Wednesday In Japan. . . Bento

Bento

One of my favorite lunch or dinner is a bento box.

It is a single portioned takeout or home made meal.

Traditional bentos have moveable dividers  for rice, some sort of fish or meat, fresh and/or picked vegetables in a container. They can be takeout throwaways to beautiful or fun reusable boxes.

Some Japanese mum have been know to go crazy with carefully prepared lunches with popular anime, manga characters, animals, plants or scenery.

Daughter makes bentos they are very time consuming but wonderfully tasty and fun.

Here are some of my supplies.

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My favorite Totoro box

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 This is a child's  bento  so I would make two for an adult

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 What a happy lunch.

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 Bunnies !

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 This one has several compartments for rice, meat/fish/tofu and vegetables

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 more bunnies

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 Cute pig

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 This set came with it's own chopsticks.

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Supplies

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 Bamboo Sporks love these, and several smaller chopsticks

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 Little picks 

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 Better than a toothpick

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 Just like a cookie cutter to cut out veggie, eggs or seaweed to decorate 

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 Tiny sauce containers

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 So much fun

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If you have a minute just google "Japanese bento box lunches" 

and see how  fun they can be.

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Here is your pretty (?) for midweek

yesh i thehamish have destroyed the funny thingie again

thinking i not likin' the head part

yert

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hungry. . . parsnip

music. . . Merry Go Round,  Joe Hisaishi

Parley view parsnip. . . there goes the fireplace

Monday at my home...

Tomorrow I am having the fireplace in my studio ripped out.

I have 5 fireplaces in my home. Don't think I'll miss this one.

I have never used this fireplace and although the idea of it is very charming, 

I need the space. A book/storage unit is going in it's place.

My studio is filled with leftover pieces from my other studios, and kids rooms.

I really don't mind, just as long as it works.

But as I say that I am rethinking my space. I need a bigger work table and need a flat folder to hold big sheets of paper.

Not sure how much I will change it, the layout works for this space. But I need to see where I am wasting space. I have paints, colors, pencils, inks, paper lots of paper, all sorts of buttons and bobs, tags stickers, meterial and threads. The list goes on and on.

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The photos are not that great too much light pouring in the window for a photos. 

And yes I wish it was overcast and raining here in Tucson. 

Instead we have beautiful weather, bright blue skies temps in the 70 

but we need rain and snow !

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 I will need to find a new home for Godzilla !

Door leads to side yard.

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Here is your pretty to start the week.

 

Sunset colors on Thimble Peak.

space. . . parsnip

music. . . Is It Any Wonder,  Keane

Square Dog Friday. . . little black ball

Goodness !

What day is it ?

Square Dog Friday.

We all know the drill.

So lets woof it !

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Oh thehamish what a hammie.

 I have been cleaning my uber messy studio and my sweet baboo Dr. Watson

was sitting under the dark worktable keeping me company.

I thought I would take a photo of him when thehamish saw the camera and rushed over.

Oh hammie you are thehamish

Can you see the Scotty Broom in the background that son sent me from Japan?

 What can I say he is thehamish.
But my gud old dug Watson is my sweet baboo and I lurve him.
Heart !

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Here is your pretty to start the weekend

From last month

The moon rise over Thimble Peak.

Photo taken from my studio window so I have a little glare and a ghost moon.

How cool is that ?

happy. . . parsnip

music. . . Freeway Of Love,  Aretha Franklin

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Wednesday in Japan. . . Kumamon

Japan had a mascot for everything. 

My Granddaughter is in love with the city mascot where she lives.

I just think as a nation they like the colorful quirky, fun characters. 
They are designed to represent Prefectures, cities, national parks, shopping areas, airport, buses, trains, food anything and everything. 

They usually have a story line, and can go from super cute to ridiculous.

Kumamon is the mascot of the Kumamoto Prefecture.

 He was first designed for a campain when the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened

to draw tourist to the area.

 He is now extremely popular everywhere in Japan.

