Wednesday In Japan.....

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan

Family is back in Japan, I'm happy they all made it home safe but......

Tucson home is very quiet and Watson is missing Mia, his cohort in adventures.

If you haven't figured out by now reading my blog, I love spices.

Besides my new love I wrote about last Friday Yuzu-kosho, I adore this small bottle (5 inches) of fabulous heaven, Yuzu-Koshou sauce.

It is like the Green Tabasco sauce we have in America (notice the similar label) but mixed with Yuzu citrus and vinegar. It is so good that I could drink it straight from the bottle.

It only is made once a year in Japan and when it appears in the shops it is sold out in an hour.

Japanese son was able to buy several bottles for family and friends and I was sent one.

Thank You sleepytako !

lucky. . . parsnip

music. . . The Letter, The Box Tops

parley view parsnip

My Monday post about what is going on around my home.

The Tucson Botanical Gardens

Saturday we visited this most beautiful garden in what was the home and gardens of Mrs. Bernice Porter.

Although the day was really to hot to walk around in the heat, we were so excited to walk around the grounds and view the wonderful use of shade tree, native plants, inventive use of water conservation and how to use plants and trees to cool your home before air conditioners.

Fountain and wonderful sign for the herb garden

The cactus garden ramada

Beautiful Golden Barrel cactus

Sign at entry way to the cactus garden

One of the many benches in the much need shade

Another fabulous bench

Mosaic wall

Still learning how to use picasa.... Yikes !

incendiary. . . parsnip

music. . . Burning In The Sun, Blue Merle

Fabulous Friday....

Some of the fabulous food gifts Japanese family brought. They know the way to my heart besides bringing themselves and the lovely Mia.

But Oh My Goodness the food.

Udon, ramen, flavored crackers/chips, sauces, cookies all my favorites and some new ones that are pictured here !

The three small bottles on the left are special handmade salad dressings, bowl filled with crackers, the fantastic green topped bottle filled with a ponzu sauce made from a special sudachi lime, and yellow and green yuzu and the gorgeous green bottle is a Sudachi dressing.

But my new addiction/craving is the very small rather plain orange labeled jar in front.

Yuzu-kosho !

It is made from Yuzu citrus peel, Tokarashi a Japanese spicy pepper and salt. It is all mush together into a green paste.

You use it like a condiment a little goes a long way much like wasabi

Use it in udon, sauces next to veggies and potatoes, mix with ponzu sauce for a dipping sauce, perfect on chicken and fish.... I am in love. Step aside wasabi I still love you but. . . there is a new spice in town.

Update....

DIL is better and enjoying the last three days of their vacation.

Hamish's operation was a success and is now home.

New roof repairs held during last night rain.

To all my special blogging friends on the East Coast, stay safe and keep well I am thinking of you all.

I have lived through a raging wildfire and never had the warning you all have. We drove out from my home with the fire raining down on us. Escaping with our lives and nothing else. So please be safe and take care.

eating. . . parsnip

music. . . Daydream, Tatsu Yamahita

Wednesday in Japan....

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan.

For two weeks Japanese Family is visiting Tucson, Arizona, so for a special lunch daughter, mollybot made Bento Lunches for us all. In Japan these lunches made for children and adults can go from the very simple to extremely involved.

Today mollybot made The Sonoran Desert bentos for us.
In the first photo you can see my box filled with a rice Quail standing next to a spinach Cactus, the sky is potato salad and the ground is tofu sand with homemade carrot and sesame rice seasons rocks.
Second photo is Inari, tofu skins, filled with rice and two different seasonings.
Daughter is a Vegetarian and very clever with what foods she can use and her spices.

This lunch was fabulous and super cute !

happy. . . parsnip
music. . . Theme from Rawhide, The Blues Brothers

This is my first post using Picasa so here goes...... yea hawwwwwww

parley view parsnip

parley view parsnip, a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Monday post about what is going on around my home.

Partners in crime ! Mia and Watson

Sunday,
Japanese family landed at LAX

Tuesday,
Drove to Tucson with daughter and a moving truck. She is moving to
Tucson.
Arrived very late that night.

Wednesday,
Daughter, drove to new apartment, unloaded truck.

Thursday,
At 3 AM DIL rushed to Hospital.
Now recovering at home but still ill.
Storm of all storms stalled right over my home, new roof destroyed
over the guest-room bath and entry way !

Friday,
Had to rush Hamish to vet, diabetes and bladder problems worsened.
Roof emergency repair started

Saturday,
Calm,
Used the new Grill for the first time, had lovely dinner

Sunday,
Lazy pool day. More grilling.

