Day to Day

About Valentine's Day
That about sums it up.
Notice how she worked so hard to write this paragraph and all she got (from another teacher) was a red circle. The same red circle that the kid who just copied a few vocabulary words a few times also got.
Sensei, you got to reckanize!
I wrote back... and gave her a sticker!

Nothing really exciting has happened the last week or so, but I do have some random pictures to th'ow at you. The biggest fun time of the week was last Tuesday when I was having a super Big Time poopy morning/day. At the end of the day, as the kids were heading home, I heard a small ruckus outside, so I poked my head out the window to harass some kids. It turned out to be three of my favorite 2nensei who called "Abbey! Let's take pictures! Bring the camera!" (in Japanese, of course). Containing my joy, I called back "Ok.... hold on..." and willed myself to walk slowly to my desk, take my camera from its bag and go out front. The next 20 or 30 minutes found me and the three kids taking silly pictures all over, and having a grand time doing so. From there it snowballed into a bunch of other kids. Of course they wanted copies, and of course I obliged. Along with the fun Picnik-ed pictures I'd already prepared from the Gyoza Day. And as soon as they saw me on Friday, their first words were: "Abbey - Pikchas!" Coming back from class after 2nd period, I had an entourage of boys hoping to get their prints. They were so happy to get the pictures of themselves and I was so happy to have provided them with such happiness. If only I didn't have to leave them...

Hoshiume in the Teachers' Room
Dried plums with what is probably shiso. I love living in the country

Anyway, the morals of the story were:
1. I was so happy to have so much fun with my babies, especially on a day when I was not good.
2. I was so happy to make them happy with pictures of themselves because...
3. I love to take pictures. I love to take pictures of people I care about. I love to give people nice pictures of themselves because how often do people get free pictures of themselves and en masse? And I was so happy that they appreciated the pictures because lately I've had moments where people have not appreciated such pictures and I have subsequently, although perhaps unintentionally, been made to feel bad for taking them and thus not wanted to do so in the future. At least of certain individuals.
I say Good Day.

Ganbatteiru Ume
Sprigs from a juuuuust blooming plum tree.
In the genkan of one of my schools.

Aaaaanyhoo...

In other news, here are the pictures. Not the pictures of the kids, because that's dame, but other ones from around and around.

Mail, Newspapers, Bikes, Trucks and Rakes and Such
Just outside the genkan of the same school.

Nice Slippers... (snicker, snicker)... Ja Nai!!
I love making fun of my sannensei for the bathroom-type slippers they wear to do genkan souji.

Kasagi-san watches over his end of the valley.

From the Coco parking lot near my house.
I will surely miss the little brother to Ena-san, who is behind me.

Ena-san over the Oasis.
Foregrounded by Oasis, a hair salon that apparently wasn't content with being a nice off-white building on the side of the hill. Instead, in the oasis spirit, they went for cluttery paintings of dead-brown palm trees and grass. Because nothing says "Oasis" like dead-brown plants.
On the other side, however, it does have a huge picture window view of Ena-san to the right, the Alps straight ahead and probably even Ontake-san to the left.

Ume ga Saitorun da yo!
In addition to the little yellow flowers starting to bloom behind my carport and the sprouting tulips, ume (plum) blossoms are the sure sign of the impending Spring.
Bring it on!

I Love Ena-san
Last night it snowed for about the third time this winter. This morning, Ena-san and her children (read, foothills and lower mountains), Ontake-san and the Alps looked deliciously fresh in their new white frostings. We haven't seen too much of that this year.

New House
It seems like everywhere I turn new houses, stores and other buildings are going up. It makes me quite sad to see views obstructed, rice fields erased and plain old clutter piling up. But at least this one's semi-traditional. And it borders a parking lot, not a tambo.