coastline at a slower speed. Something I would like to try one time!

I noticed a few of these little statue things near schools and where kids cross busy roads. I thought it was a very cute idea. 

To warn motorists that kids are crossing here.

You can't see in the photo, but in the back there are little flags that the kids hold up as they are crossing. There's one of these statues on either side of the road, so the flags are left where they will be needed.

These massive columns were on the road as we got close to the shrine.

There was one on either side of the road.

We found an interesting place in the parking lot!

Within the red structure is a place to remove evil spirits from your car. I'm guessing that you would have to make an appointment for a priest to come and do some ceremony. I thought it was an interesting idea.

The shrine was massive. We didn't get to see everything, but what we did see took over an hour!

From the parking lot.

The bridge.

I didn't realise that they had to look into the sun!

There's a small river with a bridge over it to enter the shrine.

The view from the bridge.

The torii gates to enter

The entrance

As you approach the gates, you stop and bow. There are two gates, so you have to stop twice.

Then there's the place to wash your hands and mouth.

There was a good English explanation of this ritual cleansing.

I couldn't get a good photo as there were so many people.

You are supposed to pour water into your hand to rinse your mouth. I didn't bother with that part; somehow the idea of rinsing your mouth and spitting out in public turns my stomach.

We went into one of the main areas. It was very beautiful. Over another small bridge, the stream had Koi fish in it!

Beautiful Koi fish

This was part of the gate to the shrine area.

The colours are so lovely and vibrant.

When we entered the area where one of the altars is, I was surprised at the noise. There are thousands of wind chimes; with the lovely breeze, they made an amazing noise.

Not only a lovely noise, but also very beautiful to look at.

We had to wait to take photos as it was a very popular spot.

There was also an old-fashioned cart on the ground.

The workmen were erecting a bamboo fence around it.

Also, a couple of statues of horses.

As you can see, I'm trying to hide behind Hannah!

The kanji says horse, but I don't know what that has to do with the shrine. Inari shrines are associated with foxes, rice, household well-being, business prosperity and general prosperity. Other Inari shrines I've visited have had statues of foxes. I'll have to see if I can find out why there are horse statues at this shrine.

I thought I could write up everything today, but there are still a few more things to write about: a lovely Japanese garden, lunch and the fortune I got!

I have a class, so I had better get ready!

Come back tomorrow to see if the fortune I got was good or bad!