Earthquake trivia

For once this has nothing to do with my quilting unless I can count it as an interruption.

Some of my blogging friends have asked me about the quake that occurred on Saturday. (it must have made a bit of news elsewhere)

Considering the quake took place about 630 miles south of Tokyo and at a depth of about 678 km, (about as deep as the
pacific tectonic plate reaches), at a magnitude of 8.1 it was felt over the whole of the Japan archipelago.

No tsunami were triggered by such a deep quake and no life-threatening injuries. In Saitama, a woman in her 70s got a head injury when a ceramic plate fell from a cupboard, and in Kawasaki a 56 year old office worker fell and injured his ribs. In Roppongi Hills shopping and business complex, the elevators stopped and about 200 people who were viewing the Star Wars exhibit in the Mori Tower, had to climb down the stairs from the 52nd floor. Of course trains were stopped for some time, causing inconvenience and confusion for travelers who rely heavily on trains.

Paul was in the kitchen when I felt the beginning tremors. "Looks like we are having a quake" ... but he didn't feel anything. It took a bit of time for the shaking to build.
In the Fukuda household, we usually judge the size of a quake by the clock.  Our grandfather clock that stands by the east garden door seemed to be still swinging but my husband came into the room and turned on the main Japanese TV channel to get the rundown. They instantly have a running bit telling the epicenter and magnitude in various parts of the country and tsunami warning if any. If it is a "big" one, they stop the usual broadcast to show reports from various locations and report on train stoppages and the like. Judging from our clock, things were OK. But then again on second glance, the clock had stopped.

Meanwhile, as the news report ran on and on showing videos of shaking buildings and offices downtown, there was a sudden bonging from a second clock hanging high on the north wall.

This old clock had kept stopping during the 2011 quake and aftershocks. Finally, instead of climbing up and re-starting it, we just gave up and left it quiet.

We had a good laugh that the quake that had stopped one clock, had started another. AND, it is still happily going. I shall have to climb up there and set it at the proper time.

So ... does the clock that started cancel out the report from the one that stopped?

Does all the recent activity from volcano eruptions and earthquakes mean the "big one" is coming ... or does it have more to do with the geographic location of Japan and the quiet we experienced leading up to the 2011 event?

Well, just in case, Nikko thinks it is a good idea to sleep under the table.

Celebrating a finish!

All Done!

I finished up the quilting yesterday but it was raining and blowing, so a picture had to wait.

I am not very good at getting the pictures right, especially when it comes to color and focus. I really can't understand 90% of the stuff on the dials and the booklet that came with it is all in Japanese. (and I probably wouldn't understand it in English either).

I began reading and making blocks to go with each story back in February 2013, thanks to a fellow blogger, Starwood Quilter. The quilter's book club ended suddenly in 2014 and, wanting to put those 17 blocks to use, I finally figured out how to arrange them all by setting them on point. The finished size is 63" x 83".

Though they hardly show in this picture, I put a label 

on the back of each block with the title and author of the book

and the name of the block plus any additional information about the choice of blocks or fabrics.

I am really happy to have the quilting done before the heat sets in. Now I will be working on two projects. I need to finish the border on grandson Ben's quilt. I have been collecting purple and lime green fabrics and I think I have enough. I just need to come up with a plan as how to use them in a border.

My other short list project is a small quilted object ... table runner? ... for the rice store lady who has so kindly lent me her floor space on multiple occasions. I drafted a pattern and made templates and began to cut pieces so I would have take-along work ... then promptly lost the templates. I have spent three days looking and probably could have made a few hundred more in that time. I may give up and do that.

Here is my next project ... I got 50 silkworm eggs and they began to hatch two days ago. Now part of the morning walk with Nikko is picking mulberry leaves. These are tiny new leaves so you can imagine how small these little caterpillars are. I have to move them to the fresh leaves with a paintbrush. One thing I like most about these pets is that they stay right there and wait for food. They don't leave the box or get in trouble while I am out. They will go with me to scout camp in a few weeks (where I will have to protect them from ants). 

In showing these to the scouts, they are a good example of what happens when we are removed too far from nature. Because of centuries of relying on humans, they cannot find their own food, even if it is growing all around them. They have no protection from predators ... birds or even ants ... or rain ... 

We love all those modern conveniences ... water from a tap, light from a switch ... food from the market ... even a GPS on our cell phone ... but many kids don't even know what their food looks like growing or what to do when the battery dies. Scouting is a good way to learn skills that may come in handy somewhere down the road.

