Survived the week ... just barely

Well, looks like there will be no pictures. Three cameras and all three have died ... and it is not the battery this time. So, sometime this week, I will have to go into town and find a place that fixes cameras. (Or maybe a guru to teach me how to find the pictures I send from my cell phone to a place where I can access them.

Five days of Vacation Bible School came out OK in the end. The typhoon passing through brought two slightly cooler days with it. Of course it brought more moisture as well. The plants seem to be happy but the added humidity made each trip outside feel like stepping into a blest furnace.

I managed to sew five rows of blocks together and join those five rows. (That was by Friday) and I hurried home to get everything needed for the scout hike on Saturday. As it turned out, because of Saturday being a holiday, only one scout could come with his mother. It was drippingly hot but we could concentrate on the advancement requirements the scout needed and made good use of the day.

There were workers in the pond, fishing out all the tiny fish with nets and dividing them into buckets by variety. Aparently, from talking with them, we learned this is a year round activity. They count them, record data, and then put them back. Years ago, the pond was over-run with invasive species. There were American Perch and Bass, as well as turtles, that had most likely been kept as pets, and then thrown into the pond when the owners got tired of keeping them. Those had taken over and diminished the native critters.

The pond was completely drained and native species were rescued, At that time I heard there were something like 38 bicycles found discarded in the pond. As the scout requirements involve ecological issues, we were glad to see that the pond had been given sincere attention.
We watched baby grebes diving for food, spot-billed ducks, and Black-crowned night heron, as well as Japanese turtles. My scout had excellent observation skills and so I saw even more than I might have alone. We walked around the springs that lead into the pond in the west, along both sides, and down to where the pond runs into the Kanda river at its eastern end.

Hot and dripping, I returned home to make a run for dog food. Usually Nikko goes with me but it was just too hot to risk taking her that far. I was glad to get home, have dinner, and a nice long shower.

This morning I began to look for my remaining two rows of blocks for the train ride in to church. All I can find is the remaining lower half. I had to give up or be late and now that I have had more time for a through look, they are nowhere to be found. I know they were not left on the train because it is my habit to check for pins or anything left behind. I have certainly enough fabric to make two more rows, but I have the feeling if I do that, they will then show up and there will be no way to use that many more. The giant spoon is always swooping out of the sky and stirring up my things and it still may be right under my nose ... but for now, I have given up. I will sew the second half together and then see what happens.

Tomorrow, August 12th is "International Left-Handers Day". Today's newspaper had an interesting article taking up a whole page on how Lefties are pushing back against Japan's "righteous" spin. There was an interesting survey of those who were forced in both Japan and overseas to do certain things like eating and writing with their right hand and the percentage of those who resisted.

I think these days in the states, the pressure has let up a lot, but as one who was beaten by the teachers all through school from the first day and even in HS Home Ec. classes be made to sew from right to left and stir in cooking class using my right hand ... well the teacher snatched the batter from me with a string of abusive words.

So, Monday I hope all my friends (and children) in their right minds will find joy celebrating the difference, and all those out there who think they are always right, will try using a can-opener with their left hand.