Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wednesday In Japan....

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan...
Christmas Cards from Japan.
Another post was planed but I feel very Christmas today... plus I had trouble with the other post but we won't mention that, will we ?
My son started sending me these fabulous pop-out cards. Knowing my love of Christmas, Santa, Cards (I am a greeting card artist after all) and of course furry animals big and small. I love them all.
My favorite !
A pop-out card 16 little animals and Santa standing around a tree.
When you push the button small blinking lights come on. You can see some of the tiny blue lights on the edges of the tree. 2 Christmas songs play. This is my favorite of all the cards he has sent me. So sweet I love all the little animals.

This is his favorite.
15 Santas that twirl when you open it up along with deer and snowmen. But what he absolutely loves is the 12 count them 12 Christmas songs that play ! He wrote " Be thankful you don't have crazy kids around to push the play button non-stop ...like Me"

In his own words... "this has to be the most insane card ever ! 4 buttons"
When you push the various buttons you make the drums and the horns play, children sing to the song and lights come on.

This is a pop-up card, no songs and lights but a huge favorite because I adore Osaka.

Filled with many Osaka landmarks and over 50 little Santas. I love this card.
Who in their right mind puts a Crab, even the famous Osaka Crab on a Christmas card ! let alone over 50 tiny Santas.

Japan's big holiday is New Years, but the bigger cities put up Christmas decorations. I think for the tourists but Christmas is slowly making some small inroads.
You know how small children love a party !
One year I took the family to Tokyo for Christmas. The x had just walked out so I thought ... lets go to Japan for Christmas. Hey, it made sense at the time.
It was the best trip ever !
The wonderful Hotel we stayed at was elegant, older and not in the typical tourist area. We loved it. They had a lovely Christmas Tree up but on December 26 the tree was gone and New Year decorations were up.
That so made me giggle.
More cards to come....

singing . . . parsnip
music . . . Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms
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Monday, November 28, 2011

parley view parsnip...

My Monday post about what is going on around my home...
8 a.m. Monday, the sky is so blue and clear not a cloud in sight.

Sprinklers come on at 8AM watering the new winter grass that was seeded right before Halloween. Looking very green and lush.

Sad view.
Last winters hard freeze that dipped down from Canada for two days and mostly wiped out my small citrus grove. My all time favorite, Tangelo tree is just hanging on. Right now it should be overloaded with leaves and fruit. So much fruit that the gardener prop up the over laded branches because there is always so much fruit.
No candied peel for Christmas gifts this year.


And...
Because there are no clouds in the sky today....
Here is you moment of pretty...
When I look down from my Computer desk and chair this is what I see.
When Hamish, red necklace, came home from hospital, and had to stay very quiet and had meds six times a day. I put a blanket down next to my computer desk so I could watch him, while catching up on awful paper work.
Just found this wonderful new plaid blanket for him to curl up on. Now Watson likes the comfy blanket plus a pillow.
Nice !
sunny. . . parsnip
music. . . Back In The High Life Again, Steve Winwood
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Friday, November 25, 2011

chestnuts and radishes, oh my...

Chestnuts !
Daughter and I know about Japanese Chestnuts.
They are roasted and sold in front of the Japanese markets we used to go to in California.
When you buy a bag and you will get a small plastic disk you put on your thumb to crack the shell. Japanese Chestnuts do not have the x cut in them.
Daughter and I tried our hand at cutting the x in some Italian Chestnuts we bought at the market. I don't know if we did it right. The shell puffed and curled so pretty but as we have never seen Chestnuts roasted this way, we are not sure if this is the way they are suppose to look ?
They tasted lovely and I thought them beautiful.

I pickle some radishes yesterday, tops and all.

What a most beautiful vegetable.

I did a quick pickle that only takes an hour. All the sharp bitterness was gone leaving crunchy goodness behind.

Have a lovely weekend.
crunching . . . parsnip
music. . . Holding Back The Years, Simply Red
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Another Wednesday...

It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so that would mean ...
Squash !
Golden Nugget Squash.


Beautiful !

Good friends napping in the studio

And under my work table.
Hamish, in the back with head resting on Watson, has always liked cuddling up with Watson. Since his operation he seems to need it a little more or maybe the fact it is Fall and somewhat cooler in Tucson right now.
What ever the reason it is very cute.

Looking out my studio window at six vapor trains left by a jet stationed at
Davis Monthan Air Force Base.
This is a host unit, they train units from all over the world. You can see planes flying training classes over the Tucson sky.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone
and for the ones who don't celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, Happy Thursday !
cheering. . . parsnip
music. . . Wonderland, Zitten
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Monday, November 21, 2011

짙은(Zitten) - 곁에



I love this band and I adore this video.

So here is your pretty for the day....

cheers. . . parsnip
music. . . Zitten, By My Side

Friday, November 18, 2011

Before and After...

Before...
The Hamish with the Cone of Shame !


After...

Eureka !
One day of freedom, The Hamish has been a good boy.
No rubbing or scratching of his eyes so far and he can see ! Watson will not have to be his seeing eye dog. He doesn't have his necklace/jewelry on yet but maybe today I will put it back on.
I think he looks really cute, collar free, like Snowy of the Tintin (except color) books with his long neck.
Of course he kept moving his head (freedom) so I couldn't get a better photo. The shaved hair around his eyes has grown back and the doctor said they saved as much of the eyebrows as they could because he looked so cute with them.
He was a hospital favorite.