Add caption

The Easter cactus has finally bloomed but it was so late it has been out-done by all my other cacti,

This little tea-cup baby has flowers I have posted nearly every year but I think this is a record show.

There are flowers and buds all over my cactus world and I am enjoying them among the hanging laundry.

Have a great weekend!

Mine will be way too busy.

Filling in the blanks

I guess I could be quilting the outer sashing by now, but I decided to go back and fill in the areas not covered with the feathers.

It probably isn't needed but I think the extra quilting adds a bit more balance,

The areas next to the border were a bit smaller than those along the sides so I modified the simple pattern to just a wee bit smaller ... template B.
It isn't taking long so maybe I can begin the outer sashing by tomorrow.

I turned the template as needed to fill in the areas that had been left between the feathers.


This busy print does not show the quilting well but I still think having those areas filled is more satisfying.

Last night I had to get up and run through the house shutting windows because a sudden thunder storm came through.

Today I had to go open them all again as it is a lovely sunny day.

Here in this picture, among the pink-headed knotweed, is a flower I found blooming at my last house.
The "lawn" was planted with "dragon's beard", not really a grass but a nice green-all-year ground cover that is popular in Tokyo gardens.

It spreads by roots or rhizomes and never needs cutting. Among that "grass" were a few flowers popping up. The leaves are the same size as the grass though they are bulbs and die back during the winter. There purplish-blue flowers are such pretty half-day wonders and the seeds I brought and planted have multiplied over the years.

BUT, if one wants to enjoy them ... one needs to get out early. By noon they are curling up and by evening they are in a tight knob at the tip of the stem. Those will dry and open like a cup full of tiny black seeds ... not unlike poppies.

Luckily, they don't all bloom at once so each morning different ones appear and we can enjoy them for a few weeks in spring.

I have not found this flower in any of my wildflower books, but even without a name, it is a pretty addition to the plants along the wall.

It seems there will be plenty of seeds to spread and I have a few ideas of where they might look good in the future.

The feathers are flying

Well, here is the pattern I drafted to fill the triangular parts of the border. It doesn't show up very well against the print but I think it will work out OK.

I wonder if I need a small bit of quilting in the open area on the sides.
I rather like quilting feathers because I can use a very long piece of thread and do not have to stop as often. I have two triangles quilted already and am finding the best way to order the sewing so that it goes quickly. Of course,being along the edge makes it a bit easier to handle too.

We live in a "NO MAN'S LAND".

I was communicating with my blogging friend, Cassandra, who has been tidying up her place and getting rid of things and organizing others.

I, too, have been sorting and trying to get rid of stuff that is taking up space and am stuck on three items.

One is the infant seat I picked up at the church's flea market. Another is a dead computer of my husband's that is blocking my cupboard door. And another is a dead printer my husband has piled in front of the computer making it impossible to open the cupboard at all.

I remember back in the stone ages, the first TV that entered our house was something my kid brother picked up on the curb. It had caught fire and was waiting for the trash collectors. He brought it home and restored it and my mother allowed it to stay.

What you see in this picture, sitting in front of my tricycle and Paul's red bike, is an old TV with a note attached. About a month ago, a shopping cart appeared in this area. It was soon followed by the TV. Finally, the apartment owner took the shopping cart to the main street and found a store it might belong to but the TV is altogether another story.

These days, when you buy an electrical appliance in Tokyo, added on to the price is the cost of disposal. This TV, like our old computer and printer were purchased too long ago.
There is a system to pay to dispose of large items.You pay for a ticket to stick on the item and call the gomi place and they will come and pick it up. Of course you cannot set a bed or sofa out on the street so you need to be home when the truck arrives. (and if you live on a street like mine that is too narrow for the truck, you have to lug it to the place the truck waits ... and I have done that with a lounge chair while two big hefty guys stood and watched my struggle).

BUT ... the TV cannot be trashed... even though it was dumped by an unknown person.You can't pay to have it removed. SO ... my husband calls our local Ku office to get the city to remove it. They come out for a look, BUT ... our street is really just an ally and this TV is setting on "private property" because, until this tiny narrow street is turned into a wide street that cars can come down, it is a no-man's-land and doesn't belong to our Ku.

