５月２７日（金曜日）２０２２

　「一噌幸弘、笛の世界」が１週間後の６月４日（土）に迫ってきました。能楽一噌流笛方で重要無形文化財総合指定保持者の一噌幸弘さんは伝統的な能楽や田楽から現代のクラッシック、ジャズ、はたまた自身の作曲によるオリジナルまで様々な笛の音を様々な笛で聴かせてくださいます。笛と音楽の魅力を皆さんに楽しんでもらいたい、と一噌さんはおっしゃっています。

　初夏の昼下がり、古民家に響く笛の音は格別です。チケットは残りわずか。0749-48-0186までどうぞ！

    Concert "Flute World by Yukihiro Isso" is approaching in a week, Saturday, June 4th at Taga Asahiya. Mr. Isso is a flutist in Isso school and Important Intangible Cultural Property Comprehensive Designated Holder. He will play traditional flute music such as those from noh music, ritual music to classical, Jazz and original music composed with various kinds of flutes by him. He is saying that he would like you to enjoy the wonderful sound of flute and music.

    You will be fascinated by the flute concert at the Japanese old house in the afternoon of early summer. Few more tickets are left. Please call 0749-48-0186!

５月２５日（水曜日）２０２２

　大雪の日に自転車でひょっこり現れたのがきっかけで以来時々仕事の帰りに寄ってはいろいろ楽しい話を聞かせてくれる２０代半ばの若者、Oさんがいます。動物のフィギュアを集めたり無地のフィギュアに色付けをしたりするのが趣味とのことで、今日は「見せたいものがあります」と袋から取り出したもの。それは虫のフィギュアでした。本物かと思うほど細部までよくできた虫の名前はOさん曰く「ヤンバルテナガコガネ」と「カナブン」それに「プラチナコガネ」。本物の写真をスマホで見せながらOさんの解説は詳しいものでした。虫に関心をもったことがない私は解説を聞きながら、本物でないからこそフィギュアに触ったり顔を近づけて眺めたり楽しめました。関心がないばかりかゴキブリなどは世界で一番苦手な虫だと話すと今度はいろいろなゴキブリについてまたまた詳しい解説。

    近くの工業団地で契約社員として働くOさんのシフト勤務は楽ではなさそうですが、いろいろな動物や虫がいるから多賀は好きデスと言ってます。「センゴク」という漫画本を持っていたので、それについて尋ねると日本史についても実によく知っています。若い人のこだわりと知識力はすごいものだと舌を巻きました。

    Mr.O who is in his mid twenties, came to my cafe by bicycle on the heavy snow day last Dec. and since then he occasionally stopped by on the way back home and talked about many interesting topics. He likes to collect miniature animal figures or color figures naturally by observing them closely. Yesterday, he came to the cafe and said that he wanted to show something to me and he took out small plastic bags. They were insect figures. They looked real to me and according to him, they were Yanbaru long-armed scarab beetles, drone beetles, and plusiotis. Mr. O explained them to me by showing the real one on the screen of his smart phone. Since the figures were not real, I, who is usually not interested in those insects, enjoyed touching them and looking closely. Actually I hate cockroaches among all insects in the world and told him about it, then he started to explain about various kinds of cockroaches.

    He is working at a pharmaceutical company in Taga as a temporary employee and it seems his shift work is not easy but he is saying that he likes to come to Taga town because he can find many interesting animals and insects in the area. I asked him about a comic book which he put on the table, then he talked about the people who were fighting in the age of provincial wars in Japan. I was amazed at his interest and knowledge which probably some younger generations have.

５月２４日（火曜日）２０２２

　今年のロネとジージの多賀でのクラウンライブは１１月１２日（土）１３日（日）に決まりましたが、クラウン教室も開かれています。クラウン術はクラウンになりたい人だけでなく介護、教師、会社員、主婦、ありとあらゆるところで生かせて人生を変えます。（私はオンライン講座を聴講してますよ。）
https://clown-academy.com/sst-info/2370/

    Clown Live by RONE & Gigi will be held at Taga Asahiya on Nov.12th and 13th 2022. They have been running Clown School for 25 years.
Not only people who want to be a clown participate and learn at the school but also those people who are care workers, teachers, office workers and housewives, are learning about clowning and it applies to various occasions. It changes your life. (I am participating in Clown web lectures and it is very fun!)

５月１８日（水曜日）２０２２

    自家製野菜をよくいただく同級生のKさんから今回も新鮮な野菜をたくさんいただきました。その中に初物のそら豆が入っていました。
大きなさやを捻ったりして中からそら豆がゴロンと出てくる爽快感は格別です。塩茹してさらに外皮を取ると、ずいぶんカサが減りますがそれでもおたふくを連想してしまうそら豆は愛しいです。今日のランチとお弁当はそら豆ご飯、お客様にも楽しんでいただきました。

    Ms. K, who is my high school classmate, gave me home-grown vegetables as she often does. This time, I found fava beans which were the first one of the season among other vegetables. I twisted the big pod to break it and took out the fava beans. I felt very good when I saw big fava beans inside the pod. After taking all the beans out, boiled them with salty water and moreover took out the outer skin, then the amount of the fava beans went down, but I love these fava beans whose shapes are associated with Otafuku (an attractive girl despite her narrow eyes and flat nose). I cooked fava beans rice for lunch and made take-out box lunches for the guests to enjoy.

