Thanksgiving Pics!

We traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for Thanksgiving weekend to be with family: Ben, Kat, Mary, Rich and Pat. Lots of food, coctails, brisk walks, and more food. It was a lovely time.

What a bountiful spread on Thanksgiving day! Ben and Kat are wonderful hosts.


Oops! The wine froze!


One evening Nick entertained the family with his fiddle, playing Celtic and traditional tunes.


Isn't this a lovely picture of Pat!?

Brothers.

Schickers.



How unlikely!? At the Madison Botanical Gardens, they have a lovely Thai royal pavillion. The craftsmen who came to build the pavillion flew to Chicago, with all the materials, on the last plane allowed to land on 9/11/01 (just as the authorties were becoming aware of the attacks in DC and NYC). Two days later, in moving ceremonies praying for peace and cooperation, people from Thailand and Wisconsin built the pavillion together.


My mom loved this sculpture of tulip leaves.


I loved these grasses!


We celebrated Rich's 60th birthday at the end of this lovely weekend. He is an amazing father!

Applelicious

Two years ago, I lived in a cute little condo in Northwest Portland. Five apple trees reached from my neighbor's property into our yard. With the help of my lovely roommate Colleen, and my ever-willing canning companion Natasha, we made dozens of muffins, many jars of applesauce, and a lot of pie. In the same month I also picked, froze, and jarred sweet Oregon blackberries, which grow in every untamed yard in the region. I sold jam and preserves to coworkers and church friends, to rave reviews.


Last year autumn came quickly. I didn't manage to do any canning in my tiny Japanese kitchen, but we did enjoy many fresh vegetables. We lived in a farming region of the country (our area famous for onions, carrots, and spinach) and never lacked for beautiful food. I made many quarts of ginger-pumpkin-carrot soup, and decadent cream-of-mushroom soup flavored with imported oregano. With the help of a friend I ordered a box of crisp Aomori apples delivered to my doorstep, direct from the grower, at a reasonable price. In the grocery store Japanese apples cost around two dollars, were huge, and picture-perfect. But I didn't need perfection; just fresh and delicious food!



This year I am in Minnesota, enjoying another beautiful autumn. The Midwest harvest is a little later this year than usual, because of an excess of rain in the springtime. My family's farms will harvest corn and soybeans in a few weeks. Recently I had the joy of picking hundreds of apples and pears from the yard of a friend's home. (Thank you, Anne and Kate!) I spent last weekend peeling, coring, de-worming (ew!), chopping, boiling, baking and freezing. Many thanks to Jennifer and Nick for assistance in the process! I now have plenty of applesauce, apple muffins (100!) , apple pies (2), and buttery apple crisp. Food preserving is exhausting, rewarding, delicious work. I love it.

A Walk in the Woods

Last week Nick and I took a trip up to Collegeville, Minnesota to our university. We still have many more years of student loans to pay off, but despite that I am glad I chose this school. Walking around the campuses of CSB and SJU makes me feel so privileged and blessed to have lived in such a special place. Plus, it's where I met Nick!

Our first stop was the Collegeville Orchard and Petting Zoo. The autumn apples were delicious, and the animals curious!


Next we visited the St. John's Pottery studio to meet Richard Bresnahan, a world-famous potter who studied with a "national living treasure" pottery family in Japan. Richard and his interns were exceptionally gracious and committed to their sustainable, local art.

Next, of course, the Abbey. A remarkable structure that always awes.


As required on every visit to St. John's, we took a walk out to the chapel. The Saint John's University campus is set on the edge of a very large glacial lake, Sagatagan. There is path around the lake that is likened to a pilgrimage where the goal is Stella Maris Chapel. The chapel has been recently updated, and its old glacial stone walls covered in stucco. Stained glass is now in the once-hollow windows. I expected to be saddened by the change, but it looks beautiful and the place still has the same peaceful spirit.



I hoped to do a little swimming once we reached the chapel, but the water was cooooold. Instead I waded and enjoyed the multi-colored granite stones and familiar view. The loons have already migrated but plenty of other curious birds listened in on our conversation. I am so grateful that this was once my home.

Snow!

Good thing they do all that pruning ahead of time. We got our first significant snowfall this week, and they expect more soon.

The big tree you see in this pic WAS a lovely willow, but during winter we'll have to look at its naked trunk. I'm unsure why they bother to bundle the lavendar, as it could grow back on its own next year. But they sure do prioritize these prunings. . .





The pics of the ski slopes were taken from our office window at the Board of Education. I can only anticipate the pain we'll experience, staring wistfully at the slopes while stuck in the office.

Halloween in Japan

Halloween lasted a long time here. Because I am one of the token foreigners, I was expected to host/coordinate/enjoy Halloween parties ALL MONTH LONG. I now feel an expert on the history and traditions of this holiday.

I'll attach some pics of the halloween parties around town (with the kids)


















And some pics that I took, on October 31, of a Japanese graveyard.

Autumn in Hokkaido

What's the weather like, you ask?

Hokkaido is the northern-most of Japan's four main islands. Although the islands are all very near eachother, Hokkaido is on a completely different air stream, direct from Siberia. So while my friends in Honshu are wearing sweaters or light jackets, I wear a wool hat and winter coat every day. All October we've used the heater in evenings and early mornings. I take a nasty but effective Chinese medicine to help my circulation. And wear multiple sweaters.

The autumn colors have been spectacular. We have been graced with shades of gold, crimson, firey orange, brilliant red. . . I took the waterfall pic Oct 7, and the shrine gates on Oct 13. And the next two at the end of October.








And oh!, the mountains ringing our valley are all snow-capped. It is breathtaking and, admittedly, intimidating. I know winter is coming very soon, and for a long time. The first snowfall in town was October 12, but nothing serious yet. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/daily/furano-now.php


The trees in our town have been ruthlessly pruned to their trunks. The bushes are wrapped in winter bindings, so they won't break under the impending snowdrifts. Those on the first floor will put plywood against their windows so the piles of snow don't crash through the glass. People have already put snowtires on their cars (required for all vehicles). All kinds of winter goods are for sale, though we don't know what is necessary: shoe-racks for our snowy boots, extra blankets to lay on the floor, foam sealants for every window/door. . .

Last week the yukimushi (snowbugs) visited Furano. Apparently their arrival means we should expect snow very soon.