This lane was a dirt path fifty years ago and now it is paved. the street in front of the light pole has curbing and a drainage system but our side of the pole where the TV sits is only a part of "Greater Tokyo" where no one is responsible because it is surrounded by Nerima-Ku.

When we lived in Suginami-Ku, I used to run Nikko to the park along the river every morning. I was often surprised to see piles of trash ... furniture, appliances, bedding, all kinds of junk ... dumped along the edge of the park. (in the dark of night)

I am feeling great sympathy for those dumpers. Just think ... if I am moving house, I would not be there to wait weeks for the paid gomi truck to show up. If I had a job, I wouldn't be able to be there either. And if the stuff was electronic and old, no one would take it. We can't even move that TV to the larger street because the Ku office took a photograph of it sitting in this no-man's land. AND, this may not be the end because someone has figured out a place to dump their un-wanted stuff, Maybe the shopping cart was the first test.

Now, if I could take a saw and cut the unwanted stuff into smaller pieces, I might be able to slip it little-by-little into the un-burnable trash that is collected once a month... maybe hide it in a broken flowerpot ... I really would like to get my clean tablecloth out of the cupboard and change the runner on my coffee table (that has been there since Christmas)!!

Blocks all quilted

All the blocks for my quilter's book club quilt are quilted and the labels are on the back of each block with the name of the book, the author, and the block plus any other information.

I finished off a spool of thread.

750 yards ...at 36 inches per yard and around six stitches to the inch, I figure that is around 162,000 stitches.

I had to stop at the local button shop and buy another spool of thread.

Now the time has come to figure out a quilt pattern for the green border triangles.

I am tending toward a feather design. 

Someone suggested quilting on the flower print but looking it over it would be hard to figure out what part of that busy print to feature.

If I can find a section of design on the pickle fabric I might be able to make it into an enlarged quilt pattern. But that might be just a lot too busy and wouldn't show up enough on the print to make it worth my while. Well, I have to put some quilting in that area so may as well get started.

These beautiful flowers came from Norie and Leia for Mother's day.

Those pretty little blue flowers seem so happy in a symphony of pink.

On days like this I wish I had a lovely tokonoma to display them in.

Yesterday I went off to a quilt show at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi. No pictures were allowed but it was a very inspiring show.

I had received some free tickets but had no friends to go with.

As it happened, while I was trying to figure out how to get from the train station a ways off, I met another older woman doing the same ... both of us having taken advantage of the "senior pass" that brought us to a less convenient station.

As we walked and talked and found our way, I asked her if she planned to attend the show. Yes, later she was going to meet a friend and go together. I was so happy the extra free tickets would not go to waste.  I am pleased to say I walked through the area of shops around the show area and resisted buying anything.

I already have enough fabric to last several lifetimes, I'm sure.

Digital challenges = quilting time

The inner border is now quilted. I only chose a simple pattern I had made into a template about thirty years ago. It was just the right size for a two-inch sashing. I had cut it out of light plastic and glued sandpaper to the back, making it easy to trace around last week when I had floor space.


I decided to work on the blocks in the order that I had made them. This block is "Prairie Queen", made for the Persian Pickle Club.

I cut a small pickle design to trace for the inner area and put question marks into the corner triangles. (the story ends with a question remaining).

A Single Thread was the quilt idea I used to tie the area around the spools together and fill the larger spaces.

It is also the name of the book.

The only large spaces were inside the dark area on this "Garden Path" block.

I quilted in a small flower with leaves but I think that was really too detailed a design to do in such a small space and probably wasn't needed,

This is the block for The Quilter's Apprentice.

 I decided to make a small label for the back side of each block with the name of the book, author and anything else I might want to remember.

I found a light floral print in my stash that might look better than plain muslin.
The only possible problem is that I only have enough for 16 labels and there are 17 book blocks.

I'm sure by the time I get to the last book I will come up with a plan.
I had been dreading the next down-load from my camera, as the last one down-loaded all the pictures stored on the chip.  Well, I decided to try anyway ... at least I would know what to expect in the future.  Sorry to say, the computer did not recognize all the thousands of pictures it had put into the file last time and I had to wait while the computer made a whole new file just to get these four pictures.

Of course it took a lot of time ... but during that time I finished the block for Alice's Tulips. It didn't need any additional quilting as there were no large empty spaces but I appliqued a ladybug over a small cut on one of tulips and added the label to the back. I also deleted all the duplicate files in my pictures ... since it doesn't seem to matter to the computer whether I have them or not. Maybe I need to get another chip to use in my camera when I plan to delete them anyway... or maybe the computer will go back to it's former pattern of selecting only new pictures ???? Who knows? Not me!