Monday
Hamish who spent the weekend at the vets is in surgery today.
Inside room repairs to start so hopefully guest bath is usable again.

The good part
Great family...... everyone jumped in to help.
and
I get to help with a darling granddaughter who is a real joy.
She has never seen the Totoro movie so I was very happy to help out
with that.

The best part Watson is so enamored with her. He has become a mother
hen, is always near her and we have to physically remove him from the
bedroom, so he sleeps outside her door. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ! We
let him stay now.
They are partners in adventures. Too bad they can't be together so he
can help her grow up.

happy. . . parsnip
music. . . Gimme Some Loving, The Blues Brothers

Wednesday in Japan.....

Wednesday in Japan....., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan.

Today's post is about Japan by way of Tucson, Arizona.

Japanese family is visiting Tucson for a few weeks of fun, sun,
clouds, rainstorms, pool, hot tub, outdoor shower and our favorite
past time many trips to Target !
The best part is daughter and son is in Tucson too. The whole family
is here !
All of us being in one place at the same time is something we are not
always able to do living so far apart.

Let the fun commence !

playing. . . parsnip
music. . . Gimme Some Loving, Spencer Davis Group

p.s..... I am having trouble logging into everyones blog. Hopefully
this problem will be cleared up soon....

parley view parsnip....

parley view parsnip...., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Monday post about what is going on around my home...

This post is for Kirk, who mentioned in a comment, he didn't know that
Arizona could be so green.

I have mentioned may times how green the Sonoran Desert is.
Maybe not the lush green of where many of you live but for a desert
this is a very green one.
Thanks to my favorite tree the Palo Verde, plus the Mesquite,
Ironwood, Arizona Cypress, Arroyo Willow, Arizona White Oak, Sycamore,
Mountain Laurel and in the higher elevations all the Pines, Spruces
and Oaks, add in all the cactus and sage we are not so windswept arid.

Were I live in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains the houses were
built with minimum tree removable, they are hidden among the trees. No
one fences in all their property so we have a very rural feel to this
whole area. Plus no sidewalks and street lamps.
I am so lucky to be able to live in this most beautiful place!

On 5 August I wrote about my new outdoor shower that faces South,
here is the view when you turn around and face North.
Not all of Arizona is so green but even in the more arid areas, with
all our native plants they are amazingly green and not quite the Sahara.

leafy. . . parsnip
music. . . Open Your Eyes, Snow Patrol

fabulous friday or my life in the desert.....

fabulous friday or my life in the desert....., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

A Monday sunset......
Isn't everyday life grand ? and why don't we take the time ?

watching. . . parsnip
music. . . Sweet Home Chicago, The Blues Brothers

... what can I say I am a sucker for Aykroyd and Belushi
and I love this movie, makes me smile, sing and laugh every time I
watch it.

Wednesday In Japan...

Wednesday In Japan..., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan. . .

A quick early morning breakfast bought at the local quick mart before
taking off on a day of sightseeing.

Since it was summer. . .
The best iced coffee ever !
A rice ball (triangle), pull the top red tab down, pull tabs 2 and 3
out the sides and the wrapper magical falls away, the seaweed wraps
around the rice and filling. Commence crunchy eating.
Small bento box, filled with tamago, sweet egg omelet, Karaage,
Japanese fried chicken, two small rice balls the one on the left is
tuna and the one on the right is umeboshi, pickled plum.

The extra are hashi, chopsticks and much need band-aids !

Small pleasures ! Thanks mollybot for tasty photo ! I was too busy
eating Cha Siu Bao a warm, steamed, light as air pork bun, Heaven !

chomping. . . parsnip
music. . . Nausicaa, Valley of the Wind, Joe Hisaishi

parley view parsnip...

parley view parsnip..., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Monday post about what is going on around my home.

I love the color green especially the color lime green and never knew
quite why ?
When I moved back to Tucson after many years away, I finally figured
out why, the Palo Verde Tree.

The lime/electric green Palo Verde tress are everywhere. They are a
big reason why Tucson is so green year around.
I grew up around these trees and love the bright green color along
with the white of the floating clouds and the bright blue sky.
My top three favorite colors in any combination.

In spring the trees are blanketed with pale yellow blossoms.
The leafs have 4 to 10 pairs of tiny, and I mean tiny leaflets, tiny
little round dot of lush green.
These drop off leaving the stem which is the leaf.
After the blooms fade the seed pods are food for birds and the ground
animals.

The Palo Verde is Arizona State Tree.
Just Beautiful !

green. . . parsnip
music. . . Walkin' On The Sun, Smash Mouth

fabulous friday or my life in the desert

fabulous friday or my life in the desert, a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

I have always wanted an outdoor shower.

