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

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

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

Wednesday In Japan.... and update

My Wednesday post about my life in Japan.

Bikes, bikes, bikes everywhere.

A chain of very tasty Curry Restaurants, with more bikes in front.

Everyone rides bikes in Japan.
You can see the train tracks down the street. This is the stop my son takes for his job. Curry House is in back of this photo.

View from my Kitchen Window.

After I posted Mondays photo of the rain and the cold weather from Canada (thanks a lot Canada !) the clouds lifted and the snow appeared. It was gone by the afternoon. These foothills are lower but on Mt. Lemmon (photo below) the snow last longer.

Monday morning snow on the Catalina Mountains, view from my studio.
We are now back to more normal November weather.

Hamish is feeling better, sitting in the sun by the Kitchen Table.

On Thursday we will find out how his eyes are and hopefully the cone of shame comes off. 6 days after the operation I can tell he can see and his eyes look less bloody and the squinting is gone.

Good Job, Hamish !

happy. . . parsnip
music. . . Back To Her, Five Way Friday

parley view parsnip...

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

Ack ! What is going on with our weather !
First we get the deep freeze that destroyed my citrus grove last winter and now we have this cold rain storm that shouldn't even be here till January. Thanks a lot Canada ! What do you think your doing, why are you sending down this out of season cold weather. Well if the snowshoe fits, please keep it. OK !
Normal Novemeber weather returning on Wednesday, thank goodness.

Day Four...

Hamish is doing better. His eyes are open more but his left eye seems to be progressing slower.

And if the 30 minutes it takes to give him his meds 4 times a day wasn't enough.... he hates the cone of shame. He refuses to go outside with it on. We have picked him up deposited him on the grass and that doesn't even help. So every time he has to go outside, off goes the cone. Even eating I have to take it off but I have to watch him like a hawk because he wants to scratch his eyes. I was hoping the cone would come off Thursday but I am thinking maybe not ?

woof !

get this thing off of me !

Sunday Dinner.

Taharava Kootan from the Kerala region of India.

Country Style Duck Curry.

Again fabulous son cooked this wonderful dinner for me. Duck, potatoes, ginger, cloves, onions, shallots, mustard seed, coriander, cardamom seed and of course coconut milk. Utter bliss !

tasty. . . parsnip
music. . . Autumn Leaves, Susan Boyle

I'm Alive, sort of. . .

Update. . .

Call me Tanuki !
The Japanese Raccoon Dog.

Hamish made it through surgery with flying colors.
He is now installed on a fluffy blanket sleeping by my computer desk.

This photo was taken under my work table.
He is on mass quantities of drugs

and

wearing the "Cone Of Shame" for at lest a week.

We did find another problem that is common in Scotties and Schnauzers but easily controlled.
They all loved him at the Hospital and really didn't want him to leave.
Even with all the pain he was very sweet and they loved taking care of him.
He is a trooper.

nurse. . . parsnip

music. . . In The Blink Of A Eye, Cafe Carlyle Sessions

Wednesday in Japan...

Wednesday Japanese post is being hijacked by a small 29 pound Square One.

But

For a very cute slice of everyday life in Japan click on Kogums-chan's blog on my sidebar. It shows a very small and definitely cute Costco cart girl making her "diaper money"

Well here is the culprit, awwwwwwww so sweet but really a Darth Varder in a furry coat !

On Thursday at 7 am he will be at the hospital for his lens replacement surgery because of diabetic induced cataracts in both eyes.

Waiting for morning meds

Under my big work desk.

Next to my computer/printer desk.

Morning pills.

When Hamish came to live with Watson and me he became my shadow.

I can't walk 2 feet with out him jumping up and following me. When I walk anywhere he is right next to my feet or between them sometimes even a lick on the ankle as I walk. He has sent me flying into walls and even a French Door once chipping a tooth.

While very endearing, after 7 years it gets a bit tiring. He is always there looking up at me. I don't flatter myself thinking it is all love, I think he is just checking me out for when I will be ready to eat. I am just a walking Steak or Pork Chop !

I have noticed he doesn't follow me around as much in the last 3 weeks. As I move from computer/printer to work table he is near but doesn't move in till he hears me leaving the room. It makes me so sad to see him stumbling, missteps, and walking along walls. I have put lots of old comfy blankets all over our home, adding to all the fluffy pillows and soft beds they already have strategically placed in our home. I try not to leave anything out or move anything to a new place because he will walk into it. He can't see anything right in front of him, it is like looking through thick frosted glass.

I see him now looking up at me and it breaks my heart because I know he can't see me.

I will update his surgery on my Friday post.

Ending on a happier note, clouds from my studio window.

They remind me of the waves on the Pacific Ocean.

worried. . . parsnip

music. . . Both Sides Now, Susan Boyle