Problem solved ... kinda maybe

After a frustrating week, I was beginning to think I would never be able to post new pictures again. Oh, there were new pictures in my camera, alright.

BUT ... the system I had been using to download them to the computer had disappeared ... or hiding ... or gone into stealth mode.

Even the sign-in when I opened the computer had changed. THEN ...
about Sunday, when I opened my laptop, I got the sign-in format I had been expecting ... well ... once, but before I could get my camera and see if the download function had reappeared, I had to shut the laptop and go somewhere. When I returned ... the earlier format welcomed the opening.

Well. there still might be hope ... so I decided to see just how long the hold-out might happen. Oh, a couple of times I did get the format I was looking for but it was a part-time thing.

 Well, I had other things to do ...


Camping with the Cub Scouts, for example...

I had the fun of leading the nature hike.
We did an alphabet scavenger hunt (6 one-hour hikes) and two groups managed to find a full alphabet in creative ways. The items had to be in nature and able to see or hear and identify.

Usually on these events I do the crafts but the projects (which you can see in the hands of the boys) was "Light Sabers" which quickly turned into weaponry. With a light stick inserted, they could even  whack each other in the dark of night. No thanks, I'll go with nature study or nature crafts. Nikko said she could do without the whacking too, even if she was not the whackee.

Friday, the new Friday group met at a home with a huge (to me) open space of wood flooring. I was so happy to lay out my quilt, which was now quilted in the ditch on all the blocks, and mark the sashing for quilting.

Now the quilting is more than half done in the sashing. See what can happen when I am avoiding my laptop? Once I get that done. I will think about what I want to do in the larger areas. (Well, I am thinking now but haven't made any decisions).


I think it was Tanya who suggested I just turn off the computer and leave it a while. I don't know if that did the trick but...
Finally, yesterday the old format returned on a regular basis so I decided that if it was still that way today, I would try the camera download.

Well, what I got was not exactly what I expected.

(That is the "kinda maybe" part)
Usually the computer recognizes those shots that have already been downloaded ... but this time it re-downloaded EVERYTHING in the camera.
I really don't need a thousand duplicates taking up storage space ... and I sure don't need to thumb through all those tiny pictures looking for what I want ... but hey, at least I can add them to a post.

So, now you can see my big Orchid cactus flower as the pot sits on my stair steps. I'm glad I didn't miss all three flowers as they open at night and only last two days.

My marked quilt is on the big floor (with no dog hair) and yesterday Norie, Hiro, and Leia stopped by to celebrate their anniversary and borrow my van for a trip. I hope they go safely and have fun. This is "Golden Week" and the traffic is bound to be awful. The flowers on the bureau were a gift from the rice store lady. I just had to admire her beautiful garden while I was using her room for basting, and knowing how much I love the flowers, she has brought me several donations.

This little iris-like flower was also a gift.

She thought I might like to plant it in the weed lot I am taking care of, but I would feel so bad if someone was to break off the flowers the way the tulips were destroyed.

I divided them into two pots and will see where they do well by moving them around the garden.

Today this friend came again with two more of my favorite plants ... lily of the valley and something called "shiran" in Japanese. It is kind of a wild orchid. Those will soon find their way into my shady garden plot.
I am sure she didn't find it easy pulling out these tuberous roots but I feel so blessed to have such a friend who knows how much I love those flowers and shares hers with me.

The time has come to make a quilted object for her. One more thing to think about while I sew.

Computer blues

Interesting things are happening daily and progress has been made on my projects ... that  is the good part.
The frustrating part is something going on with my laptop. It is always stuff that happens while I am not looking and without my even knowing.

Mister Google and Mister Windows (I'm sure those are men-types because women usually ask before they mess with other people's lives) Well, they go and make CHANGES!
I never know what I am going to find when I open the lid of my laptop.

I suspected something was up when I opened the lid and went to log in. A few months ago while I was sleeping, changes were made to the screen I see when I lift the lid. Suddenly there was a printed keyboard and a cursor to move across the screen. Well, in a way it was handy because I could log in in the dark without turning on a light to see the keyboard.

