It’s been a cold winter here this year. Maybe not by Michigan or Siberian standards. But for this part of the world, we’ve gotten more than our share of sub-zero temperatures and the white flakes from the heavens.
I’m not complaining. But I can’t help but think about that glorious time of the year when everything comes back to life and I don’t have to ride my bike around town dressed like Matthew Henson, the first man to actually reach the North Pole, contrary to popular myth.
Yes, I do ride my bike come rain or shine, snow or tsunami, every day. What choice do I have? I don’t own a car and buying groceries has become one of the greatest thrills of my life these days. The sense of shared community. The purposefulness. The attainability of stocking up on those things we need for nourishment and culinary delight. I can’t stop war but I can select some fine veggies for one of my legendary salads!
Hmm . . . where was I?
Ah . . . the splendor of spring!
Kasai is a small town about an hour-and-a-half southwest of Tambasasayama. There’s a splendid rose garden there. We go almost every spring. Here are some photos from our visit May 2020. Masumi, her daughter Azusa, Azusa’s Black Labrador, JiJi, and I, arrived during the peak of the rose blossoms.
Thinking about the date of our visit, that was just when Covid-19 started to really ramp up and the world plummeted into the tide pool of panic. That didn’t happen in Japan but I do keep up with the news, particularly in Europe and North America. And the news just got worse and worse. Of course, it didn’t have to be that way. But it seems some folks immerse themselves in drama, listen to the wrong people, listen to horrible advice, freak out, make bad choices, while others . . . smell the roses! I’m not taking credit for my choices. I owe it all to Japan and the Japanese people, who make it easy to surmount difficult obstacles.
My advice to those who got the short end of things the last 2+ years of pandemic paranoia and fear porn: try staying sane. It feels good and generally makes life more bearable.
