This is one item on my short list of things I wanted to do this year. This is something Yoko-san and I discussed in the spring. We planned a small concert at Cafe Daydream Believer. Now we are talking to hold it autumn or winter, since the long summer season is now over. Yoko-san will play the erhu, and I’ll play the violin. (Michiko, violinist)
A short trip. It’s one of the things on my “to-do list” for this year. I wanted to do this once the pain from my osteoarthritis in my hip eased up. Baba-san and I went on a comfortable day trip by bus in June. We decided to go on another trip this autumn as well, so I made a reservation by phone. (Michiko)
I don’t have a drum set at home. My practice at home until my next lesson consists of mentally visualizing the sheet music and practicing in my head. I also practice “air drumming”—imagining nine drums in front of me and practicing with my drumsticks in the air. I only actually get to play the drums during my 30-minute private lessons, which I have twice a month. So far, I’ve only had 14 actual drumming sessions. It’s stimulating for me! (Michiko)
This is the 14th Yamaha drum lesson at Fujisawa Yurindo. I practiced changing the rhythm with each hand, and also worked on playing the bass drum with my right foot, which requires a lot of movement. In contrast to yesterday, which felt like early autumn, today is again hot and humid, like summer. Maintaining good health by adjusting to the changing rhythms of the weather is quite a challenge. (Michiko)
A pleasant afternoon with Baba-san. Baba-san brought me kobu-cured horse mackerel. Her husband made it. I will enjoy eating it for dinner tonight. As a thank you, I played a piece of piano music on the piano, something suitable for autumn. (Michiko)
I tried expressing my disappointment through Japanese calligraphy. An autumn night… but when I woke up, it was still a summer morning. Yesterday was cool, so I thought autumn had finally arrived. But when I woke up this morning, it was still summer. What a disappointment! (Michiko)
I have four old fountain pens. The two on the right—the blue one and the one with the silver floral pattern—I’ve used since I was in junior high school and university, respectively. The two on the left belonged to my husband. I’m going to take them to the stationery store at Yurindo to see if they can be repaired. If they can be repaired nicely, I’ll post another photo. I haven’t used a fountain pen in decades, but if I can use these again, I think I might enjoy writing with them again (Michiko)
It was my monthly appointment with my Primary Care Physician. Since the waiting time was long, I did some stretching in the waiting room chair. To prevent my hip joints from stiffening, I also did the leg-shaking exercise that the orthopedic surgeon had taught me recently. Thanks to that, I was able to walk briskly to the examination room when my name was called. First, my blood pressure was measured. Usually, the doctor would say, “Good!” But today, it was a little high. The doctor said, “Well, that’s okay,” with a disappointed tone. Me: “While waiting, I did the leg-shaking exercise. Maybe I did too much.” “Next, my weight was measured. I stepped on the scale with confidence. I had lost 2 kilograms in one month. The doctor said, “Oh, you’ve lost 2 kilograms!” I said, “Yay!” and made my triumphant pose. “How many more kilograms should I lose?” I asked. “Well, that’s about right.”, the doctor replied. “Yes, in moderation,” I said. “in moderation,” the doctor echoed. We exchanged a glance as if it were a prearranged signal, and then I left the examination room. After that, feeling relaxed, I had lunch at a soba noodle restaurant. (Michiko)