There were a bunch of issues I was not overly happy with because my screen became a touch screen suddenly and I spent a frustrating week and a long hour or so on the phone with my son in DC, solving the cursor issue.
Meanwhile, Mr. Google keeps messing with my blog settings and even a temporary fix of the no-reply setting has gone back to no-reply. ... and that is still a problem I can't seem to handle ... it is even more strange because I m no-reply to some blogs and not others. Maybe it is a fight between Mr. Google and Mr. Bloglovin. Certainly I was never asked my desires.

Now the problem has changed while I was out camping with the boys. (Maybe Mr.Windows is jealous of time spent with other male types?) Well, when I returned to download my pictures ... NOTHING WORKS! I opened the laptop and, to me surprise, the log-in had changed back to the original style.  Oh boy, something was up but I could go with that. Then ...  plugged in my camera and usually it is a simple thing ... the computer pops up an icon and when I click that, I get a list of cameras to pick from and a choice ...one of which is to download the latest pictures.

Nope! That icon is gone. It can't be located anywhere I can find. SO....I guess until I can find a guru or Mr. Windows makes the next change,  will not have any new pictures to share.

So I report... My cactus has bloomed gloriously. (But my husband broke two antique candle holders taking pictures of it.) That'll teach me not to bring my pretty plants down to the bureau.
My quilt is all quilted in the ditch except the outside sashing which I will hold off until the triangle areas are done. Now I am looking for ideas to use in the larger spaces on the blocks and the sashing.
I may go back to each book and see if the story suggests ideas.

Meanwhile ... I am wondering what other frustrations this computer will add to my days.
None of my friends my age have computers. I guess if you have managed around 80 years without them, you may not think they are going to add any more to your life.
While my kids were in school, the computer program was added and I was the one in the family to insist we move with the times rather than be left behind. I'm glad they all graduated before computers were required ... a certain type that connected to the school and had to be carried back and forth.(no more homework to be eaten by the dog) I wonder who solves the problems for the kids. Maybe that is why they all need to have a particular type of computer so everyone's changes hit at the same time and the school guru knows how to fix everything.

Oh well, this is enough to dump on my blogging friends without pictures. Having a computer was my choice. Little did I know how much of my quilting time might be taken up trying to figure stuff out!

I almost missed it!

I often get distracted and miss things.

Already this month, I missed the day the vet comes to a local park and you can take your dog for her yearly shot and get new tags for the year for her to wear.
There are other shot opportunities in other parks but not as close to home ... and I can't read where to go.

Well, I have been distracted up in my little greenhouse by this orchid cactus. Last year was the first time it bloomed and this year I have been excited watching these buds get bigger and bigger by the day... kind of hoping it will not decide to open on  a day I am camping with the scouts....

Well, Yesterday the wash had to be done and hung in the greenhouse. Among all the stuff arranged on the bar and clippies, I noticed one of my "regulars" blooming quietly on the step-tansu.

Six lovely flowers ... and I had been so busy watching the big one, I hadn't even noticed this one had buds!

Then I started checking around the room and saw buds forming on a number of plants.

They are not in their usual order of blooming.

The Easter cactus has not even begun to set buds.

The two spiny ones that are always first to bloom are still thinking things over.

My little tea-cup cactus has lots of flower spikes and it is about on time ... but I had moved it to a different location where it gets a bit less sun than other years.



Once the laundry is hung, you really can't see much of the plants...

but today the sun was out and it looked like the day was going to warm up.

The stuff hanging from yesterday was still damp so I opened the windows to the south so it wouldn't get too hot and to let in some fresh air.

And there, sitting at the corner of my roof, just inside the railing, an orchid in full bloom.

There are plenty of buds yet to open and I am thinking I really should bring this downstairs and set it where we can enjoy it.
Of course, the roof is the only place that gets sun so it might not be too happy on my table.

If you want something that thrives on neglect ... this is it!

I can't even squeeze out into this space to pull out the weeds.
It gets water when it rains.
It gets snow in winter and plenty of heat in summer.

And quilting can't be done on the train rides but after finishing the basting on Monday, I started with the center block and have managed to put the in-the-ditch quilting in four blocks.

My plan is to go back and add quilting in the sashing and larger areas.

I still have not picked a pattern

The batting is thinsulate #60 and really doesn't need a lot of close quilting to hold it in place.

I guess I have plenty of time to figure out what I am going to do in the larger spaces and those big green triangles joining the blocks together. I may go back and re-visit the books for additional ideas.

Let the quilting begin!