Son has been cooking again...

Taharava Kootan, Duck Curry country style. From the Kerala region.
This time he made it with light and dark chicken cut in very small pieces. We like duck but thought this would work and it did. So wonderful.

Appam
Savory rice bread. Made from fermented rice batter.


Appams are soft and spongy disks. They are fat and puffy in the center and lacy crispy brown on the edges.

Appam reminds me of the light and spongy Ethiopian bread Injera that is made from Teff flour.

Fabulous !
hungry. . . parsnip
music. . . Under The Milky Way, Sia
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Wednesday In Japan...

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan...
Favorite recipe from Japanese son, made by talented daughter, mollybot.
Southwest Cassoulet.
Daughter came over last Sunday and whipped this fabulous dinner up for us.
What made it even better was that it was last Sunday it was cold weather for a November in Tucson, with early morning snow on the mountain tops and a sunny but rather cool afternoon.
The cassoulet had white beans, onion, garlic, red wine, kale , sage and soy chorizo. We like soy chorizo better than pork chorizo , not as fatty but just as tasty. Melissa's or Trader Jo's brand is great. Garlic bread crumbs on top then pop in the over.
This taste so good and your home will smell wonderful. Just the thing for a cold day.
Click on daughter's blog, CSAmazing, on my right side column for recipe.

Update !
Hamish is still wearing The Cone Of Shame.
It comes off tomorrow and he really wants it OFF NOW ! he is on mass quantities of eye drops for the next two weeks, then next recheck.
Eye look clear and he can see now.

Partners in crime. Hamish, Waldie and Watson.

Waldie has extreme separation anxiety.
I have never seen a dog scream when left alone like he does for as many hours you are gone, he never stops.
They are using a crate, cozy blankets, a recording of their voices reading a book but nothing so far has worked. They even bought a "Thundershirt" for him. You wrap him snugly in the vest and it is suppose to help the dog feel secure. It works about 90% of the time. guess who is in the 10% that is doesn't help that much ?
So they dropped him off for a play day with The Boys hoping that would be less stressful on him and he could get use to being away from them. Well there was no screaming but we had lots of crying. I swear there were tears !
Of course Watson took one look at all the hysteria and took off for parts unknown. Hamish hung around and slept next to Walide who was always right next to me but it was a hard day. I want him to visit at lest once a week, sooner or later (please let it be sooner) he has to get use to being left alone and that The Ladies will come back for him !
snugly. . . parsnip
music. . . Mad World, Michael Andrews/Gary Jules



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Monday, November 14, 2011

parley view parsnip...

My Monday post about what is going on around my home...
January weather in November !
What a strange weather year it has been.
First the lack of our Winter rains that Arizona depends on, a hard freeze that destroyed so much vegetation, my small citrus grove included and now winter weather in November ?
No matter when it rains in Tucson we are happy. Plus the air feels so fresh and smells like sage.
Thank Goodness our nice Fall weather returns this week.
8 am Sunday morning.
I understand many people who live in the north and east would just grumble at this scene but not me. Rain falling on the Catalina Mountains.

9 am rain stops, clouds hugging the tops of the mountains.

9 am clouds so low I can't see the Rincon Mountains to the east.

10 am, clouds starting to lift from where the Rincon and Santa Ritas mountains meet southeast from me.

10 am, my favorite view from in front of the garage looking through the ramada on the east side of my home. It is raining again.
The Catalina Mountains look so close because you see no foreground. Even though they are so close to my home when I take a photo they look so far away.
This Grapefruit tree is one of the only trees that sort of survived the hard freeze. It has leaves but no fruit.

1 pm it rained again and then the clouds started to lift.

The breeze was very slowly pushing the clouds East.


Close up looking Northeast

3:30 pm
View from my studio window. Love the bright patch peaking through the dark rain clouds

Here is a close up. This cute little peak is called the Thimble and in in the Sabino Canyon Park. about 5 minutes from my home.
Photo taken through my window so is somewhat tinted gray.

wet. . . parsnip
music. . . Heavy Clods No Rain, Sting


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Friday, November 11, 2011

11 . 11 . 11

To start out my Friday catch up blog...
Thank You to all the Veterans the Men and Women serving in the Military today and their families who support them.
I can not go to any service today but in their honor I will make a donation to USO.

Another photo from Monday.



Presenting....
Mr. Darth Vader, Tonton, sweetie pie, haggis, kumquat, honey baby, cutie pie, sweetie darling, lemon, lucky, good boy, cuddles, oh no you didn't, Hamish !
Cone of shame is still needed for one more week, along with the mass quantities of meds for three more weeks. Goodness, his eyes look so much better and he is feeling way to spunky for a little guy who lens replacement surgery just one week ago.
I have to keep him quiet for two more weeks to protect the eyes.
Hahahahahhahahahah... yeah good luck wih that !
Thank You Dr. Betbeze and Dr. Maus.
Good job sweetie pie you look marvelous !

Moon rise Wednesday evening.
thankful. . . parsnip
music. . . Sailing, The Cafe Carlyle Sessions

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