her creation

it's been more than a month 
i've found a parcel when i came 
back from the mountain house

from a friend of mine, dear olga
living far but to me, always 
close in my heart

it was her giveaway present i joined:

as a result i was so so lucky to win these treasures

just a few days before my birthday in june

....so it came to me after flying somewhere

in the air for two months

not only with things she creates, but with
the words and stories she attaches to them
she takes me to her beautiful world, 
poetic, calm, silent, inspiration from nature
that i admire every time

i've been taking some pics these days
like making her world in my room
so here they are

　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　

her baby animal alphabet cards,

tiny twig, dried blueberries in vial,

sky blue beads reminds me of

some wild berries in woods,

and maple leaf for my tote

cornflower floating on copper
like old sepia tone photograph
though it still keep its deep blue
matched to my favorite tiny brown dish

square shaped rock

is like ordered to be cut for me

that i loved so much its

timeless robust beauty,

at the same time it reminds me of

rough sea and the high rock wall

of far ireland or 

tojinbo cliff, coast of the japan sea

and tiny house on a tiny rock island

floating on my summer blue linen skirt,
she's inspired from where she was born
taken me to an imagination of beautiful lake country
or the one tove jansson spent her whole summers

writing 'summer book' which made me smile

when i knew olga also like reading it

and what made me so impressed were:

this mimosa painting card and 

the pendant named

'broken flower'

she's remembered

i wrote some months ago

that i love those things so much, but

the pendant was sold out then

so she has made it for me this time

                  it was nice with my pale pink-gold-silver tone petal storm print cloth!

and let me add this one also

that olga sent me last winter:

fern on brass locket has become

somehow like antique now.

i love it so much to see

and it really nice with

simple sweater or t-shirt, anything

again thank you so much, olga

getting colder and cozy here

i enjoy

reading and watching

you have created

linen repairing

子ども達の夏休みは終わったが
私は、ひとり夏休み気分が抜けきれないでいる。
朝、お弁当をつくって子ども達を送りだすと
ベッドに足を投げ出して読みかけの本をひらく
途中で同じ姿勢に疲れて、ついうたたね。
気がつくと、シーツの上にじぶんの腕があり
上のほうだけがあかるく
肌のきめ、うぶ毛までが  いやにはっきり
白くひかっている



lazy summer days somehow
still going on:
waking up early to make lunch for my girl
after kids leave for school
i sit on my bed
reading my old books
easy to read on
and sometimes having a nap



i knew there was a rip on the linen 
and so that i have to repair to use on
before washing it all over

it's a french antique of late 1800's or early 1900's
hand spun, hand woven, and hand sewn
so that i am willing to repair by my hand.

(blind stitches on the edge of turn-up:

right is the back side and left is the surface, 

how beautifully and neatly it's sewn up!)

my hand is not so neat
but anyway i have to finish it






















it was a pity that i had no white linen thread
so i used cotton one
making thread bridges and move the needle
just like weaving
so it came like this



















this summer i've got two summer dresses
nakedly thin so that they can easily call the wind through
one for lakeside or lazy afternoon
and one for walk.

for them i thought i need a pair of linen shorts:
cutting my old linen pants and tapered off.
it was just in time for my summer vacation.

and here is my son's t-shirt
me and his favorite charcoal one
with tiny holes around neck
that he chewed up like a baby...
yes, he's still our babe
and i don't stop him as he wanna be
just let he is

i didn't want throw it away so
i put a piece of linen; from my pants
and stitched randomly with thick linen thread

けれども繕い物はやまのようにあり、
ひまをみつけて、いや必要にせまられて
あ、 気分がのったら....
すこしずつ片付けてたりしている。

布類はわたしにとっては  たからもので
なかなか捨てられない
たまっていくばかりなのが  困りもの



i always wonder that vegetable 
opens my eyes with its bright colors of seasons

pumpkin baked one
and my simple lunch

なんにも料理しない日の昼食

あ、きれいないろ

harvest

tomato at its peek

it was just before i left to the mountain;
at the beginning of august
so i picked all the red ones and kept them in a jar to refrige
or gave some to the neighbors
and took some to our mountain house

























another day
i dried some for two days to semi-dried
and kept them in olive oil with herbs
it's good with campagne!

now it's over its peek:

it's still hot but wind has changed

cooler at night and less humid

i remember in 'seventeenth summer'

suddenly came autumn that they get frosted in late august, wisconsin

hurried to pick the ripe tomato not to be damaged.

or laura in prairie also hurried to pick the green tomato

not to be frosted, late summer

and to make jam of them with her mom.

there are so many green ones left also but

not get ripe so well any more.

but i still dry the orange ones

so they get sweeter to keep the

taste of summer

８月にはいって、庭のミニトマトは最盛期を迎えました。

ふた株の「アイコ」の苗を植えたのは５月も半ば

今ではちょっとしたジャングル

まわりにバジルの種をまき

一度は芽が出ず、もう一度

それもりっぱにそだってます。

長野に旅立つまえに

熟れた実はぜんぶ摘み取りました

大きなビンに詰めて冷蔵庫へ

（これで乳酸菌がそだち甘くなるのです）

残りはご近所に分けて、長野にももって行きました。

アイコはしっかりしていて水分も少なめ

甘みがぎゅっとつまっているので

ドライトマトにもってこい

生で食べるよりもドライにしたほうが多いくらい。

湿気の少ないカラッと晴れた日なら

二日くらいでセミドライになります。

それを庭のオレガノやバジルとともに

オリーブオイルに漬け込む。

これがカンパーニュにぴったり

子どもも大好き!

もう８月もおわり

まだまだ暑いけれど

空気はカラッと、夜風は涼しい。

遠い昔に読んだ『17歳の夏』という本のなかで

８月のおわり　ウィスコンシンに急に秋がやってきたように霜がふり

いそいで畑に残ったトマトをもいでいた。

あるいは

ローラは大草原の夏のおわり

霜にやられないように　まだ青い実を大急ぎで摘んで

かあさんとジャムにしていた

庭のアイコはまだまだ鈴なり

でもやっぱりもうあまり熟さない。

熟しきるまえに、かたくなったり 虫が喰ったり。

それでもわたしは 　せっせと赤くなりかけた実を摘み

ざるに並べてきょうも干す。