I made a warm vegetable soup with minced chicken, ginger, onion, carrot, napa cabbage, and celery. I seasoned it with sake lees, miso, bonito and kelp. For dinner, I’ll add udon noodles and simmer them. (Michiko)
After receiving rehabilitation at an orthopedic clinic, I got off the train and had lunch and some shopping at Yumegaoka Soratos. I love the delicious grilled fish. The comfortable shopping mall also provided me with some moderate exercise. (Michiko)
A Dancing Horse. If I had flexible hip joints, I’d like to learn ballet at a relaxed pace, but if I can’t do that, I’ll just feel like a ballerina. I drew this. (Michiko)
When I tried to write the kanji for “cane” (walking stick), I accidentally wrote “pillow” (pillow). The two kanji are similar. Both my walking stick and my pillow perform the important job of supporting me. Music is an indispensable walking stick and pillow for living a spiritually rich life. (Michiko)
This is my 22nd Yamaha drum lesson at Fujisawa Yurindo. I’m practicing the theme song to the detective drama “Taiyo ni Hoero” starring Yujiro Ishihara. There are lots of fill-in rhythms that emphasize and liven up the song, and it’s making me feel wild! (Michiko)
Possibility. Today I clipped my toenails. My hip joints have become so limited that regular nail clippers no longer reach the nails, so I found and bought this nail clipper a year ago. By switching between using my right and left hands, I’ve found my own way of twisting my body and now I can do it well. When something becomes impossible, it’s fun to find a way to make it work.
Magical Finger Warming. This week has been filled with cold winter days. Even if the room is heated, my fingers tend to get stiff. I’ve written about this before, but here’s my magic trick for times like that: Playing Bach’s English Suite No. 3 Prelude two or three times helps to relieve the stiffness in my fingers. It’s a mini-practice session, but it’s like meditating while thinking about the content of the piece, so I don’t play so much that I get tired. (Michiko)
Layers of beautiful, solemn, maestoso sound. I had a little fun writing the last mini part of Vitali’s Chaconne on a stone. It’s cold outside today and warm inside. (Michiko)