 In a really great master plan, if you want to use his image on your product,

you apply for a permit and do not have to pay a fee as long
as somewhere on your label you can state that some part of
your product comes from the Kumamoto Prefecture.

He is very popular and his cute apperence and comical movements
have lead to his popularity.
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Cup of very yummy ramen
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 Chopsticks and ramen
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 Paper plates, chopsticks, and napkins.
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 Super cute chopsticks
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 Lablel from a One Cup Sake (I think)
and Ribbon Aid (band aids)

 Candy

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Here is your mid-week pretty
some much needed rain cloud.
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bear. . . parsnip
music. . . Wouldn't it Be Nice,  The Beach Boys

parley view parsnip. . . javelinas !

Javelinas

Over the years I have written about some of the wild animals that visit my home.

From mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, snakes, rabbits, birds, gila monsters

and just about everything else.

I have learned the rhythm of nature in the year. 

Even with the drought I still can follow the ebb and flow of the animals 

that I am so lucky to share this part of the earth with.

I often talk about the Javelinas that like to visit my small citrus grove.

Like many of the animals they love to visit in the hot summer

and cool off in the shade of the trees and damp earth.

Ever since I was a little girl I have had an affinity to the Javelinas.

I am born in the year of the boar, they are my people my tribe. 

 Javelinas are medium sized animals that look like wild boars but are peccary.
They are really in the family of the Hippopotamus, which I also adore.

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 The babies, how very cute ! Tiny little loafs of hairy loafs of bread.

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 The photos are always just a little blurry or dark. 

I have to take them from from the safety of my home. No matter how clean the window

They never come out right.

Plus I only have a tiny point and click.

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Here is your pretty for the start of the week.

Some other wild animals animals that inhabit my world.

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So wild ! So. . . . . .
yert !

peccaries. . . parsnip

music. . . Don't Leave,  Ane Brun

2 February 2014. . . Happy Birthday sleepytako !

Today for many people it is Groundhog Day.

This very cute rodent comes out of his nice warm burrow and looks around. 

If he sees his shadow he will go back into his burrow and winter will continue for six more weeks. If it is cloudy and he doesn't see his shadow then spring will come early.
I assume this year if he doesn't see his shadow he will mosey off to the local bar and eat spicy chicken wings with a beer while watching the Super Bowl.

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But more important Today is my oldest son's Birthday.

If you are born on a holiday this is the one.

The best holiday ever, quirky and just fun !

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So Happy Happy Birthday,  Sleepytako !

Even though in Japan his Birthday was yesterday, 

which is my tomorrow

but here in Tucson 

tomorrow was your yesterday.

Which really comes down to ....

you get two Birthdays !

yert !

Let there be Cake.

happy. . . parsnip

music. . .  On Top Of The World,   Imagine Dragons

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confession

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I tried to draw a groundhog. 

I found a photo of 

Punxsutawney Phil the Famous Groundhog.

And I tried I really tried to do a realistic drawing.

He is very handsome groundhog but I got somewhat carried away and

since I don't really draw realistic.....

He kinda looks like a tiny polar bear ?

If I colored him gray and brown maybe he would look more groundhog.

Plus I took the photo at night... might try again tomorrow. 

yert !

Thank Goodness. . . rain !

I know many of you out there in Blogland are in the grips of WINTER.

But here in lovely Tucson, Arizona,

it has been warm, sunny, blue skies and highs in the 70's.

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Sounds wonderful right ?

But it is our winter rainy season and we need the rain in the valley and snow in the mountains that ring Tucson. 

Or our summer will be one huge fire !

Today is the offical start of The Tucson Gem Show.

One of the biggest (if not the biggest) Gem and Minneral Shows in the world.

Tucson is host to buyers and seller from all over the world.

Every Saguaro is full up with visiters.

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Rain has come or a really nice drizzle to Tucson today. 

Of course Mother Nature always plays a joke on us

because after several months of no rain,  

She has to decide to rain on the first day of 

The Gem Show !

I lurvf her sence of humor.

Gem show fun.

drizzly . . . parsnip

music. . . I Feel Fine,  The Beatles