After laying out all the border options on the floor of the fellowship hall on Sunday, I decided those colorful scraps were more of a distraction than an addition. I stopped at Yuzawaya on the way home and purchased a very small amount of blue to complete the border.

As it turned out, I could buy the fabric in 10 cm. sections so 30 cm. was more than enough and a 20% coupon made it even cheaper. (actually I paid more for two batteries for my flashlight at the next stop).

I don't know why the picture turns out so washed out but the results are satisfying enough.

Today I borrowed the tatami room of my friend at the rice store and basted everything together. Because of the generosity of another friend, I had enough muslin to make a backing. (She was responsible for the green fabric as well). I think this is the first time for me to make a quilt with a light solid fabric backing, I usually select a small print to hide my uneven stitching. Does that mean I have to do a better job of quilting? Anyway, I am all fired up and ready to get started. It is raining and blowing outside so this will be the perfect day to sit in my chair and stitch away.

Almost there

I decided to go with the green.

The blue was just too overpowering and the green contains the same blues, browns, and reds that are in the feature pickle fabric.

Now all the triangles are in place and I like the effect.

Next will be the decision on the border. I am thinking maybe a strip of the light blue with a few insets of other fabrics from the main quilt.

I am planning for a single bed size so I don't want it to go much larger.
I am thinking of two inches all around will be just about right.  have only a small amount of the blue left ... not enough to go all the way around. I have varying amounts of the other fabrics ... browns, tans, reds, etc to make it around. If I wanted all blue, I would have to buy more which is not really my plan.

The picture taken on the park fence looks a bit dull in the early morning sun, but one can get an idea of where we stand as of now.

Blue border?
That might cost a bit but it would be faster and easier to sew.

Pieced border?
It would take more time ... but time is not really the issue...
It would use up more of my scraps.
It might be complicated to arrange the blues and other fabrics so they are balanced... but I do like the prospect of using up stash ... and some of these fabrics that appear only once might like to have a friend in the border.

I could always finish it with light blue binding.

I love to get advice ... even if I can't follow it all.

Now that the rain has taken a breal, we are seeing red.


The Photinia is a favorite hedge, This is along a fence surrounding a large apartment building.
It gives a lot of privacy and lets in the air.

The shrubs at the bottom come out green and by the time the Photinia turns green, those plants will be a bright red.

The Japanese maples are all coming out flaming red.

I don't know if they are brighter in the spring or the fall ... but I think spring wins.

Even the scrubby azaleas outside the station entrance are getting into the act.

Maybe that border wants some red too?

Decisions, decisions, always decisions!

After auditioning all the material I had enough of, I found all the darker fabrics didn't work against the blocks with dark fabric along the edges.

I decided to go with a medium light blue.
It does pick up the blues used in a few blocks.

All blue seemed a bit too much, so I dug out a scrap of flower print I had used in a number of the blocks, to use as corner stones.
I thought of fussy-cutting the print to put the sunflowers in the center but there just wasn't enough of that fabric.

Now I am beginning to join the blocks nd thinking about the empty triangles.

As I do not want to spend money on more fabric, I went through my stash of pieces large enough to do the job.

My original idea was using the blue batik flowers. I have plenty of that ... actually enough for using in a whole quilt at some future date.
I like the combination of blue and brown ...
actually my favorite combination ... but when I laid it out, the blue seems to over-power the browns.

Then I tried another batik in browns.
This has a lot of the same colors and a dyed border with green leaves.
Hmmm. Not sure I like the effect,

Last but not least, I found this piece of dark green.

The amount is just enough.

It contains the same pickle-type flowers in colors found in the blocks.

It brings out the greens in a few of the blocks.

It doesn't hide the cornerstones.

As I dug through my stash,it was sitting off to the side and seemed to keep saying, "Try me, try me".  Now that I have auditioned it, I am leaning toward using it. I don't have enough blue left for a border sashing but I might be able to piece something that would work.

I often think of quilters who follow patterns or even buy kits ... hardly making any decisions of their own. How is it that everything I do seems to call for decisions at every twst of the spool????

Surviving the rain ... what do you do?

Yesterday, a record was set for rain in April, and it is still falling and expected to get worse as the day goes on.

Friday evening was my cub scout pack meeting. I furnished newspaper, tape, staples, and scissors.

The challenge was for each den to construct a costume for a fashion show.

