I recently discovered that I am sensitive to gluten. Last year I knew that bread and sugar were definite triggers for my arthritis, but I didn’t investigate further and suspect gluten as the actual culprit. So, in my quest to heal my arthritis, I’ve decided to adopt a new lifestyle as free from gluten, milk, and sugar as possible. I’ve read that the body sees milk proteins as gluten, so I don’t want to take a chance, plus I’m lactose intolerant anyway.
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The leaves are starting to fall and it makes me so happy to see them every morning because it means that this grueling Summer will soon be over.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
William Butler Yeats
During this Summer Break, or Natsuyasumi 夏休み, of her first school year, Miyu and her classmates were tasked with taking care of their plants at home. Their Summer breaks are apparently three weeks long beginning in August. During a parent-teacher conference in late July shortly before the break, I spoke with her teacher (they provided a translator, all was well) and then somehow…I found myself walking to my car at a paid parking lot some ways away, with the shown plant in tow. It would’ve been nice to receive some kind of forewarning that after the conference, parents would be required to take home a large plant, but I digress. I was thankful at least that it wasn’t raining and it fit in my car.
So every morning, Miyubear wakes up and I remind her to water her plant because it’s drooping. She asked me what “drooping” meant so I explained it to her, pointing at the way the plant leaves were bending down and looking sad. When I took the plant home a few weeks ago, there were no blooms yet, but now there’s a lovely bunch thanks to someone’s little green thumb. Lola Sandy encouraged her to talk to her plants the other day so she does that now. She says with vigor, “Good morning, plant!”
Come next Monday, when she has to go back to school, she’ll have to carry her morning glory with her on her fifteen-minute group walk to school. I’ll be giving her gardening gloves to wear because she has this thing with ants. 🙂
Today Ken gave me a lucky coin that he said he especially wanted me to have. When I asked him why, he said simply that he thought I needed the luck. So I shrugged, tucking away that interesting nugget of information, and opened my package. The name of the company that produces these “fantasy coins” is Shire Post. What it is, essentially, is they somehow managed to scour the Earth for four-leaf clovers and immortalized them in these neat little coins edged in different metals—Ken chose mine in copper (because arthritis).
It’s funny because at the place where I get my mail packages at my work, there’s a large patch of grass right in front of the building and there’s certain areas where clovers grow. Well, each time I pick up my packages, I always half-heartedly look for four-leaf clovers, and am always sad that I can never find one. But now…I have one! Delivered right to me. I didn’t have to look for luck because it found me instead. Thank you, Ken and thank you, universe, for this wonderful synchronicity. 🙂 🍀
Miyu has been sad for a few months now because back when we bought her bike earlier this year, we discovered later that it was a bit too large for her, despite buying the recommended size for her height, according to the charts in the bicycle shop. So, lately I’ve been thinking about getting her a scooter. A few nights ago she was video chatting with Lola Sandy (my mom) and she saw that my cousin’s daughter, who is 10 years old, was riding on her scooter. I saw Miyu grow curious and that’s when I decided to get her a scooter of her own. I ordered hers from Amazon Japan Friday night and it arrived today shortly before noon. This one got the best reviews and it was decently priced around $40 if I converted the yen. She’s out now with her papa practicing in front of our apartment. I got this shot of her practicing in our hallway before they left. I think a few scuff marks on the hardwood floor is worth her excitement. 🙂