Off my bedroom on the west side of my home I have a small walled in
space that was a no-mans land of bight sun. heat, and the utilities
boxes.
Did I mention the heat and bright sun ?

When I bought this home the pool didn't have an attached jacuzzi/hot
tub (way to expensive to put one in) so I had a freestanding one put
in the west side yard near the pool and my bedroom in the small no-
mans land of heat and sun.
Did I mention the bright sun, headache inducing heat and utility boxes ?

The hot tub is very useful and much need for those day I can't get the
various body part moving in the correct way. But the west yard is not
a very pleasant place to be when it is filled with sun, heat, and
utilities boxes. Harsh is a good word for this space.
I mentioned the burning heat and blinding bright sun and ugly
utilities boxes right ?

A ramada was built and covered with shade cloth (temperature dropped
15 degrees ) and a space was found for an outdoor shower. A beautiful
shower tiled in small green tinted glass subway tiles and the hanging
rain shower fixture.
Even though the slat wooden floor is not finished, no pots of plants
and lighting installed yet. . . I took my first outdoor shower this
morning and it was lovely. The view is beautiful, the early morning
temperature of 82 with a slight breeze was wonderful.
The unused, harsh, blinding bright sun light and ugly utility boxes
have disappeared replace by a cool shaded and very useful side-yard.

And I finally have an outdoor shower.

raining. . . parsnip
Music. . . Walk On The Ocean, Toad The Wet Sprocket

Wednesday In Japan and Summer Reading...

Wednesday In Japan and Summer Reading..., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan. . .
and
Today some of the blogs I follow are posting today about summer
reading list, you are to list 2 old favorites, 2 fiction and 2 non-
fiction.

This neatly fits in with my Japanese post today about a book,
Tsuburogu, I found on a recent trip.
This book is about the life of several animals who live with the
writer/photographer.
The main characters in this book (there are several in the series) are
Tsubu the cat, Koto a Terrier, Ume the Bunny and Zen the Scottie.

I'm flatly denying that Scottie on the cover was the only reason I
picked up this book ! and I'm sticking to that story no matter what
and you can't make me change my story !

Here are my summer book suggestions. . .

Fiction:

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The story focuses on four Chinese American Immigrant families. The
book is structures much like the game of mahjong with the women
sharing stories about their lives.

The Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman
Hillerman set his mysteries in the Southwest Navajo Nation and
surrounding area. How the main characters deal with crime, and melding
traditional and modern thinking.

Non Fiction:

Like Hidden Fire by Peter Hopkirk
If you want to get a better historical understanding on what is going
on in the Middle East and Central Asia. This book reads like a spy novel but shows how the conflicts in this area are a never
ending circle of disasters and that the players stay the same only the
date changes.

izakaya by Mark Robinson
This book is a history of the izakaya the Japanese Pub. How it evolved
and became a vital and unique place in Japanese life. Also includes
fabulous recipes.

Old Favorites:

Still Life With Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer
How can you not like a book when the paragraph that opens the book has
a sentence with " my diminished resources dictated a move to a run
down cottage in a honky-tonk town where live bait is sold from vending
machines"
The book is about a divorce, a move, and how chickens play a huge and
wonderful part in the new start. I have written before how much this
book made me laugh durning the hell of a divorce my x put our family
through.

Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
What a wonderful read about remolding a home and all the "interesting"
adventures that come with it. So much of my married life revolved
around remodeling homes that we never got to live in but sold and move
on to the next one. Plus she also included some wonderful recipes.

Goodness I see a trend in the books I like. . . . . FOOD !

reading. . . parsnip
music. . . Shoot The Moon, Norah Jones

parley view parsnip...

parley view parsnip..., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

My Monday blog about what is going on around my home.

This weekend I have been working on sketches of the wonderful Tucson
sky.
I am a cloud nerd !

On my Friday's post I forgot to mention what I use are colored pencils
and of course erasers. I have a coffee tin filled with prismacolors,
crayola and a very cute brand of pencils I think I found in a Japanese
market.
These are mostly leftovers from my children. I never throw any art
supply away until completely used up.

I have several sketch books laying around but I mostly grab some
smooth card stock that I use for making my cards but I have drawn on
crumpled paper, invoices, envelopes, cardboard boxes and paper plates
what ever I can find.

Close-up of drawing on post below.

colors . . . parsnip
music. . . Fly Me To The Moon, OST Neon Genesis Evangelion

weekend clouds....

weekend clouds...., a photo by angryparsnip on Flickr.

Close-up of one of my weekend drawings. The red mark is my Japanese
seal.