The Bear den, nearest the flag, made a neat tidy outfit, even including a necktie and shoes The Tiger in the middle went the samurai route and even wears a sword. The Wolves went overboard and made two outfits, on the right ... while the Webelo standing next to the neat and tidy Bear, looks very scrappy.
Anyway, a great time was had and we ran out of time for the rest of the plan which was to dress their leader.

Saturday was a Boy Scout camp out and pig roast.

The pig went under the charcoal in the morning and the rain stopped after lunch in time for the nature walk/hike.

The goal was a five mile hike to meet one requirement and identifying ten native plants and animals.

The plants could have been done in the first 20 paces but finding ten wild animals while hiking on well used trails was a bigger challenge. (especially with a group of  talking boys). Therefore, I went along on the hike, taught them to listen and identify birds by their calls, and where to look to see them.  Of course, by the time we returned to camp, we had covered about 7 miles ... as recorded by one leader's gizmo.

The rain started up again upon our return and after dinner and the following ceremonies, I headed back home. Hail was bouncing off my windshield for the first 45 minutes of the drive and I was thankful for choir duty calling me home. The hail turned to rain upon my turn off the main road and when I came out of the last tunnel leading to home, the streets were dry! I haven't heard what the weather at camp was that night but the sun came out for a few hours in the morning on Sunday.

Sunday evening we got together to celebrate two April birthdays, My Sister-in-law turned 89 on the 7th of April and husband, Paul, turns 78 the 14th (today).

It was an interesting meal with buckwheat crapes wrapped around a variety of fillings.

I can't say it was my favorite meal but then, I was still tired from Saturday's hike.

The rain held off until just as we returned from Monday rice patrol.

I wanted to work on my book club quilt and began searching through my stash for a particular fabric I wanted to use in the sashing.

I do not want to buy any more fabric but that means I will have to find both something that works and I have enough of.

None of my dark fabrics worked against the variety of blocks so I found a medium blue, thinking of adding cornerstones. But where have I hidden that fabric I have in mind?

Meanwhile in my search, I found some camera print and decided it was time to put together another "follower's" block.  This one represents a blogger who always puts a smile on my face. JoAnn at Scene Through My Eyes is a genius with a camera. Flower mosaics and birds in motion,  barns, dolls, party table settings ... no lovely scene escapes her camera.

I was not completely happy with the background color but the camera print was asking to be used. I am now awaiting some more snowflakes of the paper kind. There is enough stuff falling from the sky today. We may have to go to "plan B " for the birthday celebration. Meanwhile, back to the fabric hunt. (I knew exactly where it was until the family visit so it shouldn't be buried all that deep)!

Nikko's bed

Poor Nikko suffers from "separation anxiety".

Many nights papa stays up half the night. while Nikko comes up after her evening walk, to sleep on her bed outside his door.

Some mornings I have to go out early and Nikko is left on her own, waiting for papa to get up. The longer she waits, the more anxiety builds and she chews on whatever is there.

I have asked papa not to let her on his bed because she has chewed up several quilts and made holes in two down comforters ... causing a storm of feathers.

By now, her bed is pretty well chewed up.

When Leia made a tied cover using some donated fleece, I saved the corners and wondered what they might be used for.

Well, I can't say fleece is my favorite thing to sew, but it came in handy to make a new mat for Nikko's bed.

(She likes cats so the print works fine) I thought I might use yarn in a blanket stitch around the edge but that fleece wouldn't take the thick needle with doubled yarn through the eye.

It is probably just as well I didn't spend too much time and energy on this one ... I wonder how long it will be before it too is chewed up.
Anyway, it will be covered completely in white fur, I'm certain, knowing how fleece attracts hair.

This morning's walk brought a disappointing scene.

The five tulips I planted along the edge of the weed lot I have been tending have been slow at coming up. I didn't expect progress with yesterday's freezing weather ...

but I didn't expect what I saw this morning. All five had been broken off at the ground and tossed down along with the flower from the grape hyacinth. I am wondering what pleasure someone got from doing that.

When we lived in the Suginami house we had a regular plant vandal who broke off all our flowers as they were about to open, but the neighbors here have been happy to see the improvements in the lot. I am feeling very sorry for someone who gets pleasure in destroying flowers.

Spring rain

Actually, spring seems to be having second thoughts. Though the cherries have bloomed and it was looking as if spring was well on its way, March seems to have returned for another blast.