５月１３日（金曜日）２０２２

    近所の朝市でかすみ草の束が１５０円で売られていたので購入。うちへ帰ってさっそく花瓶に入れてみました。かすみ草は、花屋さんで花束を買うとメインの花と花との隙間に添えられる脇役として見ることが多いですが、かすみ草そのものを主役に壺に挿すのもなかなかいいものです。また、かすみ草は洋風のイメージですが和室にもよく合って、美しくその存在感を出しています。少し前にMさんにいただいたアヤメは真っ直ぐに伸びた茎の先に濃い色合いの紫や黄色の花をつけて端午の節句に相応しい締まった勢いを感じさせてくれましたが、今日のかすみ草はどこまでも優しく柔らかな雰囲気で見ていて穏やかな気持ちになります。

    I bought a bouquet of baby's breath for 150 yen at the Friday morning market near my house. I put them in a vase at home. We see baby's breath in a bouquet of other flowers such as roses as a filler for the gaps, but it is very nice to look simply full of baby's breath as the main flowers and I like it. Baby's breath has an image of western flower but it also fits a Japanese room and it shows the presence very well. The other day, I received a bunch of irises from Ms. M and I put them in the alcove, entrance, and other places for the decoration of Boy's Day. They have flowers in deep color on top straight stems and they make us feel vigor which is suitable for Boy's Day. On the other hand, these baby's breath make us feel gentle and tender. We are looking at these with a calm mind.

５月９日（月曜日）２０２２

　大型連休も終わり平日に戻りました。休暇中、県内は勿論、京都、大阪など西の方から、または名古屋、東京など東の方からも大勢多賀大社へ参拝に来られたようで、カフェに立ち寄ってくださった方々とのちょっとしたおしゃべりは楽しかったです。

　今朝は久しぶりの朝の散歩で多賀大社の「なんじゃもんじゃ」の花を見に行きました。冬の大雪で枝が折れたのか去年より花が少なくなっていたのが残念でした。それでも優しく清楚な花をつけた枝振りを見上げてしばし見とれました。すぐ近くのもみじはこれとは正反対。堂々とした風格で見事な新緑の枝を広げていました。

　今日からお天気が下り坂。気温も下がって５月というのに石油ストーブをつけて暖をとっています。

    Golden week holidays (long consecutive holidays) are over and normal days came back. During the holidays, many people visited Taga Taisha not only from inside Shiga prefecture but also from western Japan such as Kyoto, Osaka or from eastern Japan such as Nagoya, Tokyo, and some of them stopped by my cafe. I enjoyed small talk with them.

    This morning, I went for a walk after a long time and visited Taga Taisha to see flowers of ”Nanjya-monjya (Chionanthus retusus)". Maybe because of the last heavy snow, the tree lost some branches, so flowers were smaller than last year, but still soft and elegant white flowers were so beautiful and they just amazed me. There is a Japanese maple tree near the tree of Nanjya-monjya which is eye-catching and the branches full of fresh green maple leaves spread widely.

５月２日（月曜日）２０２２

    ５月は肌寒い雨で始まりました。イザナミマーケットのためにカフェ横にちょっとレトロな雑貨を売る店ができますが、店主のおじさんも、雨で通りを歩く人があまりに少ないためお昼過ぎには店をたたんでいました。上天気だった昨日とは正反対で残念ですが、天候ばかりは文句を言っても仕方ありません。

　さて、イザナミランチは店内とお持ち帰りの方に提供でき有り難く思っております。献立は、ふき煮、ウドと山椒味噌、小松菜サラダ・ベーコンドレッシング、セロリとジャガイモのマヨネーズマスタード和え、肉団子、鮭の南蛮漬け、筍ご飯、トマト卵スープでした。

    First of May started with a little cold rain. Izanami-market was held yesterday on the first Sunday of the month and a small retro goods shop opened to the left of the cafe but very few people passed by the street because of the rain, so the owner of the shop closed in the afternoon. The weather was completely opposite from the day before, which was very fine, but we can not complain about the natural phenomenon.

    Well, we served Izanami lunch and I thank people who ate in the cafe or took it home. The menu is as follows: Simmered Japanese Butterbur, Udo (Aralia cordata) with Japanese pepper leaves miso, spinach salad with bacon dressing, Celeri remoulade, meatball, fried salmon marinated in a spicy sauce, Steamed rice with bamboo shoots and Tomato & egg soup.