Last week the air was filled with cherry petals. They drifted like pink snow along our street even though the nearest trees are over a block away.

Over the weekend the petals began coming from the camellias in the garden to our north... a bit larger and darker but easier to sweep up.

Now the stuff falling from the sky is cold rain. From a warm day yesterday it is getting colder by the hour. Tomorrow it is predicted to drop to 5 degrees centigrade. Guess I won't pack up my winter clothes yet.

Several of my friends have blogged pictures of their lovely grape hyacinths. All of them had large flower heads and stand-up leaves. I don't know why the difference but these are the ones that come up in my garden planters. They are very hardy volunteers but those leaves are so stringy.

Last week was a very frustrating and challenging week for me. My little laptop is a Dell,Inspiron duo. I had had a Dell before and chose this one mostly because it is small and light and my son could get it for me in the States. It is sold in Tokyo but the entry language is all Japanese. The shops that handle the Japanese version won't even look at any problems I may be having.

Well, what I might have pushed accidentally ... or Nikko might have pushed while putting her nose in my lap ,,, I have no idea, but my system went to a touch screen only... no cursor... and all the writing so close together that trying to touch anything to make fixes was an exercise in frustration. Finally, on Friday, my son called from DC and very patiently talked me through a fix. It must have taken over an hour on the phone because many times it took countless trial and error to bring up the selections and then touch the proper place on the screen. Oh, how happy I was to get my cursor back!

I am still having one frustrating problem in regard to blogging. Three of my regular blogging friends have told me I am appearing as a no reply blogger. I do not know why it is on some blogs and not on others. I thought it might have something to do with the switch to google plus. I tried turning off the google plus but that didn't seem to work ... or it turned itself back on. I tried adding my yahoo e-mail address to the juliefukudasenior google address but that doesn't seem to have helped either. On my post page there is no place I can find to access or change my profile so I am completely stymied.

I keep telling myself that most people my age don't even have a computer, let alone a blog, so be patient and hope an answer will come. Meanwhile, I thank my friends for kindly letting me know. If it is a fight between google plus and yahoo or bloglovin, I wish they would stop fixing things that weren't broke to begin with.

While waiting for more snowflakes to be added to the Christmas tree skirt, I thought I would
take advantage of the bedding being moved off the loft bed to lay out the blocks for the book club books. Hard to get much of a picture under the eves.

As it happened, the posts ended with the 17th book. I miss those book club posts and had been enjoying the discussion and suggestions of books to read. I also miss the Starwood Quilter posts.
I hope some day Susan will return to the blogging world.

Living in Tokyo, it is not unusual to have friends come and go, but when friends on line leave the blogging world, one tends to worry about what may be happening in their lives and hope the reasons are good ones.

Well, I think putting the blocks on point might work best.

I want to add sashing and wonder what color to use.

I am thinking of adding triangles in the border spaces. Solid? Print? Pieced? Solid with applique? I am Completely open to suggestions.

All the blocks contain one piece of a dark paisley fabric containing  dark red ,brown, dark green, navy, and outlines in black and white.

The piece remaining is about 15 x 13 inches in size. I chose to use it because the first book we read was the Persian Pickle Club and I thought I would have enough to put a little bit into each block.

It is very old and though I looked in several shops I couldn't find any paisley in similar colors.

There is probably enough to include somehow in the triangular pieces.
I think the colors in this picture are pretty close to the fabric.


A few pieces use the light blue so that might work for the sashing. Only a few blocks contain yellow so I might want to use some of that somewhere in the triangles. Then the whole thing will need a border. The blocks will finish at 12 inches so If I add 2 inch sashing and maybe a two inch border, the quilt should finish off at a single bed size.

I really need to move on with this project while I am waiting to find the perfect purple and lime green print for the border of my grandson's quilt and get snowflakes in the mail.... lest these WIPs begin to feel like UFOs. Thanks for any ideas you may offer.

Tomorrow will be rain again, so a good day to do some cutting and sewing.

This last picture is of some volunteers that I moved into a pot outside my door.

I have no idea what they are or where they came from. They are slightly tinted with a pale blue and only three or so inches high. The leaves were out all winter ... in fact, the pot never was completely without leaves. I was expecting something else with red flowers. I have another plant that looks and behaves the same (flowers closing at night) but it is in the border and grows about a foot high. The flowers come from little bulbs. Anyway, they look happy here greeting those who come to my door. Now